Cold War Crises 1958-70 Flashcards
1
Q
The refugee problem in Berlin 1958 [5]:
A
- West Germany received marshall aid and during the 1950s became a prosperous country
- East Germany received far less financial aid from the Soviet Union and the government’s economic policies in the 1950s were largely unsuccessful
- This meant that East Germany had a low standard of living and basic goods
- There were many restrictions on what ordinary citizens could say or do which was monitored by the secret police in 1953 and the Soviets sent armed forces to restore order
- Due to these circumstances, many East Germans chose to leave their homes and move to West Germany where the quality of life was better
2
Q
How many East Germans had crossed over to the West by 1958 [2]:
A
- 3 million (over 1/6 of the population)
- Many of the people that left were those who were necessary for East Germany to thrive: skilled workers like engineers, technicians and teachers as they could earn much higher salaries there
3
Q
Khrushchev’s Berlin ultimatum [5]:
A
- In November 1958 Khrushchev demanded that Western countries recognise East Berlin as its own country
- On 27th November Khrushchev issued his Berlin Ultimatum
- It demanded that Berlin be demilitarised and Western troops be withdrawn
- It also demanded that berlin became a free city
- The west had 6 months to make these changes or Khrushchev would hand over control of all routes leading into Berlin to the government of East Germany
4
Q
What was the impact of the Berlin ultimatum on superpower relationships? [5]:
A
- The West was outraged by Khrushchev’s actions and saw this as another example of the Soviet Union trying to spread communism
- Khrushchev saw his demands as essential to stop the flood of skilled citizens from East Germany
- By 1958, both the USA and the Soviet Union had large numbers of nuclear weapons and neither side wanted nuclear war
- Event the Chancellor of West Germany, Adenauer, who believed that West Germany was the only true Germany was not prepared to go into nuclear war over berlin
- Between 1959-61 talks were held to solve the Berlin problem
5
Q
What were the four summit meetings of 1959-61?
[4]:
A
- Geneva, May 1959
- Camp David, September 1959
- Paris, May 1960
- Vienna June 1961
6
Q
Geneva meeting [4]:
A
- It was in May 1959
- Held in neutral Switzerland
- No agreement was reached
- President Eisenhower invited Khrushchev to the USA for further talks
7
Q
Camp David [4]:
A
- It was in September 1959
- Eisenhower and Khrushchev met face to face for the first time at the presidential ranch
- There was still no agreement about Berlin. However, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the Berlin ultimatum
- The meeting established better relations between the 2 leaders and it was agreed that further talks would be held
in Paris the following summer
8
Q
Paris [5]:
A
- It was held in May 1960
- The Soviet Union made an announcement that on the 1st
May they had shot down an American U-2 spy-plane as it flew over the Soviet Union - The Americans tried to claim that it was a weather plane that had been blown off-course, but the soviets interrogated the pilot who admitted he was on a spying mission
- President Eisenhower was embarrassed about what happened yet he refused to apologise
- Khrushchev walked out of the meeting and ended it with no decisions being made
9
Q
Who was the pilot of the U-2 plane?
A
Gary Powers
10
Q
When did John F Kennedy become president?
A
January 1961
11
Q
Vienna [5]:
A
- Kennedy followed a policy of building up the USA’s military forces but at the same time trying to resolve the difficulties with the Soviet Union through talks
- Khrushchev believed that Kennedy was inexperienced in foreign affairs, it would be possible to get the better of him
- He also knew that Kennedy’s reputation suffered when the American invasion of the ‘Bay of pigs’ failed
- Kennedy was extremely concerned by Khrushchev’s approach but was determined not to appear weak and give over the control of Berlin
- The relationship between Kennedy and Khrushchev became very strained
12
Q
Building the Berlin wall [5]:
A
- As tensions between East and West Berlin, more East Berliners moved to West Berlin
- The East German leader, Walter Ulbricht, urged Khrushchev to close the border
- On the 12th of August 1961, East Germans built a barbed-wire fence around Berlin between the East and West
- Soon work on a concrete wall which would stretch 165 km
- Berlin and Germany were split in 2 and East Germany’s refugee problem was solved
13
Q
The impacts of Berlin [4]:
A
- The Berlin wall cut through streets and even buildings
- By the end of the summer, the wall was finished
- Families, friends, neighbours were parted, often for years on end
- East German border guards were instructed to shoot anyone making an attempt to cross the border
- It is estimated that over 130 people were killed
14
Q
Negative impacts of the Berlin Wall on the Soviet Union
[3]:
A
- Khrushchev had to abandon plans to unite Germany under Soviet control
- The wall showed that the Soviet Union had to lock people into East Germany to stop them leaving
- It made capitalism seem better than communism as people had to be locked in East Germany to stop leaving
15
Q
Positive impacts of the Berlin Wall on the Soviet union
[2]:
A
- 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 under Western control would fail
