Cuban Missile Crisis

The USSR had missiles in Cuba. True, the US had missiles in Turkey, but this was totally different. There were missiles so close to the US. The US thought it was completely different, but it wasn't. Both the US and the USSR had missiles near the other country, within shooting range. Both were threatened by the other but both refused to move their missiles. Tensions grew higher and higher. The US wanted the USSR's influence OUT of Cuba. Finally they agreed. The US wouldn't invade Cuba and the USSR would take their missiles out. A couple months later, the US removed their missiles from Turkey. Tensions eased, somewhat. Or they eased as much as they could for to two countries that were at each other's throats.

Space Race

Tensions between the USSR and the US were beyond high. Each wanting to out wit the other and prove they were the bigger, better, smarter, and more powerful. The USSR hopped to it right away, launching sputnik and sending it off into space. The first satellite in space. The US scrambled to be just as space smart. They worked and worked finally getting a satellite of their own in space. But, the US didn't stop there. They kept at it improving school's curriculum particularly in the math and science areas and finally the US made history. They sent man to the moon.

Vietnam

During the war in Vietnam, like the Korean, Vietnam was divided into two different sides. The north and the south. It was divided by, again like Korea, the 17th parallel. In the north was the Communist and Nationalist Ho Chi Mihn. In the south, Ngo Dinh Diem, a Vietnamese man that the US tried to mold into a leader that could win the hearts of both the north and the south people. Well, despite the grooming from the US, all the power of being a leader went straight to the head of Diem. Mihn gained more and more power and become a great threat. The US was supporting the south, the non-communist side, as always, and both the Soviets and China were supporting the communist side as both of those countries were Communist at the time. During this time, tension was growing between China and the USSR and things were getting worse to the point that the USSR pulled back a little on their support of North Vietnam. Allies and countries that are in it together turning on each other? What was the cold war doing to the world?

The Korean War

During World War II, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel. When the war ended, the Japanese that had invaded Korea surrendured. The Japanese to the north of the parallel surrendured to the Soviets and the Japanese soldiers south of the parallel surrendered to the US. But even though the Japanese had left Korea remainded dived. Half of the nation was Communist, the other half was agianst Communism. Now, instead of just Korea, there was North and South Korea. Each of the two sides governments claimed they had the right to rule all of Korea.

On June 25, 1950 North Korea started the Korean war by invading South Korea.There was a lot of fighting. Sometimes it seemed like the North was going to win and other times the South was so close to victory but in 1951 both countries were back to where they started starting at their enemy across the 38th parallel. A truce was called. Fighting ceased. And still the country was divided.

Civil War in China

China was split. Half of China was ruled under Communism and the other half was under the rule of Nationalism. The Communists were led by Mao Zedong and the Nationalists were ruled by Chiang Kai-Shek. The Nationalists and the Communists and been fighting together agianst the Japanese invaders but as soon as the Japapnese surrendured and went home civil war broke out. From 1944-1947 the United States kept a kind of peace between the two sides even though they were supporting the Nationalists. But even while they held a peace, the US could never get the two sides to negotiate peace and in May of 1949 Chiang and his followers fled China. China was now a communism.