Cold War Crises

Question 1

Why was Cuba a threat?

Answer 1

The USSR were supplying arms to Cuba
Cuba is close in proximity to the USA
Cuba is a communist controlled country

Question 2

Who was Fidel Castro?

Answer 2

Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba

Question 3

What was the Bay of Pigs?

Answer 3

1400 cuban exiles landed in the bay of pigs for the attempted overthrow of Fidel Castro. They were crushed and the event was a US humiliation

Question 4

Consequences of the Cuban missile crisis

Answer 4

A hotline between Washington and Moscow was set up
Test ban treaty created
Khrushchev’s authority was effected and he was replaced in 1964
Weapons were removed from Turkey in secret

Question 5

Why was the Bay of Pigs a total failure?

Answer 5

20,000 soldiers were ready and waiting to fight against them
There was a lack of support from the cuban civilians
The exiles had no military experience
The US could not send airstrikes or ground forces

Question 6

When was the bay of pigs?

Answer 6

7th of April 1961

Question 7

Summary of the 26th of October ( The 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis)

Answer 7

Khrushchev sent Kennedy a telegram offering to remove missiles from Cuba if the Americans agreed not to invade

Question 8

Summary of the 22nd of October (The 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis)

Answer 8

Kennedy decided instead of launching an attack they would set up a naval blockade. If the USSR ignored the blockade a war may have broken out.

Question 9

Summary of the 28th of October ( The 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis)

Answer 9

Kennedy ignored the Second telegram and agreed to Khrushchev’s proposal. Khrushchev then sent his agreement. Weapons were removed from Turkey in secret.

Question 10

Summary of the 16th of October ( The 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis)

Answer 10

Kennedy called together an ExComm to discuss how the USA should react to the fact that US spy planes have found missiles on Cuba.

Question 11

What is a common misconception about the bay of pigs ?

Answer 11

That it was an invasion by US troops. In reality is was Cuban Exiles supported by the CIA.

Question 12

Summary of the 24th of October ( The 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis)

Answer 12

The Soviet ships reached the blockade and turned around. This partly solved the problem however there was still the problem of missiles in Cuba.

Question 13

Summary of the 27th of October ( The 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis)

Answer 13

Khrushchev sent a new telegram saying that he would only remove the missiles if the US missiles in Turkey were removed.

Question 14

What year was the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Answer 14

1962

Question 15

Hotline between Moscow and Washington

Answer 15

A Hotline was introduced that replaced telegrams. It was introduced so that they could communicate quicker and prevent future misunderstandings that could cause war.

Question 16

Test Ban Treaty : 1963

Answer 16

To prohibit the testing of Nuclear weapons in outer space, underwater or in the atmosphere

Question 17

Outer Space Treaty :1967

Answer 17

Missiles could not be placed in space

Question 18

Causes of the Cuban Missile Crisis

Answer 18

The USA had missiles in Turkey- increased tension as the Soviet Union felt under threat
The USSR were losing the arms race- Khrushchev needed to restore the nuclear balance
The bay of pigs
Communist revolution in cuba - castro coming into power

Question 19

Who were the ‘Hawks’ (US politics)?

Answer 19

Those who tend to favour a military solution to a problem

Question 20

Who were the ‘Doves’ (US politics)?

Answer 20

Those who tend to favour a peaceful,diplomatic solution.

Question 21

What were the options discussed when Kennedy heard the news of missiles in Cuba?

Answer 21

Launch a nuclear strike on the missile sites in Cuba
Launch a full scale invasion of Cuba
Naval Blockade- stop ships carrying USSR military goods to Cuba

Question 22

What was Détente?

Answer 22

The period of relaxation after the Cuban Missile Crisis in an attempt to ease tension.

Question 23

When did the Berlin wall start being built?

Answer 23

12 August 1961

Question 24

What problem was attempted to be solved by the building of the Berlin wall?

Answer 24

East Germany’s refugee crisis. For exmaple on just one day in August 1961 40,000 East Germans crossed to the West

Question 25

Impacts of the Wall: The impact in Berlin

Answer 25

The Berlin wall cut through many streets and even buildings. While it was being built many people made escape attempts.
Families, friends and neighbours were parted, often for years on end.

Question 26

The Appearance of the Berlin Wall

Answer 26

Along the 27-mile section that cut through the centre of Berlin there were (strictly speaking) two walls , one facing East, and the other West. They were separated by a zone known as ‘no-man’s land” packed with booby-traps, barbed wire, minefields and car-barriers, all guarded
by hundreds of lookout towers, with machine-gun nests and powerful searchlights.

Question 27

Notable Berlin Wall Escape Attempts

Answer 27

One woman threw a mattress out of the Window into West Berlin and then Jumped onto it. She landed on it but later died of her injuries.

Two building workers made a dash for it. One made it however the other Peter Fechter was shot and lay dying for 45 mins.

Question 28

Impact of the Berlin Wall: Negative Outcomes for The USSR

Answer 28

Khrushchev had to abandon plans to unite Germany under Soviet control
The Wall showed that the Soviet Union had to lock people in to stop them from leaving. Therefore showing that they seemed to prefer capitalism over communism.

Question 29

Impact of the Berlin Wall: Negative Outcomes for The USA

Answer 29

The People who wanted to escape from Communism were no longer able to
The Soviet Union had closed the borders without consulting the USA

Question 30

Impact of the Berlin Wall: Positive Outcomes for The USSR

Answer 30

The wall stopped refugees leaving for the West through East Berlin.
The Wall sent the West a message that communism would survive in Berlin, and that any attempt to reunite Germany under Western control would fail.

Question 31

Impact of the Berlin Wall: Positive Outcomes for The USA

Answer 31

• The Wall showed that Khrushchev had been forced to accept Western control in West Berlin, and that did not think he couldget away with bullying Kennedy anymore.
• West Berlin became an emblem of freedom and defiance against communism.

Question 32

John F. Kennedy Speech (West Germany)

Answer 32

West Berliners were celebrating their freedom in contrast to the restrictions in the East and Kennedy visited and did a Speech praising the West and he famously said ‘Ich bin ein berliner’ which means I am a citizen of Berlin.

Question 33

Impact of the Berlin Wall on international relations

Answer 33

The Berlin Wall became a powerful symbol of the division and differences between East and West.
Now Berlin was divided and the borders between East and West Germany were closed; there was less likelihood that the US and Soviet Union would go to war over Berlin.
In some ways, the building of the Wall may have reduced tension between the USA and the Soviet Union.

Question 34

Who was Alexander Dubcek?

Answer 34

In 1968 Alexander Dubcek was elected as First Secretary of the Czech Communist Party. The Soviet leadership approved of him and trusted him.

Question 35

Soviet Control in Czechoslovakia pre 1968

Answer 35

Life under communist rule was difficult for the Czech people.
In effect the country was ruled by the Soviet Union who used secret police to maintain control.
There was no freedom of speech and the media was controlled
On Stalin’s orders the Czech government carried out purges between 1949-54 against anyone who stood in their way

Question 36

Opposition to Soviet Control in Czechoslovakia pre 1968

Answer 36

Protests against the low standard of living and lack of freedom grew, with student demonstrations in 1966 showing how unpopular the government was.

Question 37

Dubcek’s ideas/values and opinion on communism

Answer 37

He believed that communism was the right political path but should not make life miserable. A communist government should offer ‘socialism’ with a human face. He thought citizens should be able to enjoy life, express their views in public and speak out against Communist Party decisions they did not like, without fear of being punished by the government.

Question 38

When did Dubcek introduce his reforms?

Answer 38

April 1968

Question 39

What were Dubcek’s reforms known as?

Answer 39

The Prague Spring

Question 40

What were Dubcek’s reforms (Prague Spring)?

Answer 40

• Censorship was relaxed and criticism of government actions was allowed.
• Trade unions were given wider powers and government control of industry was reduced.
• More power was given to the Czech regional governments.
• Trade with the West was increased.
• Czech people were given greater freedom to travel abroad.
• The idea of having multi-party elections was discussed, though Dubcek and other Communist leaders emphasised that this would not happen for many years.

Question 41

Reaction to the Prague Spring: Czech people

Answer 41

Dubcek’s reforms were met with great enthusiasm by the Czech people

Question 42

Who was Brezhnev?

Answer 42

The Soviet leader who replaced Khrushchev in 1968.

Question 43

Brezhnev initial reaction to Dubcek’s reforms

Answer 43

Disapproved of many measures Dubcek was proposing
Urged Dubcek to not endanger communism

Question 44

What made Brezhnev decide to take action (Invade Czechoslovakia)?

Answer 44

Dubcek inviting Ceaucescu of Romania and Tito (who was refusing to accept control from Moscow) to Prague for talks

Question 45

When did Warsaw Pact troops invade Czechoslovakia?

Answer 45

20th of August 1968

Question 46

Invasion of Czechoslovakia

Answer 46

On 20 August 1968, 500,000 Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia and ended the ‘Prague Spring’.

Question 47

Czech Opposition to the invasion of Czechoslovakia

Answer 47

Little opposition as Brezhnev ordered the Czech army to remain in its barracks.
Some individaul acts of bravery such as blcoking roads or attacking tanks.

Question 48

The Brezhnev Doctrine

Answer 48

Brezhnev announced that the actions of any individual communist country affected all communist countries. Therefore if one countries actions threatened the ‘future of communism’ it was the duty of all communist countries to stop it.

Question 49

The Impact of the ‘Prague Spring’ and the Soviet Invasion: in Czechoslovakia

Answer 49

The invasion ended the Prague Spring. The authorities soon put things back to ‘normal’.

Question 50

Consequences of the Prague Spring and the Soviet Invasion : For relations between other communist countries in Europe

Answer 50

Yugoslavia and Romania condemned the Soviet Union
Communist parties of Italy and France cut links to Moscow
Governments of East Germany and Poland welcomed Brezhnevs actions
Greater Soviet control over the members of the Warsaw pact

Question 51

Consequences of the Prague spring and Invasion of Czechoslovakia for relations between USA and the Soviet Union

Answer 51

The USA and other Western governments were outraged by the invasion and many of them made strong protests to the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union saw that while the USA might make protests, it would not take direct action to oppose the Soviet Union in Europe.

Question 52

Consequence of the Prague Spring and Soviet Invasion for the USA’s international reputation?

Answer 52

At this time, the USA was involved in a costly war in North Vietnam and was also beginning to adopt a policy of détente with the Soviet Union. Other countries saw that the USA was keen to criticise the Soviet Union but much less prepared to take action.

Question 53

Khrushchev’s Berlin Ultimatum (November 1958)

Answer 53

• This stated that all Berlin belonged to East Germany and that occupying troops must leave in six months.
• The Soviet Union knew that if it tried to push the West out of Berlin by force, a war would start that it could not win, as the US had more nuclear weapons. So, a series of summit meetings took place between the leaders of the USA and the Soviet Union.

Question 54

Four summit meetings between 1959-61

Answer 54

Geneva
Camp David
Paris Summit
Vienna Conference

Question 55

Outcome of Geneva Summit

Answer 55

No solution agreed but a further summit organised for Camp David in the USA.

Question 56

Outcome of Camp David

Answer 56

No solution agreed but a further meeting arranged in Paris.

Question 57

Outcome of Paris Summit

Answer 57

A disaster. Khrushchev stormed out because the Soviet Union had shot down a US spy plane over Russia.

Question 58

Outcome of Vienna conference

Answer 58

Neither was willing to back down. Khrushchev saw Kennedy’s inexperience as a weakness and reissued his ultimatum for the USA to remove its troops from Berlin.