Cold War Crises Flashcards
When was the Bay of Pigs?
1961
What happened in the Bay of Pigs? (2 key features)
1,400 US-backed troops met 20,000 of Castro’s troops
US planes were recognised, photographed and published
Who was Fidel Castro?
Leader of Cuba
2 impacts of the Bay of Pigs
Ended chances of a US-Cuba friendly relationship
Castro announced he was a communist
Who was Alexander Dubcek?
Communist leader of Czechoslovakia
Two of Dubcek’s reforms
Freedom of speech
Increased foreign trade
What was the Prague Spring and when was it?
A period of hope in 1968 when Czechs began to campaign for more freedom and reform of the communist system
Who replaced Khrushchev and when?
Brezhnev in 1964
Why and when did Khrushchev build the Berlin Wall
1961, to prevent East Berliners travelling to West Berlin.
What was Brezhnev’s response to Dubcek’s reforms? (2 key features)
He tried to convince him to stop the reforms and failed
He sent tanks to Prague
What did Brezhnev declare in the Brezhnev Doctrine?
The right to invade any Eastern bloc country that threatened them
When was the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia?
1968
What happened in the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia? (2 key features)
Dubcek arrested
400,000 Warsaw Pact troops marched into Prague
2 impacts of the Berlin Wall
East Germans could no longer travel to the West
Soviets humiliated as East Germans clearly preferred the West
Why did the Soviets carry nukes to Cuba in 1962?
As they had no nukes close to the USA, whereas the USA had nukes close to the Soviets
3 consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Showed how easily nuclear war could start
USA initiated a move to detente (Hotline)
USSR looked weak as world did not know US removed missiles from Turkey and Italy
What was detente?
Improved relationship between the Soviets and the USA
Cuban Missile Crisis timeline (1962)
16 Oct - Kennedy informed of Cuban missile sites
20 Oct - Kennedy order Cuban blockade
24 Oct - Krushchev threatens to ignore blockade
25 Oct - USA and USSR prepare for nuclear attack
27 Oct - Cuba ready for invasion. US spy plane shot down and US ‘hawks demand retaliation’. USSR offers to remove sites in US removed theirs from Italy and Turkey. Agreement is made.
28 Oct - Krushchev agrees to withdraw missiles.
Describe the building of the Berlin Wall.
12 August 1961, East German troops erected a barbed wire fence around the city. This fence became a heavily guarded wall.
How many East Germans shot trying to cross the wall in 1961-1989?
200
Describe the refugee problem in Berlin
Between 1949 and 1961, 2.7 million East Germans crossed from East to West Berlin.
This humiliated Soviets.
What and when was Krushchev’s Berlin Ultimatum?
November 1958, he stated that all Berlin belonged to East Germany and occupying troops must leave in six months.
Describe Geneva Summit
May 1959, no solution made
Describe Camp David
September 1959, Eisenhower and Krushchev made no solutions
