1. The Cold War

2. Yalta Conference
At the end of WWII, the Big Three met to decide what to do with Europe once the war was over.
They agreed to divide Germany in to four occupied zones
They agreed to create the United Nations
They agree to try Nazi war criminals

4. Iron Curtain: Invisible boundary between democratic countries and Communist countries

5. Truman Doctrine: America will support ANY nation that struggles against Communism. This policy is also known as containment. The first two countries that are assisted are Turkey and Greece!
This idea is laid out in a letter from George Kennan, also called “The Long Note”.

6. I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. I believe that we must assist free peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way

7. Marshall Plan
America gives money so that European nations can rebuild.
We offer money to the Soviet Union and they reject it

8. NATO: Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization
NATO is an organization of “collective defense” against Communism.
Stalin’s response was the “Warsaw Pact” made up of the USSR and various satellite nations.

9. Berlin Wall

10. Berlin Airlift
Stalin built a blockade around West Berlin, cutting off supplies.
The US sent supplies in to Western Germany using aircraft from WWII

11. Korean Conflict: 1950-1953 Korea was divided along the 38th parallel
North Korea began to antagonize South Korea and the UN agreed to send peace keeping forces led by American troops.

12. MacArthur Fired!

13. Eisenhower Becomes President!

14. Overthrow of Iran!
CIA overthrows Iran and places the Shah in power, believing that he will fight against Communism

15. Eisenhower Doctrine and the Suez Crisis!
The Eisenhower Doctrine stated that the US would help any Middle Eastern nation threatened by Communism
Egyptian leader Nasser attempted to create a giant Arab state and nationalized the Suez Canal
England and France, concerned about loss of the canal, encouraged Israel to attack Egypt
American troops responded quickly

16. Cuba falls to Castro

17. U-2 Incident
After Stalin’s death, there seemed to be home for reconciliation between the Soviets and the Americans under the new leadership of Nikita Khruschev.
Nikita Khruschev and Eisenhower agreed to “clear skies”
A US spy plane was shot down over USSR, proving that the US was spying
This chilled relations between the Soviet Union an the US

18. Kennedy Wins!

19. Peace Corps
Created by Kennedy to bring sanitations and education to “third world” nations that might fall to Communism

20. Space Race

21. Bay of Pigs: America backed Cuban exiles’ invasion of Cuba

22. Cuban Missile Crisis
Americans spy planes found evidence that Soviet missiles were present in Cuba
John F. Kennedy created a military quarantine around Cuba until the missiles were removed. This was interpreted as an act of war by Khruschev
For nine days, the world stood at the brink of nuclear war and were concerned, for the first time, about MAD (mutually assured destruction)
Khruschev eventually removed the missiles in return for the removal of American missiles in Turkey

23. Vietnam Originally owned by France, also called Indochina
Divided along the 19th Parallel
United States sets up a democracy-friendly government in the South and promises aid
American beings policy of “escalation”

27. Ho Chi Minh Trail
America is fighting the VietCong and North Vietnamese in a guerilla war

28. LBJ is President!

29. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: President can move troops without Congressional authorization
An American tanker was sunk in the Gulf of Tonkin
LBJ calls this “communist aggression”

30. My Lai Massacre

31. Nixon becomes President!

32. Tet Offensive
American troops are attacked during the Vietnamese New Year, known as Tet
The battle is incredibly bloody but Americans are able to remove the North Vietnamese from Saigon

33. Anti War Protests Begin!
Sit its
Teach ins
Marches

34. Vietnamization
Nixon’s policy to expand, equip and prepare the South Vietnamese to fight for themselves

35. Nixon begins secret bombings of Laos and Cambodia (Operation Menu)

36. Kent State
Four college students are shot at Kent State University during an anti war protest

37. Détente: Decreasing tensions between the Soviet Union and the US

38. Kissinger and Ping Pong Diplomacy

39. Vietnam Ends!- Paris Peace Accords

40. Ford Becomes President!

41. Fall of Saigon- 1975!

42. Jimmy Carter becomes President!

43. SALT I and SALT II
Strategic Arms Limitations Treaties- attempts to limit the amount of arms and nuclear weaponry held by each country (first is under Ford)

44. Afghanistan invaded by Soviet Union

45. Ronald Reagan Becomes President!

46. Glasnost: Policy of openness and honesty between USSR and US

47. Strategic Defense Initiative: Star Wars Program!

48. Reagan goes to Moscow!
Meets with Mikhail Gorbachev, Soviet president.

49. 1989: The Berlin Wall falls!
Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

50. George H.W. Bush is President!

51. December 26, 1991- Soviet Union falls!

52. START I- Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
Bans ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) and MIRVs (multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles)
US reduces their missiles from 7,000 to 1,200!