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After WWII, many countries were destroyed from war and people wanted peace. Representatives from 50 countries got together to create a UN Charter. It became official in October of 1945.
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President Truman signed the Economic Recovery Act in 1948. It became known as the Marshall Plan. The purpose was to provide economic support for post war Europe. The idea came from Secretary of State George Marshall.
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NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It was created in 1949 by the U.S., Canada and other European countries. The purpose was to protect one another from the Soviet Union.
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The Korean War was fought between North and South Korea from 1950-53. The U.S. got involved because our government thought Communist China and Russia were somehow involved. No one won the war. -
Sputnik was the start of the U.S. Space Race with the Soviet Union. Sputnik was the first artificial satellite launched into space. The Russians launched it. The U.S. was hoping to be the first to accomplish this.
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President Kennedy in coordination with the CIA decided to invade Cuba because Fidel Castro was a communist and a threat to all of Latin America. The invasion failed.
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The Berlin Wall was put up to prevent people from escaping East Berlin and going over to West Berlin. The wall was 96 miles long and had watchtowers and trip wires that activated machine guns.
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As the Cold War was coming to an end, the Berlin Wall also ended. Over 2 million people from East Berlin visited West Berlin on Nov.9, 1989. People chipped away at the wall and Berlin was united.