Cold War

Cold War
:the state of hostility, without direct military conflict, that developed between the US and Soviet Union after World war 2

United Nations

• Met to establish a new peacekeeping body
• Became battling ground for Soviet Union and US to press their issues and spread their influence

Soviet Union

• wanted to encourage communism in other countries (workers vs. wealthy)
• rebuild their economy on Europe's resources
• control Eastern Europe (for power balance)

United States

• create a new world order based on all countries having the right of self determination
• Rebuild European governments to ensure stability and create new markets
• Gain access to markets for America's industries

Main power struggle

• Soviet Union wanted to keep Germany weak and divided so it could never again threaten the union
• United States wanted to reunite Germany and keep it productive

Cuban Missile Crisis

• 13 day military and political stalemate over the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles on Cuba
• (90 miles from US shore)
• JFK put naval blockade around Cuba and said that US would use military force if necessary to neutralize this threat

Untitled Slide

• Many people thought the world was on the brink of a nuclear war
• Nikita Khrushchev took down Cuban missiles in exchange for US not invading Cuba
• JFK removed nuclear missiles from Turkey

Cold war ending

• Berlin wall falling
• "shredding" the Iron curtain
• 1985 Gorbachev came to power
• Communist parties were falling in Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
• Soviet Union dissolved

bibliography

• http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cuban-missile-crisis
• http://www.ushistory.org/us/59e.asp
• The Americans, McDougal Littel