1. In 1950, North Korea (using Soviet weapons) attacked South Korea
South Korea asked the United Nations for help; the UN sent troops to Korea to contain communism
UN forces push North Korea back, but China enters the war
After WWII, Korea was divided along the 38° with a communist gov’t in North Korea & a democracy in South Korea

2. 1953 – Ceasefire; 38° parallel restored as the boundary between North & South Korea

3. U.S.-Soviet relations changed in 1953 when Stalin died
Nikita Khrushchev took over and began to aggressively challenge U.S. influence in the world
In 1955, Khrushchev formed a communist alliance to rival NATO, called the Warsaw Pact
In 1956, the Soviet Union threatened expansion into the Middle East
President Eisenhower responded with the Eisenhower Doctrine, pledging the USA to protect the Middle East from Communism

4. In 1957, the USSR launched Sputnik, the first satellite into space
Sputnik shocked Americans who feared the U.S. had fallen behind in science & technology
In 1957, the USSR launched Sputnik, the first satellite into space
As a result of Sputnik, the Cold War escalated into a space race to show American & Soviet dominance

5. The U.S. government passed the National Defense Education Act to promote math, science, and technology education and to fund university research

6. The U2 Incident 1960 – U2 spy plane shot down over Soviet Union
CIA pilot – Gary Powers – was captured, tried and convicted of espionage, and sent to a Russian prison
Eisenhower is unsuccessful at getting Powers released
Powers eventually exchanged for a Russian spy in 1962

7. In his farewell speech, Eisenhower warned against the “military industrial complex”—overspending & over-prioritizing military over basic American needs

8. John Kennedy becomes President in 1961
In JFK’s first year in office, Soviet leader Khrushchev threatened to cut off access to West Berlin
JFK vowed to never give up access to West Berlin
I am directing the Secretary of Defense to undertake a reorganization and modernization o the Army's divisional structure, to increase its non-nuclear firepower, to improve its tactical mobility in any environment, to insure its flexibility to meet any direct or indirect threat, to facilitate its coordination with our major allies, and to provide more modern mechanized divisions in Europe and bring their equipment up to date, and [to provide] new airborne brigades in both the Pacific and Europe.
President John F. Kennedy

9. Rather than blockade the city, Communist leaders built the Berlin Wall

10. Walls and other barriers 10–15 feet high surrounded West Berlin
Walls and other barriers 10–15 feet high surrounded West Berlin. The length of the barriers around the city totaled about 110 miles
The “death strip” stretched like a barren moat around West Berlin, with patrols, floodlights, electric fences, and vehicle traps between the inner and outer walls

11. Cuba had become a Communist nation led by Fidel Castro in 1959

12. In 1961, JFK authorized the Bay of Pigs invasion…but it failed
The CIA trained Cuban exiles to invade the island & overthrow of Castro
In 1961, JFK authorized the Bay of Pigs invasion…but it failed

13. JFK warned that he would not allow nuclear missiles in Cuba
In 1962, U.S. spy planes revealed nuclear missile camps in Cuba (Cuban Missile Crisis)
If assembled, Soviet ICBMs in Cuba would give the USSR first strike capability on U.S. targets
JFK warned that he would not allow nuclear missiles in Cuba

14. Advisors presented JFK with several options
Naval blockade to keep out the in-route Soviet missiles
Diplomacy: trade ICBMs in Cuba for ours in Turkey?
Immediate air strike on existing missile sites
Full military invasion of Cuba; Take out Castro
Kennedy chose the naval blocakade

15. Kennedy announced a quarantine (blockade) to keep more missiles out & demanded that the Soviets remove the missiles already in Cuba
Soviet ships, escorted by nuclear-equipped submarines, soon approached the quarantine line & the world waited for World War III

16. The standoff ended when a deal was reached
JFK promised that the U.S. would not invade Cuba & secretly agreed to remove ICBMs from Turkey
Soviet ships turned around at the last minute & Khrushchev removed its missiles from Cuba
The crisis ended as a victory for JFK, but it revealed how close the two sides came to nuclear war