Development IDEA✏️ Flashcards
Hungarian uprising
When and what was it? E.g.student protest + Nagy reforms
Why were Hungarians unhappy?
What aspect of Nagy’s reforms caused Khrushchev concern and how did he react?
Why didn’t the allies intervene and what did this potentially show?
1956 students protesting for greater freedoms, civil rights, withdrawal of Soviet troops, removal of hard-line Rákosi. In response to demands Nagy took control. Reforms: greater freedom, civil rights, withdrawal of Soviet troops.
Lots of oppressive secret police control. Unhappy about hard line Ràkosi. Unhappy that leaders of Catholic Church were arrested. They thought desalinisation would make change.
Nagy said he was going to pull Hungary out of the Warsaw Pact. Khrushchev sent tanks in to overpower the Hungarians: thousands killed. Nagy replaced by Kádár. Shows that Khrushchev still wanted to keep Soviet sphere of control. He’s not willing to have the security of the Soviet Bloc threatened. Undermines peaceful co-existence.
The allies didn’t want to risk war. Only prepared to fight against communism when it doesn’t involve the Soviet Union. Distracted by the Suez Crisis in Egypt.
Berlin Wall
When and what was it?
Why was the wall constructed?
What was the effects of the wall for the people of Berlin- why would this cause tension for the western Cold War powers?
How would Kennedy’s lack of action (apart from a speech) cause issues?
13th August 1961
East German troops closed the border between East and West Berlin and stopped anyone from crossing. Trains stopped from crossing and streets and buildings were divided.
To stop educated people leaving East Berlin and to stop East Berliners seeing what life was like in West Berlin (had more freedoms and money).
The official reason given was to stop western spies entering Soviet territory.
Separated family’s, friends and couples. West Berlin wasn’t under communism so had a better quality of life than those in East Berlin who were under soviet control. This would have caused tension for the Western Cold War powers because of the lack of communication the SU gave before they erected the wall- this would have heightened distrust.
Make Kennedy seem like a weak president (also shown at the Vienna Summit in June 1961 where Khrushchev dominated discussions). The SU won’t take Kennedy seriously which could undermine the USA as a superpower.
The events in Asia (China, Korea and Vietnam)
When and what happened?
Why were events in Asia a concern to the USA?
How did the US react to events in Korea and Vietnam, why would this cause tension?
What did the SU do that shows it felt tension at Western/ US actions?
Taken over by communism
China: 1949 Mao seized power
Korea: 1950 Kim Il Sung took control in North Korea and then invaded South Korea.
Vietnam: 1960 Ho Chi Min established communist control in North Vietnam then attacks South Vietnam.
USA thinks there’s a domino effect in Eastern Europe, Italy, France, Mediterranean, Turkey, Greece and now its spreading to Asia. They’re scared of the domino effect.
Through UN, USA tried to push away North Korea through military intervention. USA financial assistant, military training, then military intervention for Vietnam to fight against North Vietnam Vietcong.
Western world using force to fight against communism. Shows SU feels tension because Stalin is pumping money into nuclear weapons- arms race. Intercontinental ballistic missile. Warsaw Pact formation.
Arms race
When and examples of developments?
Why did it develop into a race?
Why was the development of such weapons a concern for both sides I.e. what point had they reached?
How did the use of Brinkmanship as a policy heighten tensions even further?
1945-1962
After use of atomic bombs on Japan in 1945 led to increase in tension + started an arms race:
SU detonated first A-bomb August 1949
USA responded by building a hydrogen bomb 1952 + SU built their own within a year. Defence budgets rose as more weapons developed.
By 1960 USA had nuclear missiles that could fire from land, sea sea and air.
Because mutually assured destruction. They both wanted to be more powerful than each other by having more nuclear weapons to prevent the other from bombing them.
Both USA and SU had the ability to obliterate the other. Led to preparations for nuclear war: teaching children to ‘duck and cover’, bunkers were made and the Ban the Bomb movement where The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament called Britain to unilaterally disarm.
Brinkmanship- each side pushing each other to the brink of using nuclear weapons knowing they’d eventually back down e.g. Berlin Blockade Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis 1962.
Heightens tensions because it brings powers very close to hot war.
NATO
When, what and countries?
What was NATO formed in response to?
Why would the formation of NATO cause Stalin to feel tension?
What did Stalin eventually do (1955) as a reciprocal move to protect his interests?
Formed in April 1949
A collective defence and military strategy: if one member came under attack it would be considered an attack on all members.
12 original members: USA, Canada, Britain, France, Denmark, Italy, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, etc… West Germany joined in 1955.
In response to the Berlin Blockade and Airlift.
USA, Britain and France had nuclear weapons and in 1952, the strength of NATO forces were dramatically increased. The formation would therefore pose a threat to the SU’s power, control and spread of soviet influence.
Formation of Warsaw Pact in response to West Germany joining NATO to counter balance the power of NATO.
Space race
When and examples of developments?
Why did the space race develop I.e. V2 rocket
What does the space race tell us about the changing nature of Cold War competition between the two sides?
How were the SU able to use propaganda to their advantage and how would this have affected the USA?
1957-1975
USSR 1957: first manmade satellite to orbit the earth: Sputnik.
USSR 1961: first human into space Yuri Gagarin
USA 1969: First man on the moon
1975: first joint space mission USA + USSR Apollo- Soyuz.
Both countries wanted to show they were superior and wanted to be seen as leading the world into the modern age.
Developments of weapons- USA were scared SU could use the same equipment they used to launch rockets to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Became a race for superiority. It also links in with the arms race in that they wanted to prove they had the resources to build weapons e.g. the SU’s intercontinental ballistic missiles.
In 1975 the first joint space mission USA + USSR Apollo- Soyuz was a symbol of a new age of corporation between superpowers.
SU were ahead of USA for the majority of the space race so would’ve produced propaganda to show how they’re superior to the USA.
U2 spy plane crisis
When and what happened?
Why was the US spying on the SU?
How did Eisenhower react to the crisis and why would this annoy Khrushchev?
What did Khrushchev go on to do at the Paris peace summit and why was this so serious for Cold War relations?
1st May 1960 Gary Powers’ U2 spy plane was shot down by USSR’s more powerful anti aircraft guns.
Spying on the SU’s weapon development while violating Soviet territory and risking a military response.
He lied telling Khrushchev it was simply a weather plane.
A day after this he admitted it was a spy plane but refused to apologise.
Khrushchev described Eisenhower as a ‘thief caught red handed in his theft’ and walked out of the Paris Peace Summit and cancelled the historical trip the US president was meant to take to the USSR in June.
The summit was intended to improve relations but instead they got worse.
Fear of communist spies increased in the USA.
Khrushchev and peaceful co-existence When did Khrushchev come to power and what’s peaceful co-existence? Why? How did this lessen tension? How was this contradicted?
Khrushchev came to power in 1953 and introduced a system of desalinisation. For example releasing political prisoners and closing down cominform. He talked of peaceful co-existence with the West.
This happens because the west saw Stalin as a tyrant who’s purges had been responsible for the deaths of about 10 million people. Khrushchev wanted to distance himself from this.
His lessened tension because he made plans to reduce expenditure on arms, he relaxed control of Eastern Europe. This made everyone think there’d be a decsillation of arms race and more freedom of soviet controlled countries.
However it’s in this period when Hungarian Uprising took place in 1956 when Khrushchev wouldn’t tolerate Hungary pulling out of Warsaw Pact and enforced soviet control with troops and tanks which lessened peaceful co-existence.
Warsaw Pact
What, what and countries?
How was the formation of the Warsaw Pact a reaction to the admittance of the FGR (Federal republic of Germany) into NATO?
What issue did the creation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact mean was now in existence in Europe?
How might this set of opposing alliances impact on future developments?
1955
An alliance that Included all communist countries except Yugoslavia. (Bulgaria, Romania Albania)
Formed as a counter balance to the power of NATO and to protect the security and interests of countries behind the iron curtain. The USA was rearming Germany (the enemy in WW2) was worrying.
The Cold War now involved more countries creating a divide and the expansion of military forces across those countries meant the USA and USSR could place nuclear weapons in these countries closer to the USA/ SU.
Contribute to the Cuban Missile Crisis and the SU having missiles on Cuba while the USA having missiles on Turkey increases tension.
