Cold War (2) Flashcards

1
Q

Why had the refugee issue in Berlin become such a problem for the USSR by 1957

A
  • the flow of refugees was humiliating for the USSR
  • Many were skilled workers, important to the economy
  • the existence of West Berlin as an island of capitalism within East Germany had always been resented by the USSR
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2
Q

What happened in the Geneva summit meeting ( 1959 )

A

No real agreement but arrangements made for Khrushchev to visit US

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3
Q

What happened in the Camp David summit meeting ( 1959 )

A

No solution but agreed further summit meetings – Khrushchev withdraws ultimatum.

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4
Q

What happened in the Paris summit meeting ( 1960 )

A

A disaster. Khrushchev storms out after Eisenhower refused to apologise about U2 incident

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5
Q

What happened in the Vienna summit meeting ( 1961 )

A

Neither side back down, Khrushchev tries to exploit Kennedy’s inexperience and repeats 6 month ultimatum.

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6
Q

When was the Berlin Wall put in place

A

During the night on 12 August 1961 ( wall of barbed wire was put around West Berlin

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7
Q

What were the positives of the Berlin Wall for the USSR

A
  • It stopped the refugee problem.

- It allowed Khrushchev to avoid war whilst appearing strong

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8
Q

What were the Negatives of the Berlin Wall for the USSR

A
  • Khrushchev had been unable to force the West out of West Berlin
  • Humiliating that the Soviets had to build a wall to keep the people of East Germany in!
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9
Q

What were the positives of the Berlin Wall for the USA

A
  • It avoided a war
  • Khrushchev had admitted he was not able to force the West out of Berlin
  • it was a propaganda victory for the West
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10
Q

What were the negatives of the Berlin Wall for the USA

A
  • West Berlin was now encircled by a wall which limited their freedom and America had not done anything to stop this being built.
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11
Q

What happened in the cuban revolution

A
  • Fidel Castro came to power and tried to seize control of Cuban businesses and industry from the US in 1959
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12
Q

How did the US attempt to kill Castro

A
  • Exploding molluscs
  • Exploding cigars
  • Poisonous face cream
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13
Q

What happened due to the distanced relationship between Castro and Kennedy

A
  • The leader of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro, developed an alliance with the USSR (largely as a result of alienation from America after America cut trade ties with Cuba following the revolution)
  • This gave Khrushchev an ally within the American sphere of influence.
  • Showed that capitalism wasn’t that popular!
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14
Q

What happened in the bay of pigs invasion

A
  • April 1961 - 1300 Cuban exiles, armed with U.S. weapons, landed at the Bay of Pigs.
  • The invasion was easily defeated by Castro’s army. The failure of the invasion seriously embarrassed the young Kennedy administration.
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15
Q

What happened as a result of the attempted invasion of Cuba

A
  • The invasion made Castro wary of the U.S. He was convinced that the Americans would try to take over the island again.
  • This fear pushed Castro even closer to the USSR
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16
Q

Why did Khrushchev build Missile Bases on Cuba

A
  • The Soviet Union saw Castro as an important ally Cuba was so close to the US
  • The Soviet Union was losing the Arms Race: Khrushchev needed to restore the nuclear balance:
  • The USA had missiles in Turkey targeting every city in the south of the USSR,
17
Q

How and why did Kennedy respond to the problem of the missiles in cuba

A
  • When a U2 spy plane took pictures of the Cuban Missiles bases, Kennedy and his advisors discussed a number of options:
    • To launch a nuclear strike on the missile sites in Cuba.
    • To launch a full-scale invasion of Cuba.
    • To impose a naval blockade – stop ships carrying military goods getting to Cuba
18
Q

How did the Cuban missile crisis develop

A

16-28th October 1962 – ‘The Thirteen Days’

  • Kennedy blockaded Cuba
  • US and Soviet troops on highest level of alert
  • In US, Hawks demand an aggressive approach, Doves recommend diplomatic strategies
  • Eventually a secret deal is made – USSR to remove missile from Cuba if US do the same in Turkey
19
Q

Consequences of Cuban Crisis

A
  • Hotline set up – communication between two sides made easier
  • Limited Test Ban Treaty – all over ground nuclear tests banned
  • Khrushchev’s authority affected – eventually replaced in 1964
  • USSR more determined to catch up in Arms race
  • Theory of MAD widely accepted
20
Q

What was there opposition to Soviet control in Czechoslovakia in 1968

A
  • Communism had been forced upon them.
  • No other political parties were permitted.
  • The Communist Party censored the media
  • Living standards were poor.
21
Q

What did the USSR do abut the growing discontent in Czech

A
  • Dubcek replaced the unpopular Antonin Novotny in January 1968. He wanted to make communism more popular by introducing reforms known as the ‘Prague Spring’
  • had an idea of imposing ‘socialism with a human face’
22
Q

What was the Prague Spring

A
  • Press censorship was abolished
  • Opposition groups were allowed and criticism of government was permitted
  • More power was given to regional government
  • More power given to the Czech Parliament
  • Changes were made to make the economy more ‘market-based’ with some competition introduced.
23
Q

How did Brezhnev react to the Prague Spring

A
  • Brezhnev Doctrine - Brezhnev said that if a communist country started to go back towards capitalism, other communist countries were justified in taking action to stop it, so as to protect the security of the Eastern Bloc.
  • On 20th August Brezhnev launched a full-scale invasion:
  • Dubcek urged the public not to respond with violence. There was large scale passive civil disobedience.
  • Dubcek was summoned to Moscow and forced to sign the Moscow Protocol: this promised to uphold communism, reintroduce censorship, and deal with political opponents (‘dissidents’).
24
Q

How did the US react to the soviet invasion of Czech

A
  • America was heavily involved in Vietnam and could not make further military commitments. Besides Czechoslovakia was in the Soviet sphere of influence.
  • The US publicly condemned Soviet aggression, but gave no military help to the Czech people. Other western leaders took a similar stance.