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Truman Doctrine
President Truman gives his most famous speach in which he outlines the United States' policy while dealing with Communism. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/trudoc.asp -
Formation of NATO
12 countries formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in an attempt to create capitalist coalation. http://edit.emich.edu/index.php?title=Formation_of_NATO -
First Soviet Nuclear Bomb Test
The Soviets tested their first nuclear weapon named "Joe-1". This officially started the nuclear arms race between the US and the USSR. -
North Korea invades South Korea
The Soviet backed North Korea attack the US backed South with aims of unifying the country across the 38th parallel. This will evolve into a 3 year conflict between north and south. http://www.historycentral.com/asia/NKoreaInvadesS.html -
Vietnam is split
After the Geneva convention involving the USA, Britain, Soviet Union, China, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, it is decided that Vietnam will be split into an American south and a Vietnamese north at the 17th parallel and in two years elections will be held. This will lead to the Vietnam war when in two years the Americans refuse to let them have votes. http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/vietnam/ -
Warsaw Pact Created
In response to NATO the Soviet Union and it's European allies create the Warsaw Pact to have a Communist equivalent of NATO. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-was-the-warsaw-pact.htm -
Juan Peron Exiled
After an upsetting regime in Argentina, the militray overthrows the dictator Juan Peron and he flees to Paraguay and eventually lives the rest of his time in exile in Madrid. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/452378/Juan-Peron/5610/Peron-in-exile -
Egypt Nationalizes the Suez Canal
Nasser of Egypt decides to nationalize the Suez Canal. The UK upset with this attacks with the support of France. The USA and USSR both supported Egypt making this a rare event where the US and Soviets fought on the same side. -
Castro Overthrows Batista
Fidel Castro and his Marxist followers including Che Guevara arrive in Havana. Castro will set up a socialist dictatorship with the support of the Soviet Union The Book Chp 31.1 -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
1300 American trained Cuban exiles under instructions of President John F. Kennedy invaded the Bay of Pigs, Cuba looking to overthrow the communist regime of Fidel Castro. They hoped to gain support from the local peope and dethrown Castro. However the Americans miscalculated and in just 2 days all the exiles had either been killed or captured http://bepevy20.com/cubanfilmproject/images/Bay_of_pigs.jpg -
Berlin Wall Built
The island of west Berlin surrounded by the communist east is officially seperated when the East Berlin forces erect a wall full of death traps to stop emigration. It will go under many ramifications and serve as a symbol of the iron curtain. http://www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall/history/berlinwall-timeline.htm -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Recon planes showed that there were Soviet built nuclear missiles in Cuba. After John F. Kennedy met with his top advisors he decided to issue a quarantine on Cuba. After a couple of days of negotiating with Cuba and the USSR, the USSR dismantled the missiles in return the USA promised to not invade Cuba again. http://library.thinkquest.org/11046/days/index.html -
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Cultural Revolution
A policy under Mao that radically shook up China's society. Changes included encouraging criticism of Liberals, children to turn in teahcers and parents that talk negatively about Mao's regime and the creation of the red guard and the little red book http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/cultural_revolution.htm -
Six Day War
Due to increasing tension between Israel and it's Arab neighbors, Israel preempitvely attacked many of the surrounding Arab nations including Egypt. Israel would triple it's territory and reach peace 6 days later http://www.zionism-israel.com/dic/6daywar.htm -
French Withdrawal from NATO
Charles De Gaulle, president of France, withdraws French involvement with NATO due to fear that they were becoming just a European arm of the US. -
Tet Offensive
The North Vietnamese attack the South in many places on the holiday of tet. While they do not gain much ground it is massive psychological victory for the north and serves as the turning point in the war starting a downward slope until the Americans leave Vietnam. http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1862.html -
Israeli Olympic Team Hostages are Killed
The Israeli weightlifting team is killed in a gun battle. This showed the rising tension between Israel and it's Israel neighbors http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/6/newsid_2500000/2500769.stm -
Fall of Saigon
United States military leave Vietnam and the northern troops cross the boarder into South Vietnam and eventually into Saigon, the southern capital. Vietnam is united under Ho Chi Minh, signifying the end of the war in Vietnam. http://www.vietnamgear.com/war1973.aspx -
Iranian Hostage Crisis
Iranian terrorist groups attacked the American embassy in Tehran. They will take about seventy hostages for 444 days until Reagan was inaugurated. -
Argentinian invasion of the Falkland Islands
In an attempt to distract the people of Argentina from their economic problems the militaristic government decided to invade the British held Falkland Islands. This had a negative outcome, however, because the British army would overwelm the Argentinians and it would show the people how weak their military really was http://www.falklands.info/history/history7.html -
Iran Contra Scandal
Stories emerged that the Reagan administration had been giving weapons to the Iranian government through the Contras in the Nicaraguan civil war. http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0825447.html -
Tianamen Square Massacre
Protests consisting of mostly young people occured. They demanded a more democratic government. This lasted for days and it resulted in open fire on the protesters by the soldiers. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
After the East German president, Erich Honecker, resigned and large ammounts emmigration out of East Germany, many people on the eastern side of the wall began to riot and eventually the wall fell http://www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall/history/fall-of-berlinwall.htm -
Noriega Arrested
Geroge Bush sends soldiers into Panama to overthrow Manuel Noriega. He is arrested and tried in Florida on drug trafficking charges. -
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
After many events including, Non Russian independance movements, the fall of the Berlin wall, and the fall of other Communist Regimes the Soviet Union's regime collapses and turns into the Russian Federation. http://www.essortment.com/all/fallofthesovi_rkcm.htm
