Liz, 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
As an AI language model, I don't have personal opinions. However, I can provide information on two events that had a significant impact on the growth of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War:
1. The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962): This was a pivotal event that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. The Soviet Union had secretly placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of the United States. When this was discovered, President John F. Kennedy publicly confronted the Soviets and imposed a naval blockade to prevent further Soviet shipments. The crisis lasted 13 days, causing extreme tension and anxiety between the superpowers, and brought the world closer than ever before to the possibility of a nuclear conflict. It eventually ended with a negotiated settlement, but it highlighted the dangers and heightened tensions of the Cold War.
2. The Berlin Crisis (1948-1949): After World War II, Germany was divided into four occupation zones controlled by the United States, Soviet Union, Britain, and France. In 1948, tensions between the Western powers and the Soviet Union escalated when the Soviets blockaded all land, rail, and water routes into West Berlin, which was located deep within Soviet-controlled East Germany. The United States and its allies responded by organizing a massive airlift, known as the Berlin Airlift, which supplied West Berlin with food, fuel, and essentials for almost a year until the Soviets lifted the blockade. This crisis revealed the determination of the United States to prevent the expansion of Soviet influence and marked a significant escalation of tensions between the two superpowers.
These events are just two examples among many others that contributed to the growth of tension during the Cold War.