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HUAC
HUAC was created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloyalty and rebel activities on the part of private citizens, public employees and organizations suspected of having Communist ties. Citizens suspected of having ties to the communist party would be tried in a court of law. Also during this time, Senator Joseph McCarthy began a campaign against alleged communists in the U.S. government and other institutions. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
In 1941 1,400 Cuban exiles launched what became a botched invasion at the Bay of Pigs on the south coast of Cuba.In 1959, Fidel Castro came to power in an armed revolt. The US distrusted Castro and was wary of his relationship with Khrushchev, the leader of the USSR.JFK becomes president of the US in 1961 and inherits a planned invasion of Cuba from the Eisenhower administration. The invasion was a failure and all of the Cuban exile invasion force was either killed or captured by Castro's army. -
Yalta Conference
At Yalta, Roosevelt and Churchill discussed with Stalin the conditions under which the Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan and all three agreed that, in exchange for potentially crucial Soviet participation in the Pacific theater, the Soviets would be granted a sphere of influence in Manchuria after Japan’s surrender. The Allied leaders also discussed the future of Germany, Eastern Europe and the United Nations. -
Vietnam Split
Southeast Asia, namely Vietnam, was considered an important sphere of influence by the US and Soviet leaders.When nationalist forces created North Vietnam in 1956 the USSR and China recognized and backed the new communist country while the US became committed to stopping the spread of communism and backed South Vietnam. As in Korea,the US and the USSR avoided direct warfare by backing the opposing governments.The tensions from both of the countries materialized in the backing of other countries. -
The US uses atomic bombs on Japan to end WWII
In an attempt to end the war in the Pacific without a costly invasion of Japan, the US dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945 respectively. The two atomic bombings, together with the Soviet Union’s declaration of war on Japan, finally convinced Emperor Hirohito to surrender to the Allies, effectively ending World War II.WWII transformed both the United States and the USSR, turning the nations into world powers, and competition increased. -
The Hollywood Ten
Referred to as the Hollywood Ten, they were indicted for contempt of Congress and sentenced to brief imprisonment. Although the leaders of the motion picture studios had initially supported the Hollywood Ten, they soon denounced them, and the Hollywood Ten were suspended without pay. They were writers, producers, and actors who were all suspended without pay. After the televised hearings the Hollywood ten were blacklisted and served time. -
NATO
NATO was formed in 1949 with the signing of the Washington Treaty, NATO is a security alliance of 30 countries from North America and Europe. NATO’s fundamental goal is to safeguard the Allies’ freedom and security by political and military means. NATO remains the principal security instrument of the transatlantic community and expression of its common democratic values. This creates a collective security system. The first Supreme Commander was Eisenhower. -
Occupation of Korea and the start of the Korean War
Japan occupied Korea in 1910,but ceded control of Korea when it surrendered at the end of WWII.The US and the USSR agreed to split Korea into two occupation zones.The zone north of the 38th parallel was occupied by the USSR and it helped the Koreans living there form a communist government.The US occupied the south and it oversaw a democratic government. When the two major powers withdrew, friction between the north and south finally erupted into war in 1950 when North Koreans invaded the south. -
Stalin's death
Joseph Stalin,second leader of the Soviet Union,died at the age of 74, after suffering a stroke. He was given a state funeral in Moscow on 9 March, with four days of national mourning declared.The Soviet Union remained a repugnant dictatorship,but it was a very different place after Stalin was gone. Stalin's death led to a temporary thaw in Cold War tensions.In 1955, Austria regained its sovereignty and became an independent, neutral nation after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the country. -
During the Korean War, and reaching an agreement
The south was unprepared for the aggression and invasion from the north and was immediately overrun. Eventually, the US stepped in to help the South Korean military, essentially creating a proxy war between the Soviet Union and the United States. No final peace treaty was ever signed to end the Korean War. Instead, the two sides signed an armistice in 1953 that ceased hostilities and formed the Korean Demilitarized Zone, a no-man’s land between the two countries which constituted the new border. -
The beginning of the space race
The US and the USSR each wanted to achieve technological superiority over the other. Included in that struggle was the race to become the first country to build a rocket capable of launching an object into space. Not only would this be an immense technological achievement, but a rocket that was powerful enough to carry a payload into space could also carry a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the other country. This would give the respective country a relatively advantage over the other. -
Creation of ICBMs
The Soviet Union announces that it has successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of being fired “into any part of the world.” The announcement caused great concern in the United States, and started a national debate over the “missile gap” between America and Russia. Mutually assured destruction was assumed. Now the two world powers had nuclear weapons, and mutually assured destruction was holding everything together by a thread. -
The first satellite
In October of 1957, the Soviets launched Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite. Sputnik caught Americans off guard and embarrassed the nation. For the US military, this was proof that the USSR had the missile technology to attack the United States. The USSR put Sputnik 2 in orbit before the US was able to put its first satellite, Explorer 1, into orbit in January of 1958. Both countries then began a race to the moon. -
JFK Elected
Senator John F. Kennedy both pledged to strengthen American military forces and promised a tough stance against the Soviet Union and international communism. Kennedy warned of the Soviet's growing arsenal of ICBMs and pledged to revitalize American nuclear forces. He also criticized the Eisenhower administration for permitting the establishment of a pro-Soviet government in Cuba. -
The Grozny
Through aerial surveillance the US discovers that Cuba was building ICBM launch sites. The Soviet Ship the Grozny was detected setting sail for Cuba. The US puts up a naval blockade surrounding Cuba. The US and the USSR were at a standoff. The Grozny crosses the Quarantine line, but stops after the US navy ships fire star shells across her bow. Moscow orders the Grozny to turn around.