Cold War Flashcards
The three conferences
Tehran Conference 1943- Soviets could control Eastern Europe, how to defeat the Nazis
Yalta Conference February 1945- Free elections, formation of United Nations
July/August 1945 Potsdam Conference - Increased tensions, new boundaries of Poland agreed, Nazi leaders tried for war crimes at Nuremberg, allies and France would divide Germany and Berlin between them, with Bizonia(1947) between USA + Britain and Trizonia(1948) between USA, Britain + France
Ideologies of USA + USSR
USSR communism - state control of industry and agriculture
USA capitalism - people could earn their way to the top
Significance of the atomic bomb
This was kept secret at the 1945 Potsdam Conference, boosted status of USA as the world’s only nuclear power, started an arms race between the two countries to develop nuclear weapons
What was the name of the USSR’s army?
The Red Army
Examples of Soviet satellite states
Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia
Iron Curtain Speech
Occured in 1946- Winston Churchill claimed there was an ‘Iron Curtain’ dividing Europe
Telegrams
Long Telegram(February 1946): By USA, claimed Stalin wanted to weaken the influence of the capitalist Western powers
Novikov Telegram(September 1946):
By USSR, USA wanted to weaken the influence of the USSR
How did Truman act to contain the communist threat
The Truman Doctrine(March 1947):The USA wanted to provide any support to any nation threatened by a communist takeover
The Marshall Plan(June 1947):
$17 billion to Western European countries to rebuild their economies
How did Truman act to contain the communist threat
The Truman Doctrine(March 1947):The USA wanted to provide any support to any nation threatened by a communist takeover
The Marshall Plan(June 1947):
$17 billion to Western European countries to rebuild their economies
How did Truman act to contain the communist threat
The Truman Doctrine(March 1947):The USA wanted to provide any support to any nation threatened by a communist takeover
The Marshall Plan(June 1947):
$17 billion to Western European countries to rebuild their economies
How did Stalin react to the Truman Doctrine?
Cominform 1947- Brought together all European communist countries
Comecon 1947- took control of industries and gave aid to counter Marshall Plan
Which country in Eastern Europe wasn’t dominated by the Soviets?
Yugoslavia was more open to the West despite being communist .
The Berlin Airlift
1949, Berlin Airlift, the West flew in supplies to bypass the blockade, forcing Stalin to lift the blockade
Causes of the Berlin Blockade
Stalin wanted the West to withdraw from Berlin
Stalin didn’t want the Western allies to be unified after a new currency in June 1948 was created in Trizonia known as the Deutschmark
The Berlin Blockade
In June 1948, all links to West Berlin would be cut off
Consequences of the Berlin Blockade
Germany would be divided
in 1949 into the Federal Republic of Germany(West Germany) and German Democratic Republic(East Germany)
In 1949, a Western military alliance called NATO formed
In 1955, the USSR created the Warsaw Pact in response
Meetings between Eisenhower and Khrushchev
1955 Geneva meeting - more communication
1959 USA meeting - Leaders agree to meet in Paris the next year to discuss Berlin
1960 Paris Summit Meeting - USA refuse to apologise about U2 Spy Plane
Vienna 1961- Kennedy refuses to compromise over Berlin
The refugee crisis
People wanted to go from the poorer East Berlin to the more prosperous West Berlin. West Berlin’s economic success threatened the Soviets, but this was good propoganda from the West as this made communism look weak.
The Berlin Ultimatum
1958- By Khrushchev, Western troops had to leave West Berlin in six months, Eisenhower refused
The Berlin Wall
13 August 1961- 27-mile barrier which separated West and East Berlin that stopped people going from East to West Berlin: little response from USA
Causes of the Cuban Missile Crisis
When Fidel Castro seized power of Cuba in 1959, he took public ownership on US companies making Eisenhower concerned he was becoming communist
Bay of the Pigs Incident
17 April 1961- Kennedy didn’t want a communist state near America, so tried to invade Cuba but failed and Cuba and the Soviet Union formed a military alliance
The Cuban Missile Crisis
USSR wanted to put nuclear missiles in Cuba, however the USA spotted this and threatened a naval blockade/invasion of Cuba so on 27 October 1962, Khrushchev agreed to dismantle the missile bases in Cuba, with the USA also removing their missile bases from Turkey
Consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Improved communication between the powers and more measures to control nuclear weapons:
1963 Telephone Hotline between Washington and Moscow for superpowers to talk
1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty for nuclear weapons to be tested underground
1967 Outer Space Treaty - no weapons in space
1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - no nuclear weapons given to other countries
The Prague Spring
In April 1968, Dubcek introduced reforms that went against communism, but these gave more freedom:
More power to trade unions and workers
Freedom of speech and opposition parties
Border with the West was re-opened, travel to the West made available.
The USSR didn’t like Dubcek’s reforms as they were worried other satellite states might follow, leading to a rejection of communism.
On 21 August 1968, 500,000 troops invaded Czechoslovakia and on April 1969,Dubcek was removed from power.
Countries condemned the Soviet action but didn’t act.
Brezhnev Doctrine
USSR would intervene in a country where communism was under threat
The arms race
The USA + USSR tried to develop the most powerful weapons they could which acted to stop the other gaining a military advantage.
1.1949- USSR atomic bomb
2.1952- USA hydrogen bomb
3.1955- USSR hydrogen bomb
4.1957- USSR Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
5.1957- USA’s Atlas Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
6.USSR caught up as USA were occupied by Vietnam War
Khrushchev
In 1953, Stalin died and Khrushchev took power: claimed he wanted ‘peaceful co-existence’
Hungary 1956
After WW2, USSR put Matyas Rakosi in charge of Hungary, who was a brutal stalinist. Rakosi was replaced by Imre Nagy.
In November 1956, Nagy announced Hungary would withdraw from Warsaw Pact, other satellite states could do the same, so Soviet tanks invaded Hungary, with 20,000 Hungarians killed/wounded and Nagy arrested and hanged.
Little intervention from Western European countries
Détente
To reduce military spending after expensive arms race and stop crises.
Salt 1 1972- limited amount of anti-ballistic missiles
Helsinki Agreement 1975-
Recognition of existing European borders, human rights, USSR didn’t follow agreement
Salt 2 1979- No new missile programmes, but this treaty wasn’t approved by the US Senate, so didn’t come into effect
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
Invasion of Afghanistan - December 1979
Soviets couldn’t win 1978 Civil War, which reflected badly on their military reputation
1980, the USA and other countries boycotted the Moscow Olympic Games in protest at the Soviet-Afghan war
Carter Doctrine
Carter announces USA would use force to stop the USSR from gaining control of the Gulf Region which had close economic ties with the West
Reagan’s policies
Reagan became
president in January 1981
Strategic Defence Initative March 1983- weapons to destroy nuclear missiles, ultimate defence system:balance of Cold War in USA’s favour
USA had to catch up with USSR’s nuclear strength
Anti-communist:USSR ‘evil empire’
Gorbachev’s new thinking
Perestroika(‘restructuring’)- Gorbachev wanted the Soviet economy to be more efficient, even allowing trade with the West and private business ownership
Glasnost(openness)- Soviets had new rights such as freedom of speech and relaxed censorship
Improved relations with the West - meeting with Reagan several times, like at the Geneva Summit in 1985
In 1988, he announced reduction of weapons + troops
In 1988, Gorbachev ended the Brezhnev Doctrine
Fall of Eastern Europe
Gorbachev’s new policies like the Brezhnev Doctrine and Glasnostmeant the USSR lost control of its satellite states and there were reformist movements within Eastern Europe.
May 1989- opened border between Hungary and Austria
June 1989- Free elections in Poland
August-September 1989: East Germans went to West Germany
November 1989- Fall of Berlin Wall(symbolises end of Cold War)
December 1989- communist governments collapsed in Czechoslovakia,Bulgaria + Romania
March 1990- Communist government defeated in Hungary
In October 1990- communist East Germany and democratic West Germany rejoined to form a single state again
March 1990- Lithuania independent
April 1991- Georgia independent
August 1991- Ukraine independent
Early 1990- Baltic republics(Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia) independent
Collapse of Soviet Union
Coup against Gorbachev’s reforms in August 1991 by communist-hardliners, Boris Yeltsin prevents coup
25 December 1991- Gorbachev resigned
26 December 1991- USSR dissolved
Yeltsin becomes leader of Russia - adopts Capitalism
