Cold War Unit 5 + C

Question 1

What happened in 1948 in Czechoslovakia?

Answer 1

The Soviet Union supported a coup that removed the non-communist coalition from power and instead established a pro-communist govt.
-Gottwald

Question 2

What was life like in Czechoslovakia, while under communist rule?

Answer 2

-In effect, their country was ruled by the USSR.
-Soviet Union used secret police to maintain control.
-The Czech economy was run for the benefit of the USSR.
-Few consumer goods for the Czech people.
-No freedom of speech.
-Radio, newspapers and television were censored.

Question 3

What was carried out between 1949-54 in Czechoslovakia? Under Stalins’ orders.

Answer 3

Between 1949-54, purges were carried out.

Question 4

Who were the victims of the purges?

Answer 4

The victims of the purges were democratic politicians, military leaders, catholics, Jews, people with wartime connections to the West and even high-ranking communists.

Question 5

What grew between the years 1949-66 in Czechoslovakia?

Answer 5

Protests against the low standard of living and lack of political freedom.

Question 6

What happened in Czechoslovakia in 1966?

Answer 6

In 1966, there were student demonstrations showing how unpopular the govt was.

Question 7

What was the Prague Spring in 1968?

Answer 7

The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic.

Question 8

Who was elected in 1969 in Czechoslovakia?
Was he trusted by the USSR?

Answer 8

Dubcek was elected head of the Czech govt. The USSR approved of him and trusted him to make the govt of Czechoslovakia more effective and popular while keeping the country completely loyal to the USSR.

Question 9

What was Dubcek’s attitude?

Answer 9

Dubcek was a communist. He was devoted to the Warsaw Pact. Although he believed that communism was the right political path, he believed it should not make life miserable. He thought citizens should be able to enjoy life, express their views in public and speak out against communist party decisions without the fear of being punished.

Question 10

What were the Prague Spring Reforms and when did they begin?

Answer 10

-began in 1968.
-Censorship was relaxed and criticism of govt actions allowed.
-Trade unions were given wider powers and govt control of industry was reduced.
-More power was given to the Czech regional govts.
-Trade with the West increased.
-Czech people were given greater freedom to travel abroad.
-Idea of multiparty elections was discussed, though Dubcek and other communist leaders made it clear this would not happen for many years.

Question 11

When did Brezhnev come to power?

Answer 11

Brezhnev came to power in 1964.

Question 12

How did the Czech people respond to the reforms?

Answer 12

The reforms were met with great enthusiasm by the Czech people.

Question 13

What did Dubcek assure Moscow?

Answer 13

Dubcek was careful to assure that Czechoslovakia remained a loyal ally of the USSR and will stay in the Warsaw Pact.

Question 14

How did Brezhnev feel about the Prague Spring?

Answer 14

Brezhnev disapproved of many of the measures. He thought that if these were introduced in Czechoslovakia than what would stop other Eastern European countries from doing the same. Especially since Romania was refusing to attend Warsaw Pact meetings and Tito of Yugoslavia refused to accept control from Moscow.

Question 15

What did Brezhnev ask Dubcek to do while he was leader?

Answer 15

While Dubcek was leader, Brezhnev remained in contact asking him to not endanger communism in Czechoslovakia by going too far with his reforms.

Question 16

How did Brezhnev threaten Dubcek?

Answer 16

Brezhnev order Warsaw Pact troops to carry out manoeuvres in Czechoslovakia to threaten Dubcek.

Question 17

What was the last trigger that caused Brezhnev to act?

Answer 17

When Dubcek invited Ceaușescu of Romania and Tito of Yugoslavia to Prague for talks.

Question 18

What did Brezhnev do in August 1968?

Answer 18

In August 1968, he ordered 500,000 Warsaw Pact troops to invade Czechoslovakia.

Question 19

Was there opposition in Czechoslovakia (to the invasion)?

Answer 19

-There was little opposition.
-Brezhnev had ordered the Czech army to remain in their barracks in case they tried to fight.
-Czech people could do little against such a powerful army.
-There were individual acts of bravery such as blocking roads or attacking individual tanks.

Question 20

What were the invading forces told?

Answer 20

They were told that they had been invited to help restore law and order by the Czech govt and were shocked by the hostility they encountered.

Question 21

What happened to Dubcek?

Answer 21

Dubcek was arrested, sent to Moscow and ordered to reverse his reforms.
Brezhnev sent him back to Prague but in 1969 he was removed from office and replaced by Husak.

Question 22

Who was Husak? What was his attitude?

Answer 22

Husak replaced Dubcek as the leader of Czechoslovakia. He was an extreme communist and very loyal to Moscow.
-Extreme oppression in which over 1000 Czechs were arrested.
-For the next 20 years, Czechoslovakia was firmly under Soviet approved control.

Question 23

What were the reasons for the Czechoslovakian invasion?

Answer 23

-Dubcek’s reforms offered ‘dangerous freedoms’.
-Soviet satellites and republics would want same rights.
-Future of Warsaw Pact endangered.
-USSR did not want to look like it could not control its satellites.
-Soviet Union’s buffer zone might be under threat.
-Brezhnev knew the West would not help.

Question 24

What was the Brezhnev Doctrine?

Answer 24

The Brezhnev Doctrine was a Soviet foreign policy that claimed that threats in central and Eastern Europe had to be dealt with to protect the unity of the Communist movement in Europe.

Question 25

What did the Pravda newspaper publish in 1968?

Answer 25

In 1968, Pravda newspapers published the speech setting out the Brezhnev Doctrine.

Question 26

How did Brezhnev justify the invasion of Czechoslovakia?

Answer 26

-Brezhnev Doctrine.
He said that the actions of any individual communist country affected all communist countries. If one country’s actions threatened other countries, then it was the duty of those other countries to stop the actions.
-All communist countries would be prevented from introducing reforms to make their country more liberal.

Question 27

What was the impact of the Prague Spring and Soviet invasion on Czechoslovakia?

Answer 27

-The invasion ended the Prague Spring.
-The authorities soon put things back to normal.

Question 28

What was the impact of the Prague Spring and Soviet invasion on relations between other communist countries?

Answer 28

-Yugoslavia and Romania condemned the Soviet invasion, straining relations between their govts and Moscow.
-Communist parties of Italy and France cut links to Moscow.
-Greater Soviet control in Warsaw Pact.
-The govts of East Germany welcomed Brezhnev’s actions and felt more secure that they would not be challenged by reformers in their own country.

Question 29

What was the impact of the Prague Spring and Soviet invasion on relations between the USA and Soviet Union?

Answer 29

-USA and other Western govts were angered by the invasion and many of them made strong protests to the USSR.
-Attempt to pass a formal resolution criticising the invasion in the UN but it was vetoed by the USSR.
-USSR saw that while the USA might make protests, it would not take direct action to oppose the USSR in Europe.

Question 30

What was the impact of the Prague Spring and Soviet invasion on USA’s international reputation?

Answer 30

USA was involved in a costly war in North Vietnam and was also beginning to adopt a less confrontational approach towards the USSR.
-Other countries saw that the USA was quick to criticise the USSR but much less prepared to take action.

Question 31

What was MAD and what did it do?

Answer 31

MAD is Mutually Assured Destruction and was a belief that kept the peace. It was based on the fact that if nuclear war broke out, neither would survive. Since neither wanted to destroy their own countries, war did not break out.

Question 32

What did the Cuban Missile Crisis show?

Answer 32

It showed how certain situations could get out of control. This is because it could have led to a devastating war due to a misunderstanding.

Question 33

What was established in 1963?

Answer 33

In 1963, the Hotline was established.
This was between USA and Soviet Union from Washington to Moscow.
-This was established immediately after the Cuban Missile Crisis as they wanted to prevent any future misunderstandings.
-From the White House to the Kremlin.

Question 34

Who used the Hotline and when?

Answer 34

Nixon and Brezhnev used the Hotline in 1971.

Question 35

Who came to power in USA in 1968?

Answer 35

Nixon.

Question 36

What and when was the Limited Test Ban Treaty?

Answer 36

The Limited Test Ban Treaty was established in 1963.
It was between the USA, Britain and the USSR. They agreed to not carry out any nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions in the atmosphere, outer space or in any other environment if the explosion would cause radioactive debris to be present outside the borders of the state conducting the explosion.

Question 37

What caused the Limited Test Ban Treaty?

Answer 37

Both USA and USSR had carried out tests of atomic weapons in the atmosphere. However, as scientific understanding of radioactive fallout increased, the govts became more concerned for the environment and contaminating it.

Question 38

How many more countries signed the Limited Test Ban Treaty after 1963?

Answer 38

A further 113 countries signed the treaty after 1963.

Question 39

What was the Outer Space treaty and when?

Answer 39

The Outer Space treaty was in 1967 and stopped the arms race from spreading into space and also set out that no one could claim to own the moon.

Question 40

What were the main terms of the Outer Space treaty?

Answer 40

-Moon and other celestial bodies should only be sued for peaceful purposes.
-States will be responsible for damage caused by their space objects.
-States should not cause harmful contamination of space and celestial bodies.
-States should not place nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit or on celestial bodies.
-The exploration and use of outer space should be carried out for the benefit for all countries.

Question 41

Who was the Outer Space treaty drawn up by?

Answer 41

The Outer Space treaty was drawn up by USA, USSR and Britain.

Question 42

How many more countries signed the Outer Space treaty?

Answer 42

Later, the Outer Space treaty was signed by 12 other countries.

Question 43

What and when was the Nuclear non proliferation treaty?

Answer 43

The Nuclear non proliferation treaty was in 1968 and was a further step taken by the major powers to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

Question 44

Who signed the the Nuclear non proliferation treaty?

Answer 44

The Nuclear non proliferation treaty was signed by the USA, USSR, Britain and 59 other states.

Question 45

What categories did the Nuclear non proliferation treaty have?

Answer 45

-NWS which were nuclear weapon states. this included USA, USSR, China, France.
-NNWS which were non nuclear weapon states and included the rest.

Question 46

What did the NWS do?

Answer 46

They would work towards disarmament and would not help other nations to develop nuclear weapons.

Question 47

What did NNWS do?

Answer 47

They agreed to not be involved in developing nuclear weapons.

Question 48

Why did the NNWS accept the treaty?

Answer 48

The NNWS accepted the treaty because in 1968, most of them did not have the technological and financial ability or the desire to develop nuclear weapons. They understood it was a clear step to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and nuclear war.

Question 49

What did the treaties of the 1960s suggest?

Answer 49

The treaties of the 1960s suggest that there was agreement between the superpowers. However, relations were actually very poor.

Question 50

Why were relations so poor during the 1960s?

Answer 50

-Kennedy and Khrushchev had almost taken the world to nuclear was in 1962.
-The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 resulted in Johnson cancelling a meeting with Brezhnev.

Question 51

What were the relations like near the end of the 1960s?

Answer 51

Near the end of the 1960s, there had been lots of agreements about nuclear weapons and there was a genuine attempt to have a more co-operative and stable relationship which brought about détente.

Question 52

What was détente?

Answer 52

Détente was a period of peace between the 2 superpowers that were previously at war or very hostile to each other. It is more permanent.

Question 53

Why did the USA want détente? - Vietnam war

Answer 53

-Vietnam War had cost the USA billions of dollars and resulted in the death of 60,000 American soldiers. The war showed that America’s military could not always achieve its goals.
The war was incredibly unpopular in the USA which led to the growing belief that military intervention was not a satisfactory way to conduct foreign policy.

Question 54

What happened in the USA that showed how unpopular USA’s role in international affairs was?

Answer 54

there was demonstrations in the USA.

Question 55

How much did the USA spend on the Vietnam war? What did this cause?

Answer 55

The USA spent $170 billion on the war. This caused a shortage of money to spend on problems at home.

Question 56

What social problems was USA facing and how did this further their want for détente?

Answer 56

USA was facing lots of social problems such as inequality between the rich and poor, white and black which had resulted in urban rioting when Martin Luther King was assassinated.
A policy of detente with the USSR seems attractive as USA could reduce it spending on the arms race and more on trying to solve their social problems.

Question 57

What was Nixon interested in? What personal ambition did he have? What did he hope to gain?

Answer 57

Nixon was far more interested in foreign policy than domestic affairs. He had a personal ambition to reduce tension between the USA and USSR and to establish relations with the People’s Republic of China. He hoped to gain public approval for reducing tensions.

Question 58

Why did Nixon want to improve its relation with the People’s Republic of China?

Answer 58

Although China was communist, Nixon feared its growing power as in 1964 it tested its first atomic bomb. Moreover, Nixon was concerned that if Communist China and USSR reached agreement, it would threaten the USA. So, if USA was friendly with China, it could force the USSR into an agreement with the USA.

Question 59

Why did the Soviet Union want détente?

Answer 59

The Soviets also felt this was a good time to look for better relations with the USA as they were now equal in nuclear weapons and so could discuss arms limitation from a position of strength.
-The Vietnam war had shown that the USA’s military could be beaten and so meant it might also be more open to co-operation.
-The USSR was facing economic problems and wanted to cut spending on weapons and devote more resources to improving living standards.
-USSR was spending almost 30% of its GDP on defence compared to USA only spending 13%.
-USSR was falling behind in new technologies involving computer and microchips and hoped that improving relations might meant that the USA shares some of its technology.

Question 60

What was the relationship between China and USSR in early 1950s?

Answer 60

In 1949, Communists too power in China.
In 1950, Mao visited Moscow and the two countries signed the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, alliance and mutual assistance. It was agreed that:
-USSR would provide economic aid worth $300 million.
-Soviet military assistance would be provided if China was attacked by either Japan or USA.

Question 61

What did the USSR do that offended Mao?

Answer 61

Mao had been offended by the treatment the Chinese delegates had received in Moscow. He felt they had been given poor accommodation and had not been treated with respect.

Question 62

What worsened relations between USSR and China?

Answer 62

When Khrushchev replaced Stalin. And his speech where he criticised Stalin’s repressive regime.

Question 63

When did Khrushchev visit Beijing?

Answer 63

In 1958. The two leaders did not get on.

Question 64

Why did relations worsen between USSR and China near the end of the 1950s and 1960s?

Answer 64

-Khrushchev criticised Mao’s policies in China.
-Mao accused Khrushchev of cowardice during the Cuban Missile Crisis. And complained that the invasion of Czechoslovakia was an attack on a fellow communist state.

Question 65

What broke out in 1969?

Answer 65

In 1969, fighting broke out between Chinese and Soviet troops along the Chinese-Soviet border.

Question 66

What did Mao fear?

Answer 66

Mao feared that the USSR would attack China so decided to adopt a more friendly approach to the USA, the USSR’s rival.

Question 67

What were relations like between China and USA during the 1950s?

Answer 67

-Very poor.
American General MacArthur had fought against the Chinese in the Korean War and when China threatened Taiwan, USA showed that it was prepared to go to war to defend the island.
-During the 1960s Mao made strong criticisms of the Americans such as calling them ‘capitalist running dogs’.

Question 68

What happened in April 1971?

Answer 68

In April 1971, the Americans and the Chinese both entered teams in the World Table tennis Championships in Japan. Although the Chinese team had been told to avoid the American team, there was some friendly contact between them which led to the American team being invited to play matches in China.

Question 69

Who did Henry Kissinger meet with?

Answer 69

Kissinger, the US Secretary of State visited China and met with Chinese prime minister, Zhou En-lai. They had a series of meetings and developed a friendly relationship.

Question 70

What were the meetings between Kissinger and Zhou En-lai known as?

Answer 70

They were known as ping pong diplomacy as they were brought about due to table tennis.

Question 71

Who came along with Nixon in 1972 to meet Mao in Beijing?

Answer 71

In 1972, Nixon was accompanied by Kissinger to meet Mao.

Question 72

When was the Shanghai Communique signed? What was agreed?

Answer 72

The Shanghai Communique was signed in February 1972. They agreed that a peaceful solution should be found to the problem fo Taiwan.

Question 73

What was Ostpolitik?

Answer 73

-Brandt was elected chancellor of West Germany and wanted to ease tensions in Europe by establishing a policy of Ostpolitik.
It was the normalization of relations between the Federal Republic of Germany and Eastern Europe.

Question 74

What was Salt 1 and when?

Answer 74

Salt 1 was established in May 1972. It was the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty and was the result of several years of difficult negotiations between the USA and USSR about which weapons should be limited.

Question 75

What was the Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty (Salt 1)?

Answer 75

The Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty stated that ABMs were allowed at only two sites in each country and they should have a maximum of 100 missiles each.

Question 76

What was the Interim Treaty?

Answer 76

The Interim Treaty placed restrictions on the number of inter-continental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles each country could have.
-USSR was allowed more ICBM’s as the USA had more strategic bombers.
-The USA had developed multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) and had not admitted this to the Soviets and were therefore happy to make generous concessions.

Question 77

What was the Basic Principles Agreement?

Answer 77

The Basic Principles Agreement laid down the rules for the conduct of nuclear warfare. To prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, it banned placing of warheads on the seabed. It also stated that both countries had to make ‘every effort’ to avoid war.

Question 78

What were the weaknesses of Salt 1?

Answer 78

-If nuclear war looked likely, it was unrealistic to expect that a piece flapper could stop the countries.
-Both still owned more than enough nuclear weapons to destroy the other many times over.
-Treaty did not cover latest technological development such as MIRVs.

Question 79

When did Nixon visit Brezhnev?

Answer 79

Nixon visited Brezhnev in Moscow in 1972.

Question 80

When did Brezhnev visit Nixon?

Answer 80

Brezhnev visited Nixon in Washington in 1973.

Question 81

When was Salt 2 signed? What would it cover?

Answer 81

Salt 2 was signed in 1979. It would cover topics that had previously not been covered.