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Cold War > Cold War Crises 1958 - 70 > Flashcards

Cold War Crises 1958 - 70 Flashcards

1
Q

In what years did West Germany join NATO and the European Economic Community?

A

1955 and 1957

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2
Q

Between 1949 and 1961, how many East Germans fled to the West and why? (3)

A

4 mil because they did not like collectivisation, the end of private trading and the shortage of consumer goods

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3
Q

From Jan 1961 what happened to the number of people fleeing, who were most of them and give an example?

A

It increased to more than 20,000 a month with most of them in professional careers like the entire Maths department of University of Leipzig

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4
Q

What did Khrushchev issue in 1958 and what did this say? (3)

A

The Berlin Ultimatum, where he:
- Accused the Allies of breaking the Potsdam Agreement
- Told them they should leave Berlin within 6 months
- Suggested it should become a neutral and free city

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5
Q

Was Khrushchev’s visit to USA in 1959 successful?

A

Yes and it opened the prospect of a summit meeting the next year

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6
Q

Where and on what day were Khrushchev and Eisenhower due to meet?

A

14 May 1960 in Paris

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7
Q

On what day before the Paris Summit did the USSR announce an unexpected event and what was this?

A

On 1st May 1960, the USSR announced it has shot down an American U2 spy plane near the Russian city of Sverdlovsk

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8
Q

What happened to the pilot of the spy plane, how did Khrushchev react and why did he react in this way? (2)

A
  • He was captured and put on trial
  • Khrushchev demanded all flights to stop
  • He wanted an apology
  • USA had lied that it was a lost civilian aircraft, thinking the pilot was dead, but the USSR already knew the truth from the pilot himself under torture
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9
Q

What was the result of the ‘Spy in the Sky’ incident? (2)

A
  • Eisenhower cancelled his planned visit to USSR
  • The Summit did not take place
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10
Q

What was Khrushchev’s intention in fixing another summit conference with the new president?

A

He thought he could use his experience to push the young Kennedy around

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11
Q

What had Khrushchev failed to note before this summit?

A

Kennedy had reasserted the Truman Doctrine in his inauguration speech on 20 Jan 1961

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12
Q

What was the name of the second summit and when did it happen?

A

The Vienna Summit in Jun 1961

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13
Q

Outline what happened in the Vienna Summit: (3)

A
  • Khrushchev demanded western forces to leave West Berlin
  • He said he would make a treaty with East Germany to end all these occupational rights
  • Kennedy refused and increased US defence spending by 3.5 billion dollars in July (by 30%)
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14
Q

What happened on 13 August? (2)

A
  • Khrushchev closed the border between East and West Berlin
  • Streets near border torn up by East German troops so they could erect barbed wire around the 2 Berlins
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15
Q

Why especially could the Allies do nothing about the Wall?

A

It had been erected within the boundary of East Berlin

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16
Q

Within a few days, what began to happen around the fence? (2)

A
  • Construction of a temporary wall itself, chain fences and minefields
  • An area was cleared so E.G guards could shoot any E.Gs attempting to enter West Berlin
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17
Q

Why was it impossible to escape beyond the constructed wall? (4)

A
  • 3.6m high, 1.2m wide and 43km long
  • Patrolling soldiers and dogs
  • Floodlights
  • Trip-wire machine guns
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18
Q

Outline the events of the stand-off in Oct 1961: (4)

A
  • USA questioned whether the USSR troops were allowed to patrol and check the passports of Americans entering
  • America placed troops and tanks on their side provoking USSR to do the same
  • Kennedy promised Khrushchev if the USSR removed its troops they would too
  • The stand-off ended like this
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19
Q

What were some ways the E.Gs managed to escape? (4)

A
  • Tunnelling
  • Swimming along Teltow Canal
  • Jumping out of windows near the Wall
  • Climbed the wall, hoping soldiers would take poor aim out of pity for them
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20
Q

What other impacts were there of the Berlin Wall? (4)

A
  • Travel restrictions made it difficult to see family
  • Flow of refugees was stopped
  • Economic crisis slowly reduced as well as the end of the Berlin Crisis
  • 1949 agreement about running of Berlin had been broken
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21
Q

When did Kennedy visit West Germany and what was the reaction to it?

A
  1. Out of a pop of 2.5 mil, 1.5 mil were out on the streets cheering to see him
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22
Q

Why did American presidents believe friendship with Cuba was important?

A

It was only 145km away from mainland

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23
Q

By the 1950s, what did the USA control in Cuba and who was the leader during this time?

A
  • Most industry, railways and electricity production
  • Fulgencio Batista, a repressive dictator who was unsupported by the Cubans but were by the USA
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24
Q

What was life like under Batista? (2)

A
  • He allowed America to use facilities there like casinos and holiday homes like business, paying close to no tax
  • Meanwhile, the Cubans were in poverty and were not paid enough for their labour
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25
Q

Who became the leader in the Cuban Revolution of 1959 and what did he want?

A
  • Fidel Castro, who was a socialist
  • Greater independence from America
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26
Q

What did Castro do when he came to power and how did the USA react to this?

A
  • Nationalised all American properties
  • The USA threatened to bankrupt their economy by banning the import of Cuban sugar
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27
Q

How did the USSR use this opportunity?

A
  • Khrushchev offered to buy Cuban sugar
  • At the end of 1959, he sent weapons
  • In 1960, he sent Soviet diplomats to visit Castro
  • In Sep 1960, he openly promised to send military assistance
28
Q

When did the USA break diplomatic relations with Cuba?

A

Jan 1961

29
Q

What did Eisenhower authorise that was later accepted by Kennedy when he came to power in Jan 1961?

A

A scheme where Cuban exiles from 1959 would be trained to invade Cuba

30
Q

What was the aim of the planned invasion? (2)

A
  • To remove Castro
  • Create a National uprising against him
31
Q

Who were the exiles trained by, where did this happen (2) and what was the budget for the whole thing?

A

The CIA in Florida and Guatemala. The budget was 45 mil dollars.

32
Q

What did the exiles call themselves and how many were there?

A

La Brigada 2506 and there were 1500 of them

33
Q

State the timeline of the Bay of Pigs event: (4)

A

15 Apr 1961 –> US planes bomb Cuban airforce
16 Apr –> 2nd wave of bombings cancelled.
17 Apr –> La Brigada land at Bay of Pigs and encounter 20,000 men of Castro’s army. Cuban airforce regroups and fights.
19 Apr –> Fighting ends. 100 of La Brigada killed and 1100 imprisoned.
Dec 1962 –> La Brigada prisoners released after 53 million dollars of food and medicines are given by civilians and organisations in the USA

34
Q

Why did the planned invasion fail? (4)

A
  • The CIA failed to recognise that Castro was quite popular in Cuba
  • Some of the exiles had been overheard discussing plans in Miami so Castro knew it was imminent
  • US decided not to attack the Cuban Airforce on 16 Apr, which led to La Brigada’s supply of ships being sunk by them
  • Cuban forces had more people (20,000), better leadership, arms and organisation
35
Q

What were the effects of the invasion on Cuba? (4)

A
  • Castro’s position became stronger despite previous declining support because of the severe economic situation in Cuba
  • USA lost the support of the rest of Latin America
  • Operation Mongoose, which were secret operations organised by CIA to remove Castro
  • Cuba’s closeness with USSR
36
Q

What happened at the end of 1961? (2)

A
  • Castro announced Cuba’s conversion to communism
  • USSR military advisers and combat units were stationed on Cuba because Khrushchev was concerned about the bases in Turkey and Italy so thought this would be a balance of power and to protect Cuba
37
Q

Outline the timeline of military build-up in Cuba in 1962:

A

Sep 1962 –> USSR technicians began to install ballistic missiles
14 Oct 1962 –> U2 plane took photographs of USSR IRBMs being constructed (these could hit almost all US cities). They would be ready by Nov.
140 SAMs, 12 IRBMs, 40 MRBMs

38
Q

How did Kennedy react to the missiles in Cuba? (6)

A

Set up a committee of 12 advisors including his brother Robert. The options were:
- bomb Cuba and USSR using nuclear missiles
- invade Cuba
- destroy the missile bases with an airstrike
- blockade Cuba
- take no action

39
Q

Describe the final decisions made by Kennedy: (4)

A
  • A naval blockade (3300 km) would be placed to prevent USSR ships, delivering military materials
  • 156 ICBMs and Polaris submarines would be made ready to fight
  • Airforce bombers would be on patrol
  • Hundreds of thousands of soldiers placed on combat alert
40
Q

Outline the timeline of the October crisis: (5)

A

22 October –> Kennedy publicly announces the blockade
24 October –> 18 USSR ships, turn around to avoid the blockade. Kennedy demands the removal of all missiles.
26 October –> Khrushchev sends a letter, promising not to invade Cuba and removing the missiles if the blockade is removed
27 October –> Khrushchev send another letter, promising to remove his missiles if the USA removes its own missiles
28 October –> Kennedy accept the terms of the first letter following his brother’s advice and said the USA would invade if there was no positive response before 29 October. Both parties agree and the missiles in Cuba would be removed first before those in Turkey.

41
Q

State the consequences of the crisis: (8)

A
  • Increased rivalry due to the fact that it appeared that both parties had won. Kennedy had removed the missiles in Cuba and his reputation remained unaffected despite the removal of the missiles in Turkey. Khrushchev had saved Cuba from invasion and the missiles in Turkey were removed. However, within the USSR, Khrushchev was a failure, and this led to his removal as leader in 1964. he was also criticised by Mao Zedong, the leader of China.
  • A hotline telephone link was established between the White House and the Kremlin
  • 1963 After poor harvests, USA sold grain to USSR although he didn’t consult other countries in NATO when doing so
  • 1966, France withdrew from the military side of NATO
  • 1967 outer space treaty which was the agreement to not place nuclear weapons in orbit.
  • 1968 nuclear nonproliferation Treaty, which was the agreement to not develop nuclear weapons
  • 1969 talks to consider limitations to Arsenal (strategic arms, limitation talks)
  • August 1973, limited test ban treaty, which was the agreement to stop testing nuclear weapons in the atmosphere
42
Q

Since 1948, what were the living standards like in Czechoslovakia?

A

It was better than other satellite states

43
Q

Who had been the Czech leader and since what year?

A

Since 1957, Antonin Novotny has been the leader

44
Q

Why was Novotny unpopular? (3)

A
  • Hard-line communist, who refused to introduce reform
  • He was slow to follow the policy of de-Stalinisation
  • Slow to release political prisoners jailed under Stalin
45
Q

Why was the Czechoslovakian economy in serious decline in 1960s? (2)

A
  • USSR forced them to produce materials like steel for Russia, when Czech needed it themselves
  • Czech was forced to stop producing consumer goods
46
Q

What happened in 1962-63 in Czechoslovakia?

A

The National income fell

47
Q

What was Novotny’s attempt at reform after 1965 called and why was it unsuccessful?

A

New Economic Model, which failed because a surplus of consumer goods were produced, which only few could actually afford

48
Q

What happened in 1967 reform-wise? (2)

A

Oct - > At meeting of Central Committee of Communist Party, reformers like Alexander Dubcek and economist Ota Sik challenged Novotny’s leadership
Dec –> Dubcek invited Brezhnev to Prague, who was surprised to see the extent of opposition to Novotny and decided to bystand

49
Q

What changes were made to leadership positions in 1968? (2)

A

5 Jan –> Dubcek replaces Novotny as 1st Secretary of Communist Party, supported by Brezhnev
Mar –> Novotny resigns and is replaced by General Ludvik Svoboda, who had been a supporter of Dubcek’s reform programme

50
Q

What were Dubcek’s roles during and after WW1? (2)

A

During –> A communist guerrilla, opposing to Nazi occupation
After –> Factory worker and secretary of local communist committees

51
Q

What happened in the early 1950s and after 1964 for Dubcek? (3)

A

Early 1950s –> Appointed to Central Committee
By 1964 –> Promoted to Chairman of Slovak Communist Party
After 1964 –> Increasingly supports capitalist views like a greater role for private enterprises

52
Q

In 1989, after the fall of USSR, what party was Dubcek invited to be the leader of?

A

Social Democratic Party

53
Q

When were the Prague Spring reforms introduced?

A

Spring of 1968

54
Q

Prague Spring Reforms: (5)

A
  • Greater political freedom: By Mar 1968, corruption exposed by the media, uncensored discussions printed, fuller radio and TV
  • 10 year programme for political change: Multi-party state, democratic elections, democratic socialism
  • Secret police can’t imprison without trial
  • Removal of travel restrictions and new contact with the West: Trade w/ West Germany
  • More rights for TU members and creation of work councils
55
Q

Give 2 examples of one of the negative effects of the reforms:

A

More opposition to communism and demands for radical reforms:
Jun 1968 –> - Social Democrats formed a separate party as rivalry to the Communist Party
- Ludvik Vaculik, a journalist, published a manifesto ‘The 2000 Words’ for more reform

56
Q

Why was Czechslovakia a worry for USSR? (4)

A
  • It’s centrally placed
  • It has the strongest industry
  • If Czechslovakia left the Warsaw Pact, the Eastern Bloc would be split in half and NATO could move in
  • As West Germany and Czechoslovakia became closer, they may dominate the economy of Czechoslovakia
57
Q

Which two leaders of what countries were pressuring Brezhnev to control Czechoslovakia? (2)

A
  • Gomulka, Polish leader
  • Walter Ulbricht, East German leader
58
Q

Who was the leader of the Slovakian Communist Party and what did he do in response to the reforms?

A

Vasil Bilak was one of 5 who signed a letter to Brezhnev stating communism itself was under threat in Czechoslovakia and he should ‘use all means at your disposal’ to end the reforms

59
Q

Outline all the events of 1968: (9)

A

5 Jan –> Dubcek became 1st Secretary of Communist Party
Spring –> Prague Spring Reforms
Jun –> SDs form another party and The 2000 Words manifesto is published
Soviet tanks remain in Czechslovakia
Jul –> Brezhnev met with leaders of Warsaw Pact in Warsaw, who shared their concerns.
He met with Dubcek, who agreed to stay in the Pact and disallow the new SD party
3 Aug –> Dubcek, Brezhnev and others in the Warsaw Pact signed the Bratislava Declaration in Bratislava, declaring their faith in communism
9 Aug –> Leader of Yugoslavia, Tito (who the USSR didn’t trust), received great reception visiting Czechoslovakia
15 - 18 Aug –> 3 day meeting with Politburo to decide on action
20 Aug –> USSR, w/ Bulgaria, EG, Hungary and Poland, invade Czechoslovakia
Autumn –> Brezhnev Doctrine introduced, saying USSR had rights to invade any country in Eastern Europe if they threatened the Bloc’s security (to justify the invasion), all members had to stay in the Warsaw Pact, communism is a one-party system and if a capitalist country is to invade a communist country, other communist states could intervene

60
Q

What things occurred in the invasion? (5)

A
  • Buildings set on fire
  • Protestors assemble in Wenceslas Square
  • Barricades set up
  • Students tore street names down to confuse invaders
  • Students tried to argue with Soviet soldiers, climbing on tanks
61
Q

What were the results of the invasion on Czechoslovakia? (4)

A
  • No resistance by Czechoslovakian army so less than 100 people were killed
  • Dubcek arrested, sent as an ambassador to Turkey and forced to resign from Czech Communist Party
  • Czech Communist Party purged
  • Gustav Husak replaces him to revert to strict communism
62
Q

Up until what point did demonstrations in Czechoslovakia continue and what happened in Jan of the same year?

A

Up until Apr 1969. In Jan, Jan Palach, a student, set fire to himself in Wenceslas Square in protest.

63
Q

What was the USA pre-occupied with during 1968, although they publicly condemned the invasion?

A
  • Presidential election
  • Vietnam War
64
Q

Who was the American president at the time and what deal had he made with USSR?

A

Lyndon B Johnson had made a secret deal that the USA would not intervene w/ Czechoslovakia if they didn’t intervene w/ Vietnam

65
Q

Which two Western European countries were outraged by the events in Czechoslovakia, what did they announce and what was the new form of communism that developed because of this loss of influence?

A

Italy and France, who declared themselves independent of the Soviet Communist Party. Eurocommunism was formed.

66
Q

What was China’s response to the invasion on Czechoslovakia? (2)

A
  • They criticised it
  • They feared whether the same would happen to them
67
Q

What were Romania, Albania and Yugoslavia’s responses to the invasion and what was the USSR’s response to this?

A
  • President Ceausescu of Romania refused to send troops, condemned the invasion and distanced themselves
  • Albania distanced themselves and left the Warsaw Pact in 1968
  • Yugoslavia condemned the invasion and distanced themselves

Cold War (3 decks)

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