Second cold war Flashcards
What were Khrushchev’s basic aims /foreign policy points (3)
Prestige
Nuclear diplomacy
Empire by invitation
Explain why Khrushchev wanted to improve living standards and supported destalinisation?
he wanted to create a supportive Eastern bloc who accepted Soviet dominance
actions suggesting destalinisation?
Secret speech
Gomulk & Kadar returned to public life
K dissolved his secret police network -had spies in Eastern Europe
improved relations bw USSR & Yugoslavia
What was the secret speech?
what were the implications?
what happened to it?
Speech made by K talking about ‘different roads to socialism.
Suggested possible autonomy in the countries
The speech was leaked by the US & broadcast it to Eastern Europe - led to political unrest
How did K want to impact soviet prestige?
improve Soviet global position allowing him to negotiate equally with the US (mainly via arms/space race)
What was nuclear diplomacy?
Tactic used by K in which he threatened to use nuclear weapons in order to force concessions
What was the year of crisis
key points?
A year which saw the USSR challenged with political unrest - largely due to destalinisation
Polish uprising
Hungarian revolt
Suez crisis
What was the cause of the Polish uprising? basic points
destlainsation
Protests in Poznan
Gomulka was released from prison
explain in detail what happened in the polish uprising
Protests in Poznan were put down leading to bitterness
- the communist party then re-elected the popular Gomulka to win back favour. The USSR was nervous about Gomulka being independent so sent a delegation - K & G meet; G promises loyalty & the troops disperse
what were the consequences of the polish crisis?
loss of polish hope of autonomy
the Hungarian revolt
What was the cause of the Hungarian uprising? basic points
more liberal leader Gero
Polish rebellion
Imre Nagy
encouragement from Tito
explain in detail what happened in the hungarian uprising?
Protests in Budapest in support of the Polish uprising turn violent - attack local radio station & demand Nagy be instated - he is.
Nagy threatens to withdraw from Warsaw oact - troops sent to Hungary & fighting breaks out bw rebels (encouraged by radio free europe)
Whilst the other countries are distracted by the Suez crisis at this point - USSR crush the protest
What is the warsaw pact?
signed by Eastern European states & USSR commiting them to assist if any are attacked
What are the consequences of the Hungarian uprising?
Eastern European hope for autonomy gone
Mistrust for US (implied they wd help rebels but don’t)
Confirms Soviet authority
Explain the Suez canal crisis?
(Egyptian) Nasser nationalises the suez canal. UK, France & Israel use this as an excuse to try overthrow him (Anglo-French company owns it).
US seen this as imperialistic so put pressure on UK to stop by cancelling a loan to them.
At the same time K threatens nuclear action if the UK/France/Israel don’t stop.
The countries withdraw bc of US pressure but it looks like it was USSR success
Consequences of the Suez canal crisis?
Soviet prestige - ‘defeated imperialists’
Causes of the Berlin Crisis?
mass migration from GDR (1/6 of population - threatens collapse of GDR
Khrushchev overconfidence with nuclear
What happened in the Berlin Crisis?
K issues 6 month ultimatum - threatens to recongise GDR sovereignty - forcing the West to recognise it also.
West reject ultimatum but agree to talks in Geneva - nothing decided; new talks in Paris ended early after spy plane shot down over USSR.
Kennedy implies that there would be no consequences if GDR borders closed.
Mass migration in 1961 leads K to build border
What was K’s initial ultimatum in the Berlin Crisis?
withdrawal of Western troops from Berlin
Berlin to be free city
How many people migrated to the FRG in 1961?
103, 000
what was the importance of shooting down of the U2 spy plane over the USSR
It ended the Paris discussions to create a nuclear free zone in entral Europe - existence of spy planes meant USA knew USSR nuclear threats were bluffs
what were the long term consequences of the Berlin crisis?
stability; end to migration, GDR stability - new economic system
ends re-unification hope
what were the short term consequences of the Berlin crisis?
solves open frontier but not tension…
causes tension - checkpoint charlie standoff, nuclear tests (Cuba)
divide in NATO - France saw US as sacrificing FDR - fear of same happening
what caused the space /arms race?
response to growing hostility bw east & west - weapon superiority was necessary to safeguard interests / ensure defense
Eisenhower’s strategy for nuclear weapons
avoid traditional war - use nuclear ‘more bang for buck’
American successes in arms race?
failures?
+first H-bomb
first long range B51 bombers
Polaris submarine
- Castle bravo - misjudge nuclear testing; lots of nuclear fallout which was spread by wind & fell on Japanese shipping boat
USSR successes in arms race?
failures?
First ICBM
who ‘won’ the arms race?
America
American successes in space race?
failures?
- Apollo one & Vanguard filures
USSR successes in space race?
failures?
+ Sputnik, first animal in space (Laika) first human in space (Gagarin)
short term impact of space/arms race?
instability - brinkmanship - overconfidence
long term impact of space/arms race?
instability - paranoia & insecurity lead to flashpoints
‘security’ - fear of MAD stops anything too serious happening
Cuban missile crisis causes?
Castro takes power in Cuba (Friendly w USSR)
Bay of pigs fiasco
What was the bay of pigs fiasco?
Kennedy plans to land Cuban exiles in bay of pigs starting an uprising - Castro anticipates this & the whole thing collapses.
Why were missiles placed in cuba?
To address the strategic misbalance - US had missiles in Turkey (near USSR) but USSR didn’t have ones near US
To protect Cuba & prevent another bay of pigs incident
How did the US discover the missiles & what happened?
A U2 spy plan discovered it
US send ultimatum to USSR demanding withdrawal & set up quarantine zone checking ships going to Cuba.
Kennedy announces on TV the discovery of nuclear weapons & threatens immediate all out retaliation if any missiles were to be fired
How did the crisis calm down?
Soviets agreed to withdraw the missiles as long as US promise not in invade Cuba & also remove Turkish missiles (last point kept secret from public)
What was the consequences of the cuban missile crisis?
Hotline to prevent future crises,
reveals real US missile superiority,
Kennedy gets prestige ‘calls Soviet bluff’,
Khrushchev criticized by Mao & Castro,
Cuba go independent from USSR
Khrushchev;s successes?
Prestige; Space Race, Suez victory,
GDR migration problem resolved peacefully.
Khrushchev;s failures?
Destalinisation limited,
no ‘Empire by invitation’ but by force still (proved by year of crisis)
reckless failed threats (Berlin, Cuba).
short term consequences of Khrushchev’s leadership?
Short-term increased tensions; Eastern Europe, Berlin and Cuba.
Prestige
long term consequences of Khrushchev’s leadership?
Stability; Eastern Europe control, German issue solved, move towards détente after Cuba scare.
His removal - proved unpredictable
Economic issues; overspend on arms/sspace race
Creation of divisions in West over US response (France & FRG).
