It was a competition between the capitalist and democratic West and the communist dictatorships of the East.
It brought the world to the brink of nuclear war, especially in the Cuban Missile Crisis. It forced other countries to take sides for either the USA or the USSR. It caused local crises such as the building of the Berlin Wall.
It resulted in spending enormous sums of money on military equipment. Some people argued that this money should have been spent on education, health and housing.
Do these
factors make the Cold War important?
1968
Tet Offensive and My Lai Massacre in Vietnam
President Kennedy (USA) and Premier Khrushchev (USSR) face each other over Berlin. What is the message of the cartoon? Does it favour either side?
Assessing Your Learning
1. What are ‘issues’? 2. List two examples of issues from the 1960s.
3. Which of these people are key personalities from the 1960s? (i) Muhammad Ali (ii) Stalin (iii) Pope John XXIII
4. Which of these are events of the Cold War? (i) Vatican II (ii) Cuban Missile Crisis (iii) Building the Berlin Wall
5. Give one feature that made the Cold War important in the 1960s. 384
Kennedy and Khrushchev trying to deal with the Cuban Missile Crisis.
What is the message of this cartoon? How does it compare with the message of the previous cartoon?