The Cold War was a growing conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. As America rose to power after World War II, conflicts arose between America and the Soviet Union, leading to a brutal rivalry. The Cold War was involved in efforts to contain the spread of communism, extreme anti-communist outlooks in America, and the return of the civil rights issue. There has never been a direct military confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union (study mode). The United States became involved in the Cold War because it believed that communism was a threat to the world. They thought they were protecting the world by containing communism (ENotes). In 1960, the United States sent Francis Gary Powers on a spy mission to the Soviet Union. He flew a U2 plane over the Soviets and was shot down and captured. The Soviets tried him for espionage. This event significantly set back relations between the United States and the Soviet Union (Artorius). The Truman Doctrine states that the United States will support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent them from falling into the Soviet sphere. This made the Cold War worse because when the Soviet Union attempted to take over countries, the United States provided aid to the defending countries, which made the Soviets very angry (Office of the Historian). The Marshall Plan offered financial aid to help all European countries rebuild after the war. The United States believed that if these countries had healthy economies, there would be no growth of communism. In response to the Soviet-built Berlin Wall, the United States created the Berlin Airlift which carried supplies to Berlin. After this, Stalin decides to end the blockade (Slide Share). In 1949, the United States... middle of paper ...... in Massachusetts. In 1953, Kennedy married Jacqueline Kennedy. They had their first child, Caroline Kennedy, in 1957 and their second child, John Kennedy Jr., in 1960. They had another child named Patrick Bouvier, but he died a few days after birth. Kennedy required back surgery and in 1954. In 1960, he ran for president against Richard Nixon and won (IMDb). During his presidency there were many conflicts. The major conflicts were the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis. In November 1963, Kennedy and Jackie traveled to Texas. On November 22, 1963, John was going to give a speech in Dallas, but on the way, Kennedy, who was in an open car, was shot twice. One bullet in the throat and the other in the head. Kennedy died in hospital at 1:00 p.m. (IMDb). One of the most controversial assassinations befell one of America's greatest leaders..