Post-Stalin Thaw & Peaceful Coexistence Flashcards

1
Q

When did Stalin die?

A

1953

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2
Q

What failures marked Stalin’s death?

A

Berlin Wall Blockade, NATO, Yugoslavia defecting from Cominform

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3
Q

What was period of Collective Leadership?

A

1953-1955

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4
Q

Who was apart of the Collective Leadership?

A

Malenkov, Molotov, Bulganin & Khrushchev

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5
Q

How did the Collective Leadership attempt to reform Stalinist Soviet system?

A

Ending “personality cult” politics
Reforming the Secret Police - KGB
Arresting & Executing Beria (1953) & other hard line Stalinists
“New Course” economic policy (greater emphasis on consumer goods)

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6
Q

When was Khrushchev’s Secret Speech?

A

February 1956

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7
Q

What three things were included in his speech?

A

Promoting a cult of personality
Using purges & persecution to consolidate his personal rule
Reducing the Communist Party to a compliant body with complete control

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8
Q

What was Khrushchev’s speech formally known as?

A

De-Stalinisation

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9
Q

When did Khrushchev become leader?

A

1956

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10
Q

When was NATO formed?

A

1949

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11
Q

What was NATO?

A

A military alliance of the West to protect capitalism & prevent the spread of Communism

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12
Q

When was the Berlin Uprising?

A

1953

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13
Q

What was the Berlin Uprising?

A

400,00 workers protested against work quotas & wanted free elections

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14
Q

Why didn’t the West intervene?

A

The fear of War

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15
Q

Who was Malenkov (Melanie)

A

Part of the collective leader ship in 1953-56 & headed the New Course

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16
Q

When was the Korea Truce?

A

July 1953

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17
Q

What was the Korea Truce?

A

Armistice was negotiated along the 38th parallel

Moved away from Stalin & conflict & moved towards peacefully negotiating & the economy as war was EXPENSIVE

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18
Q

Who was Beria?

A

Head of the secret police feared for being a hardline Stalinist
Tried to forge better relations with the West

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19
Q

When was Beria executed?

A

1953

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20
Q

What was the Warsaw Pact?

A

Military alliance of communist states in response to NATO

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21
Q

When was the Warsaw Pact created?

A

1955

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22
Q

When was it dissolved?

A

1991

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23
Q

What were the economic causes of Peaceful Coexistence?

A

West would be overwhelmed by ECONOMIC SLUMP so the East could bide time
West believed USSR’s economic output would overtake the West due to the disintegration of imperialist colonial system

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24
Q

What were the ideological causes of peaceful coexistence?

A

Both East & West established their spheres of influence (1940s) - there was a greater sense of security

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25
Q

What did Malenkov propose?

A

The New Course
Diverting military spending to producing consumer goods
Attempts to reduce Cold War tensions & achieve peaceful coexistence

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26
Q

Who headed peaceful coexistence?

A

Beria

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27
Q

What was peaceful coexistence?

A

The East & West could work together & exist amongst each other despite different ideologies & avoiding military conflict

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28
Q

What is Destalinisation?

A

Moving away from Stalin’s polices no cult of personality kgb secret police execution of Beria new course

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29
Q

What did Khrushchev attack Stalin for?

A

Cult of personality

Purges & prediction. Communist Party - complaint body

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30
Q

When was the Austrian State Treaty?

A

1955

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31
Q

What did the Austrian State Treaty include?

A

Signed by 4 occupying powers removed all troops & guaranteed Austria’s independence as a neutral state

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32
Q

When did the SU remove their troops from Finland?

A

1956

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33
Q

What was the Finnish-Soviet Peace Treaty in 1947?

A

The end of conflict between Russia & Finland.

Land was returned to Finland & they pledged to remain neutral

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34
Q

When did Eisenhower become President of the USA?

A

1953

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35
Q

Who was Eisenhower?

A

Ex Army General in WW2 who criticised Truman for being to soft!

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36
Q

What policy did Eisenhower adopt?

A

New Look - emphasised a hardline approach towards communism

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37
Q

Who was Dulles?

A

Eisenhower’s Secretary of State (1953) who rejected containment policy & supported brinkmanship

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38
Q

What was Massive Retaliation?

A

Eisenhower’s military strategy - respond to any nuclear attack big enough to annihilate the USSR

39
Q

What is Brinkmanship?

A

Eisenhower & Dulles - pushing opponents to the edge of war

40
Q

What are covert operations?

A

Secret military missions.

41
Q

What is MIC?

A

Military Industrial Complex

42
Q

What is the MIC?

A

A powerful clock created by the link between armed forces & sectors in economy reliant on defence orders.
Applied to both the USA & USSR?

43
Q

What was the U2 spy plane incident of 1958?

A

Eisenhower was confident the USA had nuclear superiority over the USSR due to data collected from the U2 spy plane.
He could negotiate from a position of strength

44
Q

When did Kennedy become president?

A

1961-1963

45
Q

What was Kennedy’s key policy?

A

Flexible Response

46
Q

What were the key features of flexible response?

A
  • moved away from nuclear weapons to covert actions & economic aid
47
Q

What was flexible response a reaction to?

A

A reaction to the belief that the USSR has a diverse range of things to spread their influence

48
Q

What was Kennedy’s famous quote?

A

We intend to have a wider choice than humiliation or nuclear war?

49
Q

When was the Berlin foreign Ministers conference?

A

Jan 1954

50
Q

What happened at the Berlin Foreign Ministers meeting?

A

Molotov called for the creation of all German government so they could move closer to reunification

51
Q

What happened to Molotov’s proposal?

A

West opposed because they wanted free elections therefore it was rejected

52
Q

What is Geneva Spirit?

A

The idea of the West & East working together peacefully

53
Q

When was the Geneva conference?

A

April-July 1954

54
Q

What happened at the Geneva Conference?

A

Discussion of Korea & Indochina
No progress on Korean agreement on Indochina
U.S. Refused to sign but pledged
French troops withdrawn from Indochina
Laos & Cambodia independent
Vietnam which was divided now reunited through free elections

55
Q

Why was the Geneva Conference significant?

A

1st indication of successful diplomacy

56
Q

When was the Geneva Summit?

A

July 1955

57
Q

What happened at the Geneva Summit?

A

West rejected SU proposal to neutralise Germany because of fear of Soviet Influence
European & Security Pact : replacing Warsaw & NATO - west saw it as dismantling NATO

58
Q

Why was the Geneva Summit?

A

1st East & West summit shaped good relations however they could not reach several agreements

59
Q

When did Khrushchev visit the U.S.?

A

1959

60
Q

Why was Khrushchev’s visit to the USA significant?

A

1st visit between USA and USSR

61
Q

Where was Khrushchev denied access to?

A

Disneyland - he then accused them of hiding weapons in there

62
Q

What mishap did Khrushchev make?

A

He announced ‘we will bury you’ although Khrushchev was blasting about the USSR’s economic growth the USA were afraid that he was referring to overtaking by nukes
*there was still no agreement on Germany

63
Q

When was the Paris Summit?

A

May 1960

64
Q

What happened at the Paris Summit?

A

Not v. Successful as both sides adopted a HARDLINE approach

West Germany & France were afraid the USA would give the USSR power over Germany?

65
Q

What led to the rapid decline in the thaw?

A

Gary Powers U2 spy plane was shot down by USSR in 1960

66
Q

When was the Vienna summit?

A

June 1961

67
Q

What did Khrushchev do?

A

He misjudged Kennedy & attempted to exploit his inexperience due to his recent failure with the Bay of Pigs - adopting an aggressive stance

68
Q

What was discussed at the Vienna Summit?

A

SU would support wars of national liberation because of colonial & capitalist powers
West should recognise sovereign status of East Germany
Berlin should be settled on SU terms within 6months

69
Q

When was the Polish Uprising (Poznan)

A

October 1956

70
Q

What happened during the Polish Uprising?

A

Mining community protested against Communism due to the jack of food consumer goods, poor housing & work quotas

71
Q

Who is Gomulka?

A

Leader of Poland’s communist party
- he made it clear that the people of Poland wanted change
But he had no plans to leave the Warsaw Pact or end communism

72
Q

When was the Hungarian uprising?

A

1956

73
Q

Who inspired the uprising & what happened?

A

Inspired by Poland

Widespread unrest about communist rule

74
Q

Who was Nagy?

A

Leader of the Hungarian Communist party until 1956

75
Q

What was Nagy’s neutrality declaration seen as?

A

An open revolt!

76
Q

What were the fatalities of the Hungarian Uprising?

A

2700 people died
35000 arrested
300 leaders executed

77
Q

Who replaced Nagy?

A

Kadar

78
Q

Who was Nagy critical of?

A

Stalin

79
Q

What did the SU do to Nagy

A

They thought he wanted to leave the Warsaw Pact - invades Hungary removed & executed him

80
Q

What was the Economic Miracle

A

West Germany’s rapid financial development

81
Q

When was the Berlin Ultimatum

A

1958

82
Q

When was the Vienna Ultimatum

A

1961

83
Q

What was discussed between 1958-1961 @ Berlin & Vienna?

A

Khrushchev approved Berlin Wall when Kennedy said no

4 Berlin Crisis - discussing reforms in Germany

84
Q

What did Khrushchev want to happen to Germany?

A

Berlin to be demilitarised - become a free city

85
Q

Why were the West unwilling to give access roots of Berlin to USSR?

A

Because it undermined propaganda

86
Q

Who was Walter Ulbricht?

A

Leader of East Germany

87
Q

What did Walter Ulbricht?

A

The Berlin Wall

88
Q

Who overruled Walter’s wish?

A

Khrushchev

89
Q

What was Ulbricht?

A

A hardline Stalinist who was politically educated in Moscow during WW2

90
Q

What was the GDR?

A

German Democratic Republic

- name of the communist state established in 1949 in Soviet zone of Germany

91
Q

How many people still risked their life to go to West Germany?

A

5000

92
Q

When was the Berlin Wall built?

A

1961 to stop the flood of refugees from East to West

93
Q

List achievements of the thaw.

A

Political diplomacy - Geneva spirit

Withdrawal of troops & neutrality - France Finland Austria

94
Q

Outline the limitations of the thaw

A

V. Little agreements were made & lack of cooperation