1. Events of the Cold War

2. Truman Doctrine - The US would aid any nation fighting communism
Truman Doctrine - The US would aid any nation fighting communism. This would help to contain it.

3. The Korean Conflict – After WW2 Japans conquest of Korea was split between the UN and USSR along the 38th parallel. In 1950, the communist north invaded the south with material help from the Soviets. From the US fights North Koreans and Chinese and the war ends in a seize-fire which still stands today.

4. McCarthyism – A senator, Joe McCarthy, tried to root out communists in the US. It created an air of paranoia as people accused others of being communist.

5. U-2 – A high altitude spy plane that was shot down over the USSR which expose the US spy operations.

6. Hungarian Revolution – The nation of Hungary revolts against Soviet rule and is brutally crushed by the Soviets.

8. Berlin Wall – The wall divided and trapped East Berliners in the Soviet section and all of East Germany.

10. Cuban Missile Crisis – Cuba allows the USSR to deploy nukes in their country. The US and USSR come very close to nuclear war, but a compromise was brokered.

11. Vietnam – A civil war broke out between the communist north and democratic south. The US aided the south with weapons and training at first, but eventually deployed 500,000 troops. US involvement lasted from A peace was signed which divided the two nations at the 17th parallel. In 1975 the north invaded the South and Vietnam is a communist nation today.

12. Star Wars – This was a nuclear missile defense system where satellites would shoot down incoming missiles with lasers.

13. Break up of the Soviet Union – In 1992 the Soviet Union has another revolution and reverts back to a “democratic” nation. This effectively ends the Cold War with the USSR.

14. (Al-Qaeda)
Radical Islam, Jews and the United States – Radical Islamists believe that the Jews don’t have legitimate claim to Israel. They hate the US for supporting Israel. THIS IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF 9/11/01.

15. Bush Doctrine – “We will make no distinction between the terrorists and those who harbor them.”