The Berlin Wall Goes Up 1961 Checkpoint Charlie

The Berlin Wall Goes Up (1961) Checkpoint Charlie

Berlin Wall • East German government built a wall between East and West Berlin • The Berlin Wall was meant to stop the flood of East Germans escaping to freedom in the West (symbol of tyranny and oppression) • Strong Cold War symbol until 1989 • Rapid political changes in Germany led to the reunification of Germany in 1990

http: //www. history. com/topics/cold-war/berlinwall/videos/kennedy-responds-to-berlin-wall

Ich bin ein Berliner! (1963) President Kennedy tells Berliners that the West is with them!

Khruschev Embraces Castro, 1961

Bay of Pigs Debacle (1961) • After President Kennedy took office, he approved the CIAs plan to overthrow Fidel Castro, the communist leader in Cuba • Cuban Exiles: trained and supplied by the US government- planed to invade Cuba and start a revolution. • The invasion was April 17, 1961: location called Bay of Pigs • Castro’s troops crushed the rebellion and brought about the embarrassment of Kennedy and the US government

Bay of Pigs Debacle (1961)

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) • Fearing another US invasion, Castro agreed to the Soviet plan to base nuclear missiles aimed at the United States in Cuba • Kennedy learned of the plan while it was under construction • October 22, 1962, he ordered a naval blockade of Cuba and demanded the Soviets withdraw the missiles

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) We went eyeball-to-eyeball with the Russians, and the other man blinked!

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) • The Cuban Missile Crisis: brought the US and Soviet Union to the brink of war, but the soviets backed down and withdrew their missiles • Kennedy clearly demonstrated that the US would not tolerate the soviets in the Western Hemisphere. • Kennedy helped the nation return some prestige in the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. • In 1963, US, Soviet Union, and Britain agreed not to test nuclear weapons in the air, in the sea, or in outer space (only underground testing)

We had missiles in Turkey • The US had missiles in Turkey in 1961 aimed right at the Soviet Union • USSR asked for them to be disbanded we ignored the request

The Space Program • The Soviet Union launched the first person in space • Kennedy committed the nation to putting the first person on the moon • In 1969, six years after his death Neil Armstrong stepped on to the moon’s surface • The space effort cost 25. 4 million

The Peace Corps • Thousands of volunteers were sent to developing countries to train local people in technical, educational, and health programs • The peace corps was intended to offset the growth of communism in those nations • Stills exists today