The Cold War was a time period of high tension between the United States of America and the Soviet Union. This tension began after World War II and lasted until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. It was characterized by a number of high-profile events that helped to shape the course of world history, and the Kitchen Debate, which took place in 1959, is widely regarded as one of the most illustrative events of the Cold War. This debate occurred between the then Vice President, Richard Nixon, and the Soviet Premier, Nikita Khrushchev. The Cold War was a conflict that lasted from 1947 to 1991 between the United States and the Soviet Union. The two superpowers were engaged in an ideological struggle over economic systems; capitalism versus …show more content…
At the time, tensions between the US and the Soviet Union were high and rising, with both nations flexing their military and ideological muscle. The event was not a scheduled debate, but it emanated from the touring of the National Exhibition by Nixon and Khrushchev. As Hamilton and Phillip explain the two leaders engaged in an impromptu verbal exchange as they toured a model American Kitchen exhibit, leading to a heated debate about their respective nations' technological advancements, political ideologies, and freedoms. Despite the event's informality, it was historic as it provided insight into the on-going ideological and political disagreements between the two nations during the Cold War era. The Kitchen Debate represented the height of American pride and technological advancements. During the tour, Nixon focused on displaying the benefits of modern American household appliances, showcasing the latest in kitchen appliances and living standards. Khrushchev was impressed with what he saw and quipped that the Soviet household would adopt the same appliance technologies even though he favored communist ideology at the time. The debate, which had started out low-key, developed into a mode of propaganda for the US advancing the narrative of technological superiority, a claim that was a significant shift from the Soviet's technological and military …show more content…
This included the equal participation of women in all aspects of society. In practice, however, women in communist countries often faced discrimination and oppression. One of the main arguments that Khrushchev made in the Kitchen Debate was that communism offered women more opportunities than capitalism (Hamilton and Phillips Document Pg. 119.) He argued that women in the Soviet Union had equal access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities. Khrushchev's argument was supported by his wife, Nina Petrovna Khrushcheva, who was present during the debate. She pointed out that the Soviet Union had a higher percentage of female doctors than the United States and that women in the Soviet Union had access to free childcare facilities, which allowed them to work outside the home. Khrushchev argued that these policies made women in the Soviet Union more equal than their capitalist counterparts. However, Nixon disputed Khrushchev's claims, arguing that communist countries did not offer real equality to women. He pointed out that almost all of the members of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party were men and that only a few women held high-level government positions. Nixon also claimed that women in the Soviet Union did not have the same freedom to travel and express their opinions as women in capitalist countries. Nixon's argument was