Chapter 18 Section 4
Two Nations Live on the Edge
Race for the H-Bomb
• Atomic Bomb Splits
Atoms
• Scientists suspected
that it would be
possible to build a
bomb which fuses
atoms-a hydrogen
bomb
• Estimated to be 67
times more powerful
than the bomb
dropped on Hiroshima
Race for the H-Bomb
• Many questioned the
morality of creating
such a weapon
• Oppenheimer
opposed this project
• However, now that
the Soviets had an
atomic bomb, the US
had no advantage
Race for the H-Bomb
• Politicians and the
military pressed for a
more powerful
weapon
• According to them,
we had to develop
one before the
Soviets did
• Truman authorizes
work on the H-Bomb
Race for the H-Bomb
• 11/1/52- US explodes
the 1st H-Bomb
• 10 times more
powerful than they
thought it would be
• American advantage
lasted less than a
year
• Soviets exploded their
own in August 1953
Brinkmanship
• Dwight Eisenhower
now President
• Secretary of stateJohn Foster Dullesstaunch anticommunist
– Not willing to make
any compromises with
communism
Brinkmanship
• Dulles proposed a
new policy – the US
would keep peace by
promising to use all
its force – including
nuclear weaponsagainst an aggressor
nation
• This policy was
known as
brinkmanship
Brinkmanship
• This policy placed more
importance on nuclear
weapons – and the
planes that delivered
them
• So, US trimmed the army
and navy, but beefed up
the size of the air force
• Produced massive
numbers of nuclear
weapons
Brinkmanship
• Arms race begins
• Soviets respond by
building more of their own
nuclear weapons
• Americans convinced that
Soviet bombs were
pointed at American cities
– Kids did air raid drills
– Families built bomb
shelters
– Fear of nuclear war
became a constant fear
Cold War Spreads Around the
World
• National defense now
dependent on nuclear
arms
• Eisenhower relies
more heavily on
Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) for
information
Cold War Spreads Around the
World
• CIA used spies to gather
information
–Carried out covert actions
–Secret operations
•In attempts to overthrow
governmets unfriendly to
the US
Covert Actions
• Eisenhower equated
Soviet leadership to
totalitarian dictatorship of
WWII
• Soviet leadership was
ordering secret
operations against its
enemies
• Eisenhower felt the US
was at a disadvantage &
should carry out covert
actions
Covert Actions – Middle East
• 1951 Iran- Prime
Minister placed oil
industry under govmt
control
• To protest, western
nations stopped
buying Iranian Oil
• As Iranian govmt
struggled-US feared
Iran would turn to
Soviet Union
Covert Actions – Middle East
• 1953-CIA urged
Shah(King) of Iran to
replace Iranian PM
with someone prowestern
• Iranian people
remained loyal to the
Shah
• PM fled
Covert Actions – Guatemala
• 1954- Eisenhower
believed Guatemala
had communist
sympathies
– Gave over 200,000
acres of American
owned land to
peasants
Covert Actions – Guatemala
• In response CIA
trained army
• Invaded Guatemala
• Captured nation’s
leader (Guzman) and
his forces
• CIA trained army’s
leader became new
dictator of the nation
A Summit in Geneva
• US/Soviet relations
seemed to improve
after the death of
Stalin in 1953
– Soviets recognize
West Germany
– Conclude peace
treaties with Austria
and Japan
A Summit in Geneva
• However…
• Soviets grew fearful when W. Germany rearmed and joined NATO
• Formed its own military alliance-Warsaw Pact-w/
Eastern European satellite nations
A Summit in Geneva
• July 1955-Eisenhower
traveled to Geneva,
Switzerland
– To meet w/ Soviet
leaders in the 1st EastWest summit
conference since
WWII
A Summit in Geneva
• Eisenhower proposed
an “open skies”
policy
• US& Soviet Union
would allow flight over
each other’s territory
– To guard against a
surprise nuclear attack
• Rejected by Sovietsthought it was a trick to
find Soviet nuclear
weapons
A Summit in Geneva
• Summit accomplished
nothing specific
• But it seemed to
promise a movement
toward peace
Crisis in the Middle East
• Cold War affected the
Middle east as well as
Europe
• 1955 US & Britain
agree to finance a
dam in Egypt at
Aswan, along the Nile
River
• http://www.history.co
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Crisis in the Middle East
• Gamal Nasser, head
of Egypt, began to
strengthen his ties
with communist
nations
• US & Britain withdrew
offer to build the dam
• Angry Nasser seized
the Suez Canal
– Which was owned by
Britain and France
Crisis in the Middle East
• British & French
angry
• Israel also angry at
Egypt-which had
been making terrorist
raids into Israel
• Britain, France &
Israel invade EgyptOctober 1956
Crisis in the Middle East
• Soviets threaten to
launch missiles
against Britain and
France
• US warns-it would not
tolerate such action
• UN imposed a cease
fire
• Canal reopened in
1957-under Egyptian
management
Soviet Aggression in Hungary
• Nikita Khrushchev
new leader of Soviet
Union
• Openly criticized
Stalin in Feb of 1956
– Said Stalin committed
crimes against the
Soviet people
Soviet Aggression in Hungary
• People wondered if
Khrushchev was
going to be less
repressive
• Eastern European
nations began to
dream of breaking
free of Soviet control
Soviet Aggression in Hungary
• Hungary was an example
• Leaders were debating
about how much freedom
to grant Hungary
• Hungary had attempted
to either remove Soviets
or to reform the
government
• Khrushchev allowed for a
reform minded premier to
take control of Hungary
Soviet Aggression in Hungary
• Hungary wanted out
of the Warsaw Pact
• Soviets respond
brutally
• Soviet tanks roll in
and kill 30,000
Hungarians
• Thousands fled to the
US
Soviet Aggression in Hungary
• Eisenhower offered
no military aid
• Protested the
invasion
• Sent $20 million for
food and medicine
Eisenhower Doctrine
• Soviet prestige grew
in middle east due to
support of Egypt
• Eisenhower had to
provide a
counterbalance
• Issued Eisenhower
Doctrine- US would
defend middle east
against any
communist attack
Cold War Takes to the Skies
• 1957-US thought they
were ahead of the
Soviets in military
technology
• US had warheads that
could deliver warheads
1,500 to 3,000 miles
• But by August 1957Soviets developed an
Intercontinental Ballistic
Missile (ICBM)
Sputnik Launches the Space Race
• 10/4/57- Soviets use an
ICMB to launch the 1st
unmanned satellite out of
Earth’s atmosphere
• Sputnik traveled 18,000
miles/hr
• Circled globe every 96.2
minutes
• If the Soviets could do
this they could hit the US
w/ a missile
Sputnik Launches the Space Race
• Americans felt
vulnerable to nuclear
attack
• US seemed to be
falling behind in
science and
technology
• Schools attempted to
improve math,
science, and foreign
language classes
Sputnik Launches the Space Race
• American scientists
frantically tried to
catch up
• January 31, 1958 US
successfully launched
its 1st satellite
• Race to built bigger
satellites and better
weapons systems
was on
U2 is Shot Down
• CIA was making high
altitude flights over
SU
• Used U2 spy planes
– Could fly higher than
Soviet fighters
– Beyond the reach of
anti-aircraft fire
Was able to take
detailed photos
U2 is Shot Down
• Eisenhower wanted
flights discontinued
• Was afraid that if one
was shot down if
would hurt US/Soviet
relations
• Dulles persuaded him
to authorize 1 more
flight
U2 is Shot Down
• May 1, 1960- US spy
plane piloted by
Francis Gary Powers
shot down over Soviet
territory
• US said it
disappeared while on
a weather mission
• Khrushchev
announced what had
happened
U2 is Shot Down
• Shot down 1,300
miles deep in Soviet
Territory
• Powers was captured
alive
• Bad moment for the
US
• Eisenhower took
responsibility for the
flight
Khrushchev Denounces
Eisenhower
• Denounced
Eisenhower at what
was supposed to be a
second peace summit
at Geneva-then left
• U2 incident ended
Eisenhower’s
effectiveness as a
peacemaker