Khrushchev's Foreign Policy Flashcards
1
Q
5 points
What were Khrushchev’s foreign policy goals?
A
- Peaceful co-operation with the west.
- Positive comparisons with the west vs soviet bloc.
- Retain communist prestige and progress its development.
- Stop west from encroaching on soviet territory.
- Keep its satellite states under its control.
2
Q
3 points
What successes did Khrushchev have with Poland?
A
- When there was large strike actions and protests, especially in Poznan, Khrushchev didn’t send troops in (unlike in Hungary).
- He entered discussions with the leaders of the Polish Communist Party and allowed Gomulka to emerge as the new leader of the Polish government, also allowing him to remove unpopular Stalinists.
- Khrushchev’s aims were achieved peacefully and Poland stayed under the Soviet’s influence.
3
Q
1 point
What failures did Khrushchev have with Poland?
A
Destalinisation is what caused the problem and the protests calling for Gomulka to become leader in the first place.
4
Q
2 points
What successes did Khrushchev have with Hungary?
A
- Hungary stayed in the Warsaw Pact and under Soviet Influence - gained support from within The Party.
- The West failed to intervene - propaganda victory.
5
Q
5 points
What failures did Khrushchev have with Hungary?
A
- De-Stalinisation encouraged protests in Budapest.
- Hungarian Prime Minister Imre Nagy included non-communists in government and ultimately left the Warsaw Pact.
- Khrushchev responded to this by invading Hungary - fighting led to death of 30,000 Hungarians and 7000 Russians.
- The USSR’s intervention put back the cause of de-Stalinisation and reform in Eastern Europe, and weakened the cause abroad.
- Communist parties in the west lost many members and declined in influence.
6
Q
2 points
What successes did Khrushchev have with Germany?
A
- In the USSR, building of the Berlin Wall was seen as a bold move to prevent further embarrassment of East German leadership.
- Khrushchev prevented the West from gaining complete control of Berlin.
7
Q
3 points
What failures did Khrushchev have with Germany?
A
- Building of Berlin Wall worsened relations with West, leading to heightened tensions rather than stability.
- Showed that Khrushchev’s policy of peaceful co-existance was in ruins.
- Showed how willing Khrushchev was to resort to repression when his more liberal policies failed.
8
Q
1 point
What successes did Khrushchev have with Yugoslavia?
A
Khrushchev managed to get Tito’s support with the Hungarian uprising.
9
Q
2 point
What failures did Khrushchev have with Yugoslavia?
A
- Khrushchev resolved conflict with Yugoslavia by allowing Tito a certain level of autonomy.
- This encouraged other European states to follow the Yugoslavian model, creating insability in the Soviet Bloc.
10
Q
3 points
What successes did Khrushchev have with China?
A
- Khrushchev enjoyed good relations with Chinese communists at first.
- Mao’s firt attempt to manipulate the Soviets failed. Khrushchev held his own against Mao and on more than one occasion showed the Chinese that he was prepared to take a stron position against them.
- E.g. In 1958 the USSR declined to provide China with military support in its conflict with Taiwan and the USA.
11
Q
4 points
What failures did Khrushchev have with China?
A
- Peaceful co-existance with West and de-Stalinisation was seen by Chinese communists as a betrayal of ideals. They accused Khrushchev of being ‘too soft on imperlialists’, and Mao accused him of being a ‘revisionist’.
- Allowed China to claim that they were the real upholders of Maxism-Leninism and that they should be the lead of the worldwide Communist Movement.
- Communist parties throughout the world started to take sides between the two. For example, in 1961 Albania broke off relations with the USSR and sided with China.
- In 1962 there were clashes between Russian and Chinese soldiers along a disputed frontier and the USSR have diplomatic support to India in their boarder conflict with China.
12
Q
3 points
When was the U2 incident, what happened and what were the consequences?
A
- In 1960, an American U2 spy plan was shot down over USSR territory.
- The pilot was captured and imprisoned.
- This led to the cancellation of the Paris Summit. Khrushchev and Eisenhower were meant to meet to discuss the Berlin Crisis, Cuba and a potential Test Ban Treaty. However, Khrushchev demanded an apology for the spy plane, which Eisenhower refused to give, so they both walked away from the summit and it was cancelled.
13
Q
When was the Vienna Summit and what were its consequences?
A
- A Summit held between Krushchev and Kennedy in June 1961.
- They discussed the political situation in Laos (Civil War and communist takeover) and the Berlin crisis.
- They reached an agreement on Laos.
- They did not reach any agreement on the Berlin Crisis as Kennedy refused to sign a peace treaty and demilitarise west Berlin as Khrushchev wanted.
- Ulbricht told Khrushchev that they must take immediate action to solve the crisis and protect East Germany.
14
Q
When was the Berlin Wall erected and what were the consequences of this?
A
- August 1961
- Led to a tense stand-off between the USSR and the USA tanks which lasted 16 hours.
- Stopped the Brain Drain.
15
Q
3 points
What successes did Khrushchev have with the Cuban Missile Crisis?
A
- Handling of Cuban Missile Crisis was praised as Khrushchev forced Kennedy to compromise.
- US missiles removed from Turkey.
- ‘Hotline’ telephone link between Moscow and Washington, as well as Test Ban Treaty of August 1963 strengthened ‘peaceful co-existance’ stance.
