Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
What were the US and USSR competing for? - Coggle Diagram
What were the US and USSR competing for?
Resources
Economy
Eisenhower aimed to strengthen the USA's economy
Cost gap between TNT and nuclear material
Resulted in excessive production of nuclear weapons
Land
USSR's expansion into Eastern Europe
Beginning of arms race: US wanted defense against the Soviet Union in case of invasion
Imperialism influence of nations
Ideology
Superiority
Global domination
Communism vs Capitalism
United States was based upon capitalism and democracy while the Soviet Union was based upon communism and dictatorship.
Korean War - catalyzed the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Vietnam War
The Marshall Plan
designed to prevent the further advancement of Soviet power in Europe
Allegiance of new independent nations
USSR was ideologically aligned with Cuba, using the relationship to their advantage
Military
Eisenhower's wanted to use cheap defense to answer the threat of the Soviet Union, therefore developing nuclear weapons
"Bomber Gap", "Missile Gap"
Eisenhower's "new look" policy - making of so many nuclear weapons that the USA could answer any Soviet threat with massive retaliation
USSR's expansion in the east to prevent being attacked after Operation Barbarossa
Khrushchev wanted a balance of nuclear weapons, therefore aimed for a range advantage
US Missiles were in Europe, so the USSR retaliated. "Taste of its own medicine"
Imperalism & Empire
Political, Economical influence
Warsaw pact, iron curtain (USSR)
An ideological and political barrier to prevent the eastern bloc from being influenced by the west
Creates a "buffer zone" for itself, barring against European countries
Marshall plan (US)
Seeked to stop the spread of communism by strengthening links with European countries (rebuilding infrastructure, trade, etc)
Cuban missile crisis (USSR)
Increasingly friendly relations between the two countries, allies during the cold war
Cuba became dependent on the USSR's markets
Vietnam War (US)
Communist China had control over northern Vietnam at the time (1949)
The US wanted to prevent the spread of communism to southern Vietnam and the rest of Asia, so it supported the south Vietnam government
Korean War (US)
(Similar motive to the Vietnam War) USSR occupied the northern portion of Korea, while American forces took a similar action in southern Korea
Colonization
States declared independence after WW2; US and USSR didn't compete to colonize any countries (but affected them in other ways)
Wikipedia: Decolonization of Asia