Cold War Tensions

Cold War Tensions Part 5: Cuban Missile Crisis

The United States discovered that the Soviet's had been taking nuclear missiles to Cuba. We were extremely unhappy and scared of what was going to happen. We were afraid that they would set them off and most of our population would be affected, at the least be injured. A nuke could get to us from Cuba in about five minutes. America decided to invade Cuba, we called this the Bay of Pigs Invasion. It failed completly! Finally we made an agreement with the Soviet's leader Krushchev. This agreement was that if we promised to not invade Cuba then they would remove the missiles.

Cold War Tensions Part 4

Cold War Tensions Part 4: U2

The United States is very curious about what is going on over in the USSR, so President Eisenhower asks Khrushchev (the Soviet's leader) if we can have "open skies". This would be both countries can fly over the other country at any time. But, of course Khrushchev says no. So we decided to be sly and go over there anyway. The first few times we did not get caught. Secretly the USSR officials new about our spies. Even at get togethers the knew, but would not say. This made very awkward conversation! Finally after a while of spying the Soviet's shot down our man, Francis Gary Powers. So now the USSR had proof that we were spying on them. They confront us and Eisenhower tried to make amends, and apologize.

Cold War Tensions Part 3

Cold War Tension Part 3: H-Bomb

The United States obviously had invented the Atomic Bomb way before the USSR. When the USSR finally figured out how to make this bomb we as the US felt very pressured to make something bigger and better. So, President Truman has J. Robert Openheimer ( who was involved in the making of the A-Bomb) come over and help us make the newer, more extreme bomb. We called it the H-Bomb, the H standing for hydrogen. On November 1, 1952 the US surprised the world with the H--Bomb. Almost a year later the Soviets set off the H-Bomb. Once again they figured it out.

Cold War Tensions

Cold War Tensions Part 2: Space Race

The United States always wanted to have the most power, compared to anyone in the world. So when the USSR announced to everyone that they were going to launch an ICBM the US felt really little and powerless. ICBM means Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, really its a insanely powerful rocket that a nuke takes a little ride on to take it to the place that it will explode. Soon after they told everyone about the ICBM they launched Sputnik. Sputnik, was the first space satellite, ever! We as Americans felt really little and disappointed that we weren't the first. So instead to make we decided to focus and make our schools better to make us feel better than the USSR again!

Cold War Tensions

Cold War Tensions Part 1: Korean War

North Korea and South Korea were not allies, at all. The two sides created an imaginary line separating the north and south. They did get along because the leader of the North, King Il Sung, wanted the South communist. The South and its leader, Syngman Rhee, were nationalists. North Korea attacked South Korea, this started the Korean Civil War. When President Truman

heard what was going on sent help immediately. Naval and Air support were sent to South Korea.

Beinginng of the Cold War

The Cold War was between the Soviet Union and the United States. The US was strongly against communism and very supportive of democracy. During this time Truman becomes President of the United States. The "Big Three" meet at the Potsdam Conference. There Stalin promises to allow elections in the Soviet Union, but ends up breaking his promise. The US declared War on the Soviet Union because they started spread communism a lot more through out Europe. For example: Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and Poland. The United State's goal was to block the Soviet's attempts of attack, to support the weak countries and to make allies. President Truman created a doctrine, the Truman Doctrine. In the doctrine Truman asked Congress for $400 million to help struggling countries that have been affected by communism.