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The Iron Curtain Speech was a speech about the Iron Curtain and the call for peace by Churchill. This was a big deal for many Americans because it gave them hope and led them to believe in the US forces.
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The Marshall Plan was an American initiative to help and aid western Europe giving over $12 billion to help rebuild and recover from World War II. This was in response to the weakness in NATO at the time. This event was a big deal because it made a huge impact on the recovery of western Europe.
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The Soviets tested their first atomic bomb on August 29, 1949 and that was a big deal for America. It was a big deal because it made the US realize that we weren't the only ones with the power to destroy the opponent and it may be a fair game now.
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McCarthyism was the practice of making accusations of communism or treason without any evidence. This is in response to the Soviet Spread of Communism. This was a big deal because many people saw this as unfair and cruel.
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The Korean War was a war between communists and capitalists and Korea being divided.
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President Truman fired MacArthur because he contradicted policies and administrative means.
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On November 1, 1952, President Eisenhower was elected president of the US.
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Soviet Leader Joseph Stalin died at age 74 in 1953 by a stroke.
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While there was much going on in Korea, both sides decided to begin Cease-Fire.
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The Warsaw Pact was a military and political alliance between the Soviet Union and several Eastern European countries. This was a big deal because it settled some tension between both of them and it was in response to the defensive acts.
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In the late/mid 1950's, Hungary citizens revolted against the government and Soviet imposed policies because they did not want communism to take over them as well. This was in response to the overwhelming push and spread of communist influences towards other countries. This was a big deal because it helped other nations realize that not everyone was down for communism and people were revolting about it because they wanted it to change.
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General McCarthy died at age 48 on May 7, 1957.
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An armed revolt against the Cuban leader.
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Krushehev, the leader of the Soviet Union, visited the United States to talk to President Kennedy about the Military advancements in Cuba. This was a big deal because it helped Kennedy decide whether or not they were in an emergency state of threat. Even if Kruschev denied relations, Kennedy would still have to make big decisions
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President John F. Kennedy was elected on November 8, 1960.
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The Bay of Pigs was when the US went to Cuba and failed to invade them. This was a big deal because the US was humiliated by the lack of planning and following through with plans. The Bay of Pigs helped the US become more serious about the decisions being made.
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The Cuban Missile Crisis was when the U.S. thought the Soviets were going to attack the US with nuclear weapons. This was a very tense time and President Kennedy had a very important decision to make. Fortunately, nothing harmful happened and both sides never fired one nuclear weapon. Many people were very frightened about being basically forced to die because of Soviets military advancements.
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President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 right before a political campaign. This seemed to be shortly after he made big changes for the US and some people did not like it. America was devastated because one of America's most influential presidents was gone.