Events
Truman Doctrine - In March of 1947,
president Truman created the Truman
Doctrine, which provided millions of
dollars in economic and military aid to
Greece and Turkey to help them combat
commuist threats.Marshall Plan - In June of 1947, Secretary of State
George Marshall proposed giving American aid to
help rebuild deprived European countries. They
also believed that this plan would help give
Europeans the strength to help repel communism.United Nations - In 1945 a charter was proposed
to establish a world peacekeeping organization
called the United Nations, or UN. This was
established after WWI in 1941. The UN had two
main goals: to promote peace and human dignity.NATO - In 1949, in response to the threats of
aggression posed by the Soviet Union, NATO
or North Atlantic Treaty Organization was
created. It consisted of many Western
European countries and the United States.
Their purpose was to prevent the spread of
Soviet Influence and establish measures of
defense.Warsaw Pact - In 1955, in response to the creation of NATO,
the Soviet Union created the Warsaw Pact which held most
Eastern European countries under Soviet control, including
Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary,
Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union. This pact also
firmly established the conflict between the two sides.Soviet Union tests atomic bomb - In 1949, US
intelligence discovered that the Soviet Union
had tested an atomic bomb. Such a test proved
that the Soviet Union was much farther along in
developing the atomic bomb than projecetd
by the US.Korean War - In 1950, conflict broke out when North
Korea crossed the 38th parallel and attatckd the
unprepared South Korean army. Soon after, the
North Korean army controlled Seoul, the capital of
Korea.The Red Scare - During 1946-1950, the
time period known as The Red Scare
where many Americans feared that
communist sympathizers lived among
them and might try to overthrow the
goverment. During this time period many
people, even government officials, for
being Soviet spies.Fidel Castro overthrows local government - In 1959, communist
dictator Fidel Castro led a revolution in Cuba and overthrew the
local government, replacing it with communism. He then
assumed control over private businesses, forcing thousands
to flee from Cuba to the U.S. This relationship between Castro
and the Soviets worried the U.S. due to their close proximity.JFK attempts to overthrow Castro - In 1961, President John F. Kennedy
attempted to overthrow Castro by sending armed Cuban exiles to
invade Cuba on its south coast called the Bay of Pigs. The plan failed,
and some exiles fell as casualties. Castro's forces gathered the rest of
the exiles and placed them in prison. Many viewed this attempt to
overthrow Castro as an embarrassing attempt to overthrow communism.President Kennedy learns of secret missle bases - In October of 1962,
President John F. Kennedy discovered the existence of secret missle
bases built by Cuba from U-2 spy planes. Many feared that if Cubans
finished these bases, warheads with the capacity to hit targets as far
inland as Washington D.C. were capable to exist. To put a stop to this
possibility, Kennedy decided to form a blockade with the American
naval fleet around Cuba, stopping any Soviet ships from entering.
This strong stand led to a compAlliance for Progress aid program - In 1961, President Kennedy
passed the ten-year Alliance for Progress aid program to help
Latin American countries improve the lives of their people. He
promised to assist in building schools, developing farming
methods, and other notable deeds. The Alliance for Progress
did some good, but did not end poverty in these countries.Soviet launching of Sputnik - In 1957, the Soviet
Union shocked Americans by developing what
was potentially a new method to launch
nuclear weapons on enemy nations. In October
of that year, the Soviets launched Sputnik, the
world's first artificial satellite, into space.
Americans worried that if the Soviets could send
a satellite into space, nothing could stop them
from using that technology to launch nuclear
weapons from space to the United States.NASA founded - In 1958, President Eisenhower established
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
This was created in response to the competition breaking
out between the Soviet Union and the United States to
send the largest satellites furthest into space. As tensions
increased between the two sides, many wondered if
nuclear war would break out.President Nixon visits China - In 1972, newly elected
President Nixon sought to end the Vietnam War
and significantly improve relationships with the
Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China.
This would help ease the Cold War tensions and
escalation of nuclear arms. In 1972, Nixon
shocked America by visiting China. He walked along
the Great Wall of China and ate with Chinese officials.
This visit changed relations with China by ending
tensions and establishing a positive relationship.President Nixon visits the Soviet Union - In 1972, after visiting China, Nixon
shocked America again by visiting the Soviet Union, which also helped greatly
reduce tensions and reduce strain in a policy that became known as détente.Star Wars - In 1981, when Ronald Reagan took office, he
stated that Americans needed to oppose the Soviet
Union with "all their might." To show that the U.S. was
a stronger nation, he increased military spending and
supported a sysetm reputed to destroy Soviet missles
from space called Star Wars. This program also
supported a shift from offensive to defensive strategies
to combat nuclear arms.The Soviet Decline - In 1985, a new communist leader, Mikhail Gorbachev,
rose to power in the Soviet Union. He supported reform and encouraged
Soviets to speak openly about the economic and social problems facing
the nation. Previously, the government had murdered or imprisoned people
who spoke out about such things, so this came as a shock to the Soviets.
Gorbachev hoped that allowing people to speak freely would help solve the
nation's problems.
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