Cold War Quiz APUSH P:8

Marshall Plan

(1948-1952) After World War Two, Europe was left devastated and vulnerable. The Soviet Union's refusal to withdraw their troops from Eastern-European countries proved their will to expand their influence throughout the continent, and the United States knew they had to retaliate. In response, the U.S. passed the Marshall Plan, a four year plan to rebuild and revitalize Europe, and perhaps most importantly, keep these countries out of Soviet influence. The plan also worked to deregulate European industries and ensure their governments were firmly capitalist.

NASA/NDEA formed

(1958) Competition between the United States and Soviet Union was present on all levels, but one of the most important was the Space Race. As a benchmark for general technological development, both countries heavily invested in the development of spacecraft. The American organization was called NASA, which the brightest of American and Western European researchers went to work. In order to train better scientists and engineers the NDEA was founded to help fund education programs to give the U.S. an edge in development. Although the Soviets continually outpaced the U.S., the victor of the Race was still considered the Americans as they were first to land men on the moon.

Iranian Hostage Crisis

(1979) A mob of Iranian students charged the U.S. embassy after President Carter allowed Iran's expelled Shah to enter America for medical care. They also had motivations to attack the embassy because of anti-U.S. resentment. They ended up taking more than 60 hostages. The rebels set the Americans free 444 days later on January 21, 1981. The significance of this date is that it is just before Reagan was inaugurated.

Construction of the Berlin Wall

After WWII Germany was divided into 4 parts given to the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union as per the Potsdam Agreement. The same was done with the capitol, Berlin, even though it was in the Soviet Union's territory. With the Soviets communist views in East Berlin, people living in the there left East Berlin to go to the democratic West Berlin. With the mass emigration of East Germany the Soviet Union began looking for ways to restrict this from happening. In 1961 August 13th East Germany troops began completely closing the borders, digging up roads to prevent any vehicles from crossing, and built a fence with electric wire on it. Later in the year the fence with built into a large wall starting the 28 years of having the wall.

Allende - Salvador Allende and the CIA involvement

Born in Chile September of 1973, Allende received a medical degree and formed Chile's Socialist party. Allende lost his first election in 1952 for supposedly accepting communist but won in 1970 by running as a Popular Unity candidate. In the beginning of his presidency, he respected civil liberties and democratic processes of law but angered the United States government by taking away ownership of Copper Companies. Chile had lost credit from the United States and Western Europe and turned towards China and Cuba for help. Chilean government was thrown over by Augusto Pinochet, supposedly Allende committed suicide during the assault and was confirmed so. The CIA knew of the revolt but denied involvement with the death of Allende.

Fall of the Soviet Union

Christmas day in 1991 was the last day the Soviet Flag would fly in Moscow. Many of the soviet republics already announced they would not be a part of the Soviet Union any longer. Each said they would create their own commonwealth states. The Soviet Union fell largely due to the radical reforms that president Mikhail Gorbachev implemented during his 6 years in power. He resigned on December 25, ending the reign of the Soviet Union.

TET Offensive - Why was this significant in America?

Dates January 30th 1968 to September 23rd 1968.The TET Offensive were a series of surprise attacks made by members of the Vietcong during the Vietnam War. The Vietcong were North Vietnamese forces who made their first attack on the First Day of the Lunar Year, an important Vietnamese holiday. South Vietnam was not expecting an attack on the holiday (ceasefire by both sides), which is why they attacked, as there was a good chance to break the stalemate. Although the South was caught off guard and lost many cities, they took them back in a couple of weeks. This was known as the turning point of the Vietnam War, and both sides considered that they had won, when in reality nobody had broken the stalemate. A famous event was the Massacre at Hue, where Vietcong rebels occupied the Southern city and executed thousands of citizens and leveled the city entirely by the time fighting had ceased. America would later see the TET Offensive as a loss, but this only sparked America. Reports called for more troops, which only increased support and spirit to continue fighting. Also, the American Public began to understand the purpose for this war, which brought opposers of the war together with supporters.

German Reunification

German Reunification was the process of the unification of the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany) with the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). While the iron curtain remained a seemingly indestructible barrier between East and West Germany for many years, major political changes in the soviet union brought hope that reunification might be possible. A breach in the iron curtain between Austria and Hungary allowed many East Germans to flee to West Germany. Peaceful protests eventually led to free elections and later the German Reunification Treaty. In 1990, the German Democratic Republic ceased to exist while East Germany became a part of the Federal Republic of Germany, and Berlin became a single city again. The Berlin Wall was officially destroyed in November of 1991.

Che - Ernesto "Che" Guevara

Guevara was an Argentinian scholar who helped lead the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s. The main purpose of this revolution was to fight for the spread of communism to Cuba. Guevara believed that the people should not question the communist government, but rather work in order for it to be successful in giving back to the people. Once Castro took control of the government in 1859, he put Guevara in charge of executions during the revolution of anyone who opposed his communist ideas. He also tried to eliminate Cuban relations with America and establish a new relationship with the Soviet Union. The Americans began to target Guevara not only for the executions, but also because he was a threat to Cuban Independence.

Vietnam Revolts - Research Ho Chi Minh and his independence movement. Include Dien Bien Phu August 14-39 1945

Ho Chi Minh was the leader of a revolution in Vietnam that took place during World War II. Because France was defeated in Europe, the time to take back Vietnam presented itself. He founded the Viet Minh, a militia force that would take back Vietnam from the French. However, due to short supplies, Ho Chi Minh needed to request aid from the Chinese. The Chinese, instead, imprisoned him for his communist ideals. He was released 18 months later. When World War II was finished, Bao Dai became the emperor of Vietnam. He later stepped down to support Ho Chi Minh and his revolution, but the French took over Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh and his army defeated the French at Dien Bien Phu, and finally won the fight for Vietnam. Or so they thought. Strong anti-communist feelings in the South of Vietnam led to a divided country. The South was a democracy with Saigon as its capital. The United States backed the south and prevented Vietnamese reunification to stop the spread of communism. The North was communist, with Hanoi as its capital.

Our Man in Tehran - The Shah of Iran and the 1953 coup d'etat. Discuss the CIA involvement

In 1953, the U.S. perpetrated and acted to overthrow Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh because of his threat to audit a British business in Iran which would nationalize the oil industry in Iran which appeared to the U.S. as communism. The U.S. put Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran, as a monarch in power while he relied heavily on U.S. support he held power until the Iranian Revolution. The U.S. later released classified documents that said the government paid mobsters to have pro-shah riots and brought in many pro-shah men to prevent the spread of anti-shah movements.

Peace Corps

In 1961, the peace corps were formed directly to counteract the Soviet movement of world communism by executive order 10924. President JFK wanted the peace corps to spread world democracy and peace. After the Vietnam war, the peace corps evolved into a more modern government agency that taught many basic business and computer skills.

1980 Olympic Boycott

In 1980 President Jimmy Carter asked for U.S. athletes to boycott the Moscow Summer Olympics. This boycott was a response to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan the year before in attempt to suppress Islamic rebels and gain control of their oil resources. This invasion increased Cold War tensions after a short period of inactivity, and the U.S. placed further pressure on the Soviets with embargoes on grain and information technology. Japan, West Germany, and Canada boycotted the Olympic games along with the U.S, and after other nations encouraged American athletes to compete as individuals, Carter warned that this would result in their passports being revoked."Solidarity with the opponents, the workers, and the peoples of USSR"

Ortega Elected in Nicaragua - Daniel Ortega

In 1984, Daniel Ortega was elected president of Nicaragua. Daniel Ortega had an easy term in office for his opposition was fractured and he had complete control over the entire government. As for the world view on the election many believed it to be fair and just. Ortega lead the movement of many social reforms in Nicaragua but lost in the election of 1990.

Iron Lady - Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher was a conservative prime minister of England, inaugurated in May 1979. She worked heavily with Ronald Reagan in the Cold War against the communists, mainly Gorbachev, as they were both right-leaning leaders. She was also the first female prime minister. One of her anti-communist speeches earned her the title "Iron Lady".

U2 Incident- May 1st, 1960

On May 1st, 1960, the U2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union near modern day Yekaterinburg. The incident halted a summit between the Soviet Union, America, France, and Britain. It was viewed as an act of aggression from the United States to the Soviets. They demanded that all American flights stop going through Soviet territory and that those responsible be held accountable. Eisenhower was the president at the time, and even though he met their demands, the Soviets refused to proceed with the summit in Paris and forced it to end.

Lone Gunman - Discuss Kennedy assassination

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The event took place during his motorcade in Dallas, Texas. He was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald, a former marine that adopted Marxism during his time in the service where he also gained his sharpshooting skills. His dislike of America soon followed after, eventually leading to his discharge from the Marines which he followed up by living in Soviet Russia for a time. Oswald then returned to America after purchasing a rifle and, after learning of Kennedy's procession, took the opportunity to strike at America by killing the President. John F. Kennedy took two shots, one to the head and the other to the neck. Oswald would later be killed by Jack Ruby, a police informant. The entire event would later lead to conspiracy theories as well as parodies, such as the episode of Seinfeld called "The Boyfriend".

Perestroika

Perestroika was a movement for political reform in the Soviet Union. It is widely associated with Communist leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Perestroika called for large reforms in the Communist party economics. This political movement sprung up in the 1980s, most notably 1985 when Gorbachev admitted there were problems with the economy. Perestroika has been linked to the collapse of the Soviet Union because it sparked nationalism in the member republics of the Soviet Union.

Suez Crisis

The Suez crisis was an international conflict over the Suez Canal. The modern Suez canal was created in 1869, and made trade more convenient between Europe and Asia. The British made great attempts to make sure it was under their control because it connected much of their empire. Soon, the country of Egypt (the bordering nation of the canal) elected a new president named Gamal Abdel Nasser. Nasser had anti-imperialist views, which gained him a large amount of support from the Soviet Union's communist government, and leader Nikita Khrushchev. In 1956, Nasser commanded the Egyptian forces to seize the Suez canal from the British, and nationalize it. Britain, France, Israel, and the United States all scrambled to resolve this crisis to make trade and power more balanced. After tensions started to rise, and minor fighting began after Egypt was engaged by Israel, Khrushchev threatened to use nuclear power in Europe in 1956. The nations felt pressured to resolve, which led the four nations to withdraw forces from the canal. The effects of the fight around the canal were seen afterwards. It revealed who the real powers of the Cold War were afterall, and left the surrounding area with a significant amount of damage, and distress.

Iran/Iraq War

(1980-1988) military conflict between Iran and Iraq during the 1980s. The War began on September 22, 1980, when Iraq invaded Iran on the countries' joint border. Fighting was ended in 1988, however normal diplomatic relations and withdrawal of troops did not happen until a formal peace treaty on August 16, 1990.

Marine Barracks Bombing - In Lebanon

(October 23, 1983) The Lebanese Civil War was a conflict between the Lebanese people and the Palestinian refugees, which both NATO and the Soviet Union were heavily involved in as a proxy war. Following the bombing of the U.S. embassy that same year, the bombing of the American Marine and French Paratrooper Barracks was an obvious sign that western forces weren't welcome there. It forced the peacekeeping force to speed up the withdrawal of troops, so that all of them left by 1984. Although it seemed to be a victory for the Soviet Union, the capture of four KGB agents by the Islamic Liberation Organisation and the repellent of Soviet-backed Syrian peacekeeping fighters proved otherwise.

Red Scare - Mention Joseph McCarthy, the Army-McCarthy hearings, HUAC

Also called McCarthyism, named for famous supporter Joe McCarthy, the Red Scare sprung up after World War II in 1947. This was a response to Soviet Espionage and later fear of being bombed. The House Committee on Un-American Activities(HUAC) and Senator McCarthy led investigations which revealed the extent to which the Soviet Union infiltrated American politics. These events caused a total shift in American thinking that communism is evil.

America invades Laos and Cambodia

Also known as the Cambodian Campaign, these invasions were some of Nixon's more controversial orders in his presidency. First Nixon began by telling the public that Vietnamization (U.S. withdrawing from fighting & leaving the responsibility to South Vietnam) was proceeding more rapidly than expected and that communism was fading away (1970). He also said that within the year 150,000 U.S. soldiers would return home. However, a week later, Nixon announced that the enemies were conspiring in neutral Cambodia, and that he would send thousands of troops there. This led to campus demonstrations, and at Kent State University in Ohio, the national guard was called, and began firing into the crowd, killing 4 and injuring more. This led to even more opposition to the war efforts. (1970 again)

Flower Power

As the Vietnam War continued, many Americans were appalled at the violence and viewed the U.S. as interfering in a foreign civil war. Opposition against the war began to grow as Americans believed that it was not their fight and realized that the war lacked clear objectives. "Flower Power" became a slogan used to protest the Vietnam War. It symbolized non-violence and supported other means of solving disputes. It was largely embraced by hippies who were members of a counterculture youth movement.

Vietnamization and US withdrawal from Vietnam-1969-73

As the outcome of the Vietnam War was starting to reveal itself and American people were turning against the war, America began slowly withdrawing troops and turning command back over to the Southern Vietnamese Army. This process was known as Vietnamization, and it took place between 1969-1973. The goal was to create a strong, modern government and military for South Vietnam. Nixon, the president at the time, also invaded Cambodia to divert the Viet Cong and the NVA to allow Vietnamization to begin, but this did not rest well with the American people. When America removed the majority of its forces, it became clear that American air superiority was key in keeping the enemy at bay. In the end, the strategy was not very effective as the NVA quickly took control over Vietnam. The American soldiers who put their lives on the line were not celebrated, but treated poorly because of their involvement in a war that, to the American public, had nothing to do with protecting America.

Aldrich Ames Remix

Born in Wisconsin in May of 1941, Ames was an American CIA agent. Ames' job was to track down Soviet spies and while doing so became a double agent for Russia. Ames sold intelligence to the KGB, the main security agency of the Soviet Union, for money. 10 CIA spies in Russia were killed due to this information. Ames ultimately gave away all U.S. agents in Russia to the KGB for upwards of 2.7 million dollars. Ames was imprisoned for espionage for life and his wife who conspired with him was arrested for 5 years for tax evasion.

Jacobo Arbenz

Born on September 14, 1913 in Guatemala, Jacobo Arbenz was the son of a Swiss immigrant. Later in life, he attended the National Military Academy of Guatemala and eventually joined a group that later overthrew the current dictator Jorge Ubico. He became the Minister of War in 1949 and then the President in 1951. Supported by the Guatemalan Communist Party, Arbenz's "bully pulpit" was agrarian reform. This caused him to butt heads with the United Fruit Company when he tried to tax them more and take away their property. The U.S. became unsettled by his attacks on the company as well as the growing bonds between Guatemala and other Communist countries. In response, the CIA created a counterrevolutionary army to force Arbenz out of power. Rumors of the size of the army forced Arbenz to resign. He then hid in Mexico City and eventually drowned in his own bathtub.

Containment - Mention George Kennan

Containment was the United States foreign policy of trying the prevent the spread of communism to other countries. The policy was a response to the increasing influence of communism in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. The policy was articulated by U.S. diplomat, George F. Kennan during the post WWII administration. The word containment was adopted after a report Kennan sent to the Defense Secretary, James Forrestal.

Truman Doctrine

Created in 1947 President Truman issued his Truman Doctrine in 1947. This doctrine pleaded for 400 million dollars to give direct aid to Greece and Turkey who were under threat of communist takeover. This was later extended that the US would lend money to any country under threat of takeover from another country by communist force. This made the US in a sense a global police force who enforced that no country has the right to take over another by force. This also set a stern policy with us and the Soviet Union as we emphasized that we represent and believe in democracy. Because of this, tensions between the two superpowers who came out on top of World War II will form distrust, and eventually lead to the Cold War.

Detente

Detente is a French word that means relaxing and it refers to the relaxation of tensions between countries. This in particular refers to the bettering of tensions between the East and the West during the Cold War. Richard Nixon and his administration ushered in a lot more communication between Russia and the US and this was instrumental in de-escalating the tension of the Cold War for a while, until it resumed a few years later. During this period there were a number of summits held between mainly Russia and the US, which were the most prominent signs of the tensions being loosened.

Duck and Cover

Duck and Cover was a US Government sponsored film that detailed how to stay safe in the event of a nuclear attack. It showed how you could duck and cover your head under a desk in the event of a nuclear attack and it was spread around by the government to make a nuclear attack seem not as bad as it would be, as a simple desk wouldn't help at all because you'll either be blinded and burned by the initial flast, vaporized by the large explosion, deafened by the sonic boom, or killed more slowly by the radiation poisoning that you would get from the fallout that ensues.

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

During December 1979, The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to help defend the recently instituted communist government there against Muslim insurgents. The U.S. supplied many groups of these Muslim insurgents with aid in the form of weapons. The opposition to the Soviets continued throughout the 1980s to perform terrorist actions on the Soviet soldiers. They attacked convoys and shot down helicopters with U.S. missiles, among other things. After suffering steep losses of men and equipment throughout the decade, the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan during February of 1989. One of the groups that the U.S. funded during the war, the Taliban, later took over the country and instituted their rule in 1996.

Warsaw Pact Formed

Established in 1955, the Warsaw Pact was an agreement between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern European communist states saying all of them would fight if one were to be attacked. The name comes from where the treaty was signed which was in Warsaw, Poland. It was a result of West Germany joining NATO, and in a way became the soviet version of NATO. The pact lasted throughout the rest of the Cold War and fell apart when countries left it in 1991.

Fidel - Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro established the first communist state in the Western hemisphere. He overthrow the military dictatorship in 1959 and ruled cuba for almost 5 decades until giving his power to his younger brother in 2008. His regime was successful in reducing illiteracy and improving healthcare, however he was criticized for reducing the freedoms of his people. The Cuban and US relations were tense as a result of hostile encounters including the bay of pigs invasion and the cuban missile crisis. The 2 nations finally created relations again in July of 2015 and Castro soon died on November 25, 2016.

One Small Step - Discuss the Moon Landing of Apollo 11

Following Kennedy's 1961 promise to put a man on the moon and bring him back before the end of the decade, the U.S. space organization NASA began working on its Apollo missions. The challenge came in response to Soviet success with putting a man in Earth's orbit. The early Apollo missions slowed worked their way towards preparation for a moon landing, until the Apollo 11 mission launched on July 16, 1969. Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins manned the mission. They entered the moon's orbit, and Armstrong and Aldrin made the descent to the moon's surface. As Armstrong stepped onto the moon he spoke the famous words, "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

American Withdrawal from Vietnam

Following Nixon's resignation, Ford became president. In the first few years of his presidency, Northern Vietnam attacked the South. The southern army retreated, and fled, and then lastly dissolved. Ford supported the Vietnam war, and urged Congress to send in more troops. However, congress refused, and Northern Vietnam captured the Southern capital, and placed Ho Chi Minh as president on May 1 1975.

Glasnost

Glasnost, meaning "openness" in Russian, refers to the Soviet policy of open discussion implemented in the late 1980s. It included social and political reforms that were aimed at giving more rights and freedoms to the Soviet citizens. It allowed people to have a larger voice in the political process through freedom of expression including allowing freedom of speech and criticism of the government, and marked the beginning of the gradual decline of communist power while signaling the start of the democratization of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union started to implement policies of western nations that allowed its people more freedoms. These reforms, implemented by the last General Secretary of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev, eventually led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

In August of 1964, the Vietnamese decided to torpedo an American destroyer in the Gulf of Tonkin. President Johnson decided to retaliate by sending in another destroyer and also authorizing air attacks against the North Vietnamese. These actions led to congress passing the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution to provide Johnson with the ability to "protect national interests". This act authorized the president to take any measures believed to be necessary to retaliate against the North Vietnamese and promote the maintenance of international peace and security. Its effect gave the U.S. an expanded military role on the battlefields to take more control of the fight against communism. Unlike the policies of Kennedy and Eisenhower, Johnson believed that the only way to turn the tide of the war was to provide direct intervention in the nation.

Grain Sales to Soviets

In the 1970s, the U.S. was facing issues dealing with climate that created crop failures throughout the nation. President Nixon facing this complication decided to allow the sale of a massive amount of grain to the U.S.S.R. in an attempt to boost the economy despite putting our pride on the line. This was a positive step in the right direction to furthering the relations between the two nations after the thick of the cold war. This transaction also began a precedent to continue economic relations between the two nations that was severed again in 1980 with the election of President Jimmy Carter. This was a response to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan, but shipments were resumed a year later under Reagan. The relations culminated with a treaty with the Soviets where they promised to buy 9 million tons of U.S. grain per year.

The Reformer - Research Mikhail Gorbachev

March 2nd 1938-Present Term 1985-1991 Mikhail Gorbachev was a previous president of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. He was a dedicated reformer who wanted to democratize the country to its days before World War I. This leadership led to the downfall of Communism in the Soviet Union, which ultimately broke it up in 1991. He also made major improvements in the economy to abolish the Totalitarian practices that had failed the country. In Glasnost, Gorbachev opened certain freedoms to the people like the right to have information, a starting point to creating opinions. In Perestroika, the first attempts at democratizing the country came including an introduction of the free market. These attempts were short lived as Gorbachev got serious resistance from other government members who wanted to keep communism. Although he was unable to continue his plans he made the Soviet Union fall, ended The Cold War, improved international trading relations with the West, reunited Germany, joined NATO, and unoccupied many countries such as Afghanistan. Today, Gorbachev lives in Russia alone, and has worked with service groups and wrote many books.

NATO

NATO or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was established on April 4, 1949 by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the UK, and the US. It later added more countries and now has 29 members. It's an alliance of countries in the North Atlantic area that is based on the principal of if one country is attacked all others will help fight back. It was founded to fight the USSR's communist bloc.

An Evil Empire - Analyze the rhetoric of Ronald Reagan

Nixon and Carter's philosophy regarding the Cold war, was to deal with China and the Soviet Union as separate powers, rather than against communism in general. Called détente, a French word meaning "the relaxation of tensions between governments", illustrating that the policy of containment only brought the two countries closer together. Nixon sent his national security adviser Kissinger to China and the Soviet Union to set up meetings. Nixon then accompanied Kissinger to both China and the Soviet Union in February of 1972. These meeting brought about many increases in trade between the countries, and also a reduction in nuclear arsenals in the U.S. and the soviet union. Carter continued this policy, and further improved relations with the Soviet Union and China. Once Reagan reached his presidency in 1981, he completely went the opposite direction, and poured money in the military budget to produce more nuclear warheads. He called the Soviet Union an evil empire, and wanted to intimidate them. In central America, Reagan wanted to overthrow the communist governments.

Nixon Plays the China Card - Discuss Nixon's negotiations with China, the Shanghai Communique and how the Russian-Chinese relationship was weakened

Nixon visited China in 1972 and ended the period of non-communication. This exchange was huge for the relationship between the countries, and it led to the joint US-China Communique in Shanghai. The whole exchange helped strengthen the US's relationship with China. It also led to a weakening of China and Russia's relationship because China was communicating with the US.

Arab-Israeli War

On May 14 1948, the State of Israel was established. Following, Arabian armies of Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon attacked Israel. Although the Israelis were badly outnumbered, they were much more organised and had more arms, and pushed back the Arabian armies. Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser emerged as the dictator of Egypt after the overthrow of King Farouk. Nasser bought arms from communist countries, and moved toward communism. When Eisenhower did not finance the Aswan Dam, Nasser seized the Suez Canal. Then the French and British, without consent of the U.S., took the canal back by force. The Israelis also attacked Egypt. Many parts of Egypt were overtaken in the first few days. Both the Soviet Union and the United States called for a cease fire. Both were vetoed by France and Great Britain. Both the United States and the Soviet Union then threatened to send in troops of their own (Soviet union threatened nuclear war) if France and Britain were not to pull out. The result of the fiscal was an embarrassment to United State's allies, and a gain for the Soviet Union. To counter, Eisenhower announced the Eisenhower Doctrine in 1957. This stated that the United States would prepare to use armed forces anywhere in the Middle East if any aggression from a communist power were to arise. This achieved little, and only reaffirmed the U.S.'s containment policy.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

On November 9 1989 the berlin wall became to be taken down. Bulldozers were brought in to bring down the wall and many people used their own personal hammers and picks to chip away at the wall. Starting at midnight, the citizens of Eastern Germany were free to cross the border and enter Western Germany. More than 2 Million people visited West Germany that weekend and participated in "The greatest street party in the history of the world", as said by one journalist.

Soviets Shoot Down KAL-007

On September 1, 1983, Korean Air Lines flight 007 was flying from Alaska to Seoul. While the plane was flying towards South Korea, the plane drifted off of its original course and passed into Soviet Airspace. The Soviets misidentified this plane as a U.S. spy plane and scrambled their own planes to shoot it down. Before the Soviets could, the plane left Soviet airspace. Later in the flight, KAL-007 again passed into Soviet airspace. Soviet jets shot warning shots at the plane, after which KAL-007 made adjustments in its course. The Soviet jets, assuming this to be evasive action, fired missiles at the plane, shooting it down. This incident was used by the U.S. to cause worldwide anti-Soviet sentiment.

Interstate Highway Act

President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 into law to provide high-speed and high-capacity system of highways. These highways would not have spotlights and have exit ramps every so often. The planning for the highway system began in the 1930s with the idea of 3 east to west and 3 north to south superhighways funded by tolls. In 1941, FDR appointed a National Interregional Highway Committee to evaluate the need for a national highway system. This committee eventually would approve a system of 33,900 miles of highways.

SALT Negotiations - Research SALT I and SALT II

SALT I consisted of negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union on the limitation of missiles. These negotiations resulted in a policy which limited the number of missiles which each party could have and was signed in 1972. SALT II ended in 1979 with the agreement that the US and the USSR both would not develop new missile programs. This put limits on missile development and construction. Neither the US nor the Soviet Union ratified SALT II and it expired in 1985.

Solidarity - Discuss Lech Walesa

Solidarity was originally founded in September 1980 as an independent labor union that formed with Lech Walesa as a founding member. Solidarity had gained the following of most of the Polish workforce by early 1981, instituting strikes to obtain goals. Solidarity at that point was such a large group that the Soviet Union started to apply pressure on the Polish government to do something about Solidarity. During late 1982, Solidarity was forced to be an underground movement. By 1988, Solidarity had attracted a wide following and there were demands for Solidarity to be made legal again. The Polish government made Solidarity legal and also allowed them to participate in elections. In the 1989 elections, solidarity won every single seat that they were eligible for except one. The next year in 1990, Lech Walesa became the president of Poland, serving until 1995.

Sputnik

Sputnik was the first ever man-made satellite to go into space. Sputnik 1 was launched by the Soviet Union on Oct. 4, 1957. Sputnik orbited around Earth until early in 1958, when Sputnik fell out of orbit and burned up in the atmosphere. Aside from beginning the space race, the launch of Sputnik 1 proved that the Soviet Union had rockets that were strong enough to successfully launch an object into space. It was feared that the rockets that launched nik into space could be used to launch nuclear missiles.

Blockade - Berlin Blockade and Berlin Airlift

Starting in 1948, the Berlin Blockade was aimed at cutting off the western powers of France, Britain and the U.S. from entering Berlin because the USSR believed they had violated the Potsdam Agreement. The Soviets began to limit the transportation of troops from West Germany into West Berlin, and later banned all ground travel into the city on June 24, 1948 in fear that an allied controlled Berlin would lead the people to reject the Soviets. The allies responded with the berlin airlift which dropped in supplies via plane into the city to supply the people with their needs for more than a year. The travel ban was lifted on May 12, 1949 because the Soviets realized their blockade failed.

Bay of Pigs

Starting in 1960, the Bay of Pigs was originally developed by Dwight D. Eisenhower as a plan to invade Cuba after the U.S. and Cuba severed economic ties. When John F. Kennedy took office, he allowed the plans to proceed, but on April 17, 1961, the U.S. forces were defeated by Cuban troops shortly after landing in Cuba. The result of this was a strengthening of Castro's administration, and resulted in closer ties between Cuba and the USSR, leading Kennedy to develop Operation Mongoose which was designed to do what the original invasion failed to do. Operation Mongoose consisted of another invasion, as well as overthrowing Castro through the aiding of rebels and assassinations. The full scale invasion never happened, yet parts of the plan went into effect in 1962.

Camp David Accords

Starting on Sept. 5, 1978, the Camp David Accords was a summit between President Carter, President Sadat of Egypt, and Prime Minister of Israel Begin in order to arrange peace in the Middle East. After days of discussion, and after many failed resolution attempts by Carter, Begin allowed the Israelites on the Sinai Peninsula to decide their own fate, laying out the framework for peace. This framework led to the agreement of Israel to make a peace treaty with Egypt and their neighbors, as well as laid the foundation for Palestinian self government. In 1979, the treaty between Israel and Egypt was signed, effectively ending their war, yet it met much resentment from other Arab nations.

Tear Down This Wall - Famous Reagan speech. Why was it important?

The Berlin Wall was one of the most intimidating symbols of the Cold War era. After World War II, Germany was divided into two pieces, one controlled by the Soviets, and the other controlled by the rest of the allies. On the Communist side, citizens were originally allowed to travel between the two sides. However, as times became tough, many citizens escaped to the West side, which led the Soviets to order to close the border between East and West Germany. This ended up splitting the city of Berlin down the middle, and threw the lives of many citizens into chaos. Families, jobs, and business were disrupted by the Berlin Wall. The wall stood for 26 years, but after awhile, many Eastern, and Western Germans began to publicly speak out against the wall. In 1987, president Ronald Reagan stood in front of the wall to give a speech. In this speech, president Reagan made the bold statement "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." 2 years later, in 1989 the people of Berlin could not stand the wall any longer. Crowds began to strike and show public resentment. Eventually, citizens brought picks, axes, chizzles, and other tools to tear down the wall, and unite the two parts of Berlin again. This speech, and moment is important, because the Berlin Wall stood as a major symbol for the Cold War. President Reagan saw the opportunity to not only tear down this symbol, but reunite the separate parts of Germany. Some argue these events were a "final straw" for the Soviet Union, which was dissolved one year later.

CIA Created

The CIA was created on September 18, 1947 by President Truman as a foreign policy initiative with the Soviet Union. A common theme of the Cold War was for the US to be one step ahead of the Soviets and the CIA's purpose was to report Soviet advancements back to the US. The CIA served to keep up with Russian intelligence early on in the war, specifically in their technology advancements. The US sent groups of qualified spies such as the "Cambridge Five" to the Soviet Union to gather information and to alert the Americans of potential danger. The CIA was most useful when it came to nuclear technology.

Chernobyl

The Chernobyl disaster was a catastrophe caused from a nuclear reaction experiment at a Ukraine power plant on April 26, 1986. This accident led to the death of 28 individuals working at the powerplant. The fumes of this accident also spread throughout Ukraine and thousands of people were treated. There is speculation as to whether or not the incident was really an accident and not a set-up by the Soviet Union. The severity of this incident makes the atmosphere of the Chernobyl area unsafe and the area will remain shut down for thousands of years. This accident really made people question whether or not nuclear experimentation was safe not only in America but all around the world.

Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban Missile Crisis was the confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union that was initiated by discovery of Soviet ballistic missiles in Cuba. The confrontation was the closest the cold war came to becoming a full blown nuclear war. The missiles were deployed in Cuba by Nikita Khrushchev in response to the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and missile deployment of the U.S. in Italy and Turkey. On October 22, 1962 the U.S. established a naval blockade around Cuba to prevent the transportation of anymore missiles. After several days of negotiation the US and Soviet Union reached an agreement to disarm Cuba but the US would secretly dismantle the missiles deployed in Turkey. The blockade around Cuba ended on November 21, 1962 officially ending the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Domino Theory

The Domino Theory was the theory that when one nation came under the influence of communism, then many others around it followed suit. Many people in the US used this as a way to justify our intervention into other countries that had been affected by communism. Southeast Asia was the best example of this because it was there, where many countries became communist in quick succession and this was also the largest argument for our involvement overseas.

Iran Contra Scandal

The Iran-Contra affair was a secret arms deal conducted by the U.S. in the 1980s that traded missiles and other arms to free American hostages held by terrorists in Lebanon. The funds used from the deal helped support the armed conflict that existed in Nicaragua and the controversial deal that was made almost destroyed the Reagan presidency. Reagan was never convicted of any criminal charges and studies concluded that Reagan's best interest for the country was taken into consideration. Reagan, despite medical conditions, acknowledged that selling arms to Iran was a mistake in his testimony before congress.

Korean War - Make sure you mention the 38th parallel, Douglas MacArthur, Inchon, China's involvement

The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 when the North Korean People's Army marched across the 38th parallel (the border between North and South Korea today). The North was backed by the Soviets while the South was more pro-Western. The invasion of South Korea was seen as an act that could lead to World War III because of the possibility of the war spreading to Russia or China. President Truman portrayed the event as a fight between good and evil with the threat of the Communists swallowing up more land. General Douglas MacArthur, a man who fought in the Pacific during World War II, took command of the troops, seeing the mission as an offensive one to free North Korea from the Communists. He pushed the North Koreans back out of Seoul by fighting at the city's edge near Inchon. MacArthur's actions led to China becoming worried about aggression against their territory near the North Korean/Chinese Border. China then sent troops to Korea as well as the message to leave the border alone. MacArthur was outraged and looked forward to a war with the Communists, but Truman fought against it. Eventually Truman relieved MacArthur from command. The War eventually ended in a stalemate with a new border constructed at the 38th parallel.

Nuclear Test Ban - After the Cuban Missile Crisis

The Nuclear Test Ban was signed on August 5, 1963 by the US, Soviet Union, and the UK. Kennedy was a strong supporter of the ban and had suggested this since 1956. The Cuban Missile Crisis caused both Presidents to reflect on how close they came to Nuclear War and they sought to reduce tensions between both countries. The treaty prohibited nuclear test weapons under water, in the atmosphere, and in outer space, allowed underground tests as long as radioactive debris stayed within the countries borders, and pledged to work towards a complete disarmament because this was only a limited ban.

OPEC - What was their role in the Cold War

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries consisted of several nations who did not support Israel during the Cold War. The Organization placed an embargo on its oil in 1973, preventing any nation that supported Israel in its "Yom Kippur War" from purchasing oil. The U.S. was an ally of Israel and an enemy of the Arab cause, so they were hit the hardest by the embargo. This embargo, combined with low domestic oil reserves, created an energy crisis in the U.S. and lead to high prices and a shift to more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Space Race

The Space Race was a competition between the rival space programs of the United States and the Soviet Union to send a man to space. During the beginning of the space race, the Soviet was considerably ahead of the United States. They sent the first orbiting satellite to space and also sent the first man to space with Yuri Gagarin in 1961. However, it was the US which ultimately prevailed in the Space Race by sending Apollo 11 to the moon in 1969. The Space Race added to tensions between the USSR and America by creating more competition between the two parties.

East European Unrest - Research the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. What was the US take on this

The US wanted to help with the situation in Hungary and they wanted to help release it from Communist control. Thought they wanted to help they couldn't directly deploy troops because if they came into contact with Soviet Troops and had a battle with them then it could be escalated into a nuclear war due to the high tensions between the nations. Instead they had to help through other more indirect means such as psychological warfare, covert operations, and even began negotiating with the Soviets. They began trading with the Hungarians but then trade relations were slowed by the Hungarian Government because they feared that more trade with the west would mean that the Communist rule would be weakened.

Reagan Bombs Libya

The United States bombing of Libya took place on April 15, 1986, in what is code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon. The target of these bombings was Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in retaliation of his actions. Libya supported violent Palestinian organizations against Israel and threatened to become a nuclear power. The bombings left 40 Libyan Casualties as one US plane was shot down. While the majority of UN Nations condemned the US attack, they were supported by Britain which strengthened the relationship between the two countries.

Yom Kippur War

The Yom Kippur War was a 19 day conflict in October 1973 between Israel and sever Arab countries. These countries, led mainly by Syria and Egypt, wanted to take land in the Sinai Peninsula back from the Israelis who had conquered it 6 years prior. Israel was nearing defeat when they asked America for assistance which was initially refused. Israel then threatened to use nuclear weapons which prompted Nixon to send them aid through Operation Nickel Grass. The Soviet Union also began to resupply Egypt and Syria during this time. The United States and U.S.S.R were actually brought very close to war with each other at this time after Leonid Brezhnev threatened to send troops to fight if the U.S. didn't. Israel then agreed to a ceasefire which led to negotiation and later agreements to end the conflict. The 1973 Oil Crisis was one part of the aftermath of this event, which was when a group of Middle Eastern countries put in place an oil embargo preventing trade to any countries who supported Israel during the war.

Alliance for Progress

The relationship between the United States and Latin American countries was falling before Kennedy was elected into office. Kennedy hoped to help relationships with Latin American countries by using peaceful economic cooperation which was designed to deny to rising of communist powers. This Alliance for Progress made in 1961 gave Latin American countries 20 billion dollars to promote democracy and social reforms. These reforms were designed to help home ownership, schooling, and health of the countries. Every country except Cuba like the promotion of democratic government and economic modernization including tax and land reform.

Star Wars - Research the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)

The strategic defense initiative, also known as star wars, was a cold war program implemented by Ronald Reagan in 1983. The Reagan administration was not comfortable with the nations reliance on the M.A.D. policy. There were many scenarios that the M.A.D. policy did not make sense, and the start of a nuclear war was still very possible. S.D.I. was Reagan's policy to defend against M.A.D. instead of attack. There were many possible ideas, many that were centered in space, which seemed unrealistic because of the significant cost, and lack of technology. This defense policy did not seem any more reliable than M.A.D. for a variety of reasons. One, it did not appear practical due to the timeframe, and significant cost (estimated to be 150 Billion dollars). Another, the policy was not more consistent than M.A.D. because of absorbent cost, and absurd nature of the plans. The media's name "Star Wars" was quite inaccurate, but it gave the public an idea about what it planned to do. Some argued that S.D.I had no chance to succeed. The costs were too high, the public did not support it, and technology was not there. However, some believe the policy was clever, because it worried both the Soviets, and Chinese enough to spend more money on their own programs, which were eventually unsuccessful.

Fighting in Vietnam - Discuss what the fighting was like for the American soldier.

Vietnam was a brutal war that had a significant and lasting impact on the soldiers who fought in it. The soldiers of the Communist government of North Vietnam, known as the Viet Cong, used guerrilla warfare tactics that were difficult to combat, and the American force in Vietnam was not adequately equipped with enough weapons, men, and gear to win the war. The hot, humid jungle conditions took a toll on soldiers as did insufficient meals and various diseases. Their enemies looked and sounded the same as their allies did, and some of their allies were aiding the enemy. The Vietnam War was different from any other war that the U.S. had previously fought in as it was a civil war and did not involve a country trying to dominate another. The United States's objective was also not to control land and corner the enemy but to simply kill the enemy.

Captured Nazi Scientist - Discuss Wernher von Braun

Wernher von Braun was one of the main Nazi engineers who helped to develop the V-2 rocket which was first tested in 1942. After he surrendered to the Allies, he worked with the U.S. army to develop ballistic missiles. Starting in 1950, his team started the development of Jupiter ballistic missiles for the army. In 1960, his team was moved from the army to NASA where he worked to form the Saturn ballistic missile which would eventually launch astronauts to the moon.

"We Will Bury You" - A famous line uttered by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. What is the context and what's the American reaction

While talking to ambassadors of Western countries Khrushchev said this line and had it translated to English by Viktor Sukhodrev in 1956. Although the phrase meant something more like "we will outlast you" in English, saying this had the immediate effect of making some NATO envoys leave the event, and later led Americans to try to figure out what the quote meant. Some thought it could even be a nuclear threat. The quote also later found itself in different parts of American culture, such as in a song, a movie, a video game, and the title of a comic book.