Crises of the Cold War Flashcards
1
Q
Yalta conference
A
February 1945: Germany was not yet defeated
- the big three - Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill - managed to agree to split Germany into four zones of occupation
- free elections in Eastern European countries
- Russia was invited to join the United Nations, and Russia promised to join the war against Japan when Germany was defeated.
2
Q
Potsdam
A
July 1945: Germany had been defeated
- Roosevelt had died and Churchill had lost the 1945 election
- Truman came away angry about the size of reparations and the fact that a communist government was being set up in Poland. Truman did not tell Stalin that he had the atomic bomb.
3
Q
A ‘thaw’ in the Cold War?
A
- Khrushchev’s ‘de-Stalinisation’
- Secret police were less active and there was less repression
- Peaceful co-existence between the East and West
4
Q
Khrushchev’s Peaceful Co-existence
A
- Aid given to ‘third world’ states – raised political influence
- Right to sort out problems in ‘sphere of influence’
- Space Race
5
Q
The Geneva Summit
A
- 1955
- Discussed trade, arms race, disarmament
- Eisenhower suggested an ‘open skies’ policy
6
Q
The arms race, 1955–63
A
1957 – rocket, the R-7 could launch a satellite into space (Sputnik)
• Long-range nuclear weapons could be launched
• Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles
7
Q
The Hungarian Uprising
A
October, 1956
• Rebellion against government officials
• Students rioted
• Rákosi replaced by Nagy
8
Q
Causes of the Hungarian Uprising
A
- De-Stalinisation
- Russian control of economy
- Hungarian Secret Police (AVH)
- When Poland stood up to Khrushchev he passed reforms
9
Q
Nagy in power
A
- Removed state control of the media
- Encouraged public discussion on reform
- Announced Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact
10
Q
Soviet response to the Hungarian Uprising
A
- 25 October, Soviet tanks opened fire on protesters in Parliament Square
- 4,000 killed
- Nagy executed and replaced with Kádár
11
Q
Why was the Hungarian Uprising a threat to the Soviet Union?
A
- Fear that attempts to leave the Warsaw Pact would influence others
- Loosened control of government
12
Q
10 The Space Race
A
- 1957 – USSR launched Sputnik
- 1959 – Luna 3 took pictures of the far side of the moon
- 1961 – Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the earth
