Cold War Timeline

By ljrcuz
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    Cold War

    Cause: Rising tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union after WWII due to ideological differences (capitalism vs. communism).
    Effect: Led to nuclear arms race, proxy wars, and global political conflicts.

  • Truman Doctrine

    Cause: Fear of communist expansion, particularly in Greece and Turkey.
    Effect: U.S. provided military and economic aid to countries resisting communism.

  • McCarthyism

    Cause: Fear of communist infiltration in the U.S. government.
    Effect: Led to blacklisting, ruined careers, and heightened Cold War paranoia.
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    Korean War

    Cause: North Korea (communist) invaded South Korea (capitalist).
    Effect: Stalemate; Korea remained divided at the 38th parallel.

  • Brown v. Board of Education

    Cause: Segregated schools were challenged as unconstitutional.
    Effect: Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson; declared school segregation illegal.
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    Montgomery Bus Boycott

    Cause: Rosa Parks' arrest for refusing to give up her bus seat.
    Effect: Led to desegregation of public transportation and rise of MLK as a civil rights leader.
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    Vietnam War

    Cause: Fear of communist expansion (domino theory).
    Effect: U.S. withdrew, and Vietnam became a unified communist country.

  • Sputnik

    Cause: Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite.
    Effect: Sparked the Space Race and led to the creation of NASA.

  • Cuban Missile Crisis

    Cause: U.S. discovered Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba.
    Effect: U.S. blockade led to Soviet missile withdrawal and heightened Cold War tensions.

  • March on Washington

    Cause: Push for civil rights legislation and racial equality.
    Effect: MLK delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech; led to the Civil Rights Act.

  • JFK Assassinated

    Cause: Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy.
    Effect: Lyndon B. Johnson became president; nation mourned.

  • Civil Rights Act

    Cause: Pressure from civil rights activists and national attention on racial injustices.
    Effect: Outlawed segregation and discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

  • MLK & RFK Assassinated

    Cause: Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated.
    Effect: Increased civil unrest and weakened the civil rights movement.

  • Tet Offensive

    Cause: North Vietnamese and Vietcong launched a massive attack during the Vietnam War.
    Effect: U.S. public support for the war declined, leading to eventual withdrawal.

  • Moon Landing

    Cause: Space Race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
    Effect: U.S. became the first nation to land a man on the moon (Neil Armstrong).

  • Watergate Break-in

    Cause: Nixon administration attempted to spy on Democratic National Committee.
    Effect: Nixon resigned in 1974 to avoid impeachment.

  • Roe v. Wade

    Cause: Challenge to Texas laws banning abortion.
    Effect: Legalized abortion under the right to privacy.
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    Iranian Hostage Crisis

    Cause: Iranian revolutionaries took 52 Americans hostage at the U.S. embassy.
    Effect: Hostages held for 444 days; strained U.S.-Iran relations.