In October 1962, observation planes discovered that the Soviet

Union was installing nuclear missiles in Cuba, close enough to

strike American cities in a matter of minutes. Kennedy imposed a

blockade on Cuba. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev finally

agreed to remove the missiles, in return for an American promise

not to invade Cuba.

In April, 1961, the Soviets got another triumph in space. Yuri

Gagarin became the first man to orbit the Earth. President

Kennedy responded with a pledge that the United States would

land a man on the moon before the end of the decade. In

February, 1962, John Glenn made the first American orbital flight,

and he was welcomed home as a hero. It took $ 24 thousand

million and years of research but Kennedy’s pledge was fulfilled in

July, 1969, when Neil Armstrong stepped out of the Apollo 11

spacecraft onto the surface of the moon.

In 1963 Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was not

a universally popular president, but his death was a terrible shock to

the American people.

The new President became Lyndon Johnson, who had been vice

president under Kennedy. Johnson pushed through Congress many

social programs: federal aid to education, the arts and the

humanities; health insurance for the elderly (Medicare) and for the

poor (Medicaid); low-cost housing etc. The Voting Rights Act of 1965

finally enabled all black Americans to vote. Discrimination in

immigration was also ended: national origins Quotas were abolished

allowing a great increase in entry visas for Asians.

In 1972 Richard Nixon was elected President.

He achieved two major diplomatic goals: re-

establishing formal relations with the People’s

Republic of China and negotiating the first

Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I) with

the Soviet Union. But Richard Nixon became

the only American President to leave his

office as a result of impeachment, because of

the political scandal. His place occupied

republican Gerald Ford.

The 1976 election was won by Democrat Jimmy Carter,

former governor of Georgia. Carter had limited political

experience, but many voters now preferred an

“outsider” – someone who was not part of the

Washington establishment. Precisely because he was an

outsider, it was difficult for Carter to work with

Congress.He also could not control the chief economic

problem of the 1970s – inflation. Carter signe3d a

second Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT II) with

the Soviet Union, but it was never ratified by the Senate

after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December,

1979. He also seemed ineffectual in the face of other

crises.

In 1980, Ronald Reagan, a conservative Republican and former governor of California, was elected President of the USA. Throughout his presidency, he demonstrated the ability to instill in Americans pride for their country, and a sense of optimism about the future. Reagan began a great reshaping of the federal budget, directly largely at domestic-spending programs. By 1983 economy had recovered, and the United States entered into one of the longest periods of economic growth since World War II. President Reagan and Vice President George Bush won reelections in 1984.

On January, 28, 1986 after 24 successful flights, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all on board. The Challenger tragedy was a reminder of the limits of technology at a time when another technological revolution, in computers, was rapidly transforming the way in which millions of Americans worked and lived. It was estimated that by mid-decade Americans possessed more than 30 million computers. By late 1988, however, the USA successfully launched a redesigned space shuttle Discovery.

Reagan’s successor, George Bush, benefited greatly from the popularity of the former President. In the 1988 election, Bush became the first Vice President since 1836 to be elected to the Presidency. During his campaign, Bush promised to continue the economic policies of the Reagan Administration.

The US – Soviet dialogue continued to broaden and

deepen during the first year of the Bush Administration,

at a time of remarkable political change in the Soviet

Union and Eastern Europe – symbolized by the opening of

the Berlin Wall in November, 1989.

*Tell about the facts of the opening of

the Berlin Wall.

*What was symbolized by the opening

of the Berlin Wall ?