1. Interact with History

2. 1957

3. World War II has ended and two superpowers - the US and the USSR - dominate the world. You are the leader of one of those superpowers. Civil war has broken out in a developing country that supplies you with essential raw materials.
For that reason, it is important for you to help restore peace. The ruler of the country in the middle of the civil war is a brutal dictator who makes life miserable for his people. Rebels are fighting to topple him, but they are backed by your superpower enemy.

4. 1. Would you support the country’s ruler or the rebels? Why?
2. What other options do you have?

5. 3. What is most important to you - aiding the people of the developing nation or preventing your enemy from gaining influence there?

6. 4. How might competing superpowers use weaker countries in their competition?

7. 5. How might being caught in a struggle between superpowers affect a developing nation?

8. Cold War Begins
Political & Military tension between US and Soviet Union
Essentially the two remaining world superpowers
Warsaw Pact vs NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
Typically seen as
No direct wars between two main countries
Mainly ”proxy wars”
Both armed and ready (nuclear weapons)
Firing one would lead to retaliation
Mutually Assured Destruction
Essentially series of battles for control over influence: Communism vs Democracy/Capitalism