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The Space Race and American Politics

The Space Race and American Politics. Technological advancements and political changes in the western leader. How Quickly it all changes…. 2 Sept 1949 – A B-29 flying over Alaska detects atmospheric radiation Drifting from Siberia The Soviet Union had an atomic bomb!.

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The Space Race and American Politics

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  1. The Space Race and American Politics

    Technological advancements and political changes in the western leader
  2. How Quickly it all changes… 2 Sept 1949 – A B-29 flying over Alaska detects atmospheric radiation Drifting from Siberia The Soviet Union had an atomic bomb!
  3. 1952 – the Hydrogen Bomb Built by the Atomic Energy Commission after Truman ordered it Predicted to be 1,000 times more powerful that an A-Bomb Nicknamed the “Superbomb” Edward Teller – “Father of the H-Bomb”
  4. The Difference Between the Two Bombs Fusion Reaction (H-Bomb) Fission Reaction (A-Bomb) VS.
  5. What This Means…
  6. Comparison of Fireball Sizes seen and felt 1,000 km away. The heat from the explosion could have caused third degree burns 100 km away from ground zero. The subsequent mushroom cloud was about 60 km high (nearly seven times higher than Mount Everest) and 30–40 km wide. The explosion could be seen and felt in Finland, even breaking windows there. [6]Atmospheric focusing caused blast damage up to 1,000 km away. The seismic shock created by the detonation was measurable even on its third passage around the Earth.
  7. Mutually Assured Destruction Both sides started to build up their nuclear programs Submarines, planes, missiles… MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION – Policy in which the United States and the Soviet Union hoped to deter nuclear war by building up enough weapons to destroy one another
  8. Sputnik I (1957) 4 October 1957 – Soviet Union launches a 184 lbs steel ball containing a transmitter into space The next month they send a dog named Laika So now the Russians have the technological advantage…
  9. Reaction to Sputnik National Defense Education Act (1958) – Teach more math and science in schools National Aeronautics and Space Administration (1958) – to coordinate American space-related efforts
  10. Open Skies and the U2 Incident At Geneva Summit in 1955 – Eisenhower proposed an “Open Skies” treaty to monitor each other Soviets turned it down (secretly too weak to do it) U-2 Spy Plane 1 May 1960 – Francis Gary Powers is shot down over Russia Relations collapse…
  11. The Hollywood 10
  12. McCarthy
  13. Cuba under Castro Fidel Castro was born 13 August 1926 in eastern Cuba 1952 - Castro ran for a seat in the House of Representatives in an election that never happened because Batista seized power 1953 – Castro led an attack on an army barracks in Santiago de Cuba but it failed
  14. Cuba under Castro Castro and his forces were on the run for a while until… 1958 - when Batista tried to completely destroy the uprising forces with a massive offensive The Rebellion held its ground and took control from Batista 1 Jan 1959 Castro became Prime Minister of Cuba
  15. Life under Castro – the real reason the US is not too fond of him 1960 – Castro nationalized all US-businesses Oil refineries, factories, and casinos US enacted embargo Plus…the US tried to kill him April 1961 – 1,400 Cuban exiles trained by the CIA landed near the Bay of Pigs to overthrow Castro 1,300 were captured and in 1962 Castro freed them for medical supplies and baby food (worth $52 million) Operation Mongoose – renewed attempts to destabilize the Cuban regime
  16. Cuban Missile Crisis Early 1962 – Americans station Jupiter missiles in Turkey Later 1962 – Khrushchev answered the threat, secretly sending 80 missiles to the island of Cuba Aug 1962 – the first rumors about Soviet missiles in Cuba began to surface in the US press Soviet ambassadors denied the missiles 14 Oct 1962 – U-2 spy planes find the missiles
  17. The Tensions Continue to Rise Kennedy knew they could not invade Cuba but needed to get rid of the missiles without any concessions Decided to blockade Cuba USSR said that was illegal and that they would test it USSR sent ships toward the blockade but turned back at the last moment Khrushchev sent a letter to Kennedy appealing to reason and trust to prevent a war
  18. The Crisis is Resolved USSR suggests that the US removes the missiles in Turkey if the USSR removes the missiles in Cuba ExComm (Executive Committee of the National Security Council) does not want this to happen Kennedy makes the deal and Khrushchev accepts Russian ships leave Cuba with their hatches open so the US can see the missiles leaving the base
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