Cold War (Increased Tension) Key topic 2 Flashcards
Where was West Berlin?
It was deep inside Soviet-controlled East Germany
What did divided Berlin give the USA?
a foothold inside the Soviet Eastern bloc.
What did some Germans in East Germany think?
- They did not like having a communist Government
- There were better jobs with higher wages in the West
- It was easy to get to West Germany once you had reached the Western Zones in Berlin
What was the Refuge problem in Berlin?
- Between 1949 and 1961, 2.7 million East Germans had crossed from East to West Berlin
Why was the Refuge in Berlin a problem?
- The population of West Germany increased while the economy benefited from many new skilled workers
- East Germany had a skills shortage. This looked bad for the Soviet’s as people clearly preferred West Germany
What was Khrushchev’s Berlin Ultimatum (1958)?
- This stated that Berlin belonged to East Germany and that occupying troops must leave in 6 months
- The USSR 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 USA had more nuclear weapons. So a series of Summits took place
What was the outcome of the Geneva summit?
No solution agreed but a further summit organised for Camp David in the USA.
When was the Geneva summit and who did it involve?
May 1959, involving foreign representatives only
What was the outcome of the Camp David summit?
No solution agreed but a further meeting arranged in Paris.
When was the Camp David summit and who did it involve?
September 1959, involving Eisenhower and Khrushchev
What was the outcome of the Paris summit?
A disaster. Khrushchev stormed out because the Soviet Union had shot down a US spy plane over Russia.
When was the Paris summit and who did it involve?
May 1960, involving Eisenhower and Khrushchev
What was the outcome of the 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.
When was the Vienna conference and who did it involve?
June 1961, involving Kennedy and Khrushchev
When did John F Kennedy become president?
In 1961
What was Cuba’s relationship with the US like before 1959 and why did it deteriorate?
- Before 1959 Cuba was very closely linked to the USA, e.g there were lots of US owned businesses
- But Cuba had a socialist revolution in 1959 and the USA refused to deal with the new government
Who did Cuba start building economic links with?
The Soviet Union, for example trading Soviet oil for Cuban sugar
Why did the USA refuse to recognise Castro’s government?
because it did not want a socialist country in their sphere of influence, especially not a country with close links to the Soviet Union.
What 2 things did the CIA do?
- The CIA tried to assassinate the leader of Cuba, Fidel Castro, with no success.
- The CIA convinced President Kennedy that a US-backed invasion of Cuba, designed to overthrow Castro, could solve the problem.
What did the CIA tell Kennedy about the invasion of Cuba?
- The invasion will look like a Cuban
revolt – we’ve trained Cuban exiles and
disguised old US planes as Cuban. - Castro’s control of Cuba is very weak.
- Most Cubans hate Castro.
What was the Bay of Pigs incident?
The invasion of Cuba from the USA
When was the Bay of Pigs incident?
17th April 1961
What actually happened in the Bay of Pigs incident?
- The planes were recognised as US planes
and photographed, and the information
was published. The world knew that the USA had backed the invasion. - Castro knew of the invasion in advance and 1400 US-backed troops met 20, 000 of Castro’s troops. The US-backed troops surrendered.
- Most Cubans actually did not want their old leader, Batista, back again, because he had been corrupt.
What were the impacts of the Bay of Pigs incident?
- Ended all chances of a friendly USA-Cuba relationship
- Castro announced that he was a communist
- Cuba and the Soviet Union started building closer ties – including military defence for Cuba
