Time Line Project: A Period of Transition

By tesskelsey
  • Period: to

    Time Line Project: A Period of Transition

  • Cold War: Stalin's hostile speech

    At a meeting of Voters of the Stalin Electoral District, Joseph Stalin of the USSR declared that communism and capitalism were incompatible. This speech not only initiated some of the Cold War tension, but forshadowed the future struggles between the two ideologies. It predicted that only one of the two would survive and be successful in the end (Origins).

  • Vietnam War: French Indochina War

    Beginning in 1946 and continuing into 1954, the Vietminh engaged in a series of guerilla wars with the French. The United States backed the French while the USSR supported the Vietminh. This was the beginning of democratic and communist confrontation in Vietnam, and would lead up to the full scale Vietnam War (Vietnam).

  • Cold War: The Truman Doctrine

    This document declared it to be the foreign policy of the US to provide assistance to any country threatened by communism. This included assistance for both Greece and Turkey. The Truman Doctrine was significant because it was an open declaration of American hatred towards communism as it fought to end its spread throughout the world (Truman Doctrine).

  • Cold War: Berlin Blockade

    The Soviet Union maintained its communist influence over Berlin by blocking all road access to the city. The citizens trapped within the blockade did not have access to food, water, or other supplies, and feared starvation. This increased tension between the capitalist West, supported by the US, and the communist USSR in the East, as the USSR attempted to expand its sphere of influence (Origins).

  • Cold War: NATO ratified

    The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was an alliance between nations against the agression of the communist USSR. It provided for collective self defense and encouraged political and economic cooperation among capitalist countries. This alliance was neccessary to counter the rising threat of communism throughout the world and prevent its spread (Origins).

  • Cold War: USSR tests A-bomb

    Once the USSR successfully tested its first atomic bomb, the tension between the United States and the USSR increased. The US was no longer the only country with atomic power, and was now being challenged by communism. This development would be a cause of fear for the remainder of the Cold War.

  • Cold War: China falls to communism

    Once the communists emerge as victorious after the civil war, Mao Zedong takes control of China and establishes the People's Republic of China. The US provided no military assistance to the country, so China was an easy target for the influence of communism. The US fears that the Soviet Union will continue to influence countries around the world and cause communism to surpass capitalism (Origins).

  • Cold War: Second Red Scare and McCarthyism

    Between 1950 and 1954, there was a heightened fear of communist influence within the United States. This anti-communist sentiment caused many Americans to be accused of supporting communism and led to unjust investigations. This time period demonstrates the American fear and hatred towards communism, as well as their determination to destroy it.

  • Cold War: Korean War begins

    The communist North Korea invades the democratic South Korea on this day, beginning the Korean War. The United States feared that South Korea may become another victim of communism, and backs the nation against the hostility of North Korea. The war resulted in a permanently divided North and South Korea, but at least communism did not extend its influence.

  • Vietnam War: Eisenhower's "Domino Theory"

    During a press conference, Eisenhower discussed the defeat of the French by the Vietminh and outlined his Domino Theory. This stated that if one hypothetical domino fell, the others would fall shortly after. This referenced the fear of Asian countries falling under communist rule, and that if one became the victim, then communism would spread very quickly afterwards (Vietnam).

  • Vietnam War: Geneva Conference

    During this convention, Vietminh General Buu and French General Delteil sign the Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities in Vietnam. This created the demarcation line at the 17th parallel to seperate North and South Vietnam. This conference was significant because it ended the French Indochina War, which was arguably the source of tension for the Vietnam War (Vietnam).

  • Civil Rights Movement: Supreme Court Decision "Brown vs. Board"

    The Supreme Court decision deemed the "separate but equal" ruling in "Plessy v. Ferguson" as unconstitutional and overturned the notion with this decision to end segregation in public schools (Simon).

  • Cold War: Guatemalan Coup

    A US-back coup occurs to overthrow the Guatemalan communist leader Jacobo Guzman, who had nationalized United Fruit Company Property. The US trained rebels to intiate the coup and overthrow the communist leader. This ended the influence of communism in South America and was considered a win for the US in the Cold War (Cold).

  • Civil Rights Movement: The Murder of Emmet Till

    A young African-American 14-year old boy, Emmet Till whistled at and "flirted" with white woman in Mississippi. A few days later he disappeared and his body was then found in a river with several shot wounds on his head. Roy Bryant, the woman's husband was arrested for murder and put on trial (Simon).

  • Civil Rights Movement: Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott

    Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the front of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. As a result of her refusal to move to the back of the bus, the "black section", and was arrested. Her rebellion prompted the Montogomery Bus Boycott in which advocates of the civil rights movement boycotted public transportation (Simon).

  • Cold War: Eisenhower Doctrine

    President Eisenhower created the Eisenhower Doctrine, which allowed him to commit troups to the Middle East to prevent communist aggression in that area. This document was another attempt to stop the spread of communism and the influence of the Soviet Union. This was necessary because the USSR could target any country at a given time (Cold).

  • Civil Rights Movement: Little Rock Nine

    Central High School in Little Rock was the first school in Arkansas to be desegregated after the Brown v. Board Decision and nine black students attended the school. Since Governor Faubus of Arkansas was against integration, a riot was caused between the state and the federal government an troops were ordered in (Simon).

  • Cold War: USSR launches Sputnik into orbit

    Sputnik was the first artificial satellite launched into Earth's orbit. The Soviet Union accomplished this feat before the United States, igniting the Space Race as part of the Cold War. It also raised the issue that the USSR may be more advanced and technologically developed than the US, a fact that terrified Americans.

  • Vietnam War: Formation of Vietcong

    Also known as the National Liberation Front for South Vietnam, the Vietcong opposed both Diem and US interference and was formed by Hanoi. This organization was supported by the USSR and China against the US during the Vietnam War, an example of the fundamental battle between democracy and communism (Vietnam).

  • Cold War: U-2 incident

    US pilot Francis Gary Powers was flying his U-2 aircraft over the Soviet Union in order to take pictures of secret territory and weapons bases. The spy plane was shot down by Soviet missiles, increasing the tension between the US and its communist enemy. This event intensified the Cold War and led up to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

  • Cold War: Bay of Pigs Invasion

    Cuban exiles, backed by the US government, attempted to overthrow the communist regime of Fidel Castro in Cuba. The invasion backfired and was a complete failure and embarassment for President Kennedy. It failed to deter the rise of communism within Cuba and portrayed the US as weak.

  • Civil Rights Movement: The Freedom Riders

    The Freedom Riders were a group of civil rights activists who rode buses through the South to challege segregation and hoped to provoke a violent reaction that would convince President Kennedy to enforce the law. They were beaten, killed, and verbally abused but kept riding as JFK ordered 400 U.S. Marshals to protect them on their journey to Mississippi (Simon).

  • Cold War: Berlin Wall construction begins

    The Berlin Wall was constructed on this day to seperate West Germany and Western Europe from East Germany and the Soviet Union. The West was democratic and supported by the United States, while the East was communist and back by the USSR. This physical divider represents the division of democracy and communism as well as the attempt of the Soviet Union to maintain its influence.

  • Vietnam War: Operation Chopper

    This was America's first combat mission against Vietcong (Vietnam).

  • Civil Rights Movement: James Meredith and the University of Mississippi

    An Air Force veteran, James Meredith, won a federal court case that allowed him to enroll in the all-white University. However, when he arrived, Governor Ross Barnett refused to let him register and JFK then ordered federal Marshals escort Meredith.

  • Cold War: Cuban Missile Crisis

    After an alliance was formed between the communist countries of Cuba and the Soviet Union, they began placing missiles in Cuba that pointed towards the United States. JFK ordered a quarantine of Cuba, and the Soviet Union promised to remove all of their missiles from the island if the US did not invade. This event was a success for the US because it ended direct communist influence in Cuba and proved that democracy was more powerful (Cuban).

  • Civil Rights Movement: "Project C"

    This was a plan devised by Martin Luther King Junior and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to challenge the system of segregation in Birmingham, Alabama through peaceful demonstrations such as rallie, boycotts, and appeals to justice.

  • Civil Rights Movement: George Wallace and the University of Alabama

    George Wallace, the governor of Alabama, stood in front of a schoolhouse door at the University of Alabama in an attempt to end desegregation by the enrollment of Vivian Malone and James Hood (Simon).

  • Civil Rights Movement: The Assassination of Medgar Evans

    After Kennedy's televised speech in 1963, Medgar Evans, the field secretary of the NAACP, was leading a protest againts Jackson's system of segregation and was shot and died that evening.

  • Civil Rights Movement: The March on Washington

    After JFK sent Congress a Civil Rights Bill, two veteran organizers, A. Phillip Randolph and Bayard Rustin of the SCLC summoned a march on Washington DC to persuade Congress to pass the bill. The march of over 250,000 people culminated in MLK's famous speech "I have a dream..." (Simon).

  • Civil Rights Movement: Birmingham Bombing

    A bomb exploded in the 16th Street Baptist chirch in Birmingham, Alabama and killed four young girls in Sunday School and injured an additional 20 people.

  • Civil Rights Movement: Civil Rights Act of 1964

    Kennedy's successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 previously proposed to Congress by JFK, which prohibited discrimination because of race, religion, natural origin, and gender (Simon).

  • Vietnam War: Gulf of Tonkin Incident

    During the first incident, three North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked the USS Maddox, resulting in a naval battle between North Vietnam and the United States. This occurence increased American involvement in the war while simultaneously increasing the tension between democracy and communism.

  • Vietnam War: Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

    Shortly after the two Gulf of Tonkin attacks, President Johnson passed this resolution, This gave him the power to take whatever action was necessary to defend Southeast Asia. By promising to back South Vietnam and other Asian nations from USSR and North Vietnam's communist influence, the US became further involved in the war against communism.

  • Vietnam War: Operation Rolling Thunder

    After the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, Lyndon B. Johnson used his newly granted powers and authorized this operation which was the first sustained bombing of North Vietnam (Danzer).

  • Civil Rights Movement: Bloody Sunday

    Civil rights worker in Selma, Alabama, began a march to Montgomery and were stopped by police forces and many marcehr were sevrely injured and killed. It was organized by James Bevel and promoted the Selma Voting Rights Movement (The Civil Rights Movement).

  • Civil Rights Movement: Voting Rights Act of 1965

    After the Selma to Montogmery March chaos, the Voting Rights Act was passed by Congress. It was a law that made it easier for African-Americans to register to vote by eliminating the literacy test and authorizing federal examiners to enroll voters who had been denied registration at the local level (Danzer).

  • Vietnam War: Operation Cedar Falls

    This was a military operation conducted primarily by U.S. forces. Its goal was to eradicate the "Iron Triangle" and was a search and destroy mission (Danzer).

  • Vietnam War: Tet Offensive

    During this widespread communist offensive, North Vietnamese and Vietcong forces attacked Saigon and other cities in South Vietnam. American forces retaliate and are successful in recapturing territory, but the offensive is publicly broadcasted as an American defeat, causing the US to lose faith in the war (Vietnam).

  • Vietnam War: My Lai Massacre

    During the frustration of the Vietnam War, US forces attacked unarmed villagers throughout My Lai. All together, 504 innocent civilians were murdered. This atrocity shocked the US public, and further divided American opinion regarding the war (Vietnam).

  • Civil Rights Movement: Assasination of MLK

    On this day, Civil Rigjts Movement leader, Martin Luther King Junior, was shot by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tennessee. His death led to the worst urban rioting in history (Danzer).

  • Civil Rights Movement: Civil Rights Act of 1968

    This act was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson and ended discrimination in housing based on race, religion, and national origin (Danzer).

  • Vietnam War: The Election of 1968

    The open election between Former VP Richard Nixon and LBJ"s VP Hubert Humphrey resulted in Republican Party nominating Richard Nixon as its candidate for President.

  • Vietnam War: Secret Cambodia Bombings

    After learning that Vietcong aid was coming in through Cambodia, Nixon ordered the secret bombing and invasion of this country. He understood that the Vietnamese didn't expect him to expand the war, but he viewed this as a necessary action in ending the violence.

  • Vietnam War: Pentagon Papers

    The Penagon Papers, a large document concerning US policy in Vietnam, was published in the New York Times. It revealed the deception of the United States and proved that the government was not telling the public everything. It created further disagreement among the American people over whether or not involvement in the war should continue.

  • Vietnam War: War Powers Act

    This act stated that the president must inform Congress within 48 hours of sending forces into hostile areas without a declaration of war and that the troops may remain there no longer than 90 days unless Congress approves the presidents' actions or declares war (Danzer).