...head: COLD 1 The Cold War Corwin Schneider HIS 104 Professor Patrick Williams June 19, 2012 COLD 2 The Cold War Keep your Finger Off the Button! The Cold War, how did these two countries get to this point in history? While the United States and USSR should have been more grown up and learned to work out their problems, who were the major players in the Cold War and how were the two sides involved in the space race, when did the Cold War start and end, and what were the two sides arguing over. The United States was in an intense war with the USSR for five decades. It started in 1945, shortly after Communist Leader Joseph Stalin learned of the first atomic bomb the U.S. dropped on Japan August 6, 1945. “The Cold War was a strategic struggle that developed after World War II between the United States with its allies and the Soviet Union with its allies” (Bentley, J., Ziegler, H., & Streets, H. 2008 pg. 638). But, this was not an ordinary war between the two, it was a Cold War. It had more attacks of words and propaganda competing which was the better country. One reason these two superpowers never had direct military action against each other was they both possessed Nuclear Weapons. The major powers in the Cold War between...
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...To what extent did peaceful coexistence ease cold war tension between US and USSR 1953- 1961? Between the years 1953-1961 the Soviet Union under the control of Nikita Khrushchev adopted a rather ‘friendly’ and calm approach regarding American-Soviet relations. Following the death of Stalin, Khrushchev adopted the policy of ‘peaceful coexistence’ that sought a friendly approach to the west limiting the threat of direct confrontation. Through the use of this foreign policy Khrushchev could build up the soviet nation directing resources in order to better the Soviet Union’s national situation. This new policy eased cold war tensions as it saw an age of negotiating and the end of a fierce opposing ideological battle upon the surface, yet it is clear that beneath a rather more sinister situation was occurring that would create the most dangerous period in the cold war; ‘the threat of total annihilation’ so therefore it is not fair to say that peaceful coexistence was close to being reached during this period even though the attitude of the Soviet Union had changed. Although it may seem that peaceful coexistence eased cold war tensions as a friendly approach however, it is clear that the change of attitude to a peaceful approach only created further suspicion and the need for security. The threat of total annihilation and the development of a nuclear race created an increasingly tense and dangerous situation. After the development of the atom bomb and hydrogen bomb on both sides both...
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...Yolanda Williams The Cold War American Intercontinental University Abstract This essay is on the cold war and the major events that affected it. It will be analyzing 2-3 major consequences the conflict had on the United States. It will also explain how the war affected American sensibilities, including the way Americans viewed the war and themselves. The essay will also answer: if the war changed America’s role in the world? And was the outcome of the war beneficial or detrimental to the United States or was it a combination of both. The Cold War: Containment By the time World War II ended, a large majority of the American officials came to a conclusion that the best defense against the soviet threat was a strategy called “containment”. George Kennan explained the policy: The Soviet Union, he wrote was “A political force committed fanatically to the belief that with the U.S. there can be no permanent agreement between parties that disagree”, as a result the only chance America could make was the long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies. This way of thinking would shape American foreign policy for the next four decades. The Cold War: The Atomic Age In 1950, a National Security Council report known as NSC-68 had copied Truman’s suggestion that the country use military force to “contain” expansionism where ever it seemed to be occurring. The report called a four-fold increase in defense spending. American officials...
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...1950s & 1960s the Cold War rivals, the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States (US), fought for supremacy in Space exploration. This served as another dramatic arena for Cold War competition and was commonly known as the Space race. The USSR originally had the more effective space program until the death of Sergei Pavlovich Korolev in 1966. Thus allowing for USA’s NASA to overtake its its Soviet Union counterpart. With the race officially ending on July 16, 1969 with the landing of Apollo 11 on the moon.After World War II drew to a close in the mid-20th century, a new conflict began. Known as the Cold War, this battle pitted the world’s two great powers–the democratic, capitalist United States and the communist Soviet...
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...glimpse of history and how things used to be during a certain time period. The first item found when opening the time capsule from the 1960’s is The Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was waged from 1961 until 1975 ("Battlefield: Vietnam,"). The Vietnam War cost over $150 Billion and lost over 58,000 American lives (Van Buren, 1991). The Vietnam War was such a big part of the 1960’s; it is almost impossible to no it include it in any time capsule representing the 1960’s. The second item found in the time capsule is the civil rights movement. The civil rights movement was a movement started to create equality between white people and black people. The fight for racial equality started in 1954 is still going on today (Brunner & Haney, 2007). The Third item removed from the time capsule is the band The Grateful Dead. The Grateful Dead provided the sound track for the psychedelic movement of the 1960’s, creating 23 albums over 24 years ("Grateful dead discography," 2013). The fourth object found in the time capsule is the Cold War. The cold war was waged from 1945 until the Warsaw Pact was signed in 1991. The last item found in the time capsule is the space race. The space race started in 1957 and was won by the United States of America in 1969 ("The timeline of," 2009). Upon further examination of the Vietnam War, we discover a time in human history that almost defined an...
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...Patel Professor Merrill English 1010 13 November 2014 The Flight of Glory In the midst of the Cold War, President John Kennedy said, “I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal… of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth.” And on July 20, 1969, almost eight years later, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first humans ever to land on the moon. Due to the heavy influence the Apollo 11 mission had, not only on the world, but also on mankind, the year it was finally accomplished is the most important year of life The Apollo 11 mission was so significant in history because it resulted in the United States winning the Cold War. America partook in the Cold War mainly to prevent the spread of communism post World War II. At the time Kennedy proposed the Apollo mission to the nation, the United States was trailing the Soviet Union in space developments during the Cold War. The USSR had launched Sputnik, the first satellite, and successfully sent a man into space. In turn, America quickly created the Apollo program to prevent the Soviets from winning the Space Race. Through great wealth, technical skill, and determination, America soon landed their men on the moon. The Soviets, however, experienced a series of failures in its attempt to send its own men to the moon. The triumph of the Apollo program ended Soviet leadership in space exploration and dominance in heavy rocket launching technology for they were not able to match...
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...heralded the Second Cold War which saw a deliberate attempt to undermine the forces of communism. * Reagan’s actions/policies were described as a militarised counter-revolution. They were much more aggressive than those of Carter including extensive re-arming and providing convert help to those fighting against communist forces or governments. Action | Aim | Key Features | 1. Increasing Nuclear Arms | * Regain American military supremacy * Cripple the USSR financially – to compete they would face bankruptcy * Supremacy in arms would therefore grant the USA strength in all areas & force the Soviet leadership to make concessions | * An unprecedented increase in military spending – defence spending was increased by 13% in 1982 and over 8% in each of the following two years * New methods of deploying nuclear missiles developed e.g. Stealth bomber & Trident submarines * Strategic Defense Initiative – SDI – or ‘Star Wars’ est. 1983. The deployment of anti-ballistic missile systems in space | Source A – The SDI Concept Online Explanation - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B62n953nQ4o * Advantages of SDI… * Disadvantages of SDI… Source A David Painter, The Cold War: An International History, 1999 SDI was a technologically ambitious and extremely expensive plan to develop a nationwide ballistic-missile defense system that would deploy weapons in outer space to destroy enemy missiles in flight. Popularly known as Star Wars, SDI threatened...
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...The Cold War was the time of rivalry and conflict between the USA and the Soviet Union. It started at the end of World War II and ended with the collapse of communism at the end of the 1980s. It was a time of political tension, in which both superpowers tried to prevent each other from gaining too much power. Even if the conflict did not result in a real war, there were many situations in which the world was very close to it. After World War II Although the United States and the Soviet Union were allies during World War II, they had different ideas about the future of the world. At the end of the war the Soviets controlled much of Eastern Europe and installed Communist governments there. The United States, on the other side, wanted to stop Communist ideas from spreading. It helped Western European countries to stay free and also gave them big sums of money to help rebuild their weak economies. The border between the Communist east and the free west was called the Iron Curtain and ran straight through the middle of Europe. The Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain blue = NATO countries red = Warsaw Pact Countries green = bloc-free Grey = neutral Military Blocs after World War II After World War II two military organizations emerged. In 1949 the United States and other western countries founded NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization), on the other side the Soviets led the Warsaw Pact, a military organization of eastern European countries. Both military blocs...
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...The Cold War is a span of almost a half century of tension between, primarily the United States and its allied powers and the Soviet Union and its supporting allies or the Warsaw Pact, from the tension started during World War II and America’s late entry, to the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the economic, cultural, social, and political battles that ensued. Hesitant and cautious of Stalin’s thirst for power and dominance through his fanatical Communist control and the chance of Communist expansion, American’s enmity and distrust launched a policy to halt the possibility of the Soviet’s attempts at world dominancy. With American’s refusal to acknowledge the Soviet as a legitimate power only fueled the tension that arose. Although it was termed “The Cold War” only three wars arose during this time, The Korean War, Vietnam War, and the Afghanistan War, and never shaped an actual armed conflict. The succession of the advancement of technology lent its part to shape the cold war and the possession of nuclear warheads led to espionage and constant threats. Although many events led to the tension that constant escaladed between the two powerhouses two major events climaxed the tension. One being the launching of Sputnik Crisis in 1957, in which the US mounted themselves as the successor in space technology and therefore the leader in the forefront of missile construction, suddenly realized that the Soviet Union had surpassed them, which begun the space race, the Apollo mission, and eventually...
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...During World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union fought together as allies against the Axis powers. However, America has been distrustful of Soviet Union and the communism they started spreading across Asia. America was also worried about the Russian leader Joseph Stalin’s harsh rule of his own country. After the war ended, these worries turned into an overwhelming sense of distrust worldwide. Post War, the Soviets expanded into Eastern Europe nourished many Americans’ fears of the Russian’s plan to control the world. Meanwhile, the Soviets perceived Americans to be ruthless and aggressive but built up their arms for attack on the USSR. This tension between the two countries caused the Cold War, but one country was not to be blamed...
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...The Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union was a turning point in the history of mankind. You may ask why the space race was even considered a race in the first place. There were different reasons as to why these two countries tried to conquer space and to outdo one another. Why wouldn't they make it such a big deal, humanity was looking to step foot on the moon for the first time, that would mark history forever. To begin with, the competition intensified as each side attempted to prove the advantage of its technology. According to blog.yizzam.com/the-space-race-usa-or-ussr-more-competitive/, "Tensions quickly grew among the Cold War rivals and it became evident that the race embodied so much more than having bragging rights." The space race was a competition where both countries tried to develop aerospace capabilities. Thus, they wanted the world to see which was the better and more innovative nation. Beginning in the late 1950s, space would become another dramatic arena for this competition, as each side would prove to have superiority of its technology. At first, for a while people...
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...Democracy Vs. Communism Following WWII Following World War II, the Western World was once again in disagreement. However, the disagreement following World War II was not based on countries, but instead on political ideologies. Democracy was supported by the West against communism which was supported by Russia and Eastern Europe. To determine the better of the two systems, the US and the USSR engaged in a 30 year, largely non-violent war to be the best. The winner would be the country to decide the political ideologies of the countries freed during World War II as well as throughout the rest of the world. The USSR emerged from World War II as a world power, and through the next three decades engaged in a battle with the Western World to spread communism, forcing eight Eastern European nations as well as other Asian and Middle-Eastern countries to remain communist until the end of the century. World War II left the USSR as a world power but in a state of complete disarray, leaving the USSR to rebuild and expand their own government beliefs. During the war, the USSR faced the most civilian and military casualties out of any other nation by far. Through the course of the war, 19 million soldiers were killed, with over 5 million civilian casualties, resulting in a total loss over almost 13% of the USSR's population. An additional 5 million prisoners of war, political enemies, and people that had committed crime were in forced labor camps. They were forced to harvest natural resources...
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...Union were in the middle of the Cold War and the arms race. By this time, the Space Race was in full blast and the United States were losing to their opponents, the Soviets. The Soviets had already succeeded in getting the first satellite into orbit, human in space, first object to collide with the Moon, and the first to capture pictures from the Moon’s orbit. If the United States was going to be the first to land a man on the Moon, Kennedy had to motivate the public to back the decision the government made. The Moon was essentially the crown jewel of the space race, and an opportunity to show off the country’s military advancements they had made during the arms race. In other...
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...American Movie Posters of the 70’s Ah yes, the 70’s in America. A time filled with great movies, great art, horrible wars and, most of all, great hair. There were many things going on during this period that influenced the way sci-fi movie posters were made and what they showed. Things ranging from the Cold War to the amazing Space Race all played a part in how these posters were created and what elements were included, and they all affected the way the author went about accomplishing goals that were predetermined. When I went about recreating the genre, there were many things that I replicated and followed because I was also trying to accomplish the same goals. There are many things that I feel are represented successfully, as well as things that are not as successful in my re-production, all of which I will talk about further down in the paper. Let’s first take a look at the 1970’s in the United States and see how the events could have played a role in the creation of sci-fi movie posters. The 1970’s...
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...Darrell C. Johnson Jr. History 101 08/02/2015 Unit 1- Individual Project The Space Race In the middle of the 20th century the world’s two super power, United States and the Soviet Union were in a competition known as the space race. The two super countries clashed for superiority of technology, military firepower, and its politics. The superiority was seen as necessary for national security and ideological superiority. By the mid-1950s, the United States and Soviet Cold War had taken its effects on both countries, because of this competition and the threat of nuclear weapons, espionage and counter-espionage between the two countries, the Korean War and a war of words and philosophy’s carried out in the media. All of these tensions continued throughout the space race, tensions heated up even more with events like the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961, the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 and a war in Southeast Asia. On October 4, 1957, Sputnik, a Soviet R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile launched. Sputnik was the world’s first artificial satellite and first man-made object to be placed in orbit. The launch came as a surprise, but wasn’t pleasant to Americans. Space was seen as the next frontier, in the United States. This demonstration of the power of the R-7 missile seemed capable of delivering a nuclear warhead into U.S. air space. Which made gathering intelligence about Soviet military activities particularly urgent. The U.S. launched its own satellite...
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