The Cold War
Chandler Wyland, Period 2
Cold War Background
The Cold War was a complex war based on strategy, more-so than the normal types of war. The Cold War was rather not a war, but at the same time, it was a war. This event was between the United States and the USSR (The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) who were, at the time, the world's superpowers. The biggest fear of this competition was a nuclear war, which meant that the world as we know it, would have been completely destroyed with nuclear weapons being fired from the two different sides of the world. During this time period, there were mainly two competitions between the two superpowers, which were the Nuclear Arms Race and the Space Race. While the sides continued to non-directly fight however, the race for America to "Contain" Communism has been a secondary goal, which indirectly attacks the USSR. All of these components lead to a war, but not a physical war, a war more or less based on strategy, and if one of these countries had made the wrong move, the world would have been engulfed into a nuclear war, which could have ended the world.
The Cold War: Crash Course US History #37
Cold War Events
1. Cuban Missile Crisis - The CMC was the climax of the entire Cold War. During this event, the USSR was directly preparing to attack the USA by placing Nuclear Missiles in Cuba, which is only 50 miles away from the coast of Florida. The US reacted quickly and successfully exchanged the removal of the Nuclear Weaponry for the US to respect Cuba's territorial sovereignity.
2. Bay of Pigs - This was a failed attempt for the United States to overthrow the Communist Leader of Cuba, Fidel Castro. The US had trained the democratic cubans who had fled to the US to fight, and promised them an air strike at a specific point of time in which they would have successfully won if the US did not fall through and not send their air strike.
3. Manhattan Project - This project was essentially created solely to become the supreme superpower, giving the United States access to Nuclear Weaponry, which was flawed once a spy had stolen the plans and had given them to the USSR, which caused the plan to be a disaster, allowing both enemies to be again on equal levels of destruction.
4. Red Scare - This event was a way for the United States to remove their enemies inside of the US easily, and without question. The Red Scare was a period of time of which you could get arrested or killed from an accusation of being communist, from anybody. Even if it was just your neighbor who had called and accused you, you would have been forced to serve jail time.
2. Bay of Pigs - This was a failed attempt for the United States to overthrow the Communist Leader of Cuba, Fidel Castro. The US had trained the democratic cubans who had fled to the US to fight, and promised them an air strike at a specific point of time in which they would have successfully won if the US did not fall through and not send their air strike.
3. Manhattan Project - This project was essentially created solely to become the supreme superpower, giving the United States access to Nuclear Weaponry, which was flawed once a spy had stolen the plans and had given them to the USSR, which caused the plan to be a disaster, allowing both enemies to be again on equal levels of destruction.
4. Red Scare - This event was a way for the United States to remove their enemies inside of the US easily, and without question. The Red Scare was a period of time of which you could get arrested or killed from an accusation of being communist, from anybody. Even if it was just your neighbor who had called and accused you, you would have been forced to serve jail time.
Events Happening During the Cold War
1. Korean War - This was a War between 1950 - 1953. This war was one of the many US attempts to contain communism. During the war, the US worked anxiously to fashion an armistice between the North and the South of Korea. Finally, after 3 years of fighting, and 5 roughly 5 million soldier and civilian deaths, North Korea agreed to be divided at the 38th parallel.
2. Vietnam War - This was a war between 1955 - 1975. Not long after the Korean War, the US decided to enter a new war, this time, with an excuse called the "Domino Theory" which was a theory that had thought if Vietnam fell to communism, that all of the smaller countries nearby would fall as well. After 20 years of fighting, the US withdrew and the Democratic vietnam had fallen to the Communist vietnam.
3. SALT I & II conferences - These conferences were the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks. These talks were focused on limiting the nuclear arms posessed by the world's superpowers. SALT I achieved the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. SALT II achieved practically nothing because the US had never ratified the treaty since the Soviets Invaded Afghanistan later on that year.
4. Berlin Blockade - This event occured in 1948 and lasted until 1949. The Berlin Blockade was a failed attempt by the USSR to stop the US from bringing supplies into the US owned portion of Berlin. This blockade was simply avoided by the US by now Air-Dropping supplies into their section, and since the US was not affected, the blockade was removed a year later.
2. Vietnam War - This was a war between 1955 - 1975. Not long after the Korean War, the US decided to enter a new war, this time, with an excuse called the "Domino Theory" which was a theory that had thought if Vietnam fell to communism, that all of the smaller countries nearby would fall as well. After 20 years of fighting, the US withdrew and the Democratic vietnam had fallen to the Communist vietnam.
3. SALT I & II conferences - These conferences were the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks. These talks were focused on limiting the nuclear arms posessed by the world's superpowers. SALT I achieved the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. SALT II achieved practically nothing because the US had never ratified the treaty since the Soviets Invaded Afghanistan later on that year.
4. Berlin Blockade - This event occured in 1948 and lasted until 1949. The Berlin Blockade was a failed attempt by the USSR to stop the US from bringing supplies into the US owned portion of Berlin. This blockade was simply avoided by the US by now Air-Dropping supplies into their section, and since the US was not affected, the blockade was removed a year later.