Reference no: EM133315672
Assignment:
The Cold War began in the aftermath of World War II when the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, allies in the fight against Nazi Germany, found little common ground in the post-war world. In the nearly 50 years of the Cold War, U.S. policy shifted from the fear of the spread of communism as a zero-sum game in the 1950s; to the domino theory and proxy wars in the 1950s and 1960s, such as the Korean War and the Vietnam War; the notion of the MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction) originating in the 1960s; to the Detente of the 1970s; to the more confrontational approach of the Reagan administration of the 1980s.
The Cold War was not only political: it seeped into cultural, scientific, and athletic arenas as well.
As in a chess game, with moves and counter-moves, the U.S. and Soviet Union circled each other, each seeking to prevent the other from expanding its influence and promoting victories in areas outside of politics as proof of the superiority of its political and economic system.
Choose one of the events listed below in the Choice for M5.1 Discussion - Required.
In this forum, please create posts that describe the event you selected, its significance to the Cold War era, and the ways it shaped perceptions of what the Cold War meant.
- Korean War (1950-19053)
- Launching of Sputnik (1957) and Explorer (1958)
- Tchaikovsky Competition of 1958
- Kitchen Debate (1959)
- Gary Powers and U-2 Incident (1960)
- Cuban Missle Crisis (1962)
- Vietnam War (ca. 1965-1973)
- Fischer v. Spassky Chess Match (1972)
- Normalization of relations with China (1970s)
- U.S. Olympic Hockey Team - Miracle on Ice (1980)
- Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan/Boycott of Moscow Olympics (1979-80)
- NATO Able Archer Exercise (1983)
- Reykjavik Summit (1986)
The following sources can assist you in answering the above questions:
- Boundless World History, Competition between East and West
- Boundless World History, Crisis Point of the Cold War
- The Cold War: 1917-1991 (video; 28:37)