1958-1970 Flashcards
Attempting to improve relations
USA and USSR met in Geneva 1955 and agreed to communicate more openly
In 1955 the USSR agreed to recognised west Germany as an independent state
Berlin source of tension
After the Berlin blockade those of east Berlin began to move to west Berlin in an attempt for a better quality of life.
Many people who moved from East Berlin were essential for the area as many were skilled workers, this damaged the East german economy.
This was called the brain drain.
The refugee crisis forces Khrushchev to create a Berlin Ultimatum in 1959. He demanded all western troops leave Berlin . Eisenhower refused and tension grew
1959 summit
Khrushchev becomes the first communist leader to visit the USA . This meeting symbolised a new spirit of cooperation and communication between the 2 sides .
Neither side managed to agree on the Berlin problem leading them to organise a meeting in Paris the next year.
Paris summit 1960
Days before the summit was due to take place the Soviet union shot down an American U2 spy plane.
Eisenhower refuses to apologise for the event Khrushchev walked out.
Vienna 1961
The U2 incident continued to hinder communications between both sides. JFK was the new president and Khrushchev attempts to manipulate the new President seeing him as naive . However surprisingly JFK refuses to remove troops from Berlin and the Ultimatum was back on
Berlin wall
Khrushchev new that the Ultimatum would start a war . To resolve the problem . In august 1961 a 27 mile barrier is setup separating East and West Berlin . It was eventually fortified and machine gun posts were setup to prevent anyone from crossing.
This was a symbol of division . The message was clear and the relationship between the West and the East was crumbling .
Using the Berlin wall
JFK purposefully says a speech right next to the wall so that those on the east side can also hear him. In 1963 his speech states that Berlin is American soil and if anyone hurts Berlin America will come to the rescue . This was a huge propaganda victory for the US as they were once again a sign of freedom on the world stage.
The Cuban revolution and how it worried the US
In 1956 Fidel Castro began a guerrilla war and by 1959 he had enough support to take Cuba’s capital. He successfully overthrew the government.
America had a long economic history with Cuba and held lots of land in it . They believed they had the right to be involved with what was happening but cubans began to resent the US as they did not feel independent enough.
Castro’s relations with the USSR.
When Castro seized power he nationalised US companies and increased taxes on goods imported to America obviously angering them.
Eisenhower was afraid that Castro would grow closer towards communism. Castro threatens to stop importing sugar to the US . Because the sugar trade was Cuba’s main source of wealth the US did not take the threat seriously.
Instead Castro signed a trade deal with the USSR . All american
Property in cuba was confiscated and by 1961 the US had severed all diplomatic relations with Cuba
Bay of Pigs
In 1961 Kennedy ordered an invasion of Cuba using anti-Castro rebels.
The rebels were easily defeated and whilst America attempted to hide their involvement with the invasion it was revealed they orchestrated the event . This was a huge embarrassment for America .
This drove Castro even closer to the USSR . He asked for Soviet military assistance in defending Cuba and on December of that year he declared he was a communist
Cuban missile crisis
In July of 1962 Khrushchev had placed soviet missiles in Cuba
This would allow Cuba to attack the US with very little time for the US tl defend themselves
In October 1962 an American spy plane spotted a nuclear missile base on cuba
Kennedy demanded Khrushchev to dismantle to nuclear base and ordered a naval blockade to prevent any more soviet ships transporting weapons to Cuba.
As tensions grew and the ships got closer to the blockade both sides prepared for nuclear war. The US put nuclear bombs on planes ready to bomb cuba. The world was on the brink of mutually assured destruction
On the 27th of October Khrushchev ordered the bases to be dismantled and ordered his ships to turn around , in exchange the blockade would be lifted and the nuclear base in turkey would be dismantled
Consequences of the Missile crisis
In 1963 the hotline is introduced allowing for the leaders of the USSR and US to communicate with each other if another crisis were to occur
JFK was seen as a hero defeating the communists whereas Khrushchev resigns out of embarrassments in 1964.
The crisis prompted new measures to bring nuclear weapons under control
Limited test ban treaty was signed in 1963 and made sure all nuclear testing was to be done underground
The outer space treaty was signed in 1967 . It forbade the weaponisation of space by placing nukes in it
The nuclear non proliferation treaty came to force in 1970 . No country could supply nuclear weaponry to countries that did not already have nuclear arms .
Opposition to soviet control in Czechoslovakia
Tension had been building in the satellite state due to the heavy influence that the USSR had in it.
Soviet policies negatively impacted Czechoslovakia and slowed economic progress.
Dubcek
In January 1968 Dubcek becomes the new leader of Czechoslovakia . He was put in power to reduce tension in the satellite state.
In April Dubcek introduced a series of reforms that went against soviet style.
Travel to the west is allowed
The border with West Germany shall be reopened
All Industry shall be decentralised
Other political parties shall be allowed.
For four months the reforms were active and the people of Czechoslovakia lived in a time called the prague springs were the state thrived however the USSR feared that their influence was weakening and wanted to rectify the situation .
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
August 1968
500,000 soviet troops under the orders of Brezhnev invade the country
The people responded with non violent protests . In January 1969 a student burned themself in protest and in April of 1969 Dubcek was forcibly removed from office and was replaced with a communist loyal leader called Gustav Husak. This new leader would assure the country would stay loyal to the soviet union.
