The Red Scare- Soviet Union
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JCC: The Red Scare- Soviet Union Chair: Bridget Arnold Vice-Chair: 1 Table of Contents 3. Letter from Chair 4. Committee Background 7. Topic A: Race to the Moon 15. Topic B: Developing Tensions is the West 24. Positions 2 Letter from the Chair: Dear Fellow Comrades, Hello, and welcome to LYMUN VII! I am extremely excited to be chairing (the better side) of the JCC: The Red Scare. My name is Bridget Arnold, I am currently a Senior at Lyons Township and I have participated in Model UN since my Freshman year. Outside of MUN, I participate in various clubs such as Mock Trial and PSI and in general have a huge fascination with politics. In anticipation of the conference, you are expected to write one position paper outlining your person’s beliefs on the topics that you have been given. Both topics will be discussed in order but only one position paper is required. All delegates should maintain their character’s policy within the committee and should avoid slipping into their own personal beliefs. During committee, I will not only be looking for delegates who speak a lot but those who work well with other delegates, contribute to discussions, and exemplify knowledge about the topic in their speeches. With that being said, I encourage all delegates to speak at least once in this committee. Any experience with public speaking will benefit your skills as a public speaker now and in the future. Writing directives and crisis notes with your own original ideas are also crucial for success in this cabinet. One thing I look forward to seeing is new and creative ways to shape history. The delegates that will do the best are the ones who will bring new ideas to the table, as well as work cohesively with others. The committee's starting date will be August of 1962 making John F. Kennedy the President of the United States and Nikita Khrushchev the head of 3 the Soviet Union. Although we already know the outcome of the Cold War, I encourage you to find new ways to change the course of history. If you have any questions or concerns prior to the conference, feel free to contact me through email ([email protected]). I understand that this is a Soviet Cabinet so positions may be hard to research so if you have any questions about your character or their powers, please don’t hesitate to email me. I am very excited to see you all at LYMUN. Best of luck in your research and preparation! -Bridget Arnold 4 A Brief History of Your Cabinet: During World War I, the United States and the Soviet Union formed an alliance and worked together throughout the war. Midway through the war, the Soviet Union faced a revolution that shifted it from a capitalist nation into a communist one. It was at this point when historically the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union began to sour. When the first red scare occurred during the late 1920s post-WWI, tensions began to arise. When the world entered into the Second World War, the United States and the Soviet Union reached a tentative truce with Winston Churchill acting as the temporary binding, keeping their very tentative relationship from falling apart. At the end of the war, the U.S and the Soviet Union came out as world powers. The Soviet Union was beginning to make itself well known through implementing the first communist system within a country, and the ever isolated United States emerged as the economic powerhouse of the world. Regardless, both countries emerged as back to back World War champs, the countries nationalistic egos were inflated, and it seemed difficult for either to imagine a scenario where they wouldn’t come out on top. A strong rivalry was formed between the two nations and while the capitalist United States was relatively untouched throughout the course of the war, the Soviet Union, along with other European nations, had to work on reconstruction. At this point, the Soviet Union had a lot 5 of influence in Eastern Europe as it occupied Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Poland, and Eastern Germany by the end of the war. In order to guarantee loyalty in this region, the Soviet Union assisted in establishing communist dictatorships in Romania and Bulgaria. Places such as Yugoslavia and Albania supported a communist dictatorship but remained outside of the Soviet sphere of influence until the end of the war. After the war, Soviet influence spread throughout Eastern Europe. The U.S strongly opposed the spread of communism and attempted to fight against it however, they were met with little success. As tensions rose between the Soviet Union and the United States, a battle to showcase power began. Thus a war with no direct battles began and the countries began competing in scientific and technological domains such as exploring space. At the beginning of the space race, the Soviet Union proved to be superior and in 1957 successfully launched the first artificial satellite known as Sputnik 1. This success was followed by the first unmanned vehicle to land on the moon (1959), and the first human to be in space (1961). Although the USSR (United Soviet Socialist Republic) is currently ahead in the space race, we can only assume that the United States will attempt to crawl to the lead and more disputes will come in the following years. The current leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, is powerful and although he is not as notable as John F. Kennedy he has many allies and much influence throughout the world. As indirect warfare rages on between these major nations it’s imperative to keep an eye out on all fronts. With the Korean War ending in a 6 stalemate for both sides, the two powerhouses deemed it a failure. Now the eyes of these two nations are being directed towards Vietnam, the new battleground for communism. Topic A- Race to the Moon History of the Topic: The United States and the Soviet Union have had a long and complex relationship throughout the course of their history. Although there have always been rocky relations between the two nations, they have gradually declined since the ending of World War II. After the signing of the Warsaw Pact, a collective defense treaty between the Soviet Union and its satellite states, the U.S began to see the Soviet Union as more of a communist threat than an actual ally. As the showcase of power began between the two nations, the unknown frontier of space became the perfect territory to display dominance. In the early development of the space race, the USSR proved to be the superior force. In early October of 1957, the Soviets took the lead in accomplishments in space. Sputnik 1 became the first artificial satellite to be launched into space. It orbited the Earth for three weeks before its batteries died and after two more months, it eventually fell back into the atmosphere. Soviet success did not stop with the return of Sputnik 1. They continued to develop new methods of reaching the final frontier. In the follow-up project of Sputnik 1, the Soviets worked on developing methods of sustaining life in space. In early September of 1957, the Soviet Union 7 successfully launched the first animal into space, a dog named Laika. Although this device did not have landing gear, it proved to be a major technological development and set the Soviets ahead in the race. In retaliation for this success, the United States launched two monkeys, Abel and Baker, into space in late May of 1959 on the Jupiter missile. These monkeys became the first living creatures to return from space alive. This was a major success in world history but it is unlikely the U.S would be able to do this without Laika’s trailblazing effort. With the understanding gained from Laika’s journey, the Soviets were able to develop the technology necessary for humans to be sent to space. After three years of work put into developing space travel safe enough for humans, the Soviets launched Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin in the spacecraft Vostok 1 in 1961. Gagarin became both the first person in space and the first man to orbit Earth. After orbiting the earth for eighty-nine minutes Gagarin safely touched back down on earth. For his success in orbiting the Earth, Gargarin received several medals and was celebrated as a national hero. Once again, the United States followed Soviet achievements with their own mission. On May 5th of 1961, the United States launched a man into space. The major difference between the 8 United States launch and the USSR launch was that the U.S pilot returned to Earth in the spacecraft while the Soviet pilot parachuted out once he entered the atmosphere. This allowed the United States to claim the success of having the first man to make a round trip from space back to earth. These various instances of U.S and Soviet success have proven to be very informative. Although the United States has managed to follow every Soviet success with a slightly more impressive achievement, they have lagged behind each step made by the Soviets. Additionally, the claims made by the United States have encouraged the Soviet Union to prove superiority with newer plans that have never been done before. It is clear that while both space programs are admirable, they need to coexist in order to incite competition and therefore innovation. As we move forward, it is important to remember that although we see the United States as a competitor, projecting Soviet fears onto another nation can only hurt the USSR.