Cold war development Flashcards
What was the U2 Spy Plane crisis, May 1960
U2 flights were secret/covert flights, they flew very high over the USSR to gain lot’s of information about the USSR’s nuclear capacity
However one of the planes crashed piloted by Gary Powers, and the USA denied it by saying it was a weather monitoring plane that got lost even though there was evidence, which decreased their trust
What was NATO and what was it a sign of
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, which was set up in 1949 during the Berlin Blockade.
The alliance was between America and other countries of Western Europe. NATO members agreed that if any country came under attack, all members of NATO would come to their defence
It was a sign that relations between the Superpowers were now so bad that some form of military alliance was necessary.
How did the arms race happen
The USA were the first country to develop and use a nuclear bomb in 1945
By 1949 the USSR had caught up
This encouraged the USA to build a more powerful bomb – the
hydrogen bomb in 1952
By 1953 both countries had the hydrogen bomb
During the 50s and 60s the 2 superpowers competed to have large numbers of nuclear weapons
By 1957 both superpowers could fire ICBMs
What was the Warsaw pact
The Warsaw Pact, which was set up in 1955 in response to the admission of West Germany (the German Federal republic) to NATO, was an attempt to protect the USSR by drawing the countries of eastern Europe even closer together. This showed the fear that the Soviet Union had of a further invasion by Germany.
Why was the Warsaw Pact a threat to the west
Its forces outnumbered those of the West and an invasion through northern Germany always seemed very likely.
How did the Warsaw Pact make crushing the Hungarian uprising in 1956 easier
The Pact increased the influence of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe and led to more Soviet troops being stationed there. This made the crushing of the Hungarian Rising of 1956 all the easier.
What did Khrushchev believe about the West when he replaced Stalin
He believed in Co-existence.
Rather than try to destroy the West, the Soviet Union should accept that it had a right to exist.
5 things which caused the Hungarian uprising in 1956 (ANAGRAM)
C - Russian officials controlled the government, the police and the army
H - Hungarian coal, oil and wheat were shipped to Russia while Hungarian citizens were deprived of food.
U - The Hungarian people were unhappy with Communist education and the lack of freedom in religion
S - Hungarians had no freedom of speech. The AVH (secret police) created a climate of fear, arresting anyone who spoke out against communism. Even something as simple as listening to Western music could lead to arrest.
E - Cominform began a reign of terror, executing popular political leaders
Key features of the Hungarian uprising
Bad harvests, food and fuel shortages led to riots.
Hungarian students rioted, asking for reforms. The trouble escalated to include workers spread across the country.
Nagy was once more made Prime Minister. Nagy proposed that Hungary leave the Warsaw Pact and hold free elections
He was more democratic and asked the UN for protection
Khrushchev sent in 200,000 troops to crush the revolution. c2500 Hungarians were killed
Thousands of Soviet tanks and soldiers entered Hungary to crackdown on the protests. Many Hungarians tried to flee but were blocked from leaving the country; others were killed or injured. 26,000 Hungarians were tried with additional imprisonments and executions as a result.
4 outcomes of the Hungarian uprising (ANNAGRAM)
D - The event proved that Khrushchev would not let the Eastern Bloc disintegrate Khrushchev thought that the USA would not intervene in the Eastern Bloc again.
E - Nagy was executed
A - The USA gave $20 m of food and medical aid, but NO military support
F - 200,000 Hungarians fled to the West
What was Khrushchev’s ‘secret speech’ and what did it outline
He denounced many of Stalin’s crimes and human rights abuses, said he would improve living standards, released political prisoners
It outlined his de-Stalinisation policy – that is that he would be less hard-line than Stalin had been and would use diplomacy, not force, in his dealings with other governments. This encouraged people in the Eastern Bloc to think that greater freedoms might be possible.
It gave the impression that Khrushchev was more liberal
What were Nagy’s policies
Free elections
Private ownership of land
Hungary to leave the Warsaw Pact and declare neutrality in the Cold War
The total withdrawal of the Soviet army from Hungary
Why did Nagy’s policies worry the USSR
Free elections - This worried Khrushchev as parties other than the Communist party could be elected
Private ownership of land - The main point of Communism is shared ownership of land - there is no private ownership as the state owns everything in the name of the people. This challenged the main principle of Communism
Leave the Warsaw pact - Hungary was one of the most powerful and well-armed members of the Warsaw Pact. This would weaken the collective defence of the USSR and their satellite states
Why did the U-2 spy plane crisis affect US-Soviet relations
It occurred immediately before the 1960 Paris summit. Leaders were meant to be working together but then the USSR refused to go
It showed the USA had no trust in the USSR and because they lied about the plane it showed they had no intentions of trying to have better relations
Eisenhower refused to apologise
Why did the Paris summit collapse 1960
The meeting was ruined by the shooting down of the U2 spy plane.
Khrushchev refused to take part in the talks unless the Americans apologised and cancelled all future spy- flights.
President Eisenhower agreed to cancel the spy- flights, but would not apologise – so Khrushchev went home; the Paris Summit collapsed.
