***VIETNAM Full Scale Involvement Under President Johnson**-Johnson decides to send US troops to Vietnam-US fears that S. Vietnam will fall to communist guerilla warriors within the country (Viet Cong)-Johnson attempts to keep S. Vietnam from becoming a “domino”-US ships were fired upon in the Gulf on Tonkin-Congress passed the Tonkin Gulf resolution, giving Johnson the power to escalate the war-US troop strength escalates from mid 1960's into the 1970'sProtests against the war begin within the US-the US becomes divided between the “hawks” and the “doves”/Supporters vs Protestors -opposition to the war grows/credibility gap between the government view and public view of the war increases.

Cold war tensions heated up when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan

during the 1970’s

(Carter Administration)

Cold War tensions were evident during the 1980 Olympic Games (Lake Placid, New York)

The US Hockey Team defeated the USSR national team, causing an increase of patriotism with the US

During the 1980’s the US under President Reagan pursued a harder line against the Soviet Union. Reagan proposed a

massive military build up, and new missiles in Europe. In an attempt to compete with the US military build up, the Soviet Union’s economy suffered, and was brought to the brink of collapse. Eventually, due to intense financial pressure, and

pressure from the people for more freedom, the Soviet Union collapsed. The eastern block satellite nations also broke free from the Iron Curtain, by the early 90’s the

COLD WAR was over, and the US had won.

President Reagan called for the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, putting increased pressure on the Soviet Union, within a few years….the

wall came down!