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The red scare was a widespread fear of communism and of Russia's newly acquired nuclear power in the United States. The fear was greatly perpetuated by Senator Joseph McCarthy and baselessly accusing citizens of being communist was know as "McCarthyism". This fear contributed greatly to tensions during the cold war and was an elevating factor for the Cuban missile crisis. The term McCarthyism is still used today although far less often.
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The Marshall plan was a foreign aid policy enacted by the US to help repair Western Europe after the war. The plan consisted of over thirteen million dollars of aid. the soviet union and other bloc countries were offered aid, however they refused it. The plan was very beneficial to the reconstruction of Wester Europe and was considered a success.
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Germany was divided into 4 sections and split between the US, France, the UK, and Russia. The capitol (Berlin) was also split into 4 sections but was in Russian territory. Russia wanted to prevent the spread of capitalism to Germany so they blocked off access to the capitol leaving the other countries sections to starve. Planes were gathered by the other countries to airlift supplies in to keep the citizens safe. This was a big win against communism and showed that Russia could be stood up to.
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A defense treaty signed by all members of the Western Union as well as the United states, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. This treaty and alliance was significant as it started the development of clear sides in the cold war.
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A war between North and South Korea starting with attacks on the border by North Korea. South Korea was backed by the US and UN, with North Korea being backed by the Soviet Union and China. The war achieved an armistice between the two countries. it also secured China as a more powerful communist country.
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Construction Begins on the Berlin Wall
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A battle during the first Indochina war fought by France against the Viet Minh as well as the name of the location where the battle took place. It ended with the Viet Minh capturing many French troops inside their headquarters and was seen as a great loss for France.
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An agreement between the 2 sides of Vietnam to split into North and South Vietnam backed by major powers. the country was divided into 2 along the 17th parallel. This was seen as a bit of a win for communism as the French had lost all of North Vietnam.
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The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed American-led assault on Cuba performed by recruited Cuban exiles in opposition to Fidel Castro. The goal of the invasion was to overthrow Castro's communist government and prevent the spread of communism from Cuba into other countries. The invasion was a complete failure and all the troops were immediately surrounded on shore. This event only elevated the tensions revolving between the US and Russia, as Cuba was backed by Russia.
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A crisis during which Russia installed nuclear missiles in Cuba to combat US missiles in Turkey. The US attempted to block them with invasions and operations on Cuba as well as a naval quarantine around the island. It was resolved after 2 weeks with an agreement to remove all missiles from Cuba and Turkey on both sides. This event was the turning point of the Cold War and led to more negotiations instead of fighting.
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An agreement to allow US military forces to operate in defense of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty while in Southeast Asia. This was passed after the Gulf of Tonkin incident where North Vietnamese ships attacked a US Destroyer in international waters and the destroyer fired back taking out all of the North Vietnamese boats. This was a significant agreement as it allowed military force in Southeast Asia which significantly elevated the position of the US in Vietnam
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A massive attack by Viet Cong on hundreds of South Vietnamese cities backed by the US. The attack occurred on a previously agreed upon cease-fire for the Lunar New Year. While cities and US forces were taken aback and fell quickly, they were even more quickly reclaimed and a large military defeat was pushed onto the Viet Cong. This marked a significant turning point in the Vietnam War.
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The mass murder of South Vietnamese citizens in the town of My Lai by US armed forces. It is estimated that around 400 men, women, and children were killed. It also included the mass destruction of building, killing of livestock, and burning of resources. This is considered to be the most horrific act committed by the US during the Vietnam war and heavily stoked anti-war sentiment.
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The massacre of 4 students by National Guard members at Kent State University due to anti-war protests. 9 other students were wounded by the gunshots. The event sparked massive waves of anti-war protests and walk-outs across the US and led to a great questioning of the US position in the Vietnam War.
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The release of previously unknown information regarding the US involvement in the Vietnam War from the Pentagon. The information included details on the US launching secret coastal raids on North Vietnam and many topics never covered in the mainstream media on the war. The release of these paper prompted the prominent Watergate scandal.
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An agreement to end the Vietnam war between the US and both sides of Vietnam. The treaty was broken quite quickly by both North and South Vietnam, after a while a cease-fire was negotiated for and after a while North Vietnam conquered South Vietnam merging them into a socialist state.
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The war powers act or war powers resolution was an act that prevented the President of the United States from starting a war without majority approval from Congress. This prevented Nixon from declaring war with no checks or balances and is an important part of our democracy today.
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The Fall of Saigon was the capture of South Vietnam's capital by North Vietnam forces and Viet Cong. This lead to the conquering of South Vietnam and the merging of the two countries back into a unified Vietnam. This marked a total end to large-scale war in Vietnam and Vietnam evolved into the Socialist state it is today.
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