Download AMH Chapter 17 Section 2

American History
Chapter 17 Section 2
Flexible Response
• Kennedy tried to reduce the
threat of nuclear war and
contain communism.
• He wanted the option of a
flexible response, in which
conventional troops and
weapons could be used to
contain communism.
• He expanded the Special
Forces.
• This army unit used guerilla
warfare in limited conflicts.
Latin America
• Kennedy also tried to
renew diplomatic focus
with Latin America.
• Many governments there
were controlled by the
wealthy few.
• Most of the people lived
in poverty.
• In some countries, leftist
groups tried to overthrow
their governments.
Alliance for Progress
• To improve conditions in
Latin America, Kennedy
proposed an Alliance for
Progress.
• This was a series of aid
projects in which the
United States promised
$20 billion to help these
countries.
• The projects set up better
schools, housing, and
health care.
Peace Corps
• Peace Corp was
established by Executive
Order 10924, issued by
President John F. Kennedy
on March 1, 1961
• The Peace Corps is an
organization that sent
young Americans to
perform humanitarian
services in less-developed
nations.
Space Race
• The United States and
the Soviet Union also
competed in a space
race in which both
superpowers attempted
to dominate space
technology.
• In 1961 the Soviets
launched the first
person into space (Yuri
Gagarin).
Landing on the Moon
• A few weeks later,
Kennedy made a speech
in which he announced
the goal of landing a man
on the moon before the
end of the decade.
• JFK does not live to see it
but in July 1969, the
United States achieved
this goal by landing on
the lunar surface with the
Apollo 11 Mission.
Castro and Cuba
• President Kennedy faced
several crises in the Cold
War.
• The first crisis started
when Fidel Castro seized
power in Cuba in 1959.
• Castro established ties
with the Soviet Union. He
also took over American
and other foreign-owned
businesses located in
Cuba.
Eisenhower’s Response
• President Eisenhower,
along with many
Americans believed that
the Soviets wanted to use
Cuba as a base to spread
communism in the
Western Hemisphere.
• Therefore, Eisenhower
authorized the CIA to arm
Cuban exiles and train
them to invade Cuba,
hoping that the invasion
would start an uprising.
Bay of Pigs Invasion
• When he became president, Kennedy approved the plan.
• On April 17, 1961, Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs.
• Their boats ran aground, and the invasion was
unsuccessful.
• The expected uprising never happened.
• Most of the invaders were captured or killed.
• The Bay of Pigs failure made the United States look weak.
Berlin
• Kennedy faced another
problem after the failed
invasion.
• He met with Soviet leader
Nikita Khrushchev in Austria
in June 1961.
• Khrushchev wanted to keep
Germans from leaving
Communist East Germany
and fleeing to West Berlin.
• He demanded that Western
powers leave Berlin.
Berlin Wall
• When Kennedy refused,
the Soviets built the
Berlin Wall.
• It was guarded by
armed soldiers who
shot at people
attempting to escape.
• The wall separated East
Berlin from West Berlin
for nearly 30 years.
Missiles in Cuba
• In 1962 the United
States learned that
Soviet workers and
equipment had arrived
in Cuba.
• On October 22, 1962,
Kennedy told Americans
that photos taken by
spy planes showed that
the Soviets had placed
missiles in Cuba.
Blockade (Quarantine Zone)
• JFK believed that the
weapons threatened
the United States.
• He then ordered a naval
blockade to stop more
missiles from being
delivered to Cuba.
• However, the Soviets
continued to work on
the missile sites.
Agreement between the U.S. and
Soviet Union
• The leaders of the two countries began secret
talks.
• Both nations reached an agreement on October
28.
• The United States publicly agreed not to attack
Cuba and privately agreed to remove its own
missiles from Turkey.
• The Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles
from Cuba.
• The Cuban missile crisis brought the world close
to nuclear war.
Result: Cuban Missile Crisis
• The Cuban Missile Crisis made the Soviet
Union and United States see the dangers of
nuclear war.
• They agreed to a treaty that banned testing of
nuclear weapons in the atmosphere.