Cuban missile crisis in 1962 - part III

With the start of the naval blockade of Cuba, the relations between the two superpowers became seriously endangered. Kennedy proclaimed that any missile launched from Cuba would be regarded as an attack on the United States and demanded that the Soviet Union removes all of their offensive weapons from Cuba. Premier Nikita Khrushchev answered in a letter that the quarantine of Cuba constitutes as an act of aggression. Facing nuclear war, secret back-channel diplomacy initiated a proposal to resolve the crisis establishing communication between the two presidents. A deal was made the Soviets would dismantle their missiles and return them to Russia, in exchange for a United States public declaration and agreement never to invade Cuba. The Moscow-Washington hotline is added in the White house and Kremlin after the crisis to improve communication between the two countries and to avoid similar incidents in the future. Read more about the Cuban missile crisis here.

Cuban missile crisis in 1962 - part II

In August of 1962 the Soviet Union secretly began to build bases in Cuba for a number of medium-range and intermediate-range ballistic nuclear missiles with the ability to strike most of the continental United States. Since both countries in conflict were nuclear superpowers, their arsenal of missiles was large enough to destroy most of the developed world. After careful consideration and consultation with his advisers, President Kennedy imposed a naval quarantine around Cuba, a neutral yet very decisive move. He wanted to prevent the arrival of more Soviet offensive weapons on the island without starting a war. With Russian warships and transport vessels already on the course for Cuba, the world was hours away from a nuclear disaster. Read more about the Cuban missile crisis.

Cuban missile crisis in 1962

Known as a great tourist spot, Cuba attracts around two million visitors per year. Famous socialist principles and state controlled economy led by former President Fidel Castro are considered to be the symbols of the island. But at one point the Cuban missile crisis was the closest the world ever came to nuclear war. Lucky for us all, wisdom of President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev averted the war. Back in 1962, the Soviet Union was long way behind the United States in the arms race. Deploying missiles in Cuba, a good ally of Soviet Union, seemed like a logical idea. President Kennedy was faced with difficult choices ranging from open war with strong opponent to ignoring the whole incident thus showing weakness. The Cold War with mistrust and political struggle escalated. Read more about the Cuban missile crisis.

Bankers Panic of 1907

A panic that eventually brought the New York Stock Exchange close to 50% from its peak the previous year occurred in 1907. The name Bankers Panic was given because of the numerous runs on trust companies making the whole banking system crash like dominos. Together with the weaknesses in the real economy, it created a harsh crisis for the United States. The crisis was triggered by the failed attempt to corner the market on stock of the United Copper Company. When the failure became public, banks that had lent money for the cornering scheme suffered runs. Fear spread to affiliated banks and trusts as Americans panicked and investors pulled their money out of stock market. Soon the downfall of the Knickerbocker Trust Company, at the time New York City's third largest trust bank, created massive loss of confidence in which almost every bank suffered a run. Famous J.P. Morgan took the matters into his hands, and together with other leading bankers of the era managed to avert nationwide consequences. Read more about the Bankers Panic here.

Great Depression of 1929 - part V

The last part of pictures regarding the Great Depression concerns the actual beginning of the crisis. Massive speculation preceded stock market crash on Wall Street. Just before the collapse, economist Irving Fisher famously stated, "Stock prices have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau." As the optimism of the bull market shattered on Tuesday, October 29, he probably regretted those words. Almost all share prices on the New York Stock Exchange took a sharp dive. Several leading Wall Street bankers met to find a solution to the panic and chaos on the trading floor, determining that strong buy activity on leading blue chip stocks (U.S. Steel) could ease the panic. Most notable authority was the legendary J.P. Morgan. That action proved only a quick fix which lasted a day. The fall actually continued at an unprecedented rate for a full month. Investors began to despair, some even to the measure of taking their own lives. Others became crazy with euphoria and even tried gathering more money believing the crisis will be short. Read more about the stock market crash of 1929 here. You can also watch a documentary on Youtube of the ordinary people stories during the crisis, first part covering the circumstances of the Great Depression and the second part showing the hardship and the American culture of the period. Warning, some pictures are quite graphic. 

Great Depression of 1929 - part IV

The crisis became worse and living conditions diminished on daily basis. Unemployed parents were having trouble feeding of their children. Not wanting to be a burden, teenagers left home and jumped on trains. So the term “riding the rails” was developed. Since many people could not afford tickets for trains, they would simply try to hop on board. Jumping was illegal and sheer speed of the train made it very hazardous. Guards called Bulls would literally throw people off the train and were even allowed to shoot illegal riders if they did not get off. Some estimates show over 24,640 people were killed trying to jump on trains. Although it was dangerous, people were desperate to travel to find jobs and better lives. Read more about the shame of poverty and unemployment in the Great Depression…You can also watch a short documentary on Youtube of the ordinary people stories during the crisis, the first part covering the circumstances of the Great Depression and the second part showing the hardship and the American culture of the period.

Great Depression of 1929 - part III

As you can see from the previous posts, the effects of the Great Depression hit the ordinary people extremely hard. With the rise in numbers of homeless and unemployed, feelings like desperation, fear and anger spread throughout the United States. Prior crises would affect mostly city folk, who had invested in Wall Street. Farmers felt secure in 1920s when the economy grew, and planted crops anywhere they could. Most of them felt like price growth could last forever, so the logical thing was to buy more land, thus planting more crops, ergo making more money. As a result, they borrowed money from bankers and fell heavily in debt. To make the matters worse the Dust Bowl effect came. A phenomenon that was caused by severe drought coupled with decades of extensive farming without techniques to prevent wind erosion turned once fertile farms into a desert. Dust storms forced people to leave their homes and banks finished them with foreclosures. To read more about the Great Depression click here.You can also watch a documentary on Youtube of the ordinary people stories during the crisis, first part covering the circumstances of the Great Depression and the second part showing the hardship and the American culture of the period.

Great Depression of 1929 - II part

During the Great Depression a millions of Americans lost their jobs and their homes and shantytowns dubbed “Hoovervilles” began to spring up throughout the United States. The name was a sign of bitternes toward the President Herbert Clark Hoover, who was blaimed for economic difficulties. Industrial production fell further and with the fall came the massive layoffs. Unemployed would search a job all over the country, migrating from one part to another. Read more about the crisis here.You can also watch a documentary on Youtube of the ordinary people stories during the crisis, first part covering the circumstances of the Great Depression and the second part showing the hardship and the American culture of the period.

The Great Depression of 1929

I'm quite sure you already heard about the Great Depression, since it was one of the biggest in our history. Entire world felt the consequences of an economic downturn and the United States economy took a nosedive which lasted almost ten years. It all began with the speculation on Wall Street, where a massive crash took place. Panic spread quickly as the economic conditions got worse. Bank runs and layoffs were a common sight and they are the first topic in the series of Great Depression related pictures. To find out more information about the Great depression of 1929, click here. You can also watch a documentary on Youtube of the ordinary people stories during the crisis, first part covering the circumstances of the Great Depression and the second part showing the hardship and the American culture of the period.

Hello!

This blog is created to show the adversity that comes with crises, the pain and struggles of various people around the world.  It is divided into three main categories, which consist of economic crises, environmental crises and intenational crises. You can find more information as well as short summary about on the CrisisWatch website. The pictures are published for educational and informational purposes.