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Stock Market Crash
- On October 9th of 1929 the crash hit the stock market forcing investors to trade millions of shares.
- Billions of dollars were lost and many investors were left jobless due to the aftermath of the crash.
- The Stock Market Crash was a big contributor to the Great Depression.
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Roosevelt 1st Election
- Roosevelt's first election took place on November 8th, 1932.
- He was up against republican, Herbert Hoover.
- The election was during the Great Depression and FDR won by a landslide due to his new deal policies to help reform the economy
- FDR won every state outside of the Northeast and dominated the popular vote.
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Civilian Conservation Corps
- The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a organization that FDR and the government funded in order to help give citizens jobs that would work towards environmental issues.
- It was established on April 5th, 1933
- The CCC was a hit as it brought together many jobless men in order to help themselves and help our environment.
- The CCC's success was immense as they planted more than three billion trees, and constructed trails and shelters in more than 800 parks nationwide.
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Social Security Act
- The Social Security Act was signed by FDR in 1935.
- The act would pay financial benefits to the retired as long as they were over age 65.
- The act also gave benefits to unemployed, disabled, and people in financial distress.
- The Social Security Act was a huge success as we still have social security today.
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FDR Court Packing Scandal
- FDR's court-packing plan was a controversial plan that would increase the supreme court to 15 judges.
- It was soon obvious that FDR was trying to pack the court in order to neutralize Supreme Court justices hostile to his New Deal program.
- Most Republicans and many Democrats in Congress disagreed with the court-packing plan.
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HUAC Formed
- The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) investigated communist activity in the U.S. during the early years of the Cold War.
- The committee would called on citizens to testify in high-profile hearings in front of Congress.
- These tactics caused dramatic hearings and many people were unfairly deemed communist.
- The HUAC also created more fear against communist in the U.S.
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Germany Breaks Munich Pact
- The Munich Agreement was a settlement permitting Nazi Germany's annexation of Czechoslovakia.
- Germany broke the agreement on March 15th, 1939 by taking control of Czechoslovakia.
- The failed agreement showed that the Germans would not be denied and that a world war was becoming inevitable.
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Battle of Britain
- German and British air forces battled in the skies over the UK.
- The Battle of Britain was known as the largest sustained bombing campaign to that date.
- The Battle ended when Germany’s Luftwaffe failed to gain control over the Royal Air Force.
- The British showed great defense and Air Force power in their victory as they withstood months of bombings from the Germans.
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Attack on Pearl Harbor
- Pearl Harbor was a huge naval base located in Hawaii and was surprise attacked by the Japanese on December 7th.
- The Japanese fighter planes would go on to destroy nearly 20 naval vessels, eight battleships, and over 300 airplanes.
- It killed over 2,400 Americans and left another thousand wounded. The next day FDR would ask congress for permission to declare war against Japan.
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Battle of Midway
- The Battle of Midway was a battle in the Pacific Ocean during WW2 between the U.S. and Japan.
- Fought mostly with aircrafts, it resulted in the destruction of four Japanese aircraft carriers.
- The battle greatly damaged the Japanese navy giving a big edge to the Americans and the Allied forces.
- This was a turning point in WW2 as the war was turning in favor of the Allies as they were now in great position to force Japanese surrender.
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Operation Overlord/D-Day
- On June 6th,1944, also known as D-Day, 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five different beaches in order to invade Western Europe.
- U.S. forces faced heavy resistance at Omaha Beach, where there were over 2,000 American casualties. -According to some estimates, more than 4,000 Allied troops lost their lives in the D-Day invasion, with thousands more wounded or missing.
- The invasion was a huge step towards victory for the Allies.
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FDR Death/Truman Becomes President
- FDR died on April 12th, 1945 in Warm Springs, Georgia.
- The death was a worldwide shock as he was in the middle of his fourth term and was a great leader for our country
- The death of FDR forced Harry Truman to become president.
- Truman had big shoes to fill and expectations were high.
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VE Day
- Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) is celebrated on May 8th.
- Nazi leader Adolf Hitler committed suicide leaving the rest of the nation out to dry allowing the Allies to take advantage.
- The day marks the end of Nazi Germany and an end to WW2.
- VE Day expresses the Allied victory of the war and is a national holiday in France.
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Potsdam Conference Outcome (#1)
- The Potsdam conference divided Germany and Austria into four zones.
- It was also agreed that the German capital Berlin would be divided into four zones.
- This was the start of the Cold War as tensions began to raise during the Potsdam Conference.
- The USSR was feeling powerful and wanted to expand communism and due to the United States new president (Truman) new tensions formed.
- The divided zones of Germany and Austria separated the U.S. and USSR greatly.
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Nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- On August 6th, 1945 a U.S. Bomber would drop an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima.
- The bombing killed over 80,000 people immediately and many died later due to radiation.
- Three days later another bomb was dropped on Japan and this time on the city of Nagasaki.
- This bombing would kill about 40,000 and led to the Japanese surrender.
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United Nations created
- The United Nations was establish in October of 1945.
- The UN was created to replace the ineffective League of Nations.
- The organization aimed to stop another worldwide conflict from emerging again.
- 51 nations were initially involved in the UN and now there are 193 members.
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Truman Doctrine
- The Truman Doctrine expressed the idea that the US should give support to countries threatened by communism.
- President Truman told Congress that they should seek aid for Greece and Turkey due to their vulnerability to communism.
- Communists saw the doctrine as basically opening up the Cold War.
- The Truman Doctrine raised tensions even higher between the the U.S. and the USSR.
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Marshall Plan (#2)
- The Marshall Plan was an American plan to aid Western Europe.
- The United States gave over $13 billion in economic assistance to help rebuild Western Europe after the end of WW2.
- The main reason for the plan was to help Western Europe to contain communism expansion.
- The U.S. helped the west in order to show that democracy was better which angered the USSR creating more tension.
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Berlin Airlift
- At the end of the WW2 the U.S., British, and Soviet military forces divided up Germany.
- As tensions rose between the U.S. and Soviet Union the Soviet's didn't allow americans into their territory and were teaching communism.
- The Berlin airlift was a way for the U.S. to help stop communism as they dropped care packages off to the blockaded territory showing that democracy was better.
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NATO Formed (#3)
- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was a military alliance, which provided self-defense against Soviet aggression.
- This helped influence European nations on to the United States side of the Cold War.
- The formation of NATO was a huge advantage for the United States because they were not alone and had 12 (Later grew) other nations backing them up.
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Soviet Atomic Bomb "First Lightning" (#4)
- In the summer of 1949, the USSR successfully tests its first atomic bomb.
- The bomb was code named “First Lightning.”
- In order to test it the USSR constructed buildings and bridges in order to see the potential damage.
- They also placed animals in cages to see if any died due to the radiation.
- This was the spark that would start the nuclear arms race between the U.S. and the USSR as the race for nuclear weapons was officially on.
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Korean War
- The Korean War began when about 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean Army poured across the 38th parallel into South Korean territory.
- This was the first military invasion of the Cold War as North Korea was backed by the Soviet Union.
- American troops entered the war to back up South Korea and stop communism.
- in July 1953, the Korean War came to an end and the Korean peninsula is still divided today.
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Rosenberg Trials
- On March 6th, 1951 the Rosenberg trial began as they were accused of spying for the Soviets.
- They were in fact guilty as they would gather information on atomic bombs and share it with the USSR in order to help them achieve the bomb as well.
- On June 19th, 1953 the case was finally considered closed as the Rosenberg's were executed.
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Brown v Board of Education
-Brown v. Board of Education was one of the cornerstones of the civil rights movement.
-It stressed that “separate-but-equal” education and other services were not, in fact, equal at all.
-Even though schools were not desegregated the ruling fueled the civil rights movement in the United States. https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/images/brown.jpg -
Warsaw Pact Formed (#5)
- In retaliation to NATO the Warsaw Pact was officially formed in the spring of 1955.
- The Warsaw Pact was a mutual defense organization that put the Soviets in command of the armed forces of itself and 7 other European countries.
- The member states were East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union.
- The Soviets saw NATO as a direct threat which led to the formation of the Warsaw Pact, expanding the Cold War worldwide.
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Lynching of Emmett Till
-Emmett Till who was a 14 year old boy was brutally beaten and murdered for "flirting" with a white female.
-Emmet Till's clothes were ripped off and he was beaten nearly to death, then he got shot, and finally was thrown into the river.
-The Emmett Till murder trial showed the brutality of Jim Crow segregation in the South.
The murder of Emmet Till just like the Rosa Parks arrest was an early event that sparked the Civil Rights movement. -
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Vietnam war
- The Vietnam war was a long war between the communist government of North Vietnam and the South Vietnamese, and its ally, the United States.
- The United States entered the war because of an attack against U.S. ships off of the Tonkin Gulf which was later proved not fully true.
- The end result was over 3 million deaths and the Communist forces seized control of South Vietnam in 1975.
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Rosa Parks Arrest
- Rosa Parks was arrested because she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama. -The non violent act sparked the bus boycott as many African Americans refused to use the buses in order for the bus businesses to cave in for their rights. -The event was very significant as it was the first time an African American made headlines for refusing to do something for a white. -The arrest against Rosa Parks sparked the Civil Rights movement.
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Sputnik
- Sputnik was a satellite developed by the Soviet Union and was the first to be launched into space.
- This launch forced the U.S. to compete in what is known as the "space race".
- The U.S. immediately funded towards a satellite project after the launch of sputnik. -Sputnik sparked the space race and ultimately raised tensions as the war was now being fought in space.
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Greensboro Lunch Sit-ins
-The Greensboro was a movement towards African Americans not being treated fairly in restaurants.
-The movement started when a group of African Americans arrived at a segregated restaurant and wouldn't leave until they were served.
-This movement cause an outbreak and forced restaurants to change their segregation laws. http://www.blackpast.org/files/First_Day_of_Sit-in.jpg -
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Bay of Pigs Invasion (#6)
- In April 1961, the U.S. launched an invasion on Cuba with 1,400 American-trained Cubans.
- The U.S. was greatly outnumbered by Castro’s troops, and they surrendered less than 24 hours into the fighting.
- This failed mission would later lead to the Cuban Missile Crisis as the Cuban's would ask for Soviet aid making the Bay of Pig's invasion a crucial event in the Cold War.
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Freedom Rides
-The Freedom Rides were bus trips through the South which protested the segregation of buses.
-The Freedom Riders consisted of whites and African Americans which made it a more powerful group.
-The group faced lots of violence and buses even got burned to the ground because of their protests for desegregates buses. http://www.core-online.org/historyphotos/burning_bus.gif -
Berlin Wall
- The German Democratic Republic began to build the Berlin wall in order to keep Western “fascists” from entering East Germany.
- The Berlin Wall stopped the flood of refugees from East to West Berlin, and it defused the crisis over Berlin.
- At least 171 people were killed trying to get over, under or around the Berlin Wall making the escape extremely difficult.
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Cuban Missile Crisis
- Due to the failed bay of pigs invasion the Cuban's requested military aid from the USSR.
- The USSR sent nuclear missiles to Cuba in response to their request.
- The Missiles were now 90 miles of the coast of Florida and a nuclear war seemed possible.
- The disaster was avoided when the U.S. agreed to never invade Cuba and in return the missiles were taken out of Cuba.
- Kennedy also secretly agreed to take Nuclear weapons out of Turkey.
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March on Washington
-The March on Washington was a massive protest in which African Americans gathered in Washington D.C. to fight for jobs and freedom.
-This march is where the famous "I have a Dream" speech by MLK takes place.
-The event sparked national headlines as about 250,000 people arrived in Washington. -
Assassination of JFK
-President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
-The president was shot in the neck as he, his wife, and the governor rode through the Dealey Plaza.
-He was rushed to the hospital minutes after, but nothing could be done and JFK was announced dead at 1pm on November 22nd, 1963. -
24th Amendment
-The 24th amendment ended mandatory poll taxes that prevented many African Americans from voting.
-The amendment is very significant because African Americans faced great discrimination in the south and could not vote for political officials that would work to end the discrimination which allowed discrimination to keep happening.
-However literacy tests were created which you would have to pass in order to vote.
-This hurt many poor illiterate African Americans. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
- The Tonkin Resolution gave U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson authorization, without a formal declaration of war by Congress, for the use of conventional military force in Southeast Asia.
- Specifically, the resolution authorized the President to do whatever necessary in order to assist "any member or protocol state of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty"
- This was huge because it gave the President great power as we were in the height of the Vietnam War.
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Vietnam day
- The Vietnam Day Committee was an anti war group that was founded by students at Berkeley.
- It was extremely active throughout the Vietnam war as they organized several rallies and marches in California.
- The Vietnam Day Committee showed how most people truly felt about the Vietnam war and how it was an unnecessary war.
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Assassination of Malcolm X
-Malcolm Little who is well known as Malcolm X was murdered by his rival black muslims in Washington.
-Malcolm X was a nonviolent leader in the Civil Rights movement and gained many followers throughout his campaign.
-Other groups however violently disrupted Malcolm X as his house was bombed and then a week later he was fatally shot by another social group. -
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Operation Rolling Thunder
- Operation Rolling Thunder was a bombing campaign that was used by the U.S. throughout the height of the Vietnam War.
- The idea behind it was to put immense pressure on North Vietnam and scare them by showing that we were powerful and were showing no mercy.
- Operation Rolling Thunder was the start of expanded U.S. involvement into the war.
- Throughout the operation about 643,000 tons of bombs were dropped on North Vietnam.
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Detroit Riots
-The most famous Detroit riot was knows as the 12th street riot and is considered the bloodiest race riot during the summer of 1967.
-The riot was between blacks and Detroit policemen.
-The results from the riot were 43 dead, 1,189 injured, over 7,200 arrests, and more than 2,000 buildings destroyed. http://www.blackpast.org/files/blackpast_images/detroit_race_riot_1967.jpg -
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Tet-offensive
- The Tet-offensive was a coordinated series of North Vietnamese attacks on the South Vietnamese.
- It's purpose was to force the U.S to limit it's involvement in the war.
- The U.S. and South Vietnamese managed to hold off the attacks.
- The attacks marked a turning point in the war due to heavy casualties and slowly led to the United States withdrawal from the war.
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Assassination of MLK
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed by an assassin in Memphis, Tennessee.
-MLK was shot by a sniper in the Lorraine Motel and was rushed to the hospital.
-He was pronounced dead an hour later causing an outpour of angered African Americans. -
Apollo 11 (#7)
- After the launching of Sputnik the United States would create The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
- This would lead to what is called the "space race".
- The U.S. would win the race on July 20th, 1969 with the completed mission of Apollo 11.
- Apollo 11 would put U.S. astronauts on the moon and was 100% successful.
- This caused the Soviets to pour tons of money into the space race which gave the U.S. a huge advantage and a convincing victory in the space race.
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Woodstock
- Woodstock was a series of musical festivals during the 1969.
- It showed large attendances and many of the songs had to do with the war.
- Hippies were very present as they expressed peace and showed a completely new way of viewing life.
- The Woodstock overall was a huge festival that allowed people to express themselves.
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Kent State
- The Kent State shooting was against a group of unarmed college students by members of the Ohio National Guard at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.
- The students were protesting against the bombing of Cambodia by United States military forces.
- The end result was 4 students dead and 9 others were left injured.
- The shooting raised tensions between the government and the people as many citizens wanted out of the Vietnam War.
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Malta Summit (#8)
- The Malta Summit was a meeting between Mikhail Gorbachov and George H W Bush.
- The end result reversed much of the provisions of the Yalta Conference 1945 which was mainly about the partitioning of Germany.
- It was viewed as the beginning of the end of the cold war.
- News reports referred to the Malta Summit as the most important since the post WW2 plans in 1945.
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Signing of START (#9)
- The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) was a treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union on the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms.
- The treaty was officially signed by U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev
- It resulted in the removal of about 80 percent of all strategic nuclear weapons.
- The START treaty showed that the U.S. and USSR were showing great signs towards the complete end of the Cold War.
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The End of the Soviet Union (#10)
- On December 25, 1991,Gorbachev resigned as leader of the USSR, and the Soviet hammer and sickle flag was lowered for the final time over the Kremlin.
- The flag was replaced by the modern Russian tricolor.
- The end of the USSR finally marked the end of the Cold War.
- The U.S. had finally won as the Communist state was officially defeated and is now a capitalist nation.
