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Period: to
Cold War
Cause: Rising tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union after WWII due to ideological differences (capitalism vs. communism).
Effect: Led to nuclear arms race, proxy wars, and global political conflicts. -
Truman Doctrine
Cause: Fear of communist expansion, particularly in Greece and Turkey.
Effect: U.S. provided military and economic aid to countries resisting communism. -
McCarthyism
Cause: Fear of communist infiltration in the U.S. government.
Effect: Led to blacklisting, ruined careers, and heightened Cold War paranoia. -
Period: to
Korean War
Cause: North Korea (communist) invaded South Korea (capitalist).
Effect: Stalemate; Korea remained divided at the 38th parallel. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Cause: Segregated schools were challenged as unconstitutional.
Effect: Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson; declared school segregation illegal. -
Period: to
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Cause: Rosa Parks' arrest for refusing to give up her bus seat.
Effect: Led to desegregation of public transportation and rise of MLK as a civil rights leader. -
Period: to
Vietnam War
Cause: Fear of communist expansion (domino theory).
Effect: U.S. withdrew, and Vietnam became a unified communist country. -
Sputnik
Cause: Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite.
Effect: Sparked the Space Race and led to the creation of NASA. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Cause: U.S. discovered Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba.
Effect: U.S. blockade led to Soviet missile withdrawal and heightened Cold War tensions. -
March on Washington
Cause: Push for civil rights legislation and racial equality.
Effect: MLK delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech; led to the Civil Rights Act. -
JFK Assassinated
Cause: Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy.
Effect: Lyndon B. Johnson became president; nation mourned. -
Civil Rights Act
Cause: Pressure from civil rights activists and national attention on racial injustices.
Effect: Outlawed segregation and discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. -
MLK & RFK Assassinated
Cause: Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated.
Effect: Increased civil unrest and weakened the civil rights movement. -
Tet Offensive
Cause: North Vietnamese and Vietcong launched a massive attack during the Vietnam War.
Effect: U.S. public support for the war declined, leading to eventual withdrawal. -
Moon Landing
Cause: Space Race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
Effect: U.S. became the first nation to land a man on the moon (Neil Armstrong). -
Watergate Break-in
Cause: Nixon administration attempted to spy on Democratic National Committee.
Effect: Nixon resigned in 1974 to avoid impeachment. -
Roe v. Wade
Cause: Challenge to Texas laws banning abortion.
Effect: Legalized abortion under the right to privacy. -
Period: to
Iranian Hostage Crisis
Cause: Iranian revolutionaries took 52 Americans hostage at the U.S. embassy.
Effect: Hostages held for 444 days; strained U.S.-Iran relations.