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The Second Red Scare
The Second Red scare was the fear of communism in the US and McCarthyism. The Second Red Scare was caused by the increasing tension caused by soviet spies, the Berlin Blockade and the Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe. This was important because it caused fear in many Americans and caused McCarthyism. The Red Scare made many people suspect other people for being a communist and caused many to be tried. -
Marshall plan
A plan proposed by US secretary of state George Marshall to help rebuild Europe after WW2. The plan was to give 13 billion dollars in aid to Europe. The Soviets declines the aid however because they didn't want to be in debt and they thought it was an act of "dollar enslavement." This is important because it provided aid to western countries in Europe and helped them fight communism. Soviets, were not benefited by this and it made it tougher for them to spread communism. -
Berlin Blockade and airlifts
The Soviets blocked western allies access to Berlin. People in Berlin were not getting the resources they needed and the Soviets had to airlift supplies to them. The Berlin Blockade was important because they cut off 2.5 million civilians from electricity food and other supplies. It was also the reason for the breakup of the Grand Alliance. -
NATO formed
NATO is the military alliance between Europe and North America and was formed. NATO implements a collective defense where each member of NATO must agree that if another member is attacked by an external party they must help defend them. NATO was important because it helped to strengthen European and North American countries and helped prevent communists from taking over Western Europe. NATO also got America to help stop the Korean War in Osan. -
Korean War
The Korean War was a war between North Korea and South Korea. North Korea was supported by the Soviet Union and communist China and South Korea was supported by the US and the West. The Korean War was significant because their were about 5 million deaths during this conflict. Another reason that this was important was because it was not just a war between North and South Korea but a contest of power of US and the West versus Soviets and Communism. -
Geneva Peace Accords
The Geneva Peace Accords were made to settle issues from the Korean war that were still a problem. France agreed, as part of the peace accords to withdraw their troops from Northern Vietnam. These Peace Accords were important because they ended the first Indochina war and they also stopped French influence in southeast Asia. They were also important because they were a major cause of the Vietnam War. -
Dien Bien Phu
The battle of Dien Bien Phu was the final battle of the Indochina War. The battle was fought by French and Viet Minh forces over control over a small mountain outpost on the border of Vietnam. Dien Bien Phu was significant because the outpost would give the victor a very important tactical advantage. Also the Viet Minh victory in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu marked the end of the 8 year long war of Indochina. -
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Berlin Wall
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Bay of Pigs
The bay of pigs was a failed attempt by the US to overthrow Fidel Castro's government. The US sent 1200 CIA trained and financed Cuban refugees into Cuba to where over 100 were killed and the rest were captured. This is significant because it convinced Cuba to ask for help from USSR. The USSR planted missiles on Cuban soil to protect them from US invasion. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was when Nikita Khrushchev agreed with Fidel Castro to plant Soviet missiles in Cuba. The US warned them not to do this but they did it anyway. This caused tension between US and Russia that we could not back down from. This is significant because it was the closest we ever came to nuclear war. We could not give in because if we did we would be giving Russia the title of strongest superpower and allow them to spread communism. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin resolution authorized President Johnson to do what ever he deems necessary to retaliate against aggression and promote peace in southeast Asia. The gulf of Tonkin Resolution was created after two unprovoked Vietnamese attacks on U.S. destroyers in the Gulf on Tonkin. The Gulf of Tonkin is significant because, it is the reason that America got involved in the Vietnam War. It also allowed the President to assist anyone in the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty militarily. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was a series of simultaneous attacks by 85,000 North Vietnam troops on 5 major South Vietnam cities, military installations and many villages. These attacks were a huge defeat for the North, but it also made caused may Americans to lose supportive for the war. The Tet Offense was significant because, North Vietnam lost about 60,000 troops while US and the South only lost about 12,000. Also this was important because it caused many Americans to lose interest in joining the war. -
My Lai Massacre
The My Lai Massacre was a horrible massacre during the Vietnam War where American soldiers killed a majority of the population of the city of My Lai. The soldiers were looking for hidden Vietnam soldiers in the city but didn't find any, they were then ordered to kill the civilians. The My Lai massacre is important because 500 Vietnam citizens were killed even though none of them were threats. It was also important because it caused many Americans frustration and showed them that war was brutal. -
Pentagon Papers
The Pentagon Papers were a DOD history of US involvement in the Vietnam war. They were released to the public by Daniel Ellsberg and showed them that the Johnson administration had lied to them and to Congress about their actions in the Vietnam War. This was important because they caused Americans to lose confidence in their government and caused a lot of hate towards the Johnson administration. This was also important because it revealed the atrocities America committed in Vietnam. -
Kent State University shooting
The Kent state University shooting was the killing of 4 and wounding of 9 others by the Ohio national guard. The shooting happened during a peace protest against the involvement of the us in Vietnam. This was important because the protester that were shot were protesting the US involvement in Vietnam and their deaths caused many Americans to support their cause as well. Also this was significant because it showed that police and the national guard were sometimes a threat to our safety. -
War Powers Act
This act revised the presidents power to send troops abroad and only allowed it a certain times. This limited the presidents power and only allowed him to send troops during war, a national emergency or statutory authorization. This is important because it made sure that no president could make any important decisions without the support of the congress. Also it helped people feel comfortable after what happened with the Johnson administration. -
Paris Peace Accords
The Paris Peace Accords were created too end the war in Vietnam and too restore peace there. It created a cease fire and withdrew American soldiers from Vietnam. This was important because it marked the end of the Vietnam war and helped bring peace to Vietnam. It was also important because it extracted around 24,000 US troops from Vietnam and likely saved the lives of countless Americans and Vietnamese. -
Fall of Saigon
The fall of Saigon was when The Peoples Army of Vietnam captured Saigon the capitol of South Vietnam. The death toll from this was about 4 million including civilians and soldiers. The Fall of Saigon was important because it was the capitol of Vietnam so its capture was extremely important. It was also important because it caused Operation Frequent Wind which evacuated almost all Americans from Saigon.