SUPERPOWER RIVALRIES Chapter 29.2

The Arms Race Nuclear Arms Race  In 1949 the Soviets succesfully tested an atomic bomb and ruined the advantage the US had over the USSR  The US wanted to create a more powerful bomb  1952 The US tested the first fusion-powered hydrogen bomb  A year later the Soviets tested their first hydrogen bomb  Because of this both countries began to stockpile nuclear weapons  They were central to each side’s defense strategy of deterrence- deterring the opposing side from attacking  The two were locked in an arm race

The Arms Race USSR launches Sputnik  In October 1957 the Soviets gained the advantage in the arms race by launching Sputnik- the first artificial satellite-an object that orbits the earth  This made the US realize they did not have the technological advantage  The US established NASA which would help the become the forefront of space research

The Arms Race Public Fears  Many people feared nuclear war  They built bomb shelters  Schools had air-raid drills  Many books, comics, and movies were centered around nuclear disaster  It led to the Red-Scare  Senator McCarthy led congressional committees to expose Communist in American government and film industry  Hollywood Ten 

Cold War Around the World War in Southeast Asia  After WWII France tried to reestablish it’s control in the Southeast Asia and set up a colony in Vietnam  Communist rebels fought against the French to have control of their own country  In a peace agreement Vietnam was temporarily divided into two  Northern Vietnam-Communist  Southern Vietnam- anti-communist  Revolution began in the south and the US sent military aid to fight the rebels  North Vietnamese fought along side the rebels to unite Vietnam  The Vietnam War lasted from

Cold War Around the World Another Crisis in Berlin  When democratic west Germany and Communist East Germany formed in 1949 many East Germans crossed over into West Germany  Many went to live in West Germany while others were seeking work as many as 1,000 people daily would go into West Berlin for work  The East Germans began building a barrier to prevent people from going into West Berlin, this is known as the Berlin Wall  If someone tried to cross they risked being shot down  The Berlin Wall symbolized the brutality of the communist system in Germany and by the USSR

Cold War Around the World Communism in Cuba  In 1959 Fidel Castro overthrew Cuba’s dictatorship and installed a communist government  Castro forged alliances with the Soviet Union  This brought the cold war within 90 miles of the US  The US trained 1,500 Cubans who had fled Castro regime to go back into Cuba and take down Castro  In 1961 forces came ashore at Cuba’s Bay of Pigs  Americans thought this would lead to an uprising in Cuba but the invaders were quickly defeated  In 1962 The Soviet Union wanted to install nuclear weapons in Cuba  There was a 2 week stand off between The Soviets and The US and it was the closest we came to nuclear war during The Cold War  The standoff ended when the Soviets agreed to take their nuclear weapons out of Cuba if America took theirs out of Turkey and agreed to not invade Cuba

Cold War Around the World Other Cold War Conflicts  Turn to page

Attempts at Arms Control Early Arms Control  In 1955 Eisenhower proposed the open sky policy which was shut down by the Soviets  Open sky policy- proposed that both the USSR and the US would be able to fly over the others territory and gather accurate information.  Soviets proposed periodical totally nuclear disarmament which the US rejected  In 1961 JFK proposed limiting nuclear testing  In 1963 Both countries agreed on the Test Ban Treaty- outlawed Nuclear testing in the atmosphere in outer space and underwater  Result of the Cuban Missile Crisis SALT I and II  In 1968 Nixon started Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT) with the Soviet Union  These talk led to the limitations of nuclear weapons each superpower had  Anti-Ballistic (AMB) Treaty which banned weapons being made that could shoot down nuclear missiles  SALT II resulted an arms control treaty in 1979 (never ratified by the US Senate)

Attempts at Arms Control 1980’s  Ronald Reagan took office in 1980 and took a strong stance against the Soviet Union  Wanted to start building missile defense systems  Violated ABM treaty  Had arms reduction talks with Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev  In 1988 both sides signed the Intermediate-Range nuclear Forces (INF) treaty which eliminated certain types of missiles that could be created  For the first time the relations between the two countries were beginning to improve