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The U.S. promised to help countries fight communism, especially Greece and Turkey. This was the start of the U.S. "containment" strategy.
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The U.S. offered billions of dollars to rebuild European countries hurt by WWII. The goal was to stop communism by helping economies.
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The Central Intelligence Agency was made to gather secret information during the Cold War. It played a big part in U.S. spying.
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The Soviets took over Czechoslovakia's government. This made people in the West more afraid of communism spreading.
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The U.S. started sending money to help European countries rebuild. It was successful in stopping the spread of communism.
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The Soviet Union blocked roads and railways to West Berlin. The U.S. and allies responded by flying in supplies.
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Western countries joined together to protect each other against Soviet attacks. This military alliance was led by the U.S.
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The USSR tested its first nuclear bomb, shocking the world. Now both superpowers had nuclear weapons.
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Mao Zedong took control of China, making it a communist nation. This was a big win for the Soviet side.
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North Korea invaded South Korea. The U.S. and United Nations helped South Korea fight back.
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China sent troops to help North Korea. This made the war even harder for the U.S. and South Korea.
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The U.S. greatly increased military spending to fight the spread of communism. This began a long arms race.
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President Truman removed General MacArthur for wanting to expand the Korean War into China. This caused a lot of debate in America.
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The U.S. tested a powerful new type of nuclear weapon. It was much stronger than the bombs dropped in WWII.
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The U.S. gave more military and economic aid to allies. It was meant to strengthen countries against communism.
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Britain became the third country to have nuclear weapons. This changed the balance of power.
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The U.S. exploded the first real hydrogen bomb in the Pacific. It showed how dangerous the nuclear arms race had become.
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The U.S. started the NSA to listen to secret communications. It became a powerful spy agency.
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Soviet leader Joseph Stalin died. This brought hope for change, but fear about who would take over.
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The war stopped with a truce. North and South Korea stayed divided.
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President Eisenhower said nuclear energy could be used for good, like electricity. He wanted to calm fears of nuclear war.
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Leaders met in Geneva to discuss peace in Vietnam. They decided to split Vietnam into North (communist) and South (non-communist).
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The U.S. gave money and military help to South Vietnam to stop communism. This was the beginning of deeper U.S. involvement.
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The CIA helped remove Guatemala's president because the U.S. feared he was leaning toward communism. It caused protests in Latin America.
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The Soviet Union created the Warsaw Pact, a military alliance of communist countries. It was the Eastern version of NATO.
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Leaders from the U.S., USSR, Britain, and France met to reduce Cold War tensions. They didn’t make any big deals but started talking again.
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Small battles began between North and South Vietnam. The U.S. sent more help to the South to stop communist attacks.
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Soviet leader Khrushchev criticized Stalin’s rule in a secret speech. It shocked many in the communist world.
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People in Hungary tried to break free from Soviet control. The Soviets sent tanks and crushed the revolt.
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Britain, France, and Israel attacked Egypt after it took over the Suez Canal. The U.S. and USSR pressured them to stop.
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President Eisenhower said the U.S. would help any Middle Eastern country fight communism. It showed growing U.S. influence.
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The USSR tested a missile that could carry nuclear weapons across continents. This increased the threat of nuclear war.
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The Soviet Union sent the first satellite into space. This started the space race and scared the U.S.
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The U.S. started NASA to compete with the Soviet space program. Space became another area of the Cold War.
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The Soviet leader visited China to improve communist unity. But tensions between the two countries were rising.
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The USSR told Western countries to leave Berlin. This led to a long standoff over the divided city.
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Fidel Castro took over Cuba and later became communist. The U.S. became worried about communism near its border.
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The Soviet leader visited America to ease tensions. He toured cities but still disagreed with U.S. leaders.
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The U.S. sent more military advisors to South Vietnam. Communist attacks from the North kept growing.
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The Soviet Union shot down an American spy plane and captured the pilot. The U.S. was caught lying about it.
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China and the Soviet Union began to argue and break ties. This weakened the unity of the communist world.
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John F. Kennedy won the U.S. election. He promised to be tough on communism.
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The U.S. tried to help Cuban exiles invade Cuba and remove Castro. The plan failed and embarrassed the U.S.
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East Germany built a wall to stop people from escaping to West Berlin. It became a symbol of the Cold War.
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President Kennedy sent more U.S. troops to support South Vietnam. The war began to grow.
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The U.S. discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba. After a tense standoff, the Soviets agreed to remove them.
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To stop more missiles from reaching Cuba, the U.S. surrounded the island with ships. It brought the world close to nuclear war.
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A direct phone line was set up between the U.S. and Soviet leaders. This helped avoid future misunderstandings.
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President Kennedy gave a speech in Berlin showing support for West Germany. It became a famous moment in Cold War history.
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The U.S., USSR, and UK agreed to stop testing nuclear weapons in the air and sea. It was a small step toward peace.
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The U.S. supported a coup that removed South Vietnam’s president. The country became more unstable.
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North Vietnamese boats attacked U.S. ships. This led the U.S. to increase its role in the Vietnam War.
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Congress allowed the president to use military force in Vietnam without declaring war. This gave Lyndon B. Johnson more power.
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China exploded its first atomic bomb. This made the world even more tense.
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China’s leader, Mao Zedong, started the Cultural Revolution. It made China even more distant from the U.S. and USSR.
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The U.S. started bombing North Vietnam to weaken its forces. The air war lasted for years.
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The U.S. sent full combat troops into Vietnam for the first time. The war became much larger.
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Many Americans started protesting the Vietnam War. Young people and students led the movement.
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The U.S. sent hundreds of thousands of troops to fight in Vietnam. The war was not going as planned.
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The Vietnam War became the center of American foreign policy. It cost a lot of money and lives.