Cold War 1948-60 Flashcards
Korean War
- New US leader - Eisenhower
- June 1950 - North Korea set attack on South with support of China and USSR
- 38th Parallel - Went: down, up, down, middle.
- Stopped July 1953 on 38th again
- The two superpowers fought a proxy war in a their country (not directly fighting each other)
Arms Race
- Japan 1945 atomic bombs - Stalin concerned
- 1949 first USSR A-bomb - US concerned
- 1952 First H-bomb (US) - 2500 times more powerful than A-bomb
- 1953 First Soviet H-bomb
- 1957 USSR first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).
- 1958 US ICBM.
- 1961 USSR detonates Tsar Bomba, largest ever man-made explosion.
- Cuban Missile Crisis 1962 (13 days).
- SALT talks 1972.
Arms Race had huge money and resource costs for both superpowers.
Space Race
- 1957 USSR launches Sputnik (first satellite)
- —-> Sputnik 2 later that year carrying dog named Laika.
- 1959 - USSR launches Luna 1 - first man-made object to orbit sun.
- —-> USA sent Pioneer 4 to fly past moon, so Soviets launch Luna 2 at moon.
- 1960 US launches Discovery XIV, first satellite with a spy camera.
- 1961 First man in space Yuri Gagarin (USSR)
- —-> USA responds by launching Apollo missions, Alan Shepard first American in space.
- —-> Kennedy challenges America to put man on moon by the end of decade.
- 1969 First man to walk on moon Neil Armstrong (US)
Space Race had huge money and resource costs for both superpowers.
NATO and Warsaw Pact
NATO - North Atlantic Treaty of Friendship.
- April 1949 - 12 Western countries sign NATO after Berlin Blockade.
- Stalin dies 1953, wanted to keep Germany weak, NATO did the opposite.
- West Germany joined NATO 1955.
- —-> May 1955 - Khrushchev makes Warsaw Pact, Eastern countries to rival NATO - Mostly controlled by USSR.
NATO and Warsaw Pact meant that an argument between two members of opposing alliances could easily escalate to a big conflict.
Hungarian Uprising
- Hungarians disliked Rakosi, communist leader
- From 23rd October 1956 - Students rebel aggressively in Budapest against Rakosi
- Soviet tanks open fire on protesters in response
- Nagy (reform-supporting leader) took control, promised reforms to system
—–> Free elections, farmers allowed private ownership of land, withdrawal of Soviet troops, leave Warsaw Pact and become neutral. - 29th & 31st October - Soviets withdrawn from country
- 1st November - Hungary tries to leave Warsaw Pact and become neutral in Cold War
—–> Khrushchev refused Hungary leaving Pact as it would leave a hole in the buffer zone.
4th November - Thousands of USSR tanks enter Hungary
—–> 2,500 Hungarians and 700 Soviet army soldiers killed.
—–> 200,000 Hungarians leave country as refugees.
U2 Spy Plane
1960 Paris Summit (meeting) - Between Eisenhower (US) and Khrushchev (USSR) - Wanted to talk about nuclear weapons, Berlin (East escaping to West), and Cuba
- 13 days before Paris Summit, 1st May 1960 - US U2 Spy Plane shot down over USSR - US claimed it to be a weather plane.
- Khrushchev demanded apology in Paris, Eisenhower refused, Khrushchev walked out.
Consequences:
- No Test Ban Treaty
- America embarrassed as they lied
- No deal on Berlin or Cuba
- Tensions between superpowers increased.
Fidel Castro
Communist dictator of Cuba who came into power in 1959.
Bay of Pigs
Failed CIA operation in April 1961 to overthrow Castro and take over Cuba using Cuban exiles. CIA defeated by 20,000 heavily armed Cuban troops.
Made Kennedy look weak and aggressive.
Cuban Missile Crisis
- 14th October 1962 U2 Spy Plane took pictures of missile launch sites in Cuba.
—–> US decides on naval blockade of Cuba. - 24th October, 20 USSR ships turn back after reaching blockade.
—–> Tensions increase as both superpowers disagree with each other, USSR threats to go straight through blockade. - 26th October Krushchev sends letter saying he’ll remove missiles if he ends blockade and doesn’t invade Cuba.
- 28th October Krushchev public message to remove Cuban missiles.
13 Day period in October 1962 when Soviet nuclear missile were pointed at the United States in Cuba. - Led to Soviets removing atomic weapons from Cuba as long as US removed weapons from Turkey.
Consequences:
- 1963 Test Ban Treaty - Ended testing of nuclear weapons
- SALT talks.
Berlin Wall
Concrete wall that separated East and West Berlin, from 1961-89, built by Soviets to retain people trying to flea to West Berlin.
- Started being built 13th August 1961
SALT
Strategic Arms Limitations Talk - Pact to freeze number of long-range nuclear weapons for 5 years in 1972.
-Between US, China & USSR.
MAD
Mutually Assured Destruction
