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Korean War
Korea split after World War II; it was divided into 2 sections: North and South. Communist North Korea started to invade South Korea, so the US sent aid to the South. The US pushed back the North Koreans almost to the Chinese border, but because they felt threatened, the Chinese entered the war with the North. The 2 sides kept pushing back and forth until the end of the war in 1953. Some choices were whether to help in an overseas invasion with American troops. Some consequences were human lives -
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Vietnam War
Vietnam was split into two political regions after World War II. The North was a communist political region and the South was not happy about the leadership in the North. When the U.S got involved to help the South in their fight against communism the Soviet Union aided the North, further extending the Cold War. Vietnam was a particularly costly war as many people in the U.S were opposed to it and many of the fatalities of the war were Vietnamese citizens. -
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Space Race
Sputnik launched into space on October 4, 1957, officially beginning the Space Race. US launched their satellite on January 31, 1958. April 12, 1961, the USSR put their first man in space. Later, on May 5, 1961, the US followed suite. On July 21, 1969, America put their fist man on the moon. The choices for the missions on the Space Race were ones of human lives and millions of dollars. Some consequences were human lives but the US eventually won. -
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Bay of Pigs
The Bay of Pigs was a U.S. financed and directed invasion on Cuba. The U.S. send trained Cuban exiles on this invasion to overthrow Fidel Castro's government. Castro was the communist Prime Minister in Cuba and posed a threat to the U.S. They launched this mission to try to end the spread of communism but suffered major consequences. The invasion failed miserably, not only did the U.S. lose the battle, they also lost Cuba to the Soviet Union. -
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Cuban Missle Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the U.S. confrontation on the Soviet Union. The two superpowers were very close to resulting to nuclear battle. Russia chose to have missiles in Cuba and the U.S. retaliated by placing missiles in Europe. Soon after, Russia agreed to remove their missiles and in return, the U.S. recognized Cuban sovereignty and also withdrawled their missiles. There were no consequences in these choices. Both nations prevented nuclear warfare. -
Overall Change
Throughout the Cold War America was a country motivated to fight communism wherever they found it. Weather that was North Vietnam or Korea. As a result of this many Americans became fed up with the federal government. Through this constant battling America was able to remain a world superpower and dominant military force. As the Cold War waged on the American government had to make some mandatory changes. For the first time in history two nations would be engaging in multiple arenas.