Living on the Edge: 1950s Brinkmanship

1. Living on the Edge:1950s Brinkmanship What are the Cold War policies of the 1950s?

2. The Arms Race • 50’s Cold War policy is brinkmanship. Each country tries to push each other to the “brink” of war to get an advantage • 1949: Soviets develop & test their own atomic weapon • 1952: US develops the more powerful Hydrogen Bomb, Soviets have H-Bomb in 1953 • “Arms Race” develops between two countries http://video.google.com/video play?docid=-3597507450536748258

3. Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) • John Foster Dulles is Eisenhower’s Sec of State • If Soviets attack US interests, US will use massive nuclear retaliation, as will Soviets • US CIA & Soviet KGB begin spying programs • 1953: Stalin dies, is replaced by Nikita Khrushchev - Mid-1950: Soviet Union develops Vostok Rocket, could deliver Nuke to US

4. Suez Canal Crisis • 1956: Egyptian Pres Nasser seizes British-controlled Suez Canal • Britain, France, Israel take back the canal & then occupy parts of Egypt , Nasser asks UN to intervene • Soviets say this is an example of western imperialism, Nasser seeks alliance with USSR • UN Security Council convinces Britain, France, and Israel to leave Egypt & return canal (US abstains) • Soviets gaining influence in Mid East • Eisenhower Doctrine: US will defend Mid East against any Communist attack

5. - Eisenhower fears nuclear war. Authorizes CIA chief Allen Dulles to overthrow foreign governments that become communist Cold War Spreads Around the World 1953: Pro-American Shah flees Iran, PM Mosaddeq nationalizes Iran’s oil wells, CIA backed coup removes PM, returns Shah to power 1954: Socialist Jacobo Arbenz elected President of Guatemala, CIA- backed coup removes him from power, army leader rules country

6. Cold War in the Skies • Oct ‘57: Soviets launch first satellite “Sputnik”, starts Space Race • Nov ’57: launch Sputnik II with Laika the dog on board • Eisenhower starts Nat’l Defense Ed. Act – gives billions to school science programs & forms NASA • Proposes “open skies policy” – Khrushchev refuses, U-2 spy plane shot down over Soviet Union

7. US Cold War Foreign Policy Eisenhower Doctrine Arms & Space Race Containment Policy Truman Doctrine Marshall Plan Mutual Assured Destruction

8. Identify people, word and objects • Identify actions • Identify symbols • What point is cartoonist trying to make?

9. Identify people, word and objects • Identify actions • Identify symbols • What point is cartoonist trying to make?