Cold War

A main cause for the Cold War was political disputes between the United States and Soviet Union due to where each country stands in terms of their beliefs. Both countries wanted to extend their influence internationally and create power for themselves and their respective political and economic systems (3). The dispute between these systems would eventually lead to these countries influence on wars in other nations such as Vietnam and Germany.

During the Cold War, the Unites States and Soviet Union began heavily funding research programs and government agencies to ensure they will have the one up on the other and be able to defend themselves if the war heated up (7). Both nations began developing nuclear weapons and using the possibility of an attack as a way to try to keep each other in order. These kinds of threats and government agencies recovering information about potential dangers led to normal people fearing for their lives and the United States taking precautions in order to attempt to protect their citizens.

The Berlin wall was a wall in Germany that separated East Germany and West Germany from each other. East Germany was an ally of the United States and its Capitalist system, while the West side was a Soviet ally and favored the Communist system. The wall, while physical, was also a symbol of the two systems and how it was dividing people. In 1989, the Berlin wall fell, reuniting the East and West of Germany and signaling the end of Soviet reign (7). 

In 1969, following the motivation of now deceased President John F. Kennedy, the United States executed a plan to be the first country to have men walk on the moon. This came due to their being a battle for space between the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War, with both countries chasing achievements before the other could reach them. A team of astronauts consisting of Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong took off in the spacecraft Apollo 11, safely landing on the moon and becoming the first two humans to grace its surface (9).