Cold War Unit 4 Flashcards
What happened in 1949 in Germany?
Germany was divided into 2 states - the democratic West and the communist East.
How did West Germany become so wealthy?
West Germany received Marshall aid during the 1950s and became a wealthy country where people enjoyed high standards of living.
Why was East Germany less successful?
East Germany did not receive economic aid and the govts policies were highly unsuccessful so people suffered from a low standard of living.
Why was the communist regime in East Germany becoming increasingly unpopular?
-Many limits of what people could say and do.
-Secret policy kept close watch of the actions of ordinary citizens.
-Low standard of living.
What happened in 1953 in East Germany? How did the USSR respond?
There were riots against the govt. The USSR responded by sending an armed force to restore order.
Why did people in East Germany leave home and move to West Germany?
They chose to leave because of the higher standard of living and better quality of life.
How many East Germans had crossed to the West by 1958? Who were these people and why?
By 1958, 3 million East Germans which was 1/6 of their population had crossed to the West. Many of these were skilled workers such as engineers, technicians and teachers because they knew that they could earn higher salaries in the West.
Why could Khrushchev not let the migration continue?
East Germany was losing valuable people, those needed to rebuild it. Moreover, it was facing a propagande disaster. People were choosing the West over the East.
What did Khrushchev demand in Nov 1958?
He demanded that East Germany officially regarded by Western countries as an independent country.
How did the West respond to Khrushchev’s demand in Nov 1958?
They did not as Western countries still believed Germany would be reunited and did not want to recognise East Germany as a separate country.
What was Khrushchev’s Berlin Ultimatum and when?
27 Nov 1958.
He demanded that:
-Berlin should be demilitarised and Western troops should be withdrawn.
-Berlin should become a free city.
The West had 6 months to make these changes or he would hand over control of all routes into Berlin to the govt of East Germany.
Why was Khrushchev’s threat of handing over control of transport clever?
Because it would force the Western powers to talk to East German authorities about access to Berlin, forcing them to accept East Germany as a legitimate country.
Why did Khrushchev impose the ultimatum?
Because he wanted the whole of Berlin to become part of the surrounding territory of East Germany. If the Americans, British and French left Berlin, it would be much header for East Germans to get into West Germany. But he knew they would have to be forced out.
How did the West respond to the ultimatum?
They were angered by the demands he had and saw his actions as another way of the USSR trying to extend communism.
In 1958, how did both superpowers feel about nuclear war?
They both had large supplies of nuclear weapons but neither side wanted the ultimatum to result in war. Even Audenauer, the chancellor of West Germany who was strongly opposed to recognising the East did not believe this was a matter great enough to justify nuclear war.
What happened in Geneva in 1959?
Another Geneva Summit meeting. This was in Switzerland, neutral. It was between the foreign ministers of the various countries. Both sides made proposals for how Germany should be governed but no agreement came.
-Eisenhower invited Khrushchev to USA for further talks.
What happened at Camp David in 1959?
It was when Eisenhower and Khrushchev met for the first time, face to face as the presidential ranch.
-No agreements were made about Berlin but the Soviets agreed to withdraw the Berlin ultimatum.
-improved relations and further talks arranged. (Paris)
What was the U-2 incident in 1960?
While the various parties prepared for the Paris summit conference, the USSR made an announcement that destroyed any chance of it being successful.
1960 - USSR shot down an American U-2 spy plane that was flying over the USSR.
What did Americans claim the U-2 spy plane was? Who did the USSR interrogate? How did Eisenhower feel?
The Americans claimed it was a weather aeroplane that had been blown off course, but the Soviets interrogated the pilot. The pilot, Powers, admitted to being on a spying mission.
Eisenhower was embarrassed by also refused to apologize saying that spying operations could not be avoided.
What did the Paris summit meeting result in?
As Eisenhower refused to apologize saying that spying operations could not be avoided, Khrushchev walked out of the meeting with no decisions made.
Who became president of USA in 1961? What was his attitude/policy?
1961 - Kennedy becomes president.
He wanted to continue building up the USA’s military forces but at the same time, try to resolve difficulties with the USSR through talks.
Why did Khrushchev renew the ultimatum and have a tough attitude?
He undermined Kennedy and believed because he was inexperienced to foreign affairs, it would be possible to get an advantage over him.
He also knew that Kennedy’s reputation had suffered when an American invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 failed.
What was the Vienna summit meeting and when?
-June 1961.
No agreements were made as Khrushchev had renewed the ultimatum and Kennedy was determined to not appear weak.
-personal relations between Kennedy and Khrushchev became strained.
What did Kennedy do after the Vienna summit meeting in 1961?
He increased govt spending on American armed forces by over $2 billion to protect the USA if war broke out. It seemed that, if necessary, the USA was prepared to fight over Berlin.
What did Khrushchev’s tough attitude towards Berlin result in?
-USA, Britain and France became more involved in the city’s future.
-Increased tensions.
-More East Germans were crossing to the West.
How many East Germans crossed over to the West on a random day in August 1961?
On a random day in August 196, over 40,000 East Germans crossed over to West Germany.
What happened in 1961 in Berlin?
The border was closed.
East German troops built a barbed wire fence around Berlin and between the East and West.
Soon, a concrete wall which would stretch around 165km would be built.
