Welcome to the Museum of Cold War (1947-1960)

1950-1952

1953-1955

1959-1960

Artifact 22

1947-1949

1956-1958

Museum Entrance

Curators Office

Jason Poston Curators Office

I am a sophomore at Clear Springs High School. However I am also an expert in the Cold War during the period of 193 to 1962. I am interested in this because this sets the base of the war for years and years to come because in this time period some of the 1st major Cold War wars were fought. Place your picture here.

Contact me at {jasongtag@Comcast.net]

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Note: Virtual museums were first introduced by educators at Keith Valley Middle School in Horsham, Pennsylvania. This template was designed by Dr. Christy Keeler. View the Educational Virtual Museums website for more information on this instructional technique.

1947-1949

Room 1q
Artifact 2
Artifact 3

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1950-1952

Room 2
Artifact 6
Artifact 7

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1953-1955

Room 3
Artifact 10
Artifact 11

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1956-1958

Room 4
Artifact 14
Artifact 15

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1959-1960

Room 5
Artifact 18
Artifact 19

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Truman Doctrine
Plan put in place by the 33rd President of the United States Harry Truman. It became official on March 12, 1947. The goal of the doctrine was to send economic and military aid to Greece which was in a struggle of communism versus anti-communism. They also sent aid to Turkey which was being threatened by the communist Soviet Union. They amount of aid the U.S sent to these countries is estimated to have been around 400 million dollars worth of aid.
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "Truman Doctrine." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014

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Marshall Plan
This was a plan derived by the secretary of state George Marshall. The goal of the Marshall Plan was to help rehabilitate western European countries that were anti-communist allies of the United States. It was put into action on April, 3, 1948. It is estimated that the plan ended up giving western Europe around 13 billion dollars worth of aid. This would be crucial because these countries were going through reconstruction and the U.S needed them to help in battle during the Cold War.
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "Marshall Plan (European-United States History)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

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Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift was a response to the blockade that the East had put on Germany on June 24, 1948. The Western powers decided to airlift supplies to Western Europe. It is estimated they gave them 2,326,406 tons of food and other items using a total of 278 thousand different flights. The Soviets didnt try to stop this at all because they believed it would begin a war. It is also estimated that at one time during the airlift there would be around 32 planes in the air at one time.
"The Cold War Museum." Cold War Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014

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NATO
NATO or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a military alliance between 12 countries. Those countries are the U.S, Great Britain, France, Canada, Denmark, Portugal, Norway, Belgium, Iceland, Luxembourg, Italy, and the Netherlands. This alliance was of an anticommunist preference. The goal of NATO was to protect the countries in the alliance from the communist countries and that an attack on one country would be considered an attack on all of the countries. The alliance was reached in the year 1949.

"NATO." U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

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Korean War
The Korean War started on June 25, 1950 and ended on July 27, 1953. This was a war that was caused when the communist North Korea invaded anti-communist South Korea. While it was an extremely bloody war both sides communist and anti-communist were trying to avoid World War III the entire and eventually the war came to a bloody stalemate with nothing really achieved.

"Korean War." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.

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Rosenberg Trial
This was the trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg who were being accused of selling nuclear secrets to the Soviets. However there was not much evidence to help support claims of this. However the Rosenbergs were still found guilty and sentenced to death row. There was one other person who was on trial with them at the same time that person is Morton Sobell and because his role wasnt as severe as the Rosenbergs he was sentenced to only 30 years in prison after being deemed guilty also. This was extremely important because now the Soviets had U.S nuclear secrets which is big in general but even bigger when those 2 countries are on the brink of nuclear war.

"The Rosenberg Trial Begins." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

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Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev became the premier of Russia in 1953 when Joseph Stalin passed away due to a stroke. He is mostly known for his policy of destalinization which is basically just trying to undo what Stalin did during his tyrannical dictatorship of the Soviet Union. Khrushchev also played a large role in the building of the Berlin Wall and also the beginning portion of the Cuban missile crisis. However he was not in office to long due to mass Russian/Soviet unhappiness.
Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014

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Sinking of USS Hobson

The USS Hobson was a premier training vessel and carrier. It did many training missions and carried tons of aircrafts to places. However during the Korean War it began doing much more activities. The way this great ship was sunk is the crew couldnt figure out what was the best option and when they finally tried what they assumed was there best plan the carrier ended up flipping over and crashing most people aboard died due to the lack of lifejackets. Those who survived were stranded in the Atlantic Ocean for hours and hours.

"USN Ships--USS Hobson (DD-464, Later DMS26)." USN Ships--USS Hobson (DD-464, Later DMS26). N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014

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Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was created on May 14, 1955. This was a pact/alliance was created in response to NATO which was an alliance of anti-communist nations headed by America. The Warsaw Pact was basically a military alliance and it consisted of 8 countries they were the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Albania, Poland, Romania, East Germany, Hungary, and Bulgaria. Just like NATO the Warsaw Pact was led by one main power and in this case it was the Soviet Union. The purpose of the Warsaw Pact was to provide military defense to the involved countries. These countries were also all communist.

"The Warsaw Pact Is Formed." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014

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Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin was a dictator of the Soviet Union (USSR) for a total of 30 years. He led them through World War 2 in which he was allies with the United States. Stalin also led them into the Cold War which was a war against there old allies the United States. This was a war of communism vs. anti-communism. Stalin and the USSR were the leaders of the communist efforts. Stalin achieved many successes while in office, but as it goes for just about any leader of any country he had his failures also. During his time as dictator and even before then he was a very controversial person and that hasnt changed even after his death. Stalin died in Moscow, Russia on March the 5th of 1953 at the age of 74 due to a stroke.

Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

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Dwight D. Eisenhower
Eisenhower was the 34th president of the U.S.A. Eisenhower started his 1st term on January 20, 1953 and he would stay in office until January 20, 1961. During his presidency Eisenhower would strongly influence the course America would take during the Cold War. Eisenhower believed and presented the idea of the domino theory this is the idea that when one country falls to communism other countries would begin to follow suit and become communist nations themselves. Also Eisenhower had to handle the U-2 incident which you can find more info about in the 19591961 room.

Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014

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The Beginning of the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War officially started on November 1, 1955. The war was the communist North Vietnam and the Vietcong versus anti-communist South Vietnam and the USA. North Vietnam was led by the communist leader Ho Chi Minh. This war would be one in a line of identical wars occurring in countries that were experiencing a communist versus anticommunist struggle all around the world. This war would also go on to be one of the most bloody wars during the Cold War.
"Vietnam War." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

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Hungarian Revolution
The revolution began in Budapest and the goal of the revolutionaries was to try and remove the Soviet troops out of Hungary. Around 200,000 Hungarian citizens protested towards the parliament buildings. However on November 4th the Soviets brought in mass military forces including about 100 tanks. They quickly smashed down the revolution and on November 7th the revolution was over.

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/hungarianrevolution.html

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Ngo Dinh Diem

Ngo Dinh Diem was the leader of the anticommunist South Vietnam. However he quickly wore out his welcome and this was accelerated by his mass killings of the Buddhist believers in Vietnam. These reasons led the United States to quit backing Diem and remove themselves from Vietnam until Civil War broke out in Vietnam. Diem was eventually assassinated in 1963 only 8 short years after he came to power in the year of 1955.
Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

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Suez Crisis
This was a crisis caused by the President of Egypt Gamal Abdel Nasser when he chose to nationalize the Suez Canal. The reason this was problem is that it had been previously owned or controlled by the British and the French. The conflict didnt last to long however it had multiple national effects and did cause many battles in Egypt between Egyptian forces and British and American forces.

The Editors of Encyclopdia Britannica. "Suez Crisis (Middle East [1956])." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

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Sputnik
This was a satellite launched into space by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957. This was a huge development and was the 1st time a satellite had been successfully launched into outer space. Many people also argue that this was the metaphorical domino that began the space race.

"Sputnik." Sputnik. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

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Berlin Crisis
The crisis was preceded by Soviet demands made that would require the Americans, British, and French remove their forces from West Germany in 6 months or less. Then in 1948 the Soviet Union cut off land access between Western Germany and Berlin. This was what would eventually lead to the Berlin Wall going up and officially cutting off West Germany from East Germany.

"The Berlin Crisis, 19581961 - 19531960 - Milestones Office of the Historian." The Berlin Crisis, 19581961 19531960 - Milestones - Office of the Historian. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

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Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro helped lead the Cuban Revolution which you can read about in another portion of this exhibit, but he was also the dictator of Cuba from 1976 till 2008. Castro became a strong ally with the Soviet Union. This led to Khrushchev to put missiles in Cuba which is located just 90 miles off the coast of Florida. This was almost the equivalent of pulling a pin to the grenade of a nuclear war. They claimed it to be a response to the U-2 incident. Castro is still alive today and is 87 years old.
Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

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Cuban Revolution
The goal of the Cuban revolution was to overthrow the regime of Fulgencio Batista. This revolution was led by a government that Fidel Castro was in control of. The revolution started on July 26, 1953 and Batista was officially overthrown on January 1, 1959 after a little bit longer than 6 years of political instability in Cuba. This also led to strengthened relations with the Soviet Union and arguably also led to the Cuban missile crisis.
"Cuban Revolution." - New World Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

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U-2 Incident
The U-2 is a jet plane that was built to allow it to fly at high altitudes which would give it the ability to spy on any countries the U.S desired at the time. Specifically they used it to spy on the Soviet Union, China, and Cuba. However one day the U-2 plane crashed in an area where it should not have been and it caused a big stir in the political world and strained the relations between the U.S and the Soviet Union even more than they were already.
GILMAN, LARRY, John Whiteclay Chambers II, "U-2 Incident." Dictionary of American History. 2003, WILLIAM TAUBMAN, and "U-2 Incident." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed.. 2013. "U-2 Spy Plane." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 01 Jan. 2004. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

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Anti-Communism
Anti-Communism is just being against communism. However during the time period it meant that you were on one side of a nuclear war waiting to happen. The key countries who were on the anti-communist side of things were the United States, Great Britain, and France. They were also the countries who controlled Western Germany when it was split into the West and East.

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Communism
Communism is when a country tries to remove the class system that most have and try to make all people equal. The government also will control the economy and determine when people need certain things like that this is called socialism. The main countries that were fighting on the communist side were the Soviet Union, China, and Cuba. Communism is still very prevalent today in those countries and even others such as North Korea.
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