List two events that, in your opinion, had the biggest impact on the growth of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
1. Cuban Missile Crisis (1962): One of the most significant events that heightened tension between the United States and the Soviet Union was the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviet Union began secretly installing nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of Florida, which posed a direct threat to the United States. When the missiles were discovered by U.S. intelligence, it sparked a 13-day standoff between the two nations. The crisis brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. The U.S. demanded the removal of the missiles while also imposing a naval blockade around Cuba. Eventually, a negotiated settlement was reached, but the crisis highlighted the dangerous level of tension between the two superpowers and the potential consequences of their rivalry.
2. Berlin Wall construction (1961): The construction of the Berlin Wall by East Germany in 1961 led to a significant escalation of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. The wall was built to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Germany and became a physical symbol of the Iron Curtain dividing Europe. The construction of the wall was seen as a victory for the Soviet Union and highlighted the deep ideological divide between the communist Eastern Bloc and the democratic Western Bloc. It also reinforced the notion that the Soviet Union was willing to use force and repression to maintain control over its satellite states. The construction of the Berlin Wall deepened the mistrust between the U.S. and the Soviet Union and solidified the division between the Eastern and Western Blocs.