Overview: 18.4  Two Nations Live On The Edge

1.  How was the Hydrogen bomb different from the Atomic Bomb?

• The force of 1 million tons of TNT
• 67 times the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima
• We developed it Nov. 52
• Soviets tested one in Aug. 53
  

2. What was the policy of Brinkmanship?

• Secretary of State: John Foster Dulles' policy
• Willingness to go to the brink of all out war- in order to preserve the peace
• Used to trim down our conventional forces (army) and build up our nuclear forces (bombs)
• Getting 'more bang for your buck'
• New danger: destroying the world!
• School children practice Duck & Cover drills
• Many Americans build bomb shelters
  

3. What covert actions did the US undertake in the Middle East?

• 1953: Iran's Prime Minister: Mohanned Mossadegh (Mow-saw-day) nationalized Iran's oil fields
• putting mostly Brittish private oil companies (BP) under Iran's control
• British boycott Iranian Oil
• Iran's economy hard hit.. might appeal to USSR for help
• CIA gives $$ to anti-Mossadegh groups
• CIA supports overthrow & installation of Reza Pahlavi as New Shah of Iran
• Shah gives US cheap oil till 1979
  

4.  What covert actions did the US undertake in Latin America?

• Guatemalan newly elected leader: Arbenz
• tried to institute 'land reform'- taking land away from wealthy American companies (United Fruit)
• giving it to the peasants
• Pres. Eisenhower decides this is Communism
• CIA trained an army, it invaded Guatemala
• overthrew Arbenz
• Leader of Army (Pro US) became dictator of Guatemala
  

5. What was the Warsaw Pact?

• Stalin died 1953
• US relations w/ USSR improved
• But West Germany was allowed to join NATO
• Soviet response: form defensive alliance with 7 Eastern Bloc nations: Warsaw Pact
  

6. What happened at the Geneva Summit?

• 1955 Eisenhower met Soviet leader in Switzerland
• "Spirit of Geneva" = thaw in Cold War
  
• Eisenhower proposed: "Open Skies"
• allowing flights over each others' territory to guard against nuclear attacks
• Soviets reject proposal
  

7.  How did conflict over the Suez Canal start a war in the Middle East?

• 1955- US & British agree to finance dam at Aswan on Nile River
• Egyptian pres. Nassar tried to bargain for more $$ with USSR
• US withdrew offer of loan
• Angry, Nassar nationalized Suez Canal (owned by France, Britain)
• Nassar closed off all shipping to Israel
• Angered, threatened- England, France, Israel launch surprise attack to retake the canal
• wiped out all Egypt's air force on ground
• USSR, through UN, forced US to get Britain, France, Israel to stop the attack & withdraw
• Egypt kept control of the Suez Canal
  

8. What was the Eisenhower Doctrine?

• Soviet prestige rose in Middle East
• Ike issues warning: US will defend any Middle Eastern nation against attack by any Communist country
  

9. What happened during the Hungarian uprising?

• 1956- Hungarians revolt against Soviet control
• Popular communist Imre Nagy formed new government
• promised free elections,
  
• denounced Warsaw Pact,
  
• ordered Soviet troops out of Hungary
• Russian tanks rolled through Hungary
• killed 30,000 Hungarians to stop rebellion
• Hungarians pleaded with US to help them!
• (Truman Doctrine!)
• Russians take control of Hungary, execute Nagy
• Soviet veto stopped UN from sending help
• US policy did not extend to Hungary... why?
  

10.  How did the Soviet launch of Sputnic affect the US?

• New Soviet leader: Khrushchev announced policy of Peaceful Coexistence with The West
• We will compete economically and scientifically
• Space Race is born
• Oct 4, 1957 Soviets launch first satelite into space: Sputnik
• circled globe every 96 minutes (huge threat!)
• US failed to launch a rocket until Jan 58
• Poured $$$ into space program
• Acquired former Nazi Scientist Werner Von Braun

11. What was the U-2 incident and how did it affect  US - Soviet relations?

• Secret high altitude flights began over Soviet air space
• U-2 spy planes flew over the range of radar
• it was an 'open secret'
• Eisenhower planned to discontinue the flights
  
• planning a new Summit meeting in Paris and hoped to create good will by stopping flights
• 'last flight' OK'd
• Francis Gary Powers, pilot-
• shot down (sentenced to 10 yrs)
  
• parachuted to safety... and captured!
• Eisenhower at first denies spying on Soviets
• shown pictures of live pilot
• agreed to stop flights
• refused to apologize
• Khrushchev walked out of summit