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Period: to
End of WWII to End of the Cold War
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Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was issued by U.S. president Harry Truman, to pledge to provide to provide economic and military aid to nations who fought to oppose the spread of communism. The Doctrine was issued prevent communism from spreading past Eastern-Europe and Russia. -
The Marshall Plan
Named for U.S. Secretary of State John Marshall, the Economic Recovery Act provided $13 billion to rebuild post-war Europe. This plan helped Western Europe to make a recovery from the war, and maintain political stability. These improvements in the condition of aided nations allowed them to effectively resist communism, because they would not have weaknesses that the Soviets could take advantage of. -
Soviet Blockade of West Berlin
The Soviet Union blocked all routes to the non-communist West Berlin, in the hopes of gaining full control of Berlin. Western leaders refused to surrender, so they begsn the Berlin airlift, to supply the people of West Berlin by air with cargo planes. Eventually, the Soviets ended their blockade of West Berlin, due to the success of the airlift. -
NATO's Establishment
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a military alliance formed between the U.S., Canada, and most west European countries as a result of the Berlin Airlift. NATO was established to counter Soviet military power in Europe, to prevent the spread of communism. -
Soviet Unions' First Successful Test of the Atomic Bomb
The Soviet Union shook the west with its successful test of the Atomic Bomb. Atomic bombs split apart atoms to create energy for an explosion. The As a result of the bomb's success, the Soviets gained the military power over the U.S. that their rivals once had over their nation. -
U.S. Tests the First Hydrogen Bomb
The U.S. tested the first fusion-powered hydrogen bomb, which was so powerful that it vaporized the island it was tested on. Fusion is the proocess in which atoms are fused together to create an explosion even larger than the splitting of atoms would. Sadly, the Soviets tested their own hydrogen bomb less than a year later. -
Warsaw Pact's Establishment
The Warsaw Pact was an alliance frmed between the Soviet Union and the communist nations of Eastern Europe. This union was created in response to the National Atlantic Treaty Organization, which united nations to prevent the spread of communism. -
The Soviet Union Launches Sputnik
Sputnik was the world's first artificial satillite. While Americans had always believed that they had a technological over the Soviets, the sattilite's success made them fear that the USSR had a superior military technology. -
NASA is Established by the U.S.
The United States established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to rival the Soviet Union's success with Sputnik. Eventually, this agency helped return the U.S. to its superior position in space research. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union surrounding the installation of the USSR's nuclear missiles in Cuba. The U.S. was anxious about the installment of nuclear weaponry within such close proximity to Floida. After a two-week stand-off, Soviet and U.S. leaders came to a compromise, when the Soviet leaders agreed to remove the missiles and the U.S. agreed to move missiles from Turkey and not to attack Cuba.
