The opening of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 symbolized the remarkable political changes happening in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe at that time. The Berlin Wall, which had divided East and West Berlin since 1961, was opened, allowing East German citizens to freely cross into West Berlin. This event marked the fall of communist control in Eastern Europe and was the beginning of German reunification.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. *Tell about the facts of the opening of
the Berlin Wall.
*What was symbolized by the opening
of the Berlin Wall ?