Think of the Cold War as a silent chess match between two giants, where each move made ripples across the globe

• Cold War initially affected by events in Europe.
• Post-1950, new factors arose
  • Events in Asia 🌏
  • The nuclear arms race 💥
  • Leadership changes 🎩 in the US & USSR, aiming for better relations.

Did you know? Ike played a pivotal role in WWII, leading the Allied armies during the Normandy invasion!

• Elected US president in 1952.
• Strong military background
  • Led Allied forces in Normandy (1944).
  • US Army’s chief & NATO commander post-WWII.
• Strong anti-Communist views
  • Supported by Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, a vocal critic of the Soviet system.

• "Roll-back": Talked about in the 1952 election, meant freeing Eastern European countries from Soviet control. Spoiler: Didn’t actually happen.
• "New Look" Policy: Aimed at containment.
  • Goal: Stop Soviet Communism from spreading. Believed that with no expansion, the USSR would crumble.
  • Methods
    • Create alliances to surround the USSR (like SEATO).
    • Military power to safeguard areas (e.g., West Berlin).
    • Support forces against Communism (like in South Vietnam).
    • More CIA covert ops. 🕵️
    • Rely more on nuclear weapons.
    • Brinkmanship: Threaten with massive retaliation to make the other side back down.

Real World Example: Think of brinkmanship like a high-stakes game of chicken where both sides speed toward each other, waiting to see who blinks first!