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Cold War > 1956 > Flashcards

1956 Flashcards

1
Q

What was the significance of 1956 in terms of the USSR?

A

1956 ushers in a crisis of soviet style communism

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2
Q

What was the significance of 1956 in terms of Britain?

A

beginning and the end of the English empire (ended by the Americans)

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3
Q

When was the secret speech?

A

February 1956 (it had reached the US state department by June)

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4
Q

What was the unintended consequence of the secret speech and destalinisation?

A

Gomulka and Nagy coming into power

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5
Q

Who was Imre Nagy?

A

leader of Hungary, 24/10/1956 - 04/11/1956

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6
Q

Who was Wladislaw Gomulka?

A

leader of Poland from 21/10/1956

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7
Q

What did Khrushchev undermine?

A

stalinism and soviet style communism (after 1956, communism= on ‘life support’ in eastern europe)

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8
Q

What did Khrushchev promise in the secret speech?

A

to end stalinism throughout the entire Soviet sphere of influence

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9
Q

What did Khrushchev’s secret speech consist of?

A

he openly criticised Stalin’s ‘intolerance, brutality and his abuse of power’ against ‘individuals who had not committed any crimes against the Party or the Soviet Union’

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10
Q

What was the impact of the secret speech?

A

Khrushchev released many prisoners who had been locked up during Stalin’s purges. He closed down Cominform, called Stalin a ‘wicked tyrant’ and dismissed some of Stalin’s most trusted ministers such as Vyacheslav Molotov

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11
Q

What did Khrushchev want to base communism on?

A

consent not coercion (however the secret speech was disingenuous)

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12
Q

Why was the secret speech disingenuous?

A

Khrushchev blamed everything bad that had happened on Stalin, completely disregarding the impact of the Soviet system. It was not all on Stalin. There were always limits to destalinisation as Khrushchev was also complicit- he had blood on his hands

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13
Q

Why were the audience shocked by Khrushchev’s secret speech?

A

The audience were not aware that this secret speech was going to be made. He denounced Stalin’s dictatorial rule and his cult of personality as inconsistent with communist and Party ideology

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14
Q

When did Khrushchev close down Cominform?

A

July 1956

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15
Q

What did Khrushchev do in May 1956?

A

he visited Belgrade and publicly blamed Stalin for the break in relations between the USSR and Yugoslavia in 1948

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16
Q

What is polycentrism? (June 1956)

A

communists would no longer have to follow the Soviet path
gives eastern europe the message that it can do things differently

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17
Q

What happens in June 1956?

A

After talks in Moscow, Khrushchev and Tito issued a communique in which they agreed that ‘the path of socialist development differed in various countries and conditions, that the multiplicity of forms of socialist development tends to strengthen socialism and that any tendency of imposing one’s opinions on the ways and forms of socialist development is alien to both., (they put forward polycentrism)

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18
Q

Why did Khrushchev want better relations with Yugoslavia?

A

he knew he could never win Yugoslavia back to the Soviet sphere of influence but still wanted better relations

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19
Q

What had happened in eastern europe after WW2?

A

revolutions without permission (e.g salami tactics)

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20
Q

How had Poland become communist?

A

The communists weakened the Peasant Party by merging with the Polish socialists in January 1947 and then became the dominant group. Some Polish communists were not fully pro-Soviet. Deputy PM Wladislaw Gomulka believed that as Poland had fought for its own liberation, it should be able to determine its own future. In 1948 Gomulka was replaced by Boleslaw Bierut, a compliant Stalinist, and later expelled from the Communist Party in 1951

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21
Q

When was the Polish Rising?

A

June-October 1956

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22
Q

How does Gomulka stay in power?

A

through Mao (he interferes in eastern europe and the soviet sphere of influence. he wants the republic of China to replace the USSR as the home of communism)
From 1960 Mao manages to break away a soviet satellite state (Albania)

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23
Q

Who do the Polish communists elect as their leader?

A

Gomulka (this worries Khrushchev)

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24
Q

What happens in June 1956?

A

big price rises on important staple goods (polish workers strike and protest)

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25
Q

The Polish Rising, June-October 1956

A

In March 1956 Bierut died, and Khrushchev nominated Edward Ochab to implement de-Stalinisation. Rioting broke out in Poznan demanding lower food prices, better working conditions and an end to Communism, and in June workers went on strike in protest at wage cuts and poor working conditions. In October 1956 the Poles elected Wladislaw Gomulka, whom Stalin had purged, as First Secretary of the Polish United Workers Party. Khrushchev objected, the Poles threatened to fight – and Khrushchev, faced with losing his route through to East Germany, backed down. Beijing had also shown support towards the Polish Communist Party which discouraged Khrushchev from using force. Khrushchev conceded that Gomulka could remain, provided that Poland did nothing to threaten local communist rule or the unity of the Soviet Bloc.

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26
Q

When did Bierut die and who did Stalin nominate to implement destalinisation?

A

March 1956
Ochab

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27
Q

Why did rioting break out in Poznan?

A

demands for lower food prices, better working conditions and an end to communism

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28
Q

Why did workers go on strike in June 1956?

A

in protest at wage cuts and poor working conditions

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29
Q

Who did the Poles elect in October 1956 as their nominated reformer?

A

Gomulka

30
Q

What were the conditions of Khrushchev agreeing to Gomulka’s leadership?

A

provided Poland did nothing to threaten local communist rule or the unity of the Soviet bloc

31
Q

Why did Khrushchev agree to Gomulka’s leadership?

A

The poles threatened to fight and Khrushchev was faced with losing his route to east germany and therefore backed down. Beijing had also shown support towards the Polish Communist Party, further discouraging Khrushchev

32
Q

What was the relationship between Poland and Hungary?

A

Poles + Hungary = have a good relationship

33
Q

Why was America not interfering?

A

not practising brinkmanship or roll back as Eisenhower had upcoming elections (November 6th 1956)
his closest allies (Britain and France) had also embarrassed him in Egypt

34
Q

How had Hungary become communist?

A

revolutions without permission
The communists allied with other political parties to challenge their greatest opponent, the Smallholders Party. Political opponents were arrested and elections manipulated. Many Hungarian communists formed links with Yugoslavia (a non-Soviet regime) rather than with Stalin. In 1949 László Rajk, the Hungarian communist leader, was executed for ‘anti-Soviet’ activities; all other political opposition to the Moscow-backed Hungarian communists disappeared. The Stalinist Matyas Rakosi became the de facto ruler of Communist Hungary (in power until 1956)

35
Q

When was the Hungarian uprising?

A

October-November 1956

36
Q

Who has Khrushchev replaced Rakoshi with?

A

Khrushchev had replaced the Stalinist Rakosi with a more liberal leader, Erno Gero, as part of his de-Stalinisation campaign

37
Q

What happens in October 1956?

A

Hungarian workers and students begin demonstrating. This works and Hungarian Communists decide to bring Imre Nagy back

38
Q

Why were the Soviets worried about Imre Nagy coming back into power?

A

The Soviets wanted to keep their buffer zone
The Soviet army in Hungary were ordered to send a warning

39
Q

What does Khrushchev want Hungarian communism to be based on?

A

consent not coercion

40
Q

What happened on 22 October 1956?

A

a large demonstration in Budapest which called for the withdrawal of Soviet troops, free speech, free press, free elections, and a new government under Imre Nagy who was an independent-minded Communist was established on 24 October

41
Q

Why were Hungarian students and workers demonstrating?

A

they called for the withdrawal of Soviet troops, free speech, free press, free elections, and a new government under Imre Nagy

42
Q

What was the USSR’s response to the demonstrations?

A

In response, the USSR mobilised 30,000 troops with tanks and artillery and issued the ‘Declaration on the Principles of Development and a Further Strengthening of Friendship and Co-operation’ between the USSR and other Socialist countries.

43
Q

When did Nagy announce that Hungary would withdraw from the Warsaw Pact and become a neutral country?

A

November 1 1956

44
Q

What did Nagy negotiate with Khrushchev and what was the effect?

A

Nagy negotiated with Khrushchev to convince him military intervention was unnecessary, and Soviet troops began to withdraw from Budapest by 28 October, and declared they would withdraw from Hungary as a whole (in part due to pressure from China).

45
Q

What happened on 3 November 1956?

A

On 3 November the Soviets sent 15 divisions of the Red army, 200,000 troops and 4,000 tanks to crush the rebellion. 4,000 Hungarians were killed, 200,000 exiled, and a new government under Janos Kadar was installed

46
Q

What did Nagy persuade Khrushchev of?

A

supported by Mao, he persuaded Khrushchev that communism was secure

47
Q

What happens on 28 October 1956?

A

Soviets pull their tanks out of Hungarian cities
Hungarians decide to call for free elections and start hanging secret policemen

48
Q

Who was Yuri Andropov?

A

leader of the KGB

49
Q

What does Yuri Andropov tell Khrushchev to do?

A

tells Khrushchev to send the tanks back into Hungary to control the rebellion
Khrushchev listens and the Soviet army is sent back into Hungary on November 1 1956

50
Q

Who triumphs?

A

after days of street fighting, the Soviets triumph and impose Janos Kadar as the new leader (he introduces liberal reforms from 1962 as well as Ghoulash socialism)

51
Q

What is the USA’s response to the Hungarian uprising?

A

Rather than using brinkmanship or roll back, Eisenhower says that he will offer some sort of martial aid plan for Hungary

52
Q

Why does Eisenhower not intervene in the Hungarian uprising?

A

-he does not want to risk nuclear confrontation, especially with elections coming up (Nov 6 1956)
-problems in the Suez

53
Q

When were the US presidential elections?

A

6 November 1956

54
Q

How long had Egypt been a de facto British colony?

A

between 1882 and 1954

55
Q

What took place in July 1952 in Egypt?

A

a military coup which overthrew the Egyptian monarchy, eliminated the British military presence in Egypt, and established the modern Republic of Egypt. The Free Officers planned to modernise and secularise the country

56
Q

What did the US and UK cancel their loan to on 19 July 1956?

A

their loan to help building the Aswan Dam
this caused the Egyptian nationalist leader Gamal Abdul Nasser to turn to the USSR for finance

57
Q

What did Nasser announce on 26 July 1956?

A

On 26 July Nasser announced the nationalization of the Suez Canal, which was owned by an Anglo-French company

58
Q

Why did Nasser want to build the Aswan Dam?

A

he wanted to build a dam across the Nile to control the water pressure

59
Q

What does Nasser decide to do in response to the UK and USSR backing out of the loan?

A

1)nationalise the Suez canal
2)ask to Soviets to fund the building of the Dam (Khrushchev agrees)

60
Q

What was Nasser?

A

British and Americans were worried about him
he was a Pan-Arabist: modernisers, argued that the reason Arabs were poor was because they were dominated by imperialists, also argued that there needed to be one Arab state in control of its own oil reserves

61
Q

The Suez Crisis

A

-16 Oct Britain, France and Israel created a military strategy to topple Nasser

-29 Oct Britain and France demanded the withdrawal of Egyptian forces from the Canal, Nasser refused

-31 Oct The British bombed Egypt’s airfields

(Americans only offer financial aid)

62
Q

Why did the British want the Suez canal?

A

it cut their trade journey by 2/3

63
Q

Israelis wanted to get rid of Nasser

A
64
Q

What was the USA’s response to the Suez Crisis?

A

-Eisenhower refused to give Britain financial support, considering the Suez Crisis to be an attempt by the British and French to prop up disintegrating empire

-The USA condemned the attack in the UN

65
Q

When was the Suez Crisis?

A

July-November 1956

66
Q

Why was the fighting of the Suez crisis halted?

A

Through diplomatic and financial pressure from the US, the fighting was halted on 6 November, at a point where Britain and France were near to capturing the whole length of the Suez canal

67
Q

Why did the USA not interfere in Egypt?

A

-To avoid nuclear confrontation.

-To prevent Soviet attempts to increase their influence in the Middle East (and potentially the developing world).

-To avoid criticism of their lack of intervention in Hungary.

68
Q

Why does Eisenhower have to condemn the British and the French in the UN?

A

he has an election coming up
he threatens the British and French with economic ruin

69
Q

Coincidentally, Khrushchev also condemns the British and French in the UN

A

Khrushchev decides to use brinkmanship in Egypt
he manages to extend soviet influence to Egypt

70
Q

What was the impact of the Suez Crisis for Khrushchev?

A

it enables Khrushchev to save face after Hungary and extend Soviet influence to the middle east
there was the idea that Britain and France’s actions saved Khrushchev
Nasser becomes Khrushchev’s biggest client until 1974

71
Q

Turning points in 1956

A

-after 1956, soviet style communism would die out in eastern europe without ‘radical surgery’
-1956= end of the British empire (ended by Eisenhower)
-Khrushchev extends soviet influence to the middle eats
-Americans do not intervene over Hungary (suggests that the US has accepted that eastern europe is part of the soviet sphere of influence)
-1956= the beginning of the breakdown of the sino-soviet relationship
-february 1956- secret speech
-june 1956- yugoslavia
-oct-nov 1956- hungary
-july-nov 1956- suez crisis
-june-oct- poland

Cold War (9 decks)

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