Question

How did the U-2 affair lead to an escalation of tensions between the USSR and the USA?

Answer 1

1. Tensions between the USA and the USSR significantly increased as a result of the 1960 U-2 incident.
2. Gary Powers, the pilot of an American U-2 spy plane, was taken alive after it was shot down over Soviet territory. 
3. Initially, the United States tried to hide the mission, but the Soviet Union exposed the truth, causing international embarrassment for the country.
4. This episode cancelled a planned meeting in Paris, where significant talks on peace and armaments limitation were anticipated, and it also ruined trust between the two giants.
5. Relations worsened after Soviet Premier Khrushchev left the negotiations. The scandal brought the Cold War into a more intense phase by highlighting the profound mistrust and animosity between the USSR and the USA.