In this deck, we'll explore a period of intense superpower confrontation from 1958 to 1970. You'll learn about three major Cold War crises: the Berlin Crisis, which led to the building of the Berlin Wall; the Cuban Missile Crisis, which brought the world to the brink of nuclear war; and the Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia. We'll examine not just what happened, but why these events were so significant for US-Soviet relations.

The first major crisis we'll cover is Berlin. By the late 1950s, West Berlin was a prosperous, capitalist island inside communist East Germany. This created a huge problem for the communists: the refugee crisis. Many highly skilled and educated East Germans were using West Berlin as an escape route to the West. This 'brain drain' weakened the East German economy and was a major propaganda failure for the Soviet Union.

In November 1958, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev decided to force the issue. He issued the Berlin Ultimatum, demanding that Western powers withdraw their troops from West Berlin within six months and declare it a 'free city'. If they refused, he threatened to hand over control of all routes into Berlin to the East German government. This was a direct challenge to the West's presence in Berlin.

The ultimatum led to a series of summit meetings between the superpowers, but they failed to find a solution. The new US President, John F. Kennedy, refused to give in to Soviet pressure. With the refugee crisis worsening, the East German government took drastic action. On the night of the 12th of August 1961, they began building a barbed wire fence, which was soon replaced by a concrete wall, sealing the border between East and West Berlin.