Delegates from fifty nations attended the first meeting of the
, held in April 1945 in San Francisco. The goal of
the UN was to work toward world peace. A developed
between the United States and the Communist government of
the Soviet Union. The United States and Western European
countries formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
to prevent the spread of .
The United States and the Cold War
President Truman created the to help Western
Europe rebuild after World War II. In the 1950s, the Korean War
began, the United States competed with the Soviet Union in the
arms race and the space race, and Senator
formed a committee that falsely accused many people of being
communists. In 1953, Dwight D. Eisenhower became President.
The economy was prospering and many Americans were able to
buy their own homes, , and household appliances.
Two Hot Spots
When John F. Kennedy became President in 1960, he faced
major problems in Berlin and Cuba. After World War II, the
eastern part of Berlin was occupied by the Soviets and the
western part of France, Britain, and the United States. In 1961,
the East Germans built the to stop people from
fleeing into West Germany. took power of Cuba in
1959 and established a Communist government, receiving aid
from the Soviet Union. In 1961, the United States supported an
unsuccessful attempt to invade Cuba, and in 1962, the United
States discovered the Soviets installing there. Kennedy
ordered the Navy to blockade Cuba and the Soviets stopped
sending missiles. This became known as the .