space race Flashcards
John Foster Dulles
Secretary of State 1953-59
Anti-communist, advocated aggressive stance against communism
Advocated ‘massive retaliation’
Believed covert operations were too sensitive and shouldn’t be discussed with the National Security Council
What speech did Khrushchev deliver
Delivered the ‘Secret Speech’ in 25th of feb 1956 in which he denounced Stalins cult of personality and called for ‘peaceful co-existence’ with the west. Nevertheless, his actions precipitated both the Hungarian crisis of 1956 and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The Speech was also known as ‘On the cult of personality and its consequences’ Beginning the process of desalinization
MAD threat
The threat of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) created fear. This theory assumed that each superpower had enough nuclear weaponry to destroy the other. If one superpower attempted a first strike on the other, they themselves would also be destroyed.
Space race
Technologically superiority aswell as the prospect that the Moon, Mars or ‘Space’ would go red
First Space achievement by the Soviets
4th October 1957 the Soviet Union put the First man Made object into space, Sputnik was 58cm polished metal sphere that orbited the earth until 5th Jan 1958
Second Russian space success
Sputnik 2 on 3rd of November 1958 containing a dog Laika.
America Space Failure
On December 6 1957, the Vanguard Test Vehicle 3 (TV3) rose about 4 feet into the air, but the main engine lost thrust and the rocket fell back onto the pad, exploding in a huge fireball.
In a televised launch leading to US newspapers to name it ‘Kaputnik’
Significance of Kaputnik
Decreased US prestige of it being the most technologically advanced nation
Werner von Braun
German who aerospace engineer he led to developing in 1958 the Saturn series of rockets which eventually took 12 American men into space
The Arms race
USA and USSR were in a race to develop more powerful bombs with greater range and higher accuracy. By 1953 hydrogen bombs that were 7 times more destructive that what was unleashed in Hiroshima had been developed by both sides. By 1955 the US was keeping a third of its nuclear bombers ready to fly in 15 minutes
Examples of Nuclear weapons
1952- Ivy Mike- USA First Thermonuclear weapon
1955- RDS-37-USSR first USSR thermonuclear bomb test
1961- Tsar Bomba- USSR Largest thermonuclear bomb ever tested
1957 nuclear weapons
USA had a stockpile of 5543 nuclear weapons compared to USSR’s 650
NEW LOOK POLICY
The policy focused on the use of nuclear weapons and was intended as a way for the United States to meet its Cold War military obligations without putting too much strain on the country’s economy.
Suggested by John Dulles
What was the reaction of Eastern Europe to the ‘Secret speech’
When news of the speech broke out in Eastern Europe (allegedly by the help of the CIA) It caused
-Riots in Poland against the communist government
- Protests in Hungary led to the withdraw of Rakosi and his replacement to Nagy who promised free elections, restoration of farmland to private property and neutrality in the Cold War. He also declared that Hungry would leave the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
Created in 1955 between Soviet-controlled countries in Eastern Europe promising to respond collectively if one was attacked (triggered by western Germany joining NATO)
The CIA
Truman established it as a part of the National Security Act in 1947
In the 1950s alone the CIA was involved in covert operations in Cuba, Hungary, Laos, Guatemala, Iran and North Vietnam
Allen Dulles served as director of the CIA 1953 until 1961 when JFK removed him due to the Bay of pigs Fiasco
Iron Curtain speech significance
The Iron Curtain not only symbolized the Cold War divide between capitalist and communist nations but also led to the creation of opposing alliances. Nations on the capitalist side of the curtain joined N.A.T.O. , while nations on the communist side joined the Warsaw Pact.
15th March 1946
Hungarian Cris 1956 October 23rd
Due to Hungary withdrawal form the Warsaw Pact Khrushchev sent troops and tanks to Budapest in November of 1956
3000 Hungarians died while 200,000 fled across to Austria and hence into the West
Khrushchev reestablished control by installing JOas Kadar who crushed resistance
What was the significance of the Hungarian Crisis
Ike failure of USA to come to aid Hungary in 1956 even though ike state that there was nothing in the Truman doctrine that warranted going into war over a state rebelling against communist control
Berlin
Khrushchev felt that he won the battle over Hungary and began looking towards Berlin to remove the west out fo there for long term.
He demanded on 10 Nov 1958 that Western powers pull their forces out of West Belrin within 6 months
Significance of Berlin
Lack of a border made Khrushchev believe that 20% of the population in East Germany had escaped to the west by 1961.
Ike had to keep Berlin because Berlin was a symbolic fight against communism
Geneva
Ike was determined to not give in to Soviet demands
Ike and Khrushchev met in Geneva in 1959, progress was limited but sufficient to ike to invite Khrushchev to US for further talks
Where did ike and Khrushchev meet after Geneva
Khrushchev arrived in the US on 15th of September 1959 for an 11 day tour. He met with Ike at camp David where the two agreed that there would be no firm deadline to solve the question of Berlin but they did agree that Ike would visit Moscow the following year
Geneva summit 1955
During the Geneva Conference held from 18 to 23 July 1955 and attended by delegates from the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the USSR, the Soviet delegation proposes a Treaty on rapprochement between East and West with a view to maintaining peace on the European continent.
Eisenhower Doctrine
Eisenhower announced the Eisenhower Doctrine in January 1957, and Congress approved it in March of the same year. Under the Eisenhower Doctrine, a country could request American economic assistance and/or aid from U.S. military forces if it was being threatened by armed aggression from another state.
Congress approved to give 200 million to fund such aid
The U-2 Crisis,
The visit became dimplomatically impossible after the USSR shot down an American U-2 Spy plane on 1 may 1960
What was the excuse for U2
That a weather plane had been lost near the Turkish Soviet Border
Significance of U2
Khrushchev through ike and him had a personal bing however after filing out it was Gary Powers, Ike confessed and said that he ordered the spying missions calling them a ‘distasteful necessity’
Proposed conference in Paris and Khrushchev demand that Berlin situation would be postponed for six months in the next US Presidency therefore this problem would be passed into a new administrations
How did Ike end the war in Korea
Ike went to Korea on 2nd December 1952 and decided that drastic action was needed.
Negotiations made on 27th July 1953 an armistice was signed leaving the Korean Peninsula divided into North and South at the 38th parrallele
How did Dulles describe Korea
in 1956 in Life magazine Dulles described that the US was prepared to use atomic bombs in North Korea
ask prall
Significance of End of war in Korea
Ike success strengthened his hand both at home and in foreign affairs and after slain death in march 1953 it made him even stronger
What was Taiwans importance to the USA
Korean War made Taiwan strategically important, Jiang Jeishi also allowed it to be used for a US naval base and for naval operations which ensured protection for the island which was very significant when Mao ordered the shelling of two islands controlled by Taiwan in 1954
How did Ike react to the shelling in Taiwan
Shelling of the islands Quemoy and Matsu
Ike made the Formosa Resolution in January 1955 with only six out of 494 members of congress voting against it
What did the Formosa Resolution state
The resolution provided for the defense of Taiwan, John Dulles also suggested that the Us should consider nuclear attack on China and due to this on May1 st Chinese ceased shelling prompting a belief in Dulles mind that the strong stance had succeeded in counting China
Situation with Vietnam
BY 1954 French public support of the war was slipping and Ike agreed for a covert air support being provided by the American B-26 Bombers
Operation vulture was also planned and supported by Nixon for a US intervention in Vietnam but Ike himself rejected it
What was agreed upon for Vietnam and what was its Significance
On 20 July 1954 a design was reached to partition Vietnam into two states North and South with a promise to hold a general election in both by June 1956.
However when Dinh Died a committed anti communist took power the US supported it and turned a blind eye to the injustices against the Buddhist population.
SEATO
it was created in September 1954 that aimed to prevent further communist gains in South East Asia
What was the issue in the Middle East
Due to Truman’s recognition of the state of Israel in 1948 which created tensions with the Middle East who very very important for oil reserves for the Western powers
Involvement in Iran
Dulles approved a CIA plot in Iran to depose Mossadegh in 1953 following his design to nationalize the oil industry
CENTO
In 1955 Dulles created the Central Treaty Organization a second Nato made up of Iraq, Iran, the United Kingdom, Pakistan and Turkey
USSR and Middle East
Soivets began to develop friendly relations with the non-aligned Iran along with Egypt Syria and Libya .
Suez Crisis
In July 1956 Nassar Nationalised the Suez Canal he did this so that he could fund the Aswan Dam a Key part of his plan for further industrialization in Egypt
French British made a covert operation
What was Ike response to Suez Crisis
Ike used financial pressures to force British and French out into a humiliating withdrawal he did this because re-election campaign in full swing and tensions with soviets elsewhere didn’t want to be seen supporting imperialism.
However Nassar didn’t side with USSR or USA
