KQ6 How secure was the USSR's control over Eastern Europe Flashcards
When was NATO formed
1949
Why was the Warsaw pact created
Concern over a powerful Germany
Concern about the USA
‘Keeping up’ with western powers
Tighter control over Eastern Europe
What did Khrushchev do when he became leader
Denounced Stalin
Released thousands of political prisoners
Made plans to reduce arms expenditure
Shut down Cominform
Who was the Hungarian dictator until 1956 and what happened to him?
Rakosi - ‘illness’ and stepped down
Who became the leader of Hungary in 1956
Imre Nagy
What happened in Hungary 1956
Uni students demonstrated at Budapest, USSR put Nagy in charge in hopes of calming them down (Didn’t work).
4 days of fighting between armed civilians and the USSR caused the soviets to withdraw
What did the Hungary want in 1956
Divorce from the Warsaw pact, freedom of speech, end of secret police
When was the Hungarian revolution
23rd Oct 1956
When was Prague spring
1968
Who was in charge of Czechoslovakia and USSR during Prague Spring
Czech - Dubcek
USSR - Brezhnev
What did Dubcek want for Czechoslovakia
Socialism with a human face, end of censorship and travel to and from the west.
When did USSR retake control of Czechoslovakia
paratroopers invaded August 21st 1968
Why didn’t the US interfere with the Hungarian or Czechoslovakian revolutions
Czech - distracted b Vietnamese war and race riots
Hungary - distracted by Britain, France and Israel’s attack on the Suez
What was different between Hungary and Czechoslovakia’s revolution
USSR interfered with Hungary because they were scared of them leaving the Warsaw pact
USSR interfered with Czechoslovakia because it was in an important strategic position
China + allies were in favour of the response to Hungary but not in favour of the response to Czechoslovakia
Who led the GDR
Ulbricht
How many Germans fled to West Germany from the GDR between 1949-61
2.1 million
What was Khrushchev’s proposal for Berlin 1958/9
Berlin should become a free, demilitarised city - possibly under the control of the UN.
He gave western troops 6 months to withdraw and said he would take firm action if his proposal wasnt accepted
When and what happened at the first two summit meetings in 1959
Geneva - May 1959 - USA (Eisenhower) + USSR - no solutions
Camp David - Sept 1959 - USA (Eisenhower) + USSR - no solutions but agreed to another meeting + Khrushchev removed his 6 month ultimatum
When was the U2 Spy plane Crisis
May 1960
What were the effects of the U2 Spy Plane Crisis
Renewed soviet suspicions about western spies
Tension before the next summit meeting
When and what happened with the 2nd two summit meetings
Paris - May 1960 - Spy plane incident - Khrushchev walked out
Vienna - June 1961 - Khrushchev met Kennedy for the first time, he issued another 6 month ultimatum
What did Kennedy do to force Khrushchev to retreat from his 6 month ultimatum in Berlin
Declared he wouldnt remove troops from Berlin
July 25th - $3.2 billion increase in defence funding announced
$207 million allocated for nuclear fallout shelter building
- USSR could not win in a nuclear war so they retreated
What was the flow of refugees from West to East Germany like by July 1961
1000 refugees a day
When was the Berlin wall built
August 1961
What action did the US take when the Berlin Wall was built
Oct 27th 1961 - sent a line of tanks through Checkpoint Charlie
How many escape tunnels were there in Berlin
40
What did the West gain from the Berlin Wall
Propaganda win, kept West Berlin, avoided war
What did the East gain from the Berlin Wall
Avoided nuclear war, flow of refugees stopped - no more loss of skilled workers
Who was the Pope from Poland
John Paul II
What were some reasons Poland clashed with USSR
Had a difficult history with USSR, strongly Catholic, regular protests over food and wages
When was Solidarity formed and what is it
Aug 1980 - a free trade Union in Poland
Who was the leader of solidarity
Lech Walesa
What did Solidarity want
a right to strike, more money, end of censorship, broadcasting of catholic services
How many demands did Solidarity suggested to the government
21 - all accepted
Why was solidarity influencial
Support of west, economic power of Polish workers, support of Catholic church, Walesa’s leadership
What was the Soviet response to Solidarity
Urged polish communist party to clamp down on them
Dec 1981 - Soviet army began manoeuvres on Polish border
When did Jaruzelski introduce martial law
Dec 1981
What did Poland’s Martial Law do?
imprisoned Walesa and 10,000 other solidarity leaders
1982 - solidarity made illegal
when they released solidarity leaders, they were still harrassed
What was the inflation in Poland
70%
What were the consequences of the response to Solidarity
Economic chaos, increased popularity of Solidarity, communist party popularity decreased, Solidarity survived
What were some economic problems in the USSR
Poor living standards, long waiting lists (wait for a flat = 15 years), food shortages, heavy arms spending
When did Gorbachev take charge
1985
What were Gorbachev’s ideas for the survival of the USSR
Perestroika, Glasnost, end of Corruption, reformed communist party, end Afghan war and arms race, end Brezhnev doctrine
What is Glasnost
openness - end of censorship
What is Perestroika
economic reform
What happened in May 1989
Hungary opened it’s border with Austria
What happened in June 1989
Free elections in Poland - solidarity (Lech Walesa) won
first non commie government in the east
What happened in the GDR to end communism
7th Oct 1989 - 40th anniversary of GDR - Gorbachev visited
Demonstrations happened - no support of red army forced government to listen to people
When did the Berlin Wall come down
Nov 9th 1989
What happened in Czechoslovakia to end communism there
Velvet revolution led by playwriter Havel
No violence - no red army to support gov so they gave in
Who was the leader of Romania
Ceausescu (chow-ches-cou)
What happened in Romania to end communism there
Dec 1989 - economic instability helped instigate rebellion
started in Timisoara as they could get news from Yugoslavia there - spread to capital
army deserted and everyone turned again Ceaucescu
