Chapter 18 Section 4
Two Nations Live on the Edge
Race for the H-Bomb
• Atomic Bomb Splits
Atoms
Race for the H-Bomb
• Many questioned the
morality of creating
such a weapon
• Oppenheimer
opposed this project
Race for the H-Bomb
• Politicians and the
military pressed for a
more powerful
weapon
Race for the H-Bomb
• 11/1/52- US explodes
the 1st H-Bomb
• 10 times more
powerful than they
thought it would be
Brinkmanship
• Dwight Eisenhower
now President
Brinkmanship
• Dulles proposed a
new policy – the US
would keep peace by
promising to use all
its force – including
nuclear weaponsagainst an aggressor
nation
Brinkmanship
• This policy placed more
importance on nuclear
weapons – and the
planes that delivered
them
Brinkmanship
• Arms race begins
• Soviets respond by
building more of their own
nuclear weapons
Cold War Spreads Around the
World
• National defense now
dependent on nuclear
arms
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
Covert Actions – Middle East
• 1951 Iran- Prime
Minister placed oil
industry under govmt
control
Covert Actions – Middle East
• 1953-CIA urged
Shah(King) of Iran to
replace Iranian PM
with someone prowestern
Covert Actions – Guatemala
• 1954- Eisenhower
believed Guatemala
had communist
sympathies
Covert Actions – Guatemala
• In response CIA
trained army
• Invaded Guatemala
A Summit in Geneva
• US/Soviet relations
seemed to improve
after the death of
Stalin in 1953
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
A Summit in Geneva
• Eisenhower proposed
an “open skies”
policy
• US& Soviet Union
would allow flight over
each other’s territory
A Summit in Geneva
• Summit accomplished
nothing specific
Crisis in the Middle East
• Cold War affected the
Middle east as well as
Europe
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Crisis in the Middle East
• Gamal Nasser, head
of Egypt, began to
strengthen his ties
with communist
nations
Crisis in the Middle East
• British & French
angry
Crisis in the Middle East
• Soviets threaten to
launch missiles
against Britain and
France
Soviet Aggression in Hungary
• Nikita Khrushchev
new leader of Soviet
Union
Soviet Aggression in Hungary
• People wondered if
Khrushchev was
going to be less
repressive
Soviet Aggression in Hungary
• Hungary was an example
• Leaders were debating
about how much freedom
to grant Hungary
Soviet Aggression in Hungary
• Hungary wanted out
of the Warsaw Pact
• Soviets respond
brutally
Soviet Aggression in Hungary
• Eisenhower offered
no military aid
• Protested the
invasion
Eisenhower Doctrine
• Soviet prestige grew
in middle east due to
support of Egypt
Cold War Takes to the Skies
• 1957-US thought they
were ahead of the
Soviets in military
technology
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
Sputnik Launches the Space Race
• Americans felt
vulnerable to nuclear
attack
Sputnik Launches the Space Race
• American scientists
frantically tried to
catch up
U2 is Shot Down
• CIA was making high
altitude flights over
SU
U2 is Shot Down
• Eisenhower wanted
flights discontinued
• Was afraid that if one
was shot down if
would hurt US/Soviet
relations
U2 is Shot Down
• May 1, 1960- US spy
plane piloted by
Francis Gary Powers
shot down over Soviet
territory
U2 is Shot Down
• Shot down 1,300
miles deep in Soviet
Territory
• Powers was captured
alive
Khrushchev Denounces
Eisenhower
• Denounced
Eisenhower at what
was supposed to be a
second peace summit
at Geneva-then left