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1945 – 1991 25 Facts that Will Change What Your Perspective of History http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHh7WAX 1I34 25 Most Powerful Weapons in History http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcu5X5PT 0YM Approximately 45 years of indirect political and military aggression between the US-led western nations and the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc. It involved military coalitions (such as NATO), military bases and weapons deployment in strategic countries, aid to allies, espionage, propaganda campaigns, proliferation of conventional and nuclear weapons, technological competitions (such as the Space Race), and psychological warfare. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLHQN0bpyX8 During the early days of the war, when Germany and the USSR had been allies, Russia had annexed several countries given to them by Germany in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact: ◦ Eastern Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, a portion of eastern Finland, and eastern Romania The Soviets also occupied several eastern European territories, that had been liberated from Germany, and made them satellite states of the USSR: ◦ East Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Albania, and Romania In Asia, the Soviets occupied Northeast China and the Korean peninsula north of the 38th parallel. France, Great Britain, and the United States planned to unite their German zones and reunify Germany, but Stalin wanted to keep control of the eastern zone. Berlin had been divided among the four powers as well, and Stalin wanted the other countries out of the capital city. On April 9, 1948, Stalin ordered all American Military personnel out of Soviet controlled Berlin. Trains were halted on June 1and June10 and all land and water access on June 24th. There was only enough food in Berlin to last a little over a month and only enough coal for 45 days. The US feared that 2 million Berliners would face famine. The US and Britain began delivering over 1500 tons of food and 3500 tons of coal (for heat and power) daily for 321 days. ◦ Flour, cereal, meat, fish, potatoes, sugar, coffee, powdered milk, dehydrated vegetables, salt, yeast, cheese… May 12, 1949 – The Soviets ended their Blockade of Berlin. May 23, 1949 – The Federal Republic of Germany (known as West Germany) was formed. October 7, 1949 – The Soviets formed the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Based largely on Karl Marx’s book Communist Manifesto published in 1848. Purpose: to create a classless society in which the working class owns all means of production. All communist countries became totalitarian dictatorships with little concern for the working class. Leaders focused on staying in power by building their military, using secret police, and limiting free speech, and using terror tactics (imprisonment, torture, and murder) to keep the population in line. Soviet-style Totalitarian Regimes: ◦ Secret Police ◦ Brutal suppression of opposition and human rights: threats Imprisonment torture execution ◦ Command economy: ECONOMIC SYSTEM in which the means of production (factories, commercial farms, etc.) are owned and controlled by the government which decides what goods will be produced, who will produce them, how much will be produced, and how much they will cost. The USSR perceived itself at perpetual war with capitalism and peaceful coexistence with capitalists would be impossible. Soviet aggression was rooted in historic Russian nationalism and paranoia. Capitalism was a menace to the ideals of socialism, and capitalists could not be trusted or allowed to influence the Soviet people. Kennan was a minister=counselor in the U.S. embassy in Moscow. His “8000 Word Telegram” influenced U.S. policy toward the Soviet Union for the next 45 years. Containment: U.S. foreign policy introduced at the start of the Cold War, aimed at stopping the spread of Communism and keeping it 'contained' and isolated within its current borders Truman invited former prime minister Winston Churchill to speak at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri on March 5, 1947. In his speech, Churchill said, “A shadow has fallen upon the scenes so lately lighted by Allied victory…an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.” “The Iron Curtain” became a popular way to describe the division between Eastern and Western Europe. Containment – the US would resist any attempts by the Soviet Union to expand into Western Europe or elsewhere. Crash course U.S. History: The Cold War http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= 9C72ISMF_D0 Background: 1947 – the British could no longer support the monarchy in Greece against Communist rebels or help Turkey resist Soviet demands to establish a naval base . Truman asked Congress to approve $400 million in aid to Greece and Turkey. “I believe it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples through economic and financial aid, which is essential to economic stability and orderly political processes…” Contradicted the Monroe Doctrine’s pledge that the US would not interfere in European affairs. February 1948 – Communists overthrew the democratic government of Czechoslovakia. April 1948 – Congress approved the European Recovery Plan developed by Secretary of State George C. Marshall. Sent $12 billion in food and monetary aid mainly to Britain, France, and Germany. Nations that received aid had to agree to cooperate with one another. Prevented Soviet advances into Western Europe. Marshall received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. The belief that if one state in a region came under the influence of communism, then the surrounding countries would follow in a domino effect. The domino theory was used by successive United States administrations during the Cold War to justify the need for American intervention around the world. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTuL_uQUrAQ April 4, 1949 – The US signed the North Atlantic Treaty with 11 other nations. It stated that each would come to the defense of any member nation. The combined military force became known as NATO Current NATO Members http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/nato_countries.htm Radio Free Europe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6XHw-ibicY Dramatic Timeline: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkqFg7HIpEg Member nations (during the Cold War): Belgium Britain Canada Denmark France Iceland Italy Luxembourg The Netherlands Norway Portugal The United States Officially called 'The Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance‘ A military treaty which bound participating countries to come to the aid of the others in the event of foreign aggression Included: Albania Bulgaria Czechoslovakia East Germany Hungary Poland Romania The USSR Deterrence is a strategy intended to prevent an adversary (the Soviets) from engaging in an undesirable action (expanding communism and/or using nuclear weapons). “A credible nuclear deterrent must always be at the ready, yet never used.” – Bernard Brodie After the Soviets exploded their first atomic bomb in mid-1949, the Arms Race was on. The build-up of our nuclear arsenal was seen as a deterrent to Soviet aggression. The term "brinkmanship" was originally coined by US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. The term came from the Hungarian practice of pushing the military to the brink of war in order to convince another nation to follow your demands (from fear that refusal will result in war). The United States used the method to coerce the Soviet Union into backing down militarily. In the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction, both sides of a conflict have the ability to utterly annihilate the other using weapons of mass destruction. It ensures that both sides continue weapons proliferation, neither side has any rational incentive to use them, but once used, neither wins. This was the strategy employed by the Superpowers after the Soviets developed their own nuclear bombs in 1949. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHWjlCaIrQo During WWII, the Nationalist Party, led by Chiang Kai-shek, and the Chinese Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, fought together in the against the Japanese invasion. After the WWII, the Chinese factions began fighting among themselves in the CHINESE CIVIL WAR. Oct. 1, 1949 – Mao Zedong organized the Communist People’s Republic of China. It became a totalitarian government that strictly controlled schools, religious practices, economic production, and foreign policy. Killed nearly 2 million anticommunists. Communist North Korea crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea. The UN, led by the US, drove them out of South Korea. UN troops moved into North Korea, and China got involved in the war. Ceasefire: July 27, 1953 1.5 million casualties ◦ 33,629 Americans The US demonstrated our determination to stop the spread of communism. The US increased our involvement in SE Asia. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzGVLYBtdY The arrest of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, an American couple accused of giving secret information about the atomic bomb to the Soviets, led to fear that communists had infiltrated the US federal government. The House Un-American Activities Committee investigated claims that government workers and others, including Hollywood screen writers and actors, had communist sympathies. Film makers were suspected of including communist themes or symbols in movies. Several well-known actors started an group called the Committee for the 1st Amendment and went to Washington in support of their peers. It was founded by screenwriter Philip Dunne, actress Myrna Loy, and film directors John Huston and William Wyler. Members included Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Gene Kelly, Katharine Hepburn, Judy Garland, Ira Gershwin, Groucho Marx, Lucille Gall, Danny Kaye, Lena Horne, and Frank Sinatra. February 9, 1950 Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed to have a list of over 200 communists employed in government agencies. Making accusations based on little or no evidence became known as McCarthyism. The Egyptian government, influenced by communists, believed they should control the canal, and they took possession of it. October 29, 1956 – Israel, along with the British and French , invaded Egypt and quickly defeated the Egyptian army. The United Nations, along with the US and USSR, pressured the two European powers to back down. Control of the canal was given back to Egypt in March 1957 as long as they permitted free passage through it. Reveals growing distrust of the US and Israel in the Middle East. The Soviet’s relationship with Arab nations improves. Congress gave President Eisenhower authorization to give military and economic aid to Middle East countries to combat communism. Intended to keep unions from abusing their power. Outlawed: ◦ “Closed shops” – hiring only union workers ◦ Jurisdictional strikes – forcing businesses to recognize one union over another ◦ Featherbedding – limiting workers’ output to create more jobs ◦ High fees charged to workers for joining a union. Also required that union officials take an oath stating that they weren’t communists. Truman’s social programs: an expansion of the New Deal He believed that the federal government should guarantee economic opportunity and social stability. ◦ The G.I. Bill – financial aid for college and industrial training and loan-interest loans for servicemen ◦ Federal subsidies for public schools (not passed) ◦ Government-backed medical insurance (not passed) ◦ Aid to farmers ◦ Higher minimum wages ◦ Higher unemployment compensation ◦ Banned discrimination in hiring for government jobs ◦ Ended segregation in the military. Rice University Speech September 1962 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kza-iTe2100/ May 25, 1961 speech before Congress montage -1:37 The US and USSR raced to develop the technology to launch satellites. The Soviets launched Sputnik I, the first spacecraft to orbit the Earth, on October 4, 1957. A month later, the Soviets sent a dog into space inside Sputnik II. Nikita Khrushchev (leader of the Soviet Union after Stalin’s death) claimed that his country’s development of the Hydrogen Bomb and the technology to launch rockets, even into orbit, neutralized the United States’ threat. He advocated “peaceful coexistence” since he thought communism had shown it was superior to capitalism. He’s also accused of threatening the U.S. with the statement, “We will bury you!” Many historians believe he really meant, “We will outlive you” ---a common Russian saying. Increased spending on math and science education: National Defense Education Act NASA – The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is established in 1958. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmU0SuMk7c&list=PL8AD9D3D6F3F89C8B NASA tribute (4 min.) Jan. 31, 1958 - Four months after Sputnik I, the US launched its first satellite, Explorer I. May 28, 1959: NASA launches two monkeys from Cape Canaveral and successfully recovers them in the Atlantic Ocean. April 12, 1961 – The Soviets launched Vostok I, and Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the earth. May 2, 1961 – Alan Shepard commands Freedom 7 on the first Mercury mission, becoming the first American in space. When John F. Kennedy became president in January 1961, Americans had the perception that the United States was losing the "space race" with the Soviets. President Kennedy understood the need and had the vision of not only matching the Soviets, but surpassing them. Kennedy’s First State of the Union Address—May 25,1961 (3:46 min.): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUXuV7XbZvU Kennedy’s Speech at Rice University– Sept. 1962 (2:11) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g25G1M4EXrQ Kennedy’s Speech at Rice University – (17:89) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmCEx-f0dfI Space Race Timeline: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/moon/timeline/index.html Determined to make Kennedy’s vision a reality, NASA stepped up efforts to put a man on the moon in the late 1960s. July 20, 1969 – Apollo 11 - Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin landed on the moon. Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, calling it was “one giant leap for mankind.” Lunar Landing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMINSD7MmT4 Myth Busters Debunks Faked Lunar Landing Theory http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wym04J_3Ls0 aka. Permanent War Economy Refers to corrupt relationships between legislators, the military, and companies that supply the military. These relationships include political contributions, political approval for military spending, contracts guaranteed to defense contractors, etc. Economy – increased military spending led to high-paying jobs and (temporary) post-war prosperity. Increased tensions with the USSR Atomic age anxiety Each side avoid open conflict and all-out war due to the threat of Mutually Assured Destruction. Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles – larger nuclear missiles – 8000 km range May 1, 1960 - a U.S. U-2, unarmed reconnaissance plane, piloted by Francis Gary Powers of the Central Intelligence Agency, was shot down by Soviet military authorities 1,200 miles inside the Soviet Union. Khrushchev exploited the incident to disrupt the summit meeting between the Heads of Government of the United States, Soviet Union, France, and the United Kingdom, which began in Paris on May 16. The event was an embarrassment to the US government. The claim that the U-2 was on a mission for NASA was circulated to diffuse tension 1959 – Fidel Castro led a revolution in Cuba and established a communist nation off the coast of the US. April 17, 1961 – President John F. Kennedy authorized an invasion of Cuba by 1500 CIA-trained Cuban exiles. The rebels intended to start an insurrection in Cuba and overthrow Castro. The Cuban army easily defeated the rebels and by Apr. 20, most were either killed or captured. Poorly planned and executed, the invasion subjected President Kennedy to severe criticism at home. ◦ Kennedy refused to authorize air cover for the invasion force ◦ The uprising the exiles hoped to spark did not happen In Dec.1962, Castro released 1,113 captured rebels in exchange for $53 million in food and medicine raised by private donations in the United States. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSFOlmWXUm4 (1:15 min.) Following the Bay of Pigs invasion, Castro sought Khrushchev’s help, fearing another US invasion. Khrushchev planned to place medium-range and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in Cuba. Kennedy set up a blockade so that the missiles couldn’t be delivered. Khrushchev called it "an act of aggression propelling human kind into the abyss of a world nuclear-missile war“ The two leaders worked together secretly to resolve the crisis, and it ended in October 1962. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo8SMzM8X-U Kennedy Speech with news clips.(4.35 min.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W50RNAbmy3M Address the Nation on the Cuban Missile Crisis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig8UdfQKXSY History Channel Documentary - Part 1 (15 min.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVf-nCUfeos History Channel Documentary – Part 2 Kennedy’s John F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United States, was assassinated on November 22, 1963 by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas. The Warren Commission, a government commission that investigated the death of the president, concluded that Oswald acted alone. It also concluded that Jack Ruby, who later killed Oswald, acted alone as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMaDL1pWIis Funeral (8 min.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSBXW1-VGmM Beyond Conspiracy (10 min.) A treaty prohibiting all atmospheric testing nuclear weapons. It was developed both to slow the arms race and to stop the excessive release of nuclear fallout into the planet's atmosphere. It was signed and ratified by the governments of the USSR and UK and the US in 1963. 1948 – President Truman signed an executive order ending segregation in the military. May 1954 – Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka – The Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional saying, “in the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place.” ◦ Background: The school board wouldn’t allow Linda Brown to attend the all-white school near her home in Topeka, Kansas. ◦ (Overturned Plessy vs. Ferguson – 1896) ◦ Dec. 1, 1955 – a white bus driver ordered Rosa Parks to give up her seat to a white passenger. When she refused, the driver called the police who arrested her. ◦ Rosa Parks was a well-known and highly respected member of the NAACP, and they saw that her arrest might spark citywide protest. ◦ They selected a young Baptist minister and great public speaker, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to lead a boycott of city buses. ◦ 50,000 people walked to work of carpooled rather than ride the bus for a year. ◦ Nov. 1956 – the Supreme Court ruled that buses in Montgomery must be integrated. Feb. 1, 1960 – four black college students from North Carolina A&T University protested segregation by sitting at a “whites only” lunch counter in Greensboro, NC. ◦ When the manager ordered them to leave, they refused. ◦ Soon, sit-ins were taking place all across the South. Ella Baker organized the movement and created the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. 1960 – The Supreme Court ruled that segregation was illegal in bus stations open to interstate travel. The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) organized Freedom Rides to test that decision. Summer 1961 – black and white Freedom Riders boarded a bus in Washington, D.C. and traveled south. The trip was peaceful until it arrived in Anniston, Alabama, where a mob attacked the bus, burning it and beating the riders as they escaped from the bus. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/rides Following Kennedy’s Assassination, President Lyndon Johnson encouraged Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act in honor of Kennedy. It passed on July 2, 1964. Prohibited segregation in public housing and discrimination in education and employment. Harlem Race Riot: Less than a month later, a white off-duty police officer killed a 15 year-old boy in Harlem, New York sparking a race riot that lasted 5 days and led to riots in other cities. In many places in the South, black people were prevented from voting: In some areas, they couldn’t vote unless they could pass intentionally difficult literacy tests. Other places required voters to pay a high poll tax. Some employers threatened to fire black people from their jobs if they voted. Racist organizations intimidated black voters, threatening to beat or even hang them. 1965 – Voter registration drive in Selma, Alabama. March 7, 1965 – 500 marchers planned to march from Selma to the capitol in Montgomery to protest intimidation of black voters. When the group reached the Selma city limits, 200 state troopers and sheriff’s deputies beat the marchers with clubs and whips and showered them with tear gas. The event became known as Bloody Sunday. People across the country were shocked at the violent scenes on TV, and President Johnson called it “an American tragedy.” Two weeks later, Dr. King led 3000 people from around the country in another march. The 300 marchers who made the whole 4 day trip to Montgomery, the Alabama capital, were met by 40,000 supporters. Suspended literacy tests for voter registration Sent federal officials to register voters where county officials refused to do so. Led to the election of more black officials to public offices. The Watts Riots: Aug. 1965 - Just days after the Voting Rights Act was signed, a black man was arrested in the Watts section of Los Angeles. Anger over his arrest and frustration over poverty among blacks in the city led to a riot lasted 6 days. Thirtyfour people were killed, 1,032 were injured, and 3,952 were arrested. Eventually, more riots occurred in over 100 cities. 1957 – founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization of black churches and ministers, to challenge segregation. Influenced by Ghandhi and Christian principles, he encouraged non-violent, direct action such as demonstrations, marches, and boycotts. August 28, 1963 – March on Washington – Standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. King gave his famous “I have a dream…” speech. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZwmoVYEwV4 April 4, 1968 – Dr. King was shot in Memphis, Tennessee. President Johnson declared April 6, 1968 a day of mourning. 300,000 people followed his funeral procession through the streets of Atlanta, GA. Following Brown vs. the Board of Education, the 1954 Supreme Court decision that overturned school segregation laws that began with Plessy vs. Ferguson, school district lines had to be redrawn. In some cases, children had to be bussed long distances from their homes to schools in other communities. March 6, 1961 - John F. Kennedy signed an executive order that required government employers to take "affirmative action" to hire without regard to race, religion and national origin (gender was added in 1967). It was intended to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded. Often controversial Setting quotas of numbers of employees based on race, religion, gender, or ethnicity is illegal. De jure means “by law” or “concerning law” and is in accordance with what the law says. De jure segregation existed in the 1870s after Jim Crow Laws were passed. De facto means “by fact” or “concerning fact” and refers to something that is actually going on but is not backed by a law. De facto segregation often continued after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. Today, a school may be considered De Facto Segregated if it is located in a neighborhood that is not racially diverse. Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam, an organization of Black Muslims, advocated the establishment of a separate African American homeland inside the United States. He encouraged supporters to use “all means necessary” to secure their rights, believing a more militant approach would work better than nonviolence. Malcolm X had been a member of the Nation of Islam until he went on a pilgrimage to Mecca and saw black and white people praying together. He stopped teaching that white people were evil and began calling for people to work together. ◦ February 21, 1965 – he was assassinated at an Organization for Afro-American Unity rally. Stokley Carmichael was elected to the SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (started by Ella Baker), in May 1966 and began calling for Black Power – pride in African heritage, self-defense against white violence, and violent revolution, if needed. In an event that is regarded as one of the most overtly political statements in the history of the modern Olympic Games, athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists to protest U.S. racism during their medal ceremony at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. In his autobiography, Silent Gesture, Tommie Smith stated that the gesture was not a "Black Power" salute, but a "human rights salute". France had a colony in Vietnam (formerly French Indochina). The North Vietnamese army along with the Viet-Cong (a communist group from South Vietnam) wanted to oust the French and unify the country under communist rule. U.S. involvement began with military advisors in the 1950s and escalated over the next 10 years. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: 1964 – The North Vietnamese fired on a U.S. destroyer in the Gulf of Tonkin because they believed the U.S. had been supporting South Vietnamese military raids on a nearby island. Congress passed a resolution allowing Johnson to use U.S. forces to repel armed, N. Vietnamese attacks on U.S or South Vietnamese interests. Several days later, two other ships in the area believed they were under attack by the North Vietnamese and fired back. In1965, a US base was bombed. Johnson ordered bombing campaigns in North Vietnam and raised the total number of US troops there to 184,000 . It was often called “Mr. Johnson’s War” and was highly unpopular. Johnson didn’t run for a second term. Presidents Nixon and Ford agreed to a gradual withdrawal of troops from Vietnam. Communists overran the South. The U.S. airlifted Americans and their Vietnamese friends to safety as Saigon fell in 1975.. 56,000 killed 300,000 Americans wounded 3rd most costly war in U.S. history Limits and controls the war powers of each of the three branches of government to prevent any one branch from having absolute power in times of war. A reaction to Vietnam – the US had been heavily involved in a war there for almost a decade although Congress had never actually declared war. October 1967 – 50,000 anti-war demonstrators marched in Washington, D.C. to protest the U.S. involvement in the war. May 4, 1970 – Kent State University– National Guardsmen fired into a crowd of students demonstrating against the war. June 1971 – Daniel Ellsberg, a government official, leaked a secret study of the Vietnam War that showed U.S. soldiers had been involved in raids against Vietnamese civilians. March 1973 – The U.S. withdrew from Vietnam. Hippies and political activists promoted peace, social justice, and preservation of the environment. Results: ◦ Freedom of expression reduced government censorship, making explicit language and images more common in media. ◦ Drug use became more wide-spread. ◦ The divorce rate increased dramatically. ◦ Tolerance for diverse religions, races, and ethnicities increased. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 made it illegal to pay different wages to men and women who performed the same job. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited employment discrimination based on gender as well as race, color, or ethnic origin. It also established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to enforce the law. 1966 - National Organization of Women (NOW) 1972 – Title IX of the Education Amendment banned gender discrimination in schools. 1973 – Roe vs. Wade made abortion legal. The movement led to more women in the workplace, both parents working, and changes in women’s roles. A political scandal that followed the June 17th 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate office complex. The FBI connected cash found on the burglars to a fund used by the Committee for the Reelection of the President, a fundraising group for the Nixon campaign.[ Court proceedings revealed that President Nixon had a tape-recording system in his offices and he had recorded many conversations during his administration. Facing impeachment in Congress, President Richard Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974 — the only resignation of a U.S. President. His successor, Gerald Ford, then issued him a pardon. Oil Crisis of 1973 – Egypt and Syria attacked Israel, and Israel went on full nuclear alert. The US sided with the Israelis, and OPEC (along with other Arab nations) placed an embargo on oil exports. Since this event closely followed a stock market drop, it resulted in a recession. Oil Crisis of 1979 – The second oil crisis started when oil production was disrupted during the Iranian Revolution which ousted the Shah of Iran and allowed the Ayatollah Khomeini to seize power. Nov. 4, 1979 – Jan. 20, 1981 – Fifty-two Americans were held hostage for 444 days. Islamic students and militants supporting the Iranian revolution stormed the U.S. embassy and took 52 American hostages. The conflict cost President Jimmy Carter his reelection bid. They held the hostages for 444 days, only releasing them after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as President of the United States. Organized by President Jimmy Carter – perhaps his greatest achievement The Camp David Accords were signed by Egyptian president Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on 17 September 1978, following thirteen days of secret negotiations at Camp David. 1963 – Limited Test Ban Treaty – limited atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons 1968 – Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty – attempted to restrict the keeping and testing of nuclear weapons to five countries: the UK, France, China, the US, and the USSR 1972 – Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) – limited the number of nuclear weapons the US and the USSR could possess. 1987 – INF Treaty – banned US and Soviet nuclear missiles with a range of 300 – 3400 miles. 1960s – Environmentalism arose as a political and social issue Greenpeace and the Sierra Club began lobbying for ecologically sound practices. 1967 – The Environmental Defense Fund 1970 – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 1972 – The Clean Water Act 1973 – The Endangered Species Act Love Canal – a neighborhood (and school) in Niagara, NY that was built on a toxic waste dumping site The location of an accident in 1979 in a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. The plant underwent a partial meltdown that resulted in some radiation leakage into the atmosphere, panic among nearby residents, losses of billions of dollars, and intense criticism of nuclear power programs in general. A nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine (then officially the Ukrainian SSR). An explosion and fire released large quantities of radioactive particles into the atmosphere, which spread over much of the western USSR and Europe. The Chernobyl disaster was the worst nuclear power plant accident in history. It is one of only two classified as a level 7 event (the maximum classification) on the International Nuclear Event Scale. The other was the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011(which was caused by an earthquake). During the Chernobyl accident, 31 people died, and long-term effects such as cancers are still being investigated After 2 oil crises and recessions, Americans, ready for change, elected Ronald Reagan. Within days of his inauguration, the Iranians released their American hostages. Known for a tough stance on communism. Supply-Side Economics (aka. Trickle-down Economics or Reaganomics) Reagan backed the Contras in Nicaragua against the communist Sandinistas using money obtained by selling weapons to Iran. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began a political policy of glastnost, or openness and an economic policy of perestroika, or restructuring Reagan is credited with helping bring about the fall of Communism and an end to the Cold War: ◦ Called the Soviet Union an “Evil Empire” ◦ Escalated the arms build-up and out-spent the Soviets, leading to a collapse of their economic system ◦ Approved the Strategic Defense Initiative (aka. SDI or Star Wars) which would have made missiles ineffective. ◦ Began friendly ties with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ◦ Demanded in a famous speech at the Brandenburg Gate, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” 1989 – The Berlin Wall is torn down (built in 1961) 1990 – Germany is reunified 1990 – Poland becomes a democracy, free of Soviet rule 1991 – Communism ends peacefully in Russia Satellite nations also become free of communist rule The world seemed to become a safer place due to the end of nuclear proliferation. http://www.youtube.com /watch?v=2v2JcpolIQUht tp://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=2v2JcpolIQU
