Cold War intensified after Russia and the United States got new leaders, namely Nikita Khrushchev and Dwight Eisenhower. The war dynamics transformed to a new level as ground troops were reduced because the two nations wanted to focus more on nuclear weapons. The U.S. policies were highly aggressive, and in an event where the Soviets waged war, they would massively retaliate. Khrushchev, too, adopted similar policies and weapons to match the U.S. ones. As a result, both parties formed a policy of Mutual Assured Destruction, which entailed using similar weapons that would ensure the annihilation of the two warring parties.
Space Race
The space race was the most common nonviolent form of cold war used between the U.S. and Soviets in the Cold War events. The competition began in World War II where a German with technology knowledge was captured. Technical prowess was regarded as critical for global defense and a sign of intellectual supremacy. The Space Program culminated in pioneering efforts to deploy manmade satellites on one-person missions to other planets and human space travel to the Moon and low Earth orbit. The space race began on August 2, 1955, when the Soviets announced their motive to launch artificial aircraft in the future in response to the U.S. announcement earlier. The announcement was about deploying an artificial spaceship for the World Meteorological Year. The Soviet Union accomplished this first by orbiting Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, then delivering Yuri Gagarin, the first man to land in space. Then, on July 20, 1969, the U.S deployed Apollo 11 to become the first country to land humans on the Moon. The Soviet Union attempted but ultimately abandoned manned lunar missions in favor of Earth-orbiting space stations.
Influence from other Nations
The Korean War shifted the Cold War’s focal point from postwar Europe to East Asia. Following this, proxy wars in the Third World became a significant battlefield of superpower rivalry. Having already made a pact with Western Europe, the U.S. was less disturbed by losing because the Marshal Plan stabilized their economy. Moreover, the Latin American and Asian leaders stood firm against colonization; hence, the United States focused on third-world countries. As a result, the Soviets initiated active campaigns against colonialism, which brought ideological competition between them.
Cold War Disaster Points
The Suez Canal was viewed as a central focus for Middle Eastern control, and as a result, countries like the U.K attempted to invade in order to depose Gamal Abdel Nasser but were unsuccessful. However, the invasion meant that Egypt was in danger; therefore U.N. created UNEF peacekeepers to safeguard the borders of Egypt, which resulted in lasting peace.
The Hungarian Revolution 1956
In response to an uprising in Hungary, the new government abolished the secret police after denouncing the regime, sought to withdraw from the Warsaw pact, and swore to reestablish free and fair elections. As a result, the Soviets invaded Hungary and suppressed the revolution. As a consequence, numbers of Hungarians migrated to neighboring countries; Hungarians were detained and sent to the Soviet Union; mass killings occurred; and Imre Nagy, Hungary’s leader, was executed.
Building of Berlin Wall
The Soviets constructed the berlin wall to block Eastern German workers from fleeing, preventing economic disastrous of workers. The wall was created in 1945 and symbolled an Iron Curtain divided east and west. The wall was termed an anti-fascist wall as it blocked the Westerners and NATO countries from crossing. With the closing of the east-west sector, East Germans could not go to their places of work; this led to mass unemployment and separation of families.
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Continuously aiming to eclipse and assassinate Fidel Castro by Kennedy, he failed in an attempt known as the pigs’ invasion. When Khrushchev became aware of Kennedy’s desire, he replied by plotting the installation of nuclear weapons in Cuba. These activities pushed the world nearer than ever to nuclear conflict.