Why did the Cold War enter a new stage of crisis from 1960-63?

Cold War – Détente, 1960-79

In this course, Professor Andrew Preston (University of Cambridge) discusses the era of Détente between the United States and the Soviet Union from 1960 to 1979. In the first module, we will discuss why the Cold War entered a new stage of crisis between 1960 and 1963. After this, we explore the crisis years and the start of Détente from 1960 to 1963. Then, we discuss why early Détente stalled in the 1960s. In the penultimate module, how and why Détente was able to flourish after 1968. Finally, we'll look at why Détente came to end in the late 1970s.

Why did the Cold War enter a new stage of crisis from 1960-63?

In this module, we will discuss why the Cold War entered a new stage of crisis between 1960 and 1963. In particular, we will focus on: (i) the periods of the cold war and how Détente is the middle period of the conflict; (ii) how the later 1950s saw a period of relative stability in the Cold War; and (iii) the reasons why the stability was shaken in the late 1950s, including the impact of John F. Kennedy, Nikita Khrushchev and Mao Zedong.