Stephanie Fuhrmannek Spies Missiles Witch hunts and Fear

Stephanie Fuhrmannek Spies, Missiles, Witch hunts, and Fear

Berlin Wall • • • From 1945 -1961, Berlin was divided into 4 sectors. The Soviets controlled one sector and the US, France, and England controlled the others. Many Berliners went between the sectors during this time. Around 2. 7 million people under Soviet control left for West Germany. On August 13, 1961, West Berlin was surrounded by barricades and barbed wire by Soviet-controlled East Germany to keep their own people from leaving. Eventually, the city was surrounded by a tall, concrete wall. East Germans trying to flee were often shot. It wasn’t torn down until 1989 when Germany was reunited.

Korea • • • Japan had controlled Korea for many years. After WWII, it was divided along the 38 th parallel with the Soviet Union controlling the North and the U. S. controlling the South. The goal was to re-establish a self-ruling country. By 1949 the Soviets and Americans had left Korea, but the Soviets had left a well trained North Korean army supplied with Soviet weapons. Instead of uniting as one country, communist North Korea invaded democratic South Korea on June 25, 1950. By July 1953, an uneasy peace was reached with the 38 th parallel once again being the dividing line between the 2 countries. They remain enemies to this day.

Spies Both the West and the Soviets had secrets they wanted kept from each other. U. S. leaders thought someone had shared our secrets of how to build atomic bombs. The FBI investigated Julius and Ethyl Rosenberg for espionage. They were convicted and executed for sharing our secrets with the Soviets. Both sides tried to know what the other was planning!

Witch Hunts Many Americans were afraid communism could take over the U. S. Senator Mc. Carthy accused many Americans of being communists. The House Un-American Activities Committee called many famous people to testify if they were members of the Communist Party or knew anyone who was. If they did not answer, they were blacklisted and could not find jobs and some were jailed. This was against the Bill of Rights which was supposed to protect individual freedoms.

Fear The 1950 s was a great economic time in America. Many people could afford a house, car, and appliances. Many families took vacations in their car to see our country. But a fear hung over their heads – that fear was nuclear with the Soviet Union. Towns and schools had bomb drills and evacuation plans. Some families built fallout shelters in their backyards. They were built to withstand nuclear attack and were stocked with food/water/supplies.

Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis In 1959, Fidel Castro became the leader of Cuba. He was a communist and an ally of the Soviet Union. The CIA trained Cuban exiles to fight Castro. On April 15, 1961, troops landed at the Bay of Pigs. The invasion failed. In October 1962, the Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, placed nuclear missiles sites in Cuba and had nuclear missiles in ships off the coast of Cuba. President John F. Kennedy set up a blockade and demanded the missiles be removed. Khrushchev wanted U. S. missiles removed from Turkey. After 13 days, both sides agreed. This was the Cuban Missile Crisis and it was the closest we ever came to nuclear with the Soviet Union. President Kennedy was later assassinated. http: //www. bing. com/videos/search? q=Cuban+Missile+Crisis+Facts&Form =VQFRVP#view=detail&mid=84 A 15671 E 3 E 67 CC 1 E 57984 A 15671 E 3 E 67 CC 1 E 579

Vietnam • • 1945 -1975 Began as Vietnamese trying to rid themselves of French colonial rule after WWII. The U. S. became involved in the 1950 s trying to help Vietnam become a democracy. The North Vietnamese were communists backed by China. In 1975 the North Vietnamese army entered Saigon, South Vietnam. We evacuated and lost the war. The country was united under communism. 58, 000 American soldiers died.