Chapter 9: Krushchev and East-West relations 1955-60 Flashcards

Uprisings, Summits, talks

1
Q

What was the Austrian State Treaty and when was it made?

A
  • May 1955
  • Austria had been divided into zones of occupation after WW2
  • Outcomes = would withdraw all powers, Austria would become a neutral state, would have democratic elections, would remove a potential source of conflict
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2
Q

What was the ‘Secret Speech’?

A
  • Feb 1956
  • Announced de-Stalinisation and a need for change in the USSR
  • Wanted to remove the cult of personality Stalin had created
  • Highlighted the cruelty of Stalin’s regime and the imprisonment and execution of 1000s of loyal communists
  • Also wanted to strive for peaceful coexistence
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3
Q

What was the Geneva summit?
What 2 key things were discussed?

A
  • Sep 1955
  • Open skies –> Wanted to each be allowed recon over each other’s military bases to know the capabilities of each other
  • GB and french open to it - USSR reject
  • Germany –> US propose reunification with free elections, USSR propose a neutral and demilitarised Germany
  • Was good that they were cooperating but no actual decisions were made
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4
Q

What happened in the Polish uprising?

A
  • June - Oct 1956
  • Wanted improved working conditions, higher wages, freedom for Catholicism, end of collectivised agriculture and Gomulka to be put in power
  • This made it look like Khrushchev had limited control
  • 28th June - workers strike - squashed by army
  • 29th June - martial law imposed in response
  • 19th Oct - Khrushchev threatens soviet military intervention
  • 21st Oct - Gomulka elected and negotiation allow him to stay as long as he remains committed to communism and its values
  • 24th Oct - No soviet military action mostly as Poland is supported by China
  • Moscow is shown to allow satellite states some independence –> partly causes Hungarian uprising
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5
Q

What happened in the Hungarian uprising?

A
  • Oct - Nov 1956
  • Wanted Imre Nagy as leader, soviet troops to leave, free speech/press etc and multi-party elections
  • 22nd Oct - students protest in Budapest
  • 23-24th - workers join and it becomes an armed revolt - Hungarian secret police take action leading to battle
  • 24th - Nagy = PM and immediately meets with soviets to negotiate
  • 25-26th - Soviet tanks fire on unarmed civilians, Nagy wants to negotiate a Soviet withdrawal
  • 28th - USSR agrees with pressure from China
  • 1st Nov - Nagy declares them as leaving the Warsaw pact and becoming neutral
  • Red army surrounds Budapest and crushes revolution
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6
Q

What were the consequences of the Hungarian uprising?

A
  • West had no involvement as they were busy with the Suez crisis and did not see it as their responsibility - lack of tensions
  • 200,000 Hungarians fled to Austria, Nagy was executed, 4000 Hungarians killed and rest now live in fear and oppression
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7
Q

When and what were the Camp David talks?

A
  • Sep 1959
  • The first time a leader of the USSR went to America
  • Discuss disarmament, situation in Berlin, agree to settle disputes diplomatically
  • Deteriorates Sino-Soviet relations
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8
Q

What was the Paris Summit and what caused its collapse?

A
  • May 1960
  • Discussed USSR wanting a deal on Berlin, want to agree to having no nuclear weapons in the Pacific or Germany
  • China say they will not agree to anything they were not involved in the discussion of
  • U2 affair causes the breakdown of the summit
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9
Q

What was the U2 affair?

A
  • U2 spy plane was shot down over the USSR causing the collapse of the Paris Summit
  • Gives Khrushchev a chance to calm down the Chinese opposition
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10
Q

When did Kennedy become president and what did this mean?

A
  • Jan 1961
  • Increased defence budget, promised more flexible conventional forces, wanted nuclear arms expansion including Polaris submarines
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11
Q

What was the Vienna Summit?

A
  • June 1961
  • Khrushchev and Kennedy meet to talk about Berlin - cannot agree
  • Khrushchev thought Kennedy was too young and would be easily manipulated
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