Chapter 24: The Ending of Cold War Tensions Flashcards
1
Q
What were reasons that the USSR needed to withdraw from Afghanistan?
A
- Financial drain
- Public opposition
- Casualties
- Saw they could not beat the US supported mujahideen
2
Q
How did the USSR withdraw from Afghanistan?
A
- Feb 1988 - announced withdrawal would begin in May
- Feb 1989 - completed
3
Q
How was the withdrawal from Afghanistan received?
A
- Seen as a failure in the USSR
- Removed an important East-West obstacle
4
Q
How did the cold war end in Nicaragua?
A
- 1980 - US ended support for the contras
- Led to a ceasefire with the Sandinistas
- US support pro-American Chamorro - $1mil - win elections 1990
- Removes Contras ending the civil war
- Economy however ends in ruins
5
Q
How did the cold war end in El Salvador?
A
- US support Duarte - president 1984
- Tries to stop brutal army suppression of the people
- FMLN battle against the army
- 1988 - Christiani = president, FMLN launch an offensive
- 1992 - Peace accords as US relax anti-communist stance so stopped supporting the army
- 1994 - free elections
6
Q
How did the cold war in Cuba?
A
- Support from USSR ends
- Need to restructure the economy
- Export sugar to China, Canada, Europe
- Increase tourism
- Withdraw support from other countries
7
Q
How did the cold war end in Angola?
A
- Dec 1986 - USSR reduce aid for MPLA - need to improve US relations
- Sep 1987 - support one last push against UNITA - helped with 10,000 cuban troops
- 1988 - South Africa (supporting UNITA) agree to negotiations
- Peace agreement with US and USSR made Dec 1988
- All withdraw
8
Q
How did the cold war end in Ethiopia?
A
- 1987 - become fully Marxist country
- Continue to receive aid from the soviet bloc
- Civil war
- Leader fled due to changes in Eastern bloc and the war
- Peoples revolutionary democratic front take over
- Supported by US despite Marxist ideology as anti-communism was not longer the primary foreign policy focus
9
Q
What were opinions about German reunification?
A
- West German Kohl - wanted reunification and inclusion into NATO
- East German Brandt - wanted unification but neutral
- Gorbachev - didn’t want NATO and its military to extend into East Germany
- Soviet people - saw it as a loss of their sphere, still sore about end of WW2
10
Q
What action did Gorbachev make towards Germany?
A
- Removed Soviet troops from East Germany
- Didn’t oppose sovereignty - put no conditions on it
- Undermined soviet state - didn’t consult anyone
11
Q
How did reunification occur?
A
- March 1990 - GDR elections prompt negotiations with FRG
- May - agree to economic, monetary and social union
- GDR transfer economic sovereignty to FRG - gain subsidies
- Aug - GDR pass law to be part of the FRG
- Sep - unification accepted by the 4 powers
- Oct - in NATO
12
Q
How did Gorbachev fall?
A
- 1991 - Became more hard-line - reintroduced into govt
- Aug - Union Treaty - loosen ties between centre and republics - appal hardliners - see it as end of USSR
- Coup against him - aim to re-establish harsh policy
- Fails - still unsecure position - resigns as secretary general
- Yeltsin takes over
13
Q
How did the USSR fall?
A
- 1988 - Armenians demand separation from Azerbaijan
- 1989 - April - Georgia demand independence
- May - Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia baltic assembly
- Aug - 2 mil people - baltic way
- 1990 - Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia declare independence
- Dec - Russia, Belarus, Minsk - create CIS
- 1991 - USSR ends
14
Q
What were the US’s 3 options to respond?
A
- Support Gorbachev
- Support Yeltsin
- Use their economics to incentivise reform
15
Q
How do the US respond?
A
- Condemn the coup
- Saw Gorbachev was weakened and the USSR was unlikely to survive
- Sep 1991 - establish principles for republics to gain aid from the US –> democracy, human rights, law, self-determination, respect for international law
- 1991 - announce recognition of the 12 former republics
