Increased tension between East and West Flashcards
What was the refugee problem in Berlin?
The long-term future of Berlin had never been sorted even after the formal division of East and West Germany. Young and ambitious East Germans were using East/West Berlin as a gateway to a Capitalist life.
The number of refugees doubled year on year.
What was the importance of Khrushchev’s Berlin Ultimatum?
It suggested another Berlin crisis would take place if a solution could not be found. The USSR (Khrushchev) threatened force.
What were the outcomes of summit meetings over Berlin?
→ First meeting led to a face to face at Camp David.
→ Camp David: Khrushchev and Eisenhower recognised a resolution should be found and Berlin could not drag on forever.
→ Paris (May 1960): The final decision was due to be taken but the meeting ended in disaster when an American U2 spy plane was shot down over the USSR.
→ June 1961: A new summit was held with a new American President, Kennedy, but he would not negotiate over the rights of the people of East Berlin.
How were the USSR and Cuba brought closer together by the Bay of Pigs invasion?
Cuba officially became a Communist nation.
A technology exchange was set up between the USSR and Cuba. This would eventually lead to the secret installation of nuclear missiles on the island of Cuba.
What was the background to the Bay of Pigs Invasion?
In 1959, Castro led a revolution to overthrow the ruler of Cuba, Batista.
The USA began drawing up a secret plan to train Cuban exiles to return to Cuba and overthrow Castro. They would land at the Bay of Pigs.
What was the importance of the Bay of Pigs invasion?
It made the USA look like hypocrites after years of criticising the USSR for interfering in the lives of other countries and their right to self-determine.
It brought Cuba and the USSR closer together and can be argued as a direct cause of the eventual missile crisis.
What was the story of the Prague Spring?
Similar to Hungary: Alexander Dubcek became leader of the country in 1968 and wished to improve the economy of the country by bringing about social reforms. He wanted “Communism with a human face”.
When freedom of speech and economic reforms were brought in, the USSR and other Warsaw Pact nations began doing military maneuvers on the Czech border.
The leader of the USSR (Brezhnev) met with Dubcek over the issue but eventually launched a surprise invasion with Warsaw Pact troops. The Red Army then stayed in the country until 1969 to make sure of no future protests.
What was the importance of the Prague Spring?
It led to the issuing of the Brezhnev Doctrine. This was a directive for the Satellite States that no debate over the type of Communist system to be followed could be had.
