Topic 5: Crises of the Cold War and Detente

1960: U2 crises

• Paris Summit - no test treaty ban signed
• End of peaceful co-existance
• Eisenhower was blamed, Nixon lost election to Kennedy
• America expected USSR to retaliate - forces were alerted
• Creates mistrust between USA and USSR
• Kruschchev won propaganda victory
• Eisenhower promised to end spying missions nevertheless new methods were used
• China never trusted USA - they were proved right - went more against peaceful co-existance than ever

1961: Berlin Wall

• Families and communities split
• USA disagreed - denied people of their freedom
• USA used wall as propaganda to show how cruel the USSR was - victory for USA
• Reduced defections from East to West (3 million before, 5,000 after wall was built)
• One currency in East Germany - economy became more stable
• Kennedy stood up to USSR
• Checkpoint Charlie - tank standoff - proved neither side wanted a war
• …