Screen Printing

             As the clocks rang midnight on the night of August 12^th, 1961, East German soldiers and construction workers began making their way to the border of East and West Berlin. Through the night, they quickly built a concrete barrier that kept East and West Berlin separated for 28 years. The major countries involved in the rise of the Berlin Wall are West Germany and East Germany. These sides are influenced substantially by the Communist Soviet Union and Capitalist America. The Berlin wall is a significant part of the Cold War because it demonstrates and symbolizes the differences and difficulties between Communism and Democracy.

            After the War, living conditions in East and West Germany became distinctly different. West Germany set up a capitalist society and experienced major economic growth. The habitants of West Germany were able to work hard, live well, buy necessary tools and appliances, and travel as they wished. In East Germany, a Communist Society was established as it was under direct influence from the Soviet Union. The economy dragged and individual freedoms were severely violated. By the late 1950s, many East Germans wanted to move out of the repressive living conditions and downgrading economy. The East Germans lost 2.5 million people to emigration by 1961 and needed a way to stop the mass exodus. The rise of the Berlin Wall rose through the night on August 13^th. Whichever side you slept on that night, was the side you would spend the next 28 years of your life on.

         The results of the Berlin Wall are numerous. Many loved ones, families, and friends were separated for decades. The Berlin Wall broke up relationships, tore apart families, and destroyed relationships. Additionally, the Berlin Wall represented the separation of Eastern and Western Europe and the division of a democratic and communist land. In 1989, the Berlin Wall came down and numerous positive results occurred. The fall became recognized as a symbol for democracy, peace, and happiness. The fall of the Berlin wall also paved the way for the reunification of Germany.

<a href=”http://www.homeadvertisingnetwork.com” title=”home based business”><img src=”http://www.freehitcounts.com/count.aspx?id=45881” alt=”home based business” border=”0″ /></a><br /><span style=”font-size:10px;”><a href=”http://www.homeadvertisingnetwork.com” title=”home based business”>home based business</a></span>

            In July of 1962, Raul Castro, Fidel Castro’s brother, voyaged across the Atlantic to visit the Soviet Union. Shortly after, the Soviets began to send weapons and military personnel to Cuba.

             The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the United Sates, the Soviet Union, and Cuba during the Cold War. The Cuban Missile Crisis was very significant in the history of the 1960s because it is regarded as the moment when the Cold War came closest to nuclear war. The United States feared the Soviet expansion of communism already. However, a Latin American country to publicly ally with the USSR was regarded as unacceptable. The Soviet and Latin involvement would also defy the Monroe Doctrine, which prevented European powers from getting involved in South American matters.

              In 1962, the Soviet Union was behind the U.S in the arms race. The Soviet missiles were only strong enough to attack Europe and couldn’t reach the U.S. Therefore, in late 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev thought of the plan to place missiles in Cuba. This would improve the Soviet strategic plan and also serve as a deterrent to a potential U.S attack on the Soviet Union. At the same time, Fidel Castro was looking for a way to ensure protection of Cuba from an attack by the U.S. Since the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961, Castro believed a second attack was unavoidable.

                The U.S became aware of the ongoing situation on October 15^th when pictures revealed missile instillations in Cuba. In response, the U.S imposed a naval quarantine around Cuba to prevent the arrival of additional weapons. John F. Kennedy proclaimed that any nuclear missile launched from Cuba would be viewed as an attack on the United States from the Soviet Union. Kennedy also threatened armed force should all nuclear weapons not be removed from Cuba. For 5 days Khrushchev refused to answer and the world stood on the brink of nuclear war. Khrushchev then sent two letters, the first proposed that Soviet missiles would be removed if the U.S guaranteed not to invade Cuba. The second letter demanded the U.S remove missiles from Turkey in exchange for Soviets removing missiles from Cuba. In a strategic move, the U.S decided to ignore the second letter and agree to the first. As a result,  on October 20^th Khrushchev announced that he would remove missiles from Cuba and he would trust that the U.S would not attack Cuba.                     

             A result of the Cuban Missile Crisis was that it changed the opinion of many Canadians who had previously been against nuclear weapons in Canada. However, it also showed the world leaders how necessary it is to avoid nuclear conflict. After coming so close to the brink of war, it became apparent that all must be done to avoid violence.

Cold War Period: 1964 

         The Gulf of Tonkin Incident was the turning point in United States involvement in Vietnam. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident is two occurrences of naval forces of North Vietnam and the United States in the waters of Gulf of Tonkin. This is a significant part of the Cold War because it marked the first large-scale involvement of U.S armed forces in Southeast Asia.

            The major countries involved in the Gulf of Tonkin Incident were the United States and North Vietnam. The major leader was President Lyndon Johnson, of the United States. In August of 1964, North Vietnamese battle ships attacked U.S warships on two occasions in the Gulf of Tonkin, a body of water neighboring Vietnam. President Lyndon Johnson claimed that the United States did nothing to provoke these attacks although subsequent reports show the U.S did indeed provoke these attacks by supporting South Vietnam commandos.

           The result of the Gulf of Tonkin Incident was that U.S Congress passed the Southeast Asia Resolution, also known as, “Gulf of Tonkin Resolution”. This resolution gave President Lyndon B. Johnson the authority to aid any Southeast Asian country whose government was in danger due to communist aggression. This resolution is a very significant because it served as President Johnson’s legal justification of increasing U.S presence in Vietnam. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution permitted Johnson to increase U.S presence in Vietnam from 16,000 to more than 500,000 troops. For better or for worse, the Gulf of Tonkin was a vital part of Southeast Asian involvement during the Cold War.

FLQ:         

          Who was this mysterious terrorist group started in the early 1960s (1963)?  Front de liberation du Quebec (FLQ) was a Marxist revolutionary group who wished to: overthrow Quebec’s government, separate Quebec from the rest of Canada, and the establishment of French speaking Quebecers in the work force, lead by a man named, Pierre Valier. Yet just in 1969 they bombed the Montreal stock exchange and killed approximately 5 people, which may seem small but they have already done approximately 200 bombings.

                    Now this revolutionary group had at least 2 terrorist cells (the south shore gang and the liberation cell), these were both small cells containing approximately 12 people per cell. FLQ was a harsh group and was a sharp laceration on the face of Quebec’s proud nation. Many people were secretly part of this group and were continually trying to influence the people of Quebec, and join their ranks.  It began to get so intense at one point that at Quebec schools they posted guards. Quebec was under the frequent fear that they were going to be bombed. The group went especially after Anglophones going as far as to bomb places like Westmount which were mainly populated by Anglophones. From approximately 1965 to 1967 FLQ focused mainly on striking workers. They’re biggest attack was in the fall of October during the October Crisis in 1970, when FLQ kidnapped Pierre Lapporte (minister of labor) who was also killed and the British Trade commissioner James Cross. The attacks of FLQ are a crisis and we must continue to attempt to stop them.

Thank you featured writer: Luca Marescotti

During the Cold War, the U.S and Soviet Union endeavored to demonstrate their power through a race to space. This is related to the cold war because the space race served as an opportunity to for them to showcase their technological prowess. It was a competition to see who could make the furthest advancements into space first. The space race cannot be known as just a competition as it served to improve military strategy also. The major countries in the space race were America and the Soviet Union. Major leaders include Nikita Khrushchev, and American Presidents, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon.

            During the Second World War, Germany attacked Britain by using V-2 rockets created by German scientists. Many of these scientists surrendered to the U.S after the war and began a major role in the space race. Other German scientists also decided to join the Soviet cause. The indisputable fact is that both the Soviet and American sides benefited immensely from the aid of these German scientists.

Space Race is On!

             On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the world’s first space satellite, named Sputnik 1. This marked the beginning of the space race. This event was a highly significant part of the Cold War because it demonstrates the Soviet’s capability of delivering nuclear warheads anywhere in North America. This obviously terrified America and Canada. American military researchers realized that the United States did not have the soviets’ missile capabilities. Sputnik 1 was followed 29 days later by another satellite carrying a dog into outer space. This devastated the Americans’ image of having superior technology.

        The Space Race became a vital part of the cultural and ideological rivalry between the U.S and Soviet Union during the Cold War. The Soviet Union leader, Nikita Khrushchev, and American Presidents, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon all agreed that conquering outer space was imperative. The American effort of trying to catch up soon began.

  Although there was no clear goal or finish line to the space race at the beginning, the Americans soon made it clear that their intent was landing a man on the moon before the Soviets. Then, on October 4^th, 1959, the Soviet Union sent the first spacecraft around the moon. The Luna 3 recorded images of the moon’s side and broadcasted them back to Earth. The Soviets stunned the world again when on April 12, 1961, they sent the Yuri Gagarin into space. Gagarin became the first man in space when he circled the earth and returned safely. The early successes of the Space Race suggested the Soviet Union was in the lead in the Space Race. After the Soviet’s sent Yuri Gagarin into space, John F. Kennedy came up with the goal of sending a man onto the moon.

         After numerous advancements, setbacks, and progressions of each side, the space race finally came to an end on July 21^st, 1969. Apollo 11 landed safely on the moon as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon. The lunar landing was recognized as an epic technological advancement that claimed victory of the Space Race for the Americans.            

           The result of the Space Race was a pride and triumph of man. On the American side, the Space Race became known as a symbolic success stories for generations to come. In the addition to emotional benefits, numerous technical results also came from the Space Race. Following the launch of Sputnik 1, the sense of technological inferiority rang hard in the U.S and Canada. Many politicians directed blame at a educational system in North America that was deemed “soft”. In Canada, critics believed not enough engineers and scientists were produced from schools. Therefore, the major result of the Space Race that can still be seen in day-to-day life today was the education system. The education for the baby boom generation was much improved as the funding increased significantly. Greater support for higher education also increased dramatically.

Rome:

8^th Century B.C.E

Legend of the Founding of Rome:

Long, long ago, two brothers, sons of the god Mars and Rhea Salvia, were thrown into the Tiber River. Through luck, the waters brought them to the Palatine Hills. A she-wolf discovered the two brothers , named Romulus and Remus, and nursed them through their years. When Romolus and Remus became adults they decided to establish a city.

They couldn’t decide who would rule the city, so they put it up to the omens. Supposedley, Romulus and Remus stood on a hill and a group of birds flew over Romulus, signaling that he should rule. Soon after, Romulus slew his brother over a disagreement. After founding Rome, Romulus also created the Roman Legion and Roman Senate.

Legend also says that Romolus stole Sabine women from local Sabine tribes, which resulted a war that ended with the union of the two groups of people. Romulus would go on to become Ancient Rome’s greatest conqueror and first king. After his death, he was proclaimed to be a god.

In reality, there were several towns built in the Seven Hills to the south of the Tiber River. The Seven Hills consisted of Capitoline Hill, Quirinale Hill, Viminale Hill, Esquiline Hill, Caelian Hill, Aventine Hill, and Palatine Hill. These seven hills were said to be occupied by small settlements and towns. Rome emerged from the annexation of these small towns.