3 The Cold War Intensifies

Question 1

What was the Warsaw Pact, formed in 1955?

Answer 1

The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance of eight nation headed by the Soviet Union, and was designed to counter the threat of NATO. Members were to support each other if attacked.

The existence of two rival alliance systems in the Cold War increased rivalry between the US and Soviet Union and intensified the arms race

Question 2

What was the arms race and how was it significant in US-Soviet relations?

Answer 2

• The arms race involved the US and Soviet competing to develop the most powerful weapons in order to gain an upper hand in a potential war.
• Both the US and Soviet Union produced an atomic bomb (1945 vs 1949), hydrogen bomb (1952 vs 1953) and an inter-continental ballistic missile (both 1957) between 1945 and 1960 (although the US produced each weapon first each time)
• The arms race further increased rivalry and tension between the superpowers, as both felt threatened by each other and continued to develop weapons. If a war broke out, both sides expected it to be nuclear

Question 3

What event accelerated the arms race in 1957?

Answer 3

• In 1957, a Soviet rocket launched Sputnik, which was a satellite that could orbit the Earth in one and a half hours
• The USA saw this as a military threat, and therefore increased its spending on missiles by 20% and founded NASA. The USA started to place missile bases in European countries like West Germany, as well as nuclear weapons in submarines.
• This accelerated the arms race and further increased tensions between the two superpowers

Question 4

What were the main events in the months leading up to the Hungarian Uprising?

Answer 4

• Matyas Rakosi was an unpopular leader in Hungary as he was a hard-line communist and imposed harsh rules, such as no freedom of speech, the presence of Soviet troops in Hungary which drained the economy and the Russian language was forced upon the people.
• The new Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, denounced many of Stalin’s crimes after his death in 1953 and announced a de-Stalinisation policy in 1956, which promised to be more diplomatic with the dealings of governments
• Hungarian protesters therefore gained confidence and protested against Rakosi’s rule, who was then replaced with Erno Gero. He was no more popular and eventually the more liberal reformer, Imre Nagy (who had been prime minster for a short while from 1953-55), was appointed as prime minister on the 26th October 1956 after large demonstrations and uprisings.

Question 5

What reforms did Nagy introduce immediately after he came into power?

Answer 5

Once appointed as prime minister, Nagy immediately focused on gaining public and Western support by introducing a programme of reform, which stated that:
- Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact
- Hungary would have free elections
- Hungary would have an impartial legal system
- Soviet troops would totally withdraw from Hungary
- Farmers would be allowed private ownership.

Question 6

What was Khrushchev’s response to Nagy’s reforms?

Answer 6

-Khrushchev did not want Hungary to leave the Warsaw Pact as it would leave a gap in the USSR’s buffer zone in Eastern Europe and would encourage other members of the Pact to rebel against the Soviet Union
- Therefore, thousands of Soviet tanks and soldiers entered Hungary in order to regain control on the 4th November. Hungarians were blocked from leaving the country and thousands were imprisoned or executed.
- Nagy was removed as prime minister and replaced with Soviet-backed Janos Kader, who crushed remaining resistance. Only very gradual de-Stalinisation reforms were made over the next few years
- Nagy was eventually hanged in June 1958

Question 7

What were the main reasons for Khrushchev invading Hungary?

Answer 7

• To set an example to other members of the Warsaw Pact, in order to keep control of Eastern Europe, which was an important buffer zone to prevent invasion
• The USA and UK were involved in the Suez crisis in the Middle East, and so were not likely to intervene in an invasion of Hungary
• There was pressure from the Chinese leader to stand firm against any deviations from communism

Question 8

What was the international reaction to the Soviet invasion of Hungary?

Answer 8

• Countries of NATO did not want to intervene in Soviet Bloc countries, therefore there was no military intervention to support the rebels.
• The Suez crisis also made it difficult for the West to criticise similar Soviet actions in Hungary
• The UN declared its disgust at the treatment of Hungarians and money was raised for refugees
• Communist parties in Western Europe also started to change their opinion of the USSR