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Following World War II, the United Nations was established to promote world peace and cooperation. It aimed to prevent future conflicts and provide a platform for dialogue among nations. -
Ten Hollywood writers and directors were blacklisted for refusing to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee about alleged communist affiliations, demonstrating the anti-communist zeal of the time. -
President Harry S. Truman set policy to provide military and economic aid to countries resisting communism, namely Greece and Turkey, and this marked the start of the U.S. containment policy. -
The U.S. launched the European Recovery Program, or the Marshall Plan, providing over $13 billion in an attempt to rebuild Western European economies after WWII to prevent the spread of communism. -
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was established as a military alliance of the United States, Canada, and Western European nations to counter Soviet expansion and offer collective defense. -
North Korea invaded South Korea, and it became a war between UN troops led by the U.S. and Chinese assistance to the North. The war ended in an armistice that split Korea at the 38th parallel. -
The Soviet Union placed Sputnik 1, the first man-made satellite, in orbit, and the space race started with this feat showing Soviet technological prowess. -
The failed invasion of Cuba by U.S.-backed Cuban exiles aimed to oust Fidel Castro's regime from office, a huge blunder for the U.S. -
East Germany constructed the Berlin Wall to prevent individuals from fleeing to West Berlin, symbolizing the split between communist Eastern Europe and capitalist Western Europe. -
The U.S. escalated its involvement in Vietnam by deploying combat troops, a significant escalation of the conflict against North Vietnamese forces. -
The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to defend its communist regime against rebel troops, leading to a protracted and bloody war with global repercussions. -
The Berlin Wall was opened, and East and West Germans were reunited, ending the Cold War and the collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe.