Cold War Crises Flashcards
Why was Cuba a threat?
The USSR were supplying arms to Cuba
Cuba is close in proximity to the USA
Cuba is a communist controlled country
Who was Fidel Castro?
Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba
What was the Bay of Pigs?
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
Consequences of the Cuban missile crisis
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
Why was the Bay of Pigs a total failure?
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
When was the bay of pigs?
7th of April 1961
Summary of the 26th of October ( The 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis)
Khrushchev sent Kennedy a telegram offering to remove missiles from Cuba if the Americans agreed not to invade
Summary of the 22nd of October (The 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis)
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.
Summary of the 28th of October ( The 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis)
Kennedy ignored the Second telegram and agreed to Khrushchev’s proposal. Khrushchev then sent his agreement. Weapons were removed from Turkey in secret.
Summary of the 16th of October ( The 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis)
Kennedy called together an ExComm to discuss how the USA should react to the fact that US spy planes have found missiles on Cuba.
What is a common misconception about the bay of pigs ?
That it was an invasion by US troops. In reality is was Cuban Exiles supported by the CIA.
Summary of the 24th of October ( The 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis)
The Soviet ships reached the blockade and turned around. This partly solved the problem however there was still the problem of missiles in Cuba.
Summary of the 27th of October ( The 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis)
Khrushchev sent a new telegram saying that he would only remove the missiles if the US missiles in Turkey were removed.
What year was the Cuban Missile Crisis?
1962
Hotline between Moscow and Washington
A Hotline was introduced that replaced telegrams. It was introduced so that they could communicate quicker and prevent future misunderstandings that could cause war.
Test Ban Treaty : 1963
To prohibit the testing of Nuclear weapons in outer space, underwater or in the atmosphere
Outer Space Treaty :1967
Missiles could not be placed in space
Causes of the Cuban Missile Crisis
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
Who were the ‘Hawks’ (US politics)?
Those who tend to favour a military solution to a problem
Who were the ‘Doves’ (US politics)?
Those who tend to favour a peaceful,diplomatic solution.
What were the options discussed when Kennedy heard the news of missiles in Cuba?
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
What was Détente?
The period of relaxation after the Cuban Missile Crisis in an attempt to ease tension.
When did the Berlin wall start being built?
12 August 1961
What problem was attempted to be solved by the building of the Berlin wall?
East Germany’s refugee crisis. For exmaple on just one day in August 1961 40,000 East Germans crossed to the West
Impacts of the Wall: The impact in Berlin
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.
The Appearance of the Berlin Wall
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.
Notable Berlin Wall Escape Attempts
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.
Impact of the Berlin Wall: Negative Outcomes for The USSR
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.
Impact of the Berlin Wall: Negative Outcomes for The USA
The People who wanted to escape from Communism were no longer able to
The Soviet Union had closed the borders without consulting the USA
Impact of the Berlin Wall: Positive Outcomes for The USSR
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.
Impact of the Berlin Wall: Positive Outcomes for The USA
- 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.
John F. Kennedy Speech (West Germany)
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.
Impact of the Berlin Wall on international relations
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.
Who was Alexander Dubcek?
In 1968 Alexander Dubcek was elected as First Secretary of the Czech Communist Party. The Soviet leadership approved of him and trusted him.
Soviet Control in Czechoslovakia pre 1968
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
Opposition to Soviet Control in Czechoslovakia pre 1968
Protests against the low standard of living and lack of freedom grew, with student demonstrations in 1966 showing how unpopular the government was.
Dubcek’s ideas/values and opinion on communism
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.
When did Dubcek introduce his reforms?
April 1968
What were Dubcek’s reforms known as?
The Prague Spring
What were Dubcek’s reforms (Prague Spring)?
• 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.
Reaction to the Prague Spring: Czech people
Dubcek’s reforms were met with great enthusiasm by the Czech people
Who was Brezhnev?
The Soviet leader who replaced Khrushchev in 1968.
Brezhnev initial reaction to Dubcek’s reforms
Disapproved of many measures Dubcek was proposing
Urged Dubcek to not endanger communism
What made Brezhnev decide to take action (Invade Czechoslovakia)?
Dubcek inviting Ceaucescu of Romania and Tito (who was refusing to accept control from Moscow) to Prague for talks
When did Warsaw Pact troops invade Czechoslovakia?
20th of August 1968
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
On 20 August 1968, 500,000 Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia and ended the ‘Prague Spring’.
Czech Opposition to the invasion of Czechoslovakia
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.
The Brezhnev Doctrine
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.
The Impact of the ‘Prague Spring’ and the Soviet Invasion: in Czechoslovakia
The invasion ended the Prague Spring. The authorities soon put things back to ‘normal’.
Consequences of the Prague Spring and the Soviet Invasion : For relations between other communist countries in Europe
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
Consequences of the Prague spring and Invasion of Czechoslovakia for relations between USA and the Soviet Union
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.
Consequence of the Prague Spring and Soviet Invasion for the USA’s international reputation?
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.
Khrushchev’s Berlin Ultimatum (November 1958)
• 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.
Four summit meetings between 1959-61
Geneva
Camp David
Paris Summit
Vienna Conference
Outcome of Geneva Summit
No solution agreed but a further summit organised for Camp David in the USA.
Outcome of Camp David
No solution agreed but a further meeting arranged in Paris.
Outcome of Paris Summit
A disaster. Khrushchev stormed out because the Soviet Union had shot down a US spy plane over Russia.
Outcome of Vienna conference
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.
