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Civil War Timeline
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HUAC
House of Un-Americans Activites Committee to investigate possible rebellions acts by fascist, Nazis, or Communists. The committee questioned the government, military, unions, education, science, media , and other parts of American culture. The investigations included the movie industry especially a group of writers, producers, and directors that were known as the Hollywood Ten. This group refused to answer questions invoking their 5th amendment right. As a result the movie industry to not m -
Baby Boom
- the years of 1940-1960. After WWII, soldiers who returned home attempted to make up for the time they were serving by starting families. Others also began their families as a result of the end of the depression. The population actually increased 27% from 1940 – 1955.
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Potsdam Conference
The Big Three (Stalin, Churchill, and Truman) met in the Berlin suburb of Potsdam where they formally agreed to divide Germany into 4 areas of occupation, Soviet, American, British, and French. New borders and free elections were agreed upon for Poland; the Soviet right to claim reparations for war damages from the German sector they controlled. Stalin also reaffirmed the pledge he made at Yalta. -
Yalta Conference
Yalta Conference a strategy meeting between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin. At this meeting the three agreed that Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania should hold free elections. Stalin did not keep his promise. -
Creation of the UN
A replacement to the League of Nations; delegates from 50 nations met to write the charter for the United Nations. It was organized on the basis of cooperation among the Great Powers not on equality of all the nations involved. The most powerful seats in the UN were held by the US, Soviet Union, Britain, France, and China. The UN as proved successful since its establishment. -
End of WWII
The end of WWII was when America dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.When the Nazis where captured and killed for what they have done. -
Red Scare
- The red scare was the fear of communists working to destroy American life. The first red scare took place after the 1917 Russian Revolution. However the Red Scare that started after WWII was much more intense and longer than the first which led President Truman to create a Federal Employee Loyalty Program in March 1947. The program order for the screening of federal employees for political disloyalty. He next used the Smith Act which made it illegal to teach any theories of a violent over
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Truman Doctrine
President Truman asked both houses of Congress to financially aid Greece and Turkey in their struggle to defend themselves against communism. In approving this request, it set forth a policy that the US would aid other countries that were fighting to remain free from outside pressures or armed minorities that are trying to take away their freedom. He said that if the US didn’t help these countries the peace of the world and the welfare of the US would be in danger. -
Marshall plan
A foreign policy that offered economic aid to Western European countries after WWII. It was believed that this policy helped both economic and foreign policy by stimulating the economy in foreign countries that were desperate so that it would in turn increase trade. -
Formation of NATO
The organization that was formed providing military alliance to protect countries from Soviet expansion. As a response, the Soviet Union and its satellite states formed the Warsaw Pact. These nations, which included all the communist states of Eastern Europe except Yugoslavia, promised to defend each other if attacked. -
Nuclear Arms Race
the US realized in 1949 that the Soviet Union had set off an atomic bomb. The US then knew that they were not the only country that had developed atomic weapons. In reaction President Truman ordered the Atomic Energy Commission to make a hydrogen bomb. Some scientists were against the idea in fear that it would lead to an arms race. It was developed by 1952. From then on, the US and the Soviet Union have continually tried and succeeded to produce more dangerous atomic weapons. -
Hollywood Ten
A group of writers, producers, and directors from the movie industry that invoked their 5th Amendment right to not answer questions regarding their communist activities by the HUAC. After the hearings, they were convicted and sent to prison. Movie executives then spread a list of people who were suspected of having communist ties so that these people could not work in the movie industry. That was known as the blacklist. -
McCarthyism
This term was named after General McCarthy as he became almost paranoid about communism. He made accusations that were somewhat reckless. He actually became the chairman of an investigations subcommittee. If someone were accused of communism, they could actually lose their jobs. As McCarthy gained more power, he began to target more important people such as the Secretary of State. He later accused the US Army of being full of communists. -
Korean War beginning
North Korea invaded South Korea in an attempt to establish communism. President Truman felt that by if the US did not aid South Korea, history of WWII would repeat itself. The UN decided to help. The communists decided to settle when the President Eisenhower hinted about using atomic weapons. There was no victory in this war just a cease fire that is still in effect today. -
Rosenbergs
A poor couple from Manhattan that was tried for being communist spies. They were accused of being a threat to the US by trying to undermine the US for communists. Were put on trial and then killed. -
Korean War ending
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Formation of the Warsaw Pact
In a response to the development of NATO, all Eastern European communist countries formed a pact to assist each other if they were ever attacked. The only communist country in Eastern Europe that did not join was Yugoslavia. This alliance officially stated that members would not interfere with each other’s internal affairs but the Soviet Union still exerted strong control over the other members.