Chapter 26 – Section 4:Two Nations Live on the

Edge

vs.

Progression of Nuclear Technology

• United States detonates H-Bomb in November of 1952

• Soviets detonate their H-Bomb in August of 1953

• The Nuclear Arms Race now starts– Make as many

“bombs” as fast as you can

The Policy of Brinksmanship• Eisenhower is POTUS in 1952– John Foster Dulles is his Secretary of

State• Felt we could stop the spread of

communism by promising use of force

• Brinksmanship is being prepared to go to the brink of an all out nuclear war

• Schools now practice air-raid drills– People build bomb and fallout shelters

Massive Nuclear Retaliation• Ike proposes a “new look” policy of

containment– Relies on massive retaliation

• We now start testing “bombs” like crazy

• Nuclear buildup has economic roots– Nuclear proliferation is cheaper

• Other countries get in on the nuclear game– France and Great Britain

What is MAD?• MAD is mutually assured destruction• If both sides attack with nuclear

weapons there will be no victor– Only widespread destruction

• Emerges from the ideas of deterrence– If the only option is MAD we won’t use

“bombs”• Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to

Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Nuclear Accidents Abound• In April of 1950 a B-29 crashes with a

“bomb”• In March of 1956 a B-27 crashes into

the sea with a “bomb”• In 1958 an atomic bomb slips out of

a B-47 and crushes a house– Similar event in New Mexico with an H-

Bomb• We now begin to question our

policies– Are brinksmanship and MAD good ideas?

Thinking the Unthinkable• In 1960 Herman Kahn writes Thinking

about the Unthinkable– Nuclear war is winnable–We must accept losses of 40 million

people– Stock an underground system with elite

people• Other groups challenge the testing of

“bombs”– Finding elevated radioactivity in babies

teeth

Eisenhower and the CIA• In Iran in 1951 Mossadegh

nationalizes oil• Britain stops buying their oil• CIA gives millions to pro-Shah

supporters• In Guatemala in 1954 land is

redistributed• CIA trains an army and invades • Guatemalan army refuses to defend

president

The Warsaw Pact and Geneva

• Tensions thaw a little after Stalin’s death

• Tensions freeze again when West Germany is allowed to rearm

• USSR and seven countries form the Warsaw Pact

• Eisenhower meets with Soviet leaders at Geneva– He proposes an “open skies” policy

• Policy rejected but seen as a step towards peace

Israel: Creating a New Nation

• Nation of Israel is created from Palestine– Gave Jewish people their holy land

• One of the few issues we agree with Soviet Union on– Both saw the horrible tragedies of the

Holocaust• Angered Palestinian Arabs and

Muslims– Still see this tension today

The Suez War• In 1955 Egypt wants to dam the Nile• Nasser of Egypt plays both USSR and

USA• Dulles pulls our money when he finds

out• Nasser nationalizes the canal• Refused to let Israeli ships through• UN gets involved to stop the fighting• Egypt retains control of the Suez

Canal

Revolt in Hungary!• An uprising breaks out

in Hungary in 1956– Led by Imre Nagy

• The Soviet response is quick and brutal– November 1956– Kill 30,000 Hungarians

• What about the Truman Doctrine?– Didn’t apply to ridding

communism from satellite states

Space: The Final Frontier• Nikita Khrushchev will seize power in

USSR– Peaceful coexistence

• Soviet Union jumps to an early space lead– Sputnik is launched in October of 1957

• United States now throws money at NASA– Launch our first satellite on January 31,

1958• Fund education in math and sciences

Cold War Takes to the Skies: The U-2 Incident

• “Open skies” policy had been rejected

• We fly secret, high altitude missions of USSR–We use the U-2 plane for this

• Soviets had been aware of our flights since 1958– Lacked the technology to stop them

• Ike wishes to stop the flights– Upcoming summit with Khrushchev

Cold War Takes to the Skies: The U-2 Incident

• May 1st, 1960 – Gary Francis Powers is shot down– Shot down by a surface to air missile

• Parachutes to the ground and is captured– Sentenced to ten years in prison in USSR– Released in prisoner exchange in 18

months• Eisenhower denies that we were

spying– Says we were studying the weather– Eventually admits it but refuses to

apologize