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The UK, US, and USSR discuss the fate of Germany. Stalin lies about giving free elections. -
When the Manhattan Project was complete, Harry S. Truman authorized the bombing of Hiroshima in order to force the Japanese to surrender. -
Shortly after, a second bomb was dropped, killing many. -
Telegram to the US government detailing what the culture of the USSR is and why they are doing this. -
Winston Churchill gave a speech in the US about the 'Iron Curtain,' the territory of the USSR -
The Truman Doctrine stated that the US would give aid to countries devastated by WWII. -
To prevent the development of communism in countries devastated by WWII, Congress approved the Marshall plan to give aid to those countries. -
6/14/1948 - 5/12/1949 The soviets tried to kill the Allies' part of Berlin by blockading supplies from getting in to West Berlin. -
A victim of McCarthyism, Alger Hiss was convicted of Soviet espionage in 1948. -
Many countries banded together to fight soviet rule. -
6/14/1948 - 5/12/1949 The U.S. decided to help civilians of East Berlin survive after the USSR blockaded the city. -
The Soviets had developed a nuclear bomb much faster than expected, leading to McCarthyism in the US -
The Chinese revolted and instituted Communism -
The Hollywood 10 is a short film where 10 blacklisted screenwriters, directors, actors, etc. (they were accused of being communists) denounced McCarthyism. -
The Korean Armistice is the resolution to the Korean War, where South and North Korea split into different countries and ceased to fight. -
7/17/1950-6/19/1953. In 1950, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were accused of spying for the Soviet Union. They were convicted and executed, which was a surprise to many. Many defenders claimed the trial was a case of communism paranoia. -
Mar 13, 1954 – May 7, 1954. The battle of Dien Bien Phu marked the end of France's rule of Indochina and led to Vietnam being divided along the 17th parallel. -
April-June 1954, The US Army claimed they were being blackmailed by US senator Joseph McCarthy into supporting his aides. McCarthy claimed they were communists. -
The Hungarian Revolution saw Hungary (under soviet control) start to rebel. They were eventually silenced by the USSR. -
A US recon plane gathering intel from inside the Soviet Union was shot down on May 1st, 1960. The relations between the US and USSR were growing softer until then. -
4/17/1961-4/20/1961. Another instance of natives resisting communism, Cuban exiles started an invasion to prevent Fidel Castro's rule. It failed. -
8/13/1961 - 11/9/1989. The Soviets constructed a wall surrounding Allied West Berlin to 'prevent fascism from spreading' and wasn't destroyed until 1989 -
10/16/1962 - 11/20/1962. The closest the world came to nuclear war. Since the US had placed nukes in Turkey, (close enough to strike the USSR) Fidel Castro implored the Soviets to place nukes in Cuba, (close enough to strike the US) which they did. Eventually, the conflict was resolved with both parties removing their nuclear missiles from both countries. -
President John F. Kennedy was fatally shot by former US Marine Harvey Lee Oswald on November 22nd, 1963. -
President Lyndon B. Johnson's 'blank check.' He can use everything in his power to prevent the spread of communism in Vietnam. -
Jan 31, 1968 – Sep 23, 1968 Vietcong got the drop on US forces. Even though they were eventually driven back, this was seen as a failure of US intel and demoralized the country. -
Aug 26, 1968 – Aug 29, 1968. 10,000 protesters came to show their condemnation of the Vietnam war. Dozens of thousands of police and the national guard came to beat and arrest them. -
In Kent state, police and national guard shot and killed 4 people along with injuring 9 others, which sparked outrage among the student public. -
Finally, parties in the Vietnam War signed an agreement to cease fire. It didn't mark the end of the war, however. -
In 1975 the North Vietnamese captured the city of Saigon, marking the end of the Vietnam War. -
In the election of 1980, Ronald Reagan was elected president. -
Ronald Reagan claimed the US had a missile defense system that could prevent nukes from reaching the United States. (We didn't.) He was trying to scare the Soviet Union -
In an unusual move after peaceful negotiations with Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan called for Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. -
After years of solitude, the Berlin Wall was finally taken down and separated families could return. This marked the beginning of the dissolution of the Soviet Union.