Berlin Wall Research Paper

By the time Richard Nixon took office in 1969 the cold war had taken a dangerous turn. US citizens were buying nuclear fallout shelters and schools were having bomb drills. The biggest source of this fear was undoubtedly the Cuban Missile Crisis. The crisis revolved around the spotting nuclear launchers and missiles in Soviet-allied Cuba. While no missiles were launched, the fear arose just from the proximity of the missiles. By Nixon's inauguration the crisis was over but the anxiety of a full-scale nuclear war persisted. In Europe, following an intense standoff between US and Soviet troops, the soviets began the early stages of the Berlin Wall. This standoff was another example of how close the Soviets and US were to war. Thankfully, however, when Nixon took office, the Leader of the communist party was Leonid Brezhnev, and undoubtedly

In Asia, the biggest problem was the Vietnam War. By the end of Lyndon B Johnson's presidency there was an estimated 536100 () troops in Vietnam and there were countless protests against the war. A couple particular events, however, made the public really question the war. First was the Tet Offensive. This was a surprise attack by North Vietnam and Vietcong troops, they took 30+ key points. The US military was quick to take back those points, however, to many in the US it seemed that US was losing the war and that it would only mean the death of more US troops. Second was the My Lai Massacre. US troops were searching for a Vietcong base and were told that the Vietcong would act as citizens. By the end of it, 347 citizens of South Vietnam were killed by US troops. This was a nightmare for military leaders and when the images reached the US public many protests followed. When Nixon ran in 1968 and promised “I pledge to you that we shall have an honorable end to the war in Vietnam,” () it was to the relief of nearly all in the US weather they supported the war or