18.4 LIVING ON THE EDGE

DANGEROUS TIMES• Soviets get their first A-Bomb in 1949

• U.S. makes more powerful hydrogen bomb in 1952, Soviets in 1953

• Brinksmanship: game of “chicken” with the Soviets, using nuclear bombs

• Led to an arms race to see who could build more first

DANGEROUS TIMES• Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD): idea that, if

one of us used our nukes, other would immediately retaliate• We’d both be annihilated

DANGEROUS TIMES• The CIA would use its spies to keep weaker

countries from accepting Soviet help• CIA has been linked to the assassination of

foreign leaders friendly with the Soviets• Iran’s democratically-elected PM was pushed

out by the CIA when he started talking friendly about the Soviets

DANGEROUS TIMES• After we snubbed Egypt for befriending the

Soviets, Egyptian President Nasser took control of the Suez Canal• This added to animosity between Egypt and

Israel• Eisenhower Doctrine said we would protect the

Middle East from communists

DANGEROUS TIMES• Nov 1956 Soviet tanks rolled in to Hungary &

violently put down protesters there• Truman Doctrine/Policy of Containment…?

BACK IN EUROPE…• 1955, W. Germany is allowed to rearm & join NATO

• Soviets respond with the Warsaw Pact: Communist countries in E. Europe would come to each other’s aid if attacked…

• But but Soviets would be in charge of all the members militaries

TO THE SKIES• Nikita Khrushchev took over when Stalin died in 1953• Soviet satellite Sputnik in 1957, U.S. in 1958• U2 spy planes were used by the U.S. to spy on

Soviets, they shot one down in 1960• Soviets were furious, cancelled a summit meeting with

the U.S.