Cold war key events

Question 1

Key events in early development of Cold War (1945-55)

Answer 1

• Satellite states 1947-49 spread sphere of influence to Poland and Hungary and Eastern Europe which became satellite states to Soviet
• Salemi tactics- fixed elections and shutting down opposition parties to the communist party
• Truman Doctrine (1947) -stop spread of communism (prepared to use military and economic methods to prevent this happening)
• The Marshall plan (1947) - 13 billion dollars of aid from USA to rebuild Europe and stop communism, countries must trade with USA, 16 countries signed up including Western Germany and Britain
• Cominform (1947)- communist information bureau organised by communist parties to follow Soviet policies and stop Marshall plan
• Comecon (1949) - the council for mutual economic assistance- encouraged trade between Eastern European countries to remove attraction of Marshall Plan
• NATO (1949) - North Atlantic Treaty Association- collective security- if one country attacks other countries had to assist
• Warsaw Pact (1955) - collective defence treaty between Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc (Soviet counter to NATO)

Question 2

Key events of Soviet takeover of satellite states (1944-48)

Answer 2

• Satellite states (1947-49) spread sphere of influence to Poland and Hungary, Czech, Bulgaria, Romania and Eastern Europe which became satellite states to Soviet
• Stalin promised free electrions at Yalta and Potsdam but….
• Salemi tactics- fixed elections to make sure Communist party won who shut down opposition parties making these countries single-party states

Question 3

Key events in Hungary (1956-58)

Answer 3

• Hungary became a satellite state (end of WWII)
• living standards declined under communist rule, leading to unrest
• food and industrial products produced in Hungary were shipped to Soviet Union
• Matyas Rakosi (the Hungarina leader) was brutal killingh thousandfs and ruled through terro, killing anyone who oppoed him.
• Destalination (October 1956): after Stalin death Hungarians thought they could move away from Soviet communism- anti-communist revolt - pulled down statues of Stalin and attacked local communists. Imre Nagy is put into power to appease Hungarian people
• 1 November 1956 Nagy announces Hungary will leave Warsaw pact
• 4 November 1956 Khrushchev sends in troops to depose Nagy (5000 Hungarians are killed and Nagy arrested)
• 8 November 1956: Janos Kadar becomnes Prime Minister of Hungary- more moderate communist policies are introduced
• June 1958 Nagy is tried and executed.

Question 4

Key events of crisis over Berlin (1958-61)

Answer 4

• Germany divided - divided into 4 zones (America, British, French, Soviet)
• Berlin divided - divided into 4 zones
• West Berlin- deep inside Soviet controlled East Germany, this gave USA a foothold inside the Soviet Easter bloc
• Many Germans wanted to leave East Germany for better jobs and wages in West Germany via West Berlin, 2.7 million East Germans crossed border over 12 years.
• Berlin Ultimatum (Nov 1958) Krushchev stated all of Berlin belonged to East Germany and occupying troops had to leave within 6 months. They knew if they tried to push the West out of berlin this could start a nuclear war. However, they couldn’t enforce this. Instead a series of summit meetings took place between USA and Soviet Leaders.
• Geneva Summit (May 1959) - nothing agreed.
• Camp David Summit (Sept 1959)- President Eisenhower and Khrushchev met, nothing agreed
• Paris Summit (May 1960) - President Eisenhower and Khrushchev met again, negotiations soured as Soviets discovered and shot down a US spy plane over Russia.
• Vienna Summit (Jan 1961) - President Kennedy and Khrushchev met - neither backed down - nothing agreed.
• *

Question 5

Key events that led to construction of Berlin wall (1958 - 1961)

Answer 5

• Negotiations between USA and Soviet over fate of Berlin broke down and ceased in 1961.
• Khrushchev’s soultion was to build the Berlin Wall.

Question 6

key events of the crisis over Cuba (1959-62)

Answer 6

• Cuban revolution with its neighbour USA
• Cuba had a socialist revolution in 1959 and USA refused to recognise the new government.
• Castro, Cuban leader asked Soviet to help with defence and built economic links with Soviet.
• US launched failed attempts to assassinate Castro and invade Cuba e.g. Bsy of Pigs.
• Bay of Pigs Incident (April 1961)

Question 7

key events of Cuban missile crisis (1962)

Answer 7

• USA discovered Soviet union missile sites in Cuba
• ended all chances of friendly USA-Cuba relationship
• Cuba and Soviet started building closer ties- including military defence for Cuba
• Castro announced he was a communist

Question 8

key events of Prague Spring and Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968)

Answer 8

• Prague spring (a period of increased political freedom)
• Dubcek introduced a series of reforms to make communist rule easier to live under (relaxed censorship, other parties alongside communist, Soviet control was reduced, more power to Czech parliament, power of secret police reduced, market socialism)
• Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia (Brezhnev sent Soviet Union tanks to Prague and Dubcek was arrested, normalisation was returned and strict control resumed)
• The Brezhnev Doctrine
• SU announced the BD - from now on the SU could invade any Eastern bloc country that they saw as a threst to the communist party.

Question 9

key events of detente (1970-1979)

SALT1 (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty) (1972)

SALT2 and failure of detente

Answer 9

• SALT 1:
• superpowers agreed to limit number of nucelar weapons and slowed down arms race
• 1975 Helsinki agreement , signed by all European countries (excep Albania/Andorra), USA, SU and Canada- agreed on security issues, cooperation, human rights and borders
• Helped USA and SU form a stable relationship
• coincided with a joint USA-SU space project e.g. Apollo Soyuz Test Project (1975)
• BUT SU continued to apply Brezhnev Doctrine to Eastern bloc countries and didn’t honour human rights agreement
• SALT2:
• arms control agreement that marked end of detente as treaty never ratified by US senate (never became official US policy) due to SU invasion of Afghanistan.

Question 10

Importance of fall of the Berlin wall (1989) to the development of the cold war

Answer 10

• further momentum to a ‘thaw’ in the Cold war as…..
• end of Warsaw Pact in July 1991
• withdrawal of soviet troops from East Germany and Eastern Europe from 1990 onwards
• START treaty (1991) US and SU agreed to reduce nuclear warheads by a third

Question 11

how did second Cold war develop between 1979 - 1985

Answer 11

• soviet invasion of Afghanistan
• marked end of detente - USA broke off diplomatic relations with SU and refused to sign SALT2 which had been signed by Carter and Brezhnev in 1979 (SU could not be trusted)
• and start of second world war…relations deteriorated 1979-1984
• US-SU arms race sped up as more nuclear weapons were produced and deployed
• led to Carter Doctrine (Jan 1980)- US threatened force is SU took control of Persian Gulf (oil supply for USA), - economic sanctions of no trade with SU e.g. no export of grain, assistance to Mujahideen
• Olympic boycotts of 1980 (Moscow by US) and 1984 (LA by SU)
  *

Question 12

key events that led to fall of SU (end of the cold war) 1985-1991

Answer 12

• • Gorbachov reforms and scrapping Brezhnev Doctrine (1988)
• breaking up of Eastern blocs (revolutions, 1989-1990)
• fall of Berlin wall (1989) and reunification of Germany
• withdrawal of SU troops from Eastern Europe (1990 onwards)
• no East - West divide

Question 13

analyse how relations between US and SU improved 1985-1987

Answer 13

• changing attitutes
• Reagan and Gorbachov agreed to work together to improve relations
• SU did not have money to compate with US and US public was turing against the amount of money being spent on the Cold War
• Reykjavik Oct 1986-work together, Reagan would not end SDI
• INF treaty Dec 1987 signed - got rid of nuclear weapons with a 500-5500km range and hence reduced the total number of weaopns

Question 14

key events that led to break-up of Warsaw Pact (July 1991)

Answer 14

• scrapping of Brezhnev Doctrine (1988)
• • revolution and independence of many Eastern bloc countries (1989)
• fall of Berlin wall (1989)
• withdrawal of SU troops from Eastern Europe (from 1990)
• some members of Warsaw pact (Poland, Hungary) joined NATO

Question 15

Discuss reasons why the Soviet Union lose the cold war?

Answer 15

• Propoganda
• Afghan war
• Economy
• Arms race
• Freedom
• 1970-1980s e.g. oppression in SU for using computers

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