1-1 The First Civilizations

Civilization: a group of people connected by culture, society...they share basic elements like religion, art, and language
-The 1st big 4 were Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China

Mesopotamia
- in moder day Middle east
- made up of city states
- the flat land left them open to invasion
Empire of Hammurabi ( 1792)
- Hammurabi was king of Babylon
- used his large army to take over the surrounding areas
- CODE OF HAMMURABI a collection of 282 laws that governed every aspect of Mesopotamia society
-it focused on the family
-punishments were based on the social class of the victim as well as the crime

EGYPT
-divided into 3 kingdoms : Old, Middle, and New
-th pharaohs (kings) were believed to be gods
They took over surrounding areas and got a lot of their technology and influence from them

Chapter 1 Review

Chapter 1 Study Guide

Where did the first civilizations begin?

Who ran Egypt?  What are they called?

What did Hammurabi’s code do?  Why was it important?

What type of gods do each of these religions have:  Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism

Who is Muhammad?

What were the Greek social classes?

What type of city-state was Sparta?

What did Socrates do?

What did Plato believe?

Who began democracy in Athens?

What was the Law of Nations?  How was it different than the 12 Tables?

Who was persecuted in Rome?  Why? Which emperor led the persecution?

Who led the Holy Roman Empire?

What type of system did they have in the Middle Ages?

When were the first Universities created? What did they use as their inspiration?

Who gave Charlemagne his power?

What did the Magna Carta do?

What did Henry II do?

Who created the English Parliament?  How many houses does it have?

What event marked the end of the Middle Ages?

What period did the Renaissance look back to?

Essay possibilities:

What contributions did the Greeks and Romans make to government and law?

How did the Middle Ages contribute to the advancement of democracy and power of the people?

1-4 New Patterns of Civilization

1-4 NEW PATTERNS OF CIVILIZATION

THE WORLD OF ISLAM

n 7th century AD, Islam, a religion that followed the teachings of Muhammad, spread through the Arabian Peninsula

n Islam united the Middle East into the Arab Empire. The culture of Islam, and Arab rule, spread from Spain to the Indus Valley (India)

n Jews, Christians, and Muslims share a connection – they are all “people of the book” (the Torah)

n Unlike Christianity, Muslims think that religion and the state should be closely linked

EUROPEAN CIVILIZATION IN THE MIDDLE AGES

n 800 AD: Charlemagne, king of the Franks, went to Rome to support the Pope, who was under attack by rebellious Romans.

n The pope crowned Charlemagne the first Roman Emperor since 476

n A new civilization emerged, combining the Roman Legacy, Germanic traditions, and the Christian Church

n This civilization developed during the Middle Ages; it is seen as a transition period between the ancient and modern worlds

n The political system was feudalism.

n Feudalism is when a powerful group of nobles dominate political, social, and economic life.

n The Catholic Church was viewed as the all-embracing institution.

ENGLAND IN THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES

n 1066 – William of Normandy defeated the king of England and became the king of a combined Anglo-Saxon and Norman England

n Henry II – gave more power to the monarchy

n He gave the royal courts the power to cover criminal and property cases; a system of common law

n 1215 – nobles rebelled against King John and forced him to sign the Magna Carta

n This is a list of rights that stated the obligations between lord and vassal, and limited the power of the monarchy

n The English Parliament emerged during the reign of King Edward

n It was made up of 2 knights from each county, 2 people from each town, and all nobles and bishops.

n It was later broken into the House of Lords and the House of Commons

EUROPE IN THE HIGH AND LATE MIDDLE AGES

n 1000 -1300 = High Middle Ages

n The peak of medieval culture and politics

n Monasteries spread across Europe, making the Church a meaningful presence in the lives of peasants

n Universities and art flourished

n 1300 – 1400 =Late Middle Ages

n Black Death (a plague)

n Decline in commerce

n Constant warfare

n Political instability

n Decline of the church

THE RENAISSANCE AND REFORMATION

n 1350 – 1550: a time of the rebirth of Greek and Roman culture

n Renaissance thinkers valued the potential of the individual

n Renaissance humanists questioned fundamental beliefs and the Church, leading to the Protestant Reformation

n Martin Luther, a monk, was charged with heresy. He was asked to take back his beliefs but he refused

n This was the start of the Protestant Reformation

n By the mid 16th century, 2 militant faiths (Calvinism and Catholicism) had developed

Questions for review:

n What later political movements did the Magna Carta affect?

n What term in English expresses the Renaissance ideal of a well-rounded, multi-talented person?

1-3 Roman Civilization

1-3 ROMAN CIVILIZATION

ROMAN REPUBLIC

• Romans first conquered the area around Rome, then moved on to Italy and the Mediterranean world.
• At the height of their empire stretched from North Africa to Hadiran’s Wall in England
• The Roman Empire, like the Greek Empire, has had a lasting impact on the world today

THE ROMAN STATE

• Early Rome was divided into 2 groups:

• PATRICIANS: landowners; the ruling class

• PLEBEIANS: poorer landowners, merchants, and small farmers

• The very poor peasants did not qualify for either group

• 509 B.C. - Rome overthrew the king and created a republic

• A republic is a government with no king where certain citizens can vote.

• In Rome, the patricians and plebeians could vote, but only the patricians could sit in office

PATRICIANS

- rich

- noble families

- could vote

- could hold office

PLEBEIANS

- lower classes

- merchants, farmers, artisans, and soldiers

- could vote

- couldn’t hold office

THE ROMAN SENATE

Chief Officers of the Republic:

- 2 Consuls: like the President; they ran the government and the army

- Praetor – in charge of the law (like the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court)

The Senate: 300 landowners who at first advised the officers, but became the law themselves

Other Assemblies:

- Centuriate assembly: elected chief officials

the wealthy were the majority

- Council of Plebes: created to help plebeians gain a voice in the government

THE STRUGGLE OF THE ORDERS

Conflict!

The division between patricians and plebeians caused conflict

- plebeians wanted political and social equality with the patricians

- the creation of the council of the plebes gave them some equality

-they were allowed to become consuls and pass laws by 287 B.C.

Were all people actually equal?

§ Remember, by 287 the plebeians had the power to elect consuls and make laws, just like the patricians.

§ So were they equal within the state?

– No.

– The majority of the people in the Senate and in assemblies were still patricians, and everything was done by majority rule, so the wealthy landowners maintained the power

– There was not a democracy to give everyone an equal vote

ROMAN LAW

§ The Roman system of law is one of Rome’s major gifts to the world

§ 1st law = Twelve Tables

§ Roman law only applied to citizens

§ As the Romans conquered more areas, issues about the laws as they applied to Romans and non-Romans

§ Special rules were created to address these issues

This revised law became the Law of Nations

– It became identified with natural law (laws based on reason)

– They applied to everybody (citizen and non-citizen)

Similarities to modern law

- people were innocent until

proven guilty

- people could defend themselves before a judge, who would use the evidence to make a decision

INFLUENCE OF THE ROMANS

• 502-264 B.C – Romans took over all Italy
• 264-135 B.C. – Rome conquered most of the Mediterranean
• 14 B.C.-180 A.D. – The Roman Empire
• 200A.D. – Roman power started
• to decline
• 476 A.D. – the Fall of the Roman
• Empire
• The Roman Empire was one of the largest Empires
• Their administration was adapted to effectively rule a large area of diverse people
• It influenced all areas it ruled
• People in areas Rome took over were made citizens and adopted western ways
• City layouts and aqueducts were also used all over
• Latin became the language for all educated people
• Other languages became Latinized
• The romance languages (French, Spanish..) are the result of this Latinization

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHRISTIANITY

§ Christianity was born in the Roman Empire

§ It was the first official religion of the Roman Empire (even though at first it was opposed)

§ Christianity was started by the followers of Jesus

§ Jesus taught that you should love everyone and follow the one god

§ He was seen as a possible revolutionary and executed

§ At first Romans saw Christianity as a part of Judaism, but then they started to see it as treason

§ Why? The Christians wouldn’t participate in public rituals honoring Roman gods because it went against their beliefs

§ Christian persecution began with Emperor Nero

§ He blamed them for the fire that destroyed most of Rome

§ By the 2nd century A.D, Christianity was accepted

§ In the 4th Century, the Emperor Constantine became a Christian

§ The Edict of Milan was created to promote tolerance

*Theodosius the Great made it the official religion

ROMAN AND CHRISTIAN VALUES

• Encouraged virtue
• Encouraged duty to the community and the state
• Christianity had a conflict, between the duty to the Christian community and its ideals and the duty to the state
• Many martyrs died because they stood up to the state in defense of their ideals

Review Questions

• What American document promotes many of the same legal principles from the Roman Law of Nations?
• What elements of Western culture did the Romans help to shape?
• Why do you think the Romans eventually decreed Christianity their official religion?

1.1 Greek Roots of Democracy

Goal: learn how democracy developed in Athens, how Greek philosophers viewed reason, tyranny, and the rule of law, and how Greek ideas spread.

VOCABULARY:
- city-state - democracy - jury
- monarchy - tyrant - Socrates
- Sparta - legislature - Plato
- Athens - Pericles - Aristotle

The Greeks started the Classical Age.
- Their economy was based on fishing and sea trade.
- As they traded with other countries, they set up colonies in those areas and spread their ideas on literature & government.
- Because most of Greece is made up of small islands or mountainous areas, the people were isolated from one another.

Rise of the City-State
City-state: a political unit made up of a large city and the areas surrounding it.

POLIS: the Greek name for their city-states.
-they had 2 levels: Acropolis – on a hill, the temples to the gods
Main City – on the ground; homes, marketplace, buildings, and theater

Governing the Polis
750 – 500 BC – the government changed
- First: kings ruled (monarchy)
- Nobles were the army because only they could afford bronze weapons
- Then, nobles & landowners took control
- When the middle class developed, they took power

Changes in Warfare
- Iron replaced bronze as the material of choice
- It was cheaper, and regular people could afford weapons and gear – this put the power in the hands of the ordinary people.
- New fighting force: PHALANX
- Trained soldiers
- Fought in groups

Sparta
- In southern Greece
- Became a military state
- Boys were trained for the army from age 7
- Girls had to work out so they would produce healthy sons

Government: 2 kings + council of elders + assembly of the people
- Citizens were male, over 30, born in Sparta

Athens
- North of Sparta
- Birthplace of democracy (government by the people)
- Ruled by the aristocracy (nobles) until the working people wanted more rights
- Farmers were in trouble – many had to sell their families as slaves to pay debts
- One ruler, Solon, started positive changes
-Got rid of debt slavery
-More people could be involved in gov’t
- Rise of tyrants ( rulers who get power by force)
They made more changes to help the people, mostly the farmers and the poor

Council of 500 – new legislature (lawmaking body)

Athens is a limited democracy because not everyone had a say in the gov’t and there were still tyrants

Persian Wars
- The Persians had an empire that stretched from Asia Minor to India
490 – Persians invaded at Marathon and were forced to retreat
480 – 2nd invasion
- Sparta & other city states fought with Athens
- Persian fleet was destroyed and the threat of invasion was ended

Age of Pericles (460-429)
After the Persian Wars, Athens was the most powerful city-state
It started to take over other city-states and created an empire

New ruler: Pericles
-he changed gov’t to a direct democracy
-people represented themselves
-you got $ to hold office, so the poor could
get involved
- juries were created

Economic and Cultural life
- Polytheistic (many gods)
- Temples built to honor gods
- Rebuilding projects helped the economy
- Free thinking was encouraged
- Philosophy was born

Peloponnesian War
- War between Athens and Sparta
- Covered all of Greece
- Sparta won, Athens fell

Greek Philosophers
Philosopher: one who uses observation and reason to figure out why things happen
Looked at morality and ethics
3 main philosophers:
- Socrates
- Plato
- Aristotle

SOCRATES
“Socratic Method” – questioning to get deeper answers
Arrested for corrupting the city’s youth
Had to drink poison as punishment

PLATO
student of Socrates
Started a school
The Republic: described his ideal state
3 classes: workers, soldiers, and philosophers

ARISTOTLE
student of Plato
Studied government
Thought middle class should rule
His works were the basis of study at the first universities

Alexander and the Hellenistic Age
Alexander – Prince of Macedonia (North of Greece)
Tutored by Aristotle
His dad, Phillip, took over all of Greece and wanted to take Persia, but was killed first
Alex becomes king, builds an army, and starts his campaign in 334 B.C.
Conquered Persia, Asia Minor, Egypt, and Babylon

Alexander the Great”
In 7 years his empire stretched from Greece to India (2000 miles)
After his death:
-Greek ideas and culture spread
-locals took Greek culture and added it to their own
This was the Hellenistic Age
During this period, Rome became a new powerful state and replaced Greece as the dominant power

FINAL Extra Credit

Option 1:
Watch one of the following movies and write a complete summary of it, and how realistic you think it is.
Romero
Salvador
Che
The Revolution will Not Be Televised
Invictus
District 9
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom


Option 2:
Create a timeline (poster size) that shows the growing conflict between Israel and Palestine since the 1900's
Should include events, dates, pictures (if possible) and descriptions

8-1 World War One

WORLD WAR ONE
MAJOR BATTLES
MARNE – September 1914
• Located in France (Western Front)
• Germans expected to win quickly, so they took troops and moved them to the Eastern Front
• Britain and France pushed Germany back
• Ended Germany’s hopes for a quick victory
• Germans built the 1st trenches to avoid being pushed out of France
VERDUN – February-December 1916
• Germany’s attempt to break the stalemate on the Western Front
• 11 month battle
• 500,000 French casualties (wounded, killed, or missing)
• 400,000 German casualties
• No long term results
• No advantage was gained on either side
SOMME - July-November 1916
• 5 month battle
• Allied attempt to break the stalemate on the Western Front
• 60,000 British soldiers killed or wounded in ONE day
• One million killed in total
• This battle had one of the highest casualty totals
• Snowfall ended the battle –only a few miles of ground were gained
TANNENBURG – August 1914
• First major battle of the Eastern Front
• Russians invaded Eastern Prussia and were defeated by the Germans
• Around 120,000 Russian soldiers were captured, killed, or wounded
• Germans lost less than 20,000
• The Russians were not well equipped – lacked clothing, weapons, and even shoes
GALLIPOLI – December 1915
• Gallipoli is in Greece – fighting took place between Turkey (OE) and Greece – the “Mediterranean Front”
• The Ottoman Empire had joined the Central Powers and cut off supply lines to Russia through the Dardanelles
• Allies attacked to reclaim the Dardanelles and gain access to Austria after beating the Ottomans
• Central powers pushed the allies back
• The French and British armies were joined by soldiers from Australia and New Zealand
• This would be the last time that Australia would fight under the British
• Fighting took place over 10 months, with more than 200,000 total casualties for the Allies and 300,000 for the Turks
ISONZO RIVER 1915-1917
• The Italians joined the Allies because they were promised land when Austria-Hungary was defeated
• 11 battles took place along the Isonzo river between the Austrian and Italian armies
• Caporetto (October 1917) was the final battle, and a brutal loss for the Italians
– The Italians were forced to retreat
OTHER EVENTS
CHRISTMAS TRUCE – Dec 24, 1914
• A one day truce between British, German, and French soldiers
• Germans started it
• Christmas trees and lights were put up, and the soldiers exchanged gifts, sang songs, and played soccer in No Man’s Land (neutral territory)
ARAB REVOLT
• In the Ottoman Empire and the Middle East, Arab nationalists rebelled against the Ottoman government
• T.E. Lawrence (Laurence of Arabia) was sent by the British to help the Arabs
• This caused the Ottoman Empire to lose land and weaken
– Eventually the Ottoman Empire breaks up for good.
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE 1915
• The Armenians helped the Russians fight against the Turks
• The Ottoman Government used their support of the enemy as an excuse to execute Armenian leaders and deport hundreds of thousands to Syria and Mesopotamia
• 500,000- 1,000,000 died
END OF THE WAR
• Factors:
– Russia’s withdrawal from the war
– US enters the war
– Loss of morale among the troops due to:
• High casualties
• Failure to achieve victory
• Food shortages
• 1918 Influenza epidemic
USA ENTERS THE WAR
• After the sinking of the Lusitania, the US forced Germany to agree to end unrestricted submarine warfare
• In 1917, Germany, in hopes of using subs to get a quick victory before the US could step in, starts using subs again
• Additionally, a message is intercepted from the Germans offering to help Mexico regain territory if they help Germany
– The Zimmerman Note
1918
• Second Battle of the Marne= Germany’s last attempt to push the Allies back
• In the Summer, the Allies push the German troops back into Germany
• In September, the Germans realize that thy have no hope of winning
• Kaiser William is forced to resign, and revolt begins in Austria
• November 11 – Germany signs an armistice
COST OF WAR
• 8-9 million soldiers died
• 6-7 million civilians died
• 15-16 million deaths total
• Around 22 million were wounded

• Additionally, around the world another 20 million were killed by the flu.
AFTER THE WAR
PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE
• “The Big Three”
– Woodrow Wilson- USA
– David Lloyd George- Britain
– Georges Clemanceau- France
• Wilson fought for “Fourteen Points”
– Terms that countries could use to resolve future wars.
• June 19, 1919- Meeting with Germans
to sign “The Treaty Of Versailles”
TREATY of VERSAILLES
• The treaty officially ends war. Germany is forced to sign
• Germany:
– blamed for the entire war.
– Pay $30 billion in war reparations (2.3 trillion today)
– Must return Alsace and Lorraine regions to France
– Looses hundreds of miles on E and W borders
– “Polish Corridor” separates Prussia from the rest of Germany
– Loses overseas colonies
– Germany’s harsh treatment would later lead to the rise of the NAZI party in 1935.
MAP CHANGES:
– Russian, Austrian, Ottoman Empires are destroyed
– Baltic Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia created
– Poland created
– East Prussia separated from Germany
– Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Hungary republics formed.
– Creation of Communist Soviet Union

Latin America after WWII Study Guide

Be able to identify the country of origin and important facts about the following people, groups, and terms
* Fidel Castro
* Salvadore Allende
* Augusto Pinochet
* Jose Duarte
* Juan Peron
* Che Guevara
* Manuel Noriega
* Juan Alvarado
* Alejandro Toledo
*cooperative
* Shining Path
* PRI
* John F Kennedy
* Sandinistas
* Falkland Island conflict
* Violeta Barrios de Chamorro

Essay questions
* In what ways have Cuba's fortunes been influenced by the Soviet Union?
* What types of social problems have led to the recent move towards democratic governments in Latin American countries?
* What factors led to the PRI's loss of political power in Mexico?
* What types of policies have characterized the rule of Latin American military governments since 1945? Discuss specific examples
* What effects did foreign involvement in Latin America have on different countries? Did it make things bette or worse?

Butter Battle Book Assignment

1.  Watch the Butter Battle book video      

2.  Answer the following questions
1.Why were the two groups at war?2.  Why do you think they kept building bigger and bigger weapons?
3. How was the story like real life?
4. What was the purpose of the author?
5.How is the end of the book ambiguous?6.List reasons for war in general and the effects on all involved. 

3.  Choose one of the 3 options and complete 
Option 1:  Write an ending to the story. Your ending must be at least 2 paragraphs long and be in the style of Dr. Seuss (Rhyming)Option 2:  Draw an ending to the story.  Your ending must include a paragraph that explainsyour ending AND be colored.Option 3:  Write a compare and contrast paragraph or essay about The Butter Battle Book story and the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1963.

Cold War Extra Credit

Cold War Trading Cards
Choose at least 5 of the events/people below.  For each, create a trading card.
Each card should be no larger than a 3x5 index card.
On the front, you need a picture of the topic along with the name of the topic.
On the back, include the important statistics:  Name, date, why it's important, what happened/what they did, important facts
All work should be neatly outlined (NO PENCIL!).  Make it look as good & colorful as possible.
On a separate paper (or separate index card) include your sources.
*if you need ideas on what trading cards look like, google them!*

Possile topics:
Truman Doctrine
Marshall Plan
Division of Germany
Berlin Blockade
Berlin Wall
Cuban Missile Crisis
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Korean War
Vietnam War
Arms Race
Space Race
John F Kennedy
Nikita Kruschev
Winston CHurchill
Lyndon B Johnson

Cold War Timeline

1945 - WWII ends
1945-1948 - Soviet controlled communist governments are set up in East Germany,Bulgaria,
Romania, Poland, and Hungary
1947 - Truman Doctrine & Marshall Plan put into action (see previous notes)
1948 - Germany divided into 4 zones
1949 - West & East Germany created
- China becomes Communist
- USSR develops atomic bomb (arms race begins)
-NATO formed
1950 - Korean War begins
1953 - Stalin dies, Khrushchev takes power
1955 - Warsaw Pact
1956 - "Destalinization" - Khrushchev's policy to get rid of Stalins more strict policies
- Uprisings in Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia threaten Soviet power in Eastern
Europe
1957 - Space race gets more serious when the USSR is first to put a satellite in space
1959 - Fidel Castro takes over Cuba, sets up a Soviet supported dictatorship
1961 - construction begins on the Berlin Wall to stop East Germans from moving to West Berlin
1962 - Bay of Pigs Invasion - USA's plan to overthrow Castro fails miserably
- Cuban Missile Crisis - USSR puts missiles in Cuba, US blockade of Cuba almost leads to
nuclear conflict
1964 - US sends troops to Vietnam to help stop the spread of communism in Asia

The Cold War Begins (12-1) part 2

Germany after the division










Here's Berlin..and the Berlin Wall -






ORGANIZATIONS & ALLIANCES

NATO - (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) - 1949 -
-USA, Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Holland, England, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Iceland (West Germany, Turkey, & Greece join later)
-Agree to help one another if attacked

Warsaw Pact - 1955
-USSR, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania
-agree to help one another if attacked

SEATO - (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization) early 1950's
-USA, England, France, Pakistan, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand
- goal was to stop Soviet agression in the East

CENTO - (Central Treaty Organization)
- USA, England, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Pakistan
-goal was to stop Soviet agression in the south

Cold War

What is the Cold War?

• It’s the period from 1946 to 1989 where the Soviet Union (Russia) and the United States were competing to be the biggest power in the world

• It’s a “cold” war because the 2 countries never actually fought each other, but they did help other countries fight

What was the problem?

• The US is capitalist. That means that the government allows people to own their own businesses, and buy and sell almost anything they want (unless it’s illegal).

• The Soviet Union is communist. That means that the government owns all the factories and the people can’t own their own business, and there are a limited number of products to buy.

• These two ideas are so opposite that each is threatened by the other.

• Capitalists think that communism takes away individual freedoms

• Communists think capitalism is excessive (too much stuff, to much control by individuals)

• So after WWII, both sides wanted the newly free countries of Eastern Europe to be like them.

• Soviet goal: spread communism, become a world power

• US/England goal: stop communism, keep Soviet Union from getting too powerful

The Beginning

• 1946 – civil war in Greece – Soviets support the Communists, England supports the other side

• 1947 - TRUMAN DOCTRINE

• US policy that would give $$ to any country threatened by communism (like Greece)

• Goal: to stop the spread of communism

– MARSHALL PLAN

• $13 billion to fix the European economy

• The idea was that if the economy is good, the country won’t want to be communist

• 1946-49: Division of Germany

– After the war, it was split into 4 parts; England, USA, France, and Soviet Union each got a part

• The capital, Berlin, was also divided into 4 parts

– England, USA, and France combined theirs and re-named it the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)

– The Soviet Union named theirs the German Democratic Republic (East Germany)

the problem?

• ¾ of Berlin was capitalist and democratic, while the other ¼ was communist, and it was right in the middle of communist East Germany

• The soviets decided to try and stop any goods from getting to West Berlin, so for a year, the US and English had to fly supplies in, until the Soviets gave up

• Another problem was that many people in East Germany didn’t want to be communist. So they tried to escape to West Berlin.

• 1949

– Arms Race: the US had the atomic bomb, and the soviets wanted one too. SO the 2 countries started an arms race, each trying to get more and better weapons than the other.

• The problem was that if either side actually fired the weapons, both countries could be destroyed

– Creation of new alliances

• NATO (Europe, US, and Canada)

• Warsaw Pact (Soviet Union & Eastern Europe)

• CEATO & SENTO (central asia, middle east, & S.E. Asia)

• 1955 – after Stalin dies, Khrushchev takes over

• 1956 – countries in Eastern Europe (Hungary, Poland) try to break away from the Soviet union, but the Soviet army invades and takes over

• 1959 – Fidel Castro takes over in Cuba

– He is a totalitarian dictator, and is supported by the Soviet Union

• 1950’s

• Korean War: North Korea (Communist) vs South Korea

– US sends troops in to fight with the South Koreans; China and USSR help the north

• Space Race begins – US and Soviets try to be the first into space. The 1st satellite into space was the Soviet’s, the first man on the moon was the US’s

The Berlin Wall

• After years of East Germans escaping to West Berlin, Khrushchev decides to set up a barrier to keep them out of West Berlin.

• The wall completely surrounds W. Berlin – the people inside are allowed to come out, but the people outside can’t come in.

• It’s guarded by guards, barbed wire, machine guns, attack dogs, and mines.

• 1960 - The US government tries to help overthrow Castro, but the attempt doesn’t work.

• Khrushchev decides to use Cuba as a missile base. The missiles are pointed at the US, and this makes President Kennedy worried.

• 1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis –the US and Soviet Union almost start a war when they can’t agree on what should happen with Cuba. Eventually both sides back down

Vietnam War

• 1965 – President Johnson sends US soldiers into Vietnam.

• He wanted to make sure that the communist North Vietnam wouldn’t take over south Vietnam. The US was worried that if Vietnam became communist, all of Asia would soon be as well

• This is called the Domino Theory.

• In 1973, the US realized they couldn’t win and took their troops out