· System of government is democratic
· Property is privately owned
· Driven by free enterprise
· Wealth distributed unevenly
· Education and health care provided by private entities
· Freedom of the press Class distinctions: upper class, middle class and working class
· Focus is on the individual and his/her own progress in life
Communism
· System of government is totalitarian
· Property is owned by the state
· No free enterprise is allowed
· Wealth distributed equally
· Education and health care provided by the state
· Press controlled and owned by the state
· Classless society: all members of society are considered to be equal
· Focus is on the progress of the community as a whole
Cold war: A state of political tension and military rivalry between nations that stops short of full-scale war, especially that which existed between the United States and Soviet Union following World War II.
945: February 4-11-- Yalta Conference Cold War Begins
1945: August 6 -- United States first used atomic bomb in war
1945: August 8 -- Russia enters war against Japan
1945: August 14 -- Japanese surrender End of World War II
1946: March -- Winston Churchill delivers "Iron Curtain" Speech
1947: March -- Truman declares active role in Greek Civil War
1947: June -- Marshall Plan is announced
948: February -- Communist takeover in Czechoslovakia
1948: June 24 -- Berlin Blockade begins
1949: July -- NATO ratified
1949: May 12 -- Berlin Blockade ends
1949: September -- Mao Zedong, a Communist, takes control of China
1949: September -- Soviets explode first atomic bomb
1950: February -- Joe McCarthy begins Communist witch hunt
1950: June -- Korean War begins
1951: January 12 -- Federal Civil Defense Administration established
1953: June 19 -- Rosenberg executions
1953: July -- Korean War ends
1954: March -- KGB established
1954: July -- Vietnam split at 17th parallel
1955: May -- Warsaw Pact formed