Standard USHC-7: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the impact of World War II on the United States and the nation’s subsequent role in the world. USHC-7.5 Analyze the impact of the Cold War on national security and individual freedom, including the containment policy and the role of military alliances, the effects of the “Red Scare” and McCarthyism, the conflicts in Korea and the Middle East, the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall, the Cuban missile crisis, and the nuclear arms race.

In 1949, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States sign the North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization; established a military alliance aimed at the USSR In 1955, the Soviet Union organized the Warsaw Pact Warsaw Pact: a military alliance between the Soviet Union and countries in Eastern Europe for defense against NATO

A second Red Scare developed in the US during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s

Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy used the tactic of the Big Lie Big Lie: repeating an untrue accusation of affiliation with communism loudly, and often, to smear countless diplomats, artists and statesmen His “witch-hunt” finally ended with the televised Army-McCarthy hearings These showed the public that McCarthy was a bully The public rejected him and his tactics McCarthy’s witch-hunt for communists became known as “McCarthyism”

Dwight Eisenhower was elected in 1952 He believed strongly in the domino theory Domino theory: if one nation fell to communism, then neighboring nations would soon fall as well President Eisenhower introduced the “Eisenhower Doctrine” in 1957 Eisenhower Doctrine: the U.S. would not hesitate to aid any country in the Middle East that asked for help resisting communist aggression

1953, Nikita Khrushchev became the Soviet leader following the death of Joseph Stalin Tensions between Eisenhower and Khrushchev escalated with the U-2 Incident and the continued western presence in Berlin U-2 Incident: a US plane was shot down over the Soviet Union and Eisenhower was forced to admit that the U.S. was spying on the USSR In 1961, the Khrushchev ordered the building of a wall to separate East and West Berlin The Berlin Wall became a symbol of the Cold War

Berlin Wall

Berlin Wall

In 1959, Fidel Castro overthrew the American-backed dictator of Cuba The U.S. refused to support Castro when they realized he’d taken aid from the Soviet Union Cuba and the Soviet Union became allies Eisenhower then authorized the CIA to begin training anti-Castro, Cuban exiles for an invasion of Cuba John F. Kennedy became president in 1961, and he approved the operation and authorized the mission

The Cuban exiles invaded Cuba at the Bay of Pigs in 1961

In the fall of 1963, American spy planes photographed missiles sites being built in Cuba President Kennedy placed a naval blockade around the island to prevent the Soviet Union from arming these sites The Cuban Missile Crisis brought two world superpowers to the brink of nuclear war After 13 days, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in exchange for a promise from the U.S. to not invade Cuba The U.S. offered the Soviets a secret assurance that it would remove U.S. missiles stations in Turkey