Superpower Relations 1941-1991 Content Flashcards
Before the Cold War what group were the USSR, Britain and the USA in?
The Grand Alliance - a ‘marriage of convenience’ which was created in 1941 to defeat Nazi Germany
What were the three conferences the ally leaders attended during WW2?
Tehran November-December 1943
Yalta Conference February 1945
Potsdam Conference July-August 1945.
What forms of governments did the Grand Alliances lead?
The USA and the UK - were democracies
The USSR - a communist one-party state led by Stalin.
What was agreed in the Tehran conference, November-December 1943?
The Soviet Union would declare war on Japan once Germany was defeated.
Poland would be controlled by the Soviets after they defeated the Nazis there.
What was agreed in the Yalta Conference, February 1945?
Germany would be divided and reduced in size. It would have to pay reparations once more.
The United Nations (UN) would be set up.
The USSR once again agreed to declare war on Japan once Germany was defeated.
Poland would instead be in the ‘Soviet sphere of Influence’ but run democratically.
Why did tensions increase after the Potsdam Conference, July-August 1945?
Stalin disliked the fact he believed Truman had tried to push him around.
Truman thought due to the USA’s atomic bomb, he had dominance of Stalin.
What was different between the Potsdam Conference to the other two conferences?
FDR had died and been replaced by his VP Harry S. Truman.
Clement Atlee had replaced Churchill as UK PM after Labour won the election.
What was the difference between FDR and Truman’s view on the Soviets?
FDR worked alongside the Soviets and believed he could control and tame the Soviets while Truman was much more distrustful and had less interest of working alongside them.
He did however meet with Stalin in Potsdam and agreed on several things.but communist parties lost a monopoly on power in all but five countries; namely China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam
When did Germany surrender and when did WWII officially end, 1945?
The German Third Reich surrendered on May, 7th,1945
Japan surrendered and WWII ended on September, 2nd, 1945 after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
What did the Soviets want for Germany and what did the Americans want for Germany post-war?
The USA wanted a united, capitalist Germany that it could trade with and would help prevent the spread of communism.
The Soviet Union wanted Germany to be weak, communist and divided, so it would never be able to attack the Soviet Union again.
Due to this the Allies were unable to agree on Germany’s long term future.
What was agreed in the Potsdam Conference, July-August 1945?
Germany was to be reduced in size and divided in four zones run by Britain, France, the USA and the USSR.
Berlin was also to be divided up into zones of occupation.
The USSR was to receive 25% of the output from the other three occupied zones.
What was Britain’s stance in the increased tensions between the USSR and USA in the 1945?
Britain was economically exhausted and could not stand up to the Soviet Union on its own and became only an ally of the USA.
The Cold War therefore became about the relationship between the two superpowers, the USA and the USSR.
Why did the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, August 6-9, 1945 increase tensions between the Soviets and the USA?
Truman did not tell Stalin about the atomic bomb in order to strengthen the US position in dealing with the soviets. Stalin saw this as Truman trying to exert power over him.
Soviet leaders consistently condemned the use of the atomic bomb and called it a war crime.
What was the difference between the Soviets and the Americans ideologically?
America was capitalist and communism was seen as very unethical and immoral there.
The USSR was communist and they saw capitalist as greedy and unfair.
What was George Kennan’s Long Telegram, 1946 and how did it increase tensions between the Superpowers?
The US ambassador, George Kennan to Russia sent a secret report to President Truman that said:
the Soviet Union was building its military power, the Soviet Union saw capitalism as a threat that had to be destroyed and peace between a communist nation and a capitalist nation were impossible.
What was the Iron Curtain and Winston Churchill’s famous speech, 1946?
The Iron Curtain was the imaginary line separating communist Eastern Europe and allied Western Europe.
Famously, Winston Churchill in 1946 went to America and in a speech attacked the Soviet Union and their domination of Eastern Europe. He also reiterated the Western world had to stand up to the Soviets.
What was Novikov’s Telegram, 1946?
A report from Novikov, Soviet ambassador to the USA, told Stalin that:
the USA wanted world domination and was building up its military strength, the Soviet Union was the only country that could stand up to the USA, the USA was preparing its people for war with the USSR.
What did Stalin and the Soviets fear the most about the US?
Truman and the American’s nuclear monopoly, which expanded much after 1949.
What were the Soviets’ Satellite States and how did they increase Superpower tensions?
Between 1947 and 1949, the Soviet Union spread its sphere of influence to nearby countries.
Although Soviets were allowed influence, democratic elections had to be held as agreed at Yalta and Potsdam. However, the Soviets fixed the elections so the Communist party won.
Which countries turned into communist satellite states and when?
Bulgaria - 1945 (non-communists were executed)
Romania - fully communist by 1947
Albania - 1944 (taken over after the fall of the axis)
Hungary - 1945 (Communist leader, Rakosi overthrew the democratically elected leader)
Poland - 1947 (non-communist leaders were arrested)
Czechoslovakia - 1948 (seized power completely from the coalition government)
East Germany - 1949 (original Soviet zone of occupation in Germany)
What did the USA think about the Soviet takeover of Eastern Europe?
Truman saw as a betrayal of the Yalta agreement, in which Stalin had made promises about holding democratic elections.
What were the two things Truman implemented in an effort to contain communism?
Through military and economic assistance: the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Aid/Plan.
What was the Truman Doctrine of 1947?
In a speech in 1947, President Truman stated:
Countries faced a choice between either capitalism or communism, Communism was bad because it meant people could not be free and the USA must try to contain the spread of communism.
The USA should provide money and troops to help free governments combat communist takeovers.
What was The Marshall Plan, 1948?
About $13 billion from USA to help rebuild Europe. The Marshall Plan hoped to stop communism by giving people a stake in the capitalist system.
Sixteen Western Europeans countries took the money while the Soviets criticised it.
What was Cominform (set up in 1947)?
It stood for the Communist Information Bureau. The bureau organised all the communist parties in Europe and arranged their leadership.
It got rid of any opposition to the Soviets’ in satellite states. It also encouraged communist parties in Western countries to block Marshall Plan assistance.
What was Comecon, 1949?
Stalin set it up as the Soviets’ alternative to the Marshall plan. It included the USSR and all their satellite states.
It built up trade links between Comecon countries. It also prevented Comecon signing up to the Marshall plan.
What was/is the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), set up in 1949?
NATO was a military alliance based around collective security: if one country was attacked other countries had to assist it. It was made up of the USA, Britain, Canada, France and others.
NATO was directed against a possible military attack from the USSR on Western Europe.
What was the significance of NATO?
The Soviet Union turned to strengthening its control over Eastern Europe, resulting in the formation of the Warsaw Pact, 1955.
What was Bizonia and Western Germany and why did it increase tensions between the Superpowers?
British and US zones of Germany joined together, as it would be easier to administer. Later on the French zone of occupation was added to create ‘West Germany’ and ‘Bizonia’
Stalin was very unhappy as he was not consulted beforehand and believed Bizonia went against the agreements made at Potsdam.
This was another example of Truman not consulting Stalin beforehand leading Stalin to distrust the Western world even more.
Why was Eastern Germany so poverty stricken and what was the Berlin Blockade, July 1948?
The USSR had 1.5 million troops in its zone, whereas most Western troops were at home.
In June 1948 the Soviet Union closed all road, rail and canal links into West Berlin forcing Western troops to leave their zone.
The Soviet Union blocked all supplies into Berlin to show it had the power to stop a divided Germany working.
What was the Berlin Airlift, 26 June 1948-30 September 1949?
West Berlin couldn’t last for many days without supplies. It looked like the Western powers would have to pull out of Berlin. Truman refused as it would look weak. He decided to airlift thousands of tonnes of supplies into Berlin daily.
The operation lasted for 15 months even for a couple months after the Berlin Blockade stopped.
It made the USA appear peaceful and generous. It made the Soviets appear aggressive and threatening.
What began the nuclear arms race, 1949 between the Soviets and the Americans?
The United States initially had a monopoly of nuclear weapons. After the dropping of the two atomic bombs on Japan, 1945 Stalin tested the Soviets’ first atomic bomb in 1949 leading to the start of the nuclear arms race.
When did West Germany and East Germany officially formed?
In September 1949, West Germany (FRG) was officially formed, with US support.
In October 1949, East Germany (GDR) was officially formed.
What was the Warsaw Pact, 1955?
The Warsaw Pact was a collective defence treaty involving the Soviet Union and their satellite states.
It was set up on 14 May 1955 following West Germany’s entry into NATO on 9 May 1955.
When did Stalin die and who replaced him as leader?
Stalin died on 5th March 1953. He was replaced as Soviet leader by Nikita Khruschev.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was the newly elected President in 1953.
What was significant about the Warsaw pact?
Two opposing alliances in Europe were separated by the Iron Curtain.
The Soviets controlled Eastern Europe while Western Europe was apart of NATO.
What was Destalinisation?
Khruschev in his ‘secret speech’ hinted that Soviet control would relax.
What did Khruschev do fearing Hungary would move away from Soviet control?
Despite Khruschev’s implication that the USSR would relax when Hungary started to move away from Soviet Influence, the Soviet Union tightened it’s grip.
How did the Soviet rule impact Hungary for the worse?
Hungarian food and industrial products were shipped off to Russia weakening them economically.
Any opposition in Hungary was ruthlessly wiped out by their brutal leader, Matyas Rakosi - nicknamed the ‘Bald Butcher’.
As a result of this Communist rule became very unpopular in Hungary.
Who replaced Matyas Rakosi as Hungarian leader?
Matyas Rakosi was heavily linked to Stalin and his brutal deeds and due to Khruschev’s Destalinisation he forced Rakosi to resign and replaced him with Imre Nagy a much more liberal communist.
What was the problem with Hungarian Prime Minister - Imre Nagy to Khruschev?
Nagy wanted radical reforms for Hungary:
He wanted them to leave the Warsaw Pact and become a neutral country. He wanted free, democratic elections and UN protection from the Soviet Union.
If Nagy succeeded in Hungary other Eastern European countries could follow.
What was the Soviet Invasion of Hungary/Hungarian Uprising, 1956?
Khruschev sent 200,000 Soviet troops into Hungary to remove Nagy and restore order.
Over 5000 Hungarians were killed including around 1000 Soviet troops. Many Hungarian soldiers loyal to Nagy and the revolution fought against Soviet troops.
Imre Nagy was ousted, arrested and executed, June 1958 sending a message to all Satellite states.
A new leader, Janos Kadar, was appointed. He was a moderate communist and Hungary’s living standards were better then other East European states.
What was the international response to the Soviet Invasion of Hungary, 1956?
The UN condemned Soviet actions. Some countries boycotted the 1956 Olympics due to Soviet participation.
The USA supported Hungary’s uprising with money, aid and words. They accepted 80,000 refugees from Hungary.
The USA couldn’t send troops as it would risk nuclear war. Hungarians begrudgingly accepted the moderate communist, Janos Kadar’s rule aware that US was not prepared to help them.
Who were the STASI, set up in 1950?
They were the secret police in East Germany and they were involved and they jailed people for dissidence (protest against official policy). They were set up under Stalin. The equivalent to the Gestapo but for Communist East Germany.
It was abolished in 1990 under Gorbachev.
What was the problem with the divided Berlin?
The Western Bloc controlled West Berlin which was deep inside Soviet-controlled East Germany.
As many Germans in East Germany did not like the communist government, many fled to West Germany which was easy to get to once you reached the western zones in Berlin.
What was the Refugee Crisis and the Brain Drain, 1958?
Brain Drain - skilled professionals (teachers, doctors etc.) left East Germany for better life in the West - could easily cross the border
Refugee Crisis in general - 3 million East Germans left for the West.
This was bad for Khrushchev as it made the Soviets look bad and communism look weak.
What was Khruschev’s Berlin ultimatum, November 1958 and what were the consequences of it?
Khruschev stated that all Berlin belonged to East Germany and that occupying troops must leave in six months.
The USSR knew if it tried to push the West out of Berlin by force, a war would start that it could not win, as the US had more nuclear weapons.
So, a series of summit meetings took place between the leaders of the USA and USSR.
What were the meetings between the Superpowers that followed Khrushchev’s Berlin ultimatum?
Hint: GCPV
Geneva, May 1959
Camp David, Sept 1959
Paris Summit, May 1960
Vienna Conference, July 1961
What was the result of the Geneva Conference, May 1959?
The meeting was between foreign representatives and not between Khrushchev or Eisenhower. No solution was agreed but a further summit was organised for Camp David in the USA.
What was the result of Camp David, Sept 1959?
This was Khrushchev’s first visit to the USA. Khrushchev reportedly complained about everything and was not allowed in Disney land which added to his fuel.
No informal agreement was made once more. Superpower relations had improved however as Khrushchev’s state visit made him experience capitalism first hand.
They agreed to a Summit in Paris.
What was the result of the Paris Summit, May 1960 and what effect did it have on the Superpower relations?
It was a disaster. Khrushchev stormed out because the Soviet Union had shot down a US spy plane over Russia and Eisenhower refused to apologize or admit wrongdoing.
Khrushchev’s next meeting was with President Kennedy in Vienna and not Eisenhower.
What were the two opposing factions in the (1961-1963) Kennedy administration?
The Doves - officials who favored diplomacy, negotiation and restraint in military force.
The Hawks - officials who supported aggressive, militaristic stance, in order to assert dominance over the Soviets.
What was the result of the Vienna Conference, June 1961 and how did it effect Superpower relations?
Khrushchev this time met with Kennedy and not Eisenhower and he attempted to bully Kennedy due to his youth making him seem politically inexperienced.
He thus reissued his ultimatum that the USA must remove its troops from Berlin.
Tensions were at an all time high.
What did Khruschev due to solve the refugee problem in Berlin without risking a nuclear war?
Soviet tanks were deployed to stop Western access to the East. By the end of October 1961, West Berlin was cut off from East Germany.
On 12 August 1962, East German troops set up a barbed wire fence around West Berlin.
Any East Berliner travelling to West Berlin would be shot.
Why was the Berlin Wall built, August 1961?
It stopped the refugee crisis and the Brain Drain. It also avoided war with the USA but still made the USSR look strong and resistant to the Western Bloc.
What was the problem for the USA with the Cuban Revolution, 1959?
Before 1959 Cuba was very closely linked to the USA. Cuba had a socialist revolution in 1959 headed by Fidel Castro.
The USA refused to work with the new socialist government and refused to recognize it.
Cuba instead built economic links with the Soviet Union, for example, trading Soviet oil for Cuban sugar.
What did the CIA try to do to overthrow Fidel Castro?
They originally attempted assassinate the leader of Cuba, Fidel Castro, with no success.
The CIA convinced President Kennedy that a US-backed invasion of Cuba, could solve the Castro problem. The Invasion was conned the Bay of Pigs incident.
What was the Bay of Pigs incident - 17 April 1961?
The invasion was meant to look like a domestic Cuban revolt - training Cuban exiles and disguised old US planes as Cuban.
The planes were identified as US and were shot down by the Cubans, and the invasion was crushed. Few exiles fled while the rest were killed or imprisoned by Castro’s forces.
What was the impact of the failure of the Bay of Pigs, 17 April 1961?
It ended all chances of a friendly USA-Cuba relationship. Castro announced that he and Cuba were communist.
Cuba and the Soviet Union started building closer ties - including military defence for Cuba.
America looked weak and the entire Communist world looked strong and resistant.
What was the Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962?
Khrushchev wanted to match the missiles in Turkey by placing the USSR’s missiles in Cuba. On 16 Oct, President Kennedy is informed that US spy planes have found missile sites on Cuba.
The USA saw this as a direct threat and Kennedy imposed a naval blockade on Cuba on the 22 Oct to stop Soviet ships from delivering the missiles to Cuba.
24 Oct, The Soviet Union initially said their ships will ignore it. 25 Oct, USA and the USSR prepared for nuclear attack.
27 Oct, Cuba gets ready for invasion. Khrushchev offers to remove missiles from Cuba in return the Americans would do the same in Turkey and Italy.
27, Oct a US spy plane was shot down over Cuba. US ‘hawks’ (hawkish cabinet members) demanded retaliation.
27 Oct, Kennedy agreed but it would be made secret that the USA removed their warheads from Turkey and Italy
What were the short term consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Oct 1962?
Communist Cuba survived as Kennedy gave assurances the USA would not attempt to invade Cuba again.
The Soviet Union looked weak, as the world did not know the USA had removed missiles from Turkey and Italy. It undermined Khrushchev and Brezhnev replaced him when he was ousted in 1964.
US ‘doves’ (peaceful cabinet members) came out well, as their desire to avoid war resulted in the missiles being withdrawn.
What were the long term consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962?
Led to the limited test ban treaty, 1963 banning all nuclear weapon testing except for underground sites.
The Hotline Agreement, June 1963 created a direct communication link between Washington and Moscow.
The Soviet Union was determined to catch up to the USA in the arms race and achieved this by 1965. War would be so terrible that it must be avoided at all costs.
What was Kennedy’s Television Address during the Cuban Missile Crisis, 22 October, 1962?
Kennedy revealed that U.S. intelligence had confirmed Soviet Union was building secret missile bases in Cuba.
He described the missiles as an explicit threat to the peace and security to American security.
Kennedy announced a quarantine (naval blockade) of Cuba to prevent further Soviet shipments of military equipment.
He directly appealed to Khrushchev to withdraw the missiles and reduce tensions, warning that the U.S. would not tolerate this threat.
Kennedy stressed that the U.S. was prepared for any escalation, including military action, if the Soviet Union did not comply.
How did the building of the Berlin Wall impact the perception of the global superpowers?
The Wall was a humiliation for the USSR and a victory for the West, as it suggested that East Germans preferred living in capitalist West Germany.
West Berlin became an enduring symbol of freedom. Over 200 people lost their lives trying to cross the wall between 1961-1989.
(Khrushchev mistakenly thought that Kennedy showed weakness allowing the wall to be built, and this encouraged him to think about deploying missiles in Cuba)
What did Kennedy’s visit to West Berlin, 1963 show?
His speech was an expression of solidarity with the people of West Berlin. He demonstrated that the United States and NATO were prepared to defend West Berlin from communist attack.
Kennedy also speaking after the Cuban Missile Crisis ended that despite his dovish approach then, he was not at all ‘soft on communism’.
What did the construction of the Berlin Wall mean for the Iron Curtain?
It filled the last remaining gap in the Iron Curtain and meant that Europe was now completely divided.
There were two Germany’s with two completely different ideologies - capitalism and communism.
There were two different alliances - NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
What impact did Soviet rule have on Czechoslovakia?
Czechoslovakia’s economy and living standards declined heavily.
All opposition to communism was crushed.
Communist rule became very unpopular amongst Czechoslovakians.
Who was the leader of the Soviet Union in 1968 and what did he do with Czechoslovakia?
Leonid Brezhnev succeeded Khrushchev who was ousted due to his mishandling of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
He appointed his good friend Alexander Dubcek as Czechoslovakian leader.
What did Alexander Dubcek want to do for Czechoslovakia?
Dubcek was a communist and a supporter of the Warsaw Pact but wanted to make communism better and easier to live under. Dubcek called this ‘socialism with a human face’.
What were Dubcek’s reforms/Prague Spring, 1968?
He relaxed on censorship meant more freedom to say and write things even if critical of communism.
More democracy allowed other parties alongside the Communist party.
More power was given to the Czechoslovakian parliament and Soviet control was reduced.
He introduced ‘market socialism’ with some ‘capitalist elements’.
What did Brezhnev do in response to Dubcek’s reforms?
He first tried to convince Dubcek to stop the reforms but failed. The final straw came when
He then ordered the Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia, August 1968 and sent tanks to Prague and Dubcek was arrested. US President LBJ condemned the invasion but did nothing more.
Czechoslovakia returned to being under strict Soviet control under leader, Gustav Husak. This was known as ‘normalisation’.
What was the Brezhnev Doctrine, 1968?
The Soviet Union (under Leonid Brezhnev) declared the right to invade any Eastern bloc country threatening the security and instability of the Eastern Bloc as a whole.
What were the consequences of the Brezhnev Doctrine, 1968?
Western European communist parties were horrified and declared themselves independent from the Soviet Communist Party.
Yugoslavia and Romania - Soviet allies - distanced themselves from the Soviet Union, weakening the Soviet Union’s grip on Eastern Europe.
What was the Western response to the Prague Spring and the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, August 20-21 1968?
The United States condemned the invasion and the Brezhnev Doctrine.
The USA/West Germany offered no military assistance. The US was already bogged down in the Vietnam War and did not want to provoke an international Crisis.
What was the Eastern response to the Prague Spring and the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, 1968?
Some countries feared Soviet invasion and countries such as Poland pursued Soviet policies which increased social unrest, leading to public protests. Romania and Albania - communist sattellite states - refused to take part in the invasion.
The invasion strengthened control over a majority of the Eastern bloc as they could use military force to ensure their dominance.
Yet this Crisis exposed the differences as both Romania and Yugoslavia condemned the invasion and signed alliances with communist China who also condemned the invasion, dividing the communist world.
How did the Prague Spring and the Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia, 1968 impact Superpower relations?
It did little damage to the growing detente between East and West due to the fact less than 100 people died as a result of the invasion.
However, Brezhnev believed that he could push his weight and any Soviet military intervention in eastern Europe and/or Asia would not be challenged by the United States.
What was Detente in the 1970s?
Detente was the relaxing of tension between the USA and the Soviet Union in the late 1960s and 1970s.
This was under US President Richard Nixon and Soviet leader Brezhnev.
Why did President Nixon pursue Detente?
The USA was experiencing major issues home and abroad. In 1968 RIchard Nixon won the Presidental election.
Vietnam (Foreign) - They were involved in the War in Vietnam. 60,000 US soldiers died and the War was very unpopular among US citizens and their were mass protests. Just in 1968, the USA spent $84 billion on its military.
Civil RIghts (Domestic) - The lack of civil rights caused conflicts on the streets of the USA. The assassination of civil rights activist, Martin Luther King, increased tension. In 1968, black Americans were rioting across the USA.
Nixon had to focus on a lot of issues and the Cold War took a lot of priority so Detente gave him time to focus on other issues.
What was the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT 1), 1972?
Superpowers agreed to limit the number of nuclear weapons:
No further production of strategic ballistic weapons
No new nuclear missile launchers.
The Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty limited both sides to two ABM deployment areas.
How effective was SALT 1, 1972?
Positives: slowed down the arms race by placing limits on number of bombers, ICBMs and SLBMs both sides could produce. Led to further negotiations that culimnated in the SALT 2 Treaty, 1979.
Negative: Did not cover intermediate nuclear weapons (INFs) which both sides continued to deploy in Europe during the late 1970s.
What were the Helsinki Accords, 1975?
All European countries except Albania and Andorra, as well as the USA,the USSR and Canada. Representatives from 35 countries agreed on security issues, cooperation, human rights and borders.
They cooled Superpower relations although the Soviet Union didn’t honour the human rights agreements.
Define GDP in the context of the Soviet Union in the 1960s under Brezhnev.
20% of their GDP was spent on their defence budget in the 1960s under Brezhnev. This caused stagnation which really began to really affect the reforms in the 1970s and 1980s.
What was SALT 2, 18th June 1979 and why did it end up failing?
On the 18th June 1979, President Jimmy Carter and Brezhnev signed an agreement on restricting missile launchers.
Although it was signed it was still going through a period of ratification. During this time in December the 24th 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, bringing the period of Detente to an end and Carter withdrew the SALT 2 agreements.
What was the Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979 and how did it affect Carter’s view on the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan?
In 1979, Iran had a revolution replacing the Shah with a Muslim fundamentalist group. During the revolution the Iranians took 53 Americans hostage from US embassy in Tehran.
Carter’s attempts at rescuing the hostages failed and they were all released 444 days later on Carter’s successor Ronald Reagan’s inauguration day.
Carter similarly to the Soviets feared further instability in the Middle East but believed their approach is what would do so. This is why he implemented the Carter Doctrine.
Why did the Soviet Union invade Afghanistan, 24th December 1979?
The Soviet Union viewed Afghanistan as an important neighbour.
In 1979, Iran replaced the Shah with a Islamist government. Afghanistan formed an important buffer between Iran and the USSR. They feared instability would spread across the region.
The Soviets had to ensure that there was a pro-Soviet government in Afghanistan.
Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan and almost certainly assassinated pro-Soviet leader Hafizullah Amin as he became increasingly unpopular among other pro-Muslim factions and replaced him with an even more pro-Soviet leader in Babrak Kamal. The Soviets remained in Afghanistan for almost ten years, fighting enemies of Babrak Kamal.
What was President Carter’s response to the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, December 1979?
Besides withdrawing the SALT 2 agreements. He implemented the Carter Doctrine deliberately modeled on the Truman Doctrine.
What exactly was the Carter Doctrine, January 1980?
Carter imposed economic sanctions on the Soviet Union including a grain embargo.
He led a boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics, rallying 65 nations to abstain alongside him - the Soviets had hoped to promote communism at the event but instead it showed how influential the US were in international affairs.
He aided the Afghan resistance - the Mujahideen with weapons, military equipment and funding.
Why was Carter seen as weak against Communism and voted out of office in 1980?
During the 1980 Presidental election, Carter’s Republican opponent, Ronald Reagan ridiculed Carter for being soft on communism and not challenging the Soviet Union enough leading to the invasion of Afghanistan.
Alongside Carter’s mishandling of the Iran Hostage Crisis, Reagan won a landslide victory. Many voters main priority was foreign policy at the time.
What was ‘Reagan’s Second Cold War’, 1981-1985?
Unlike Carter Reagan was much tougher with the Soviet Union which led to a period of tense and hostile relations referred to as the Second Cold War.
He persuaded congress to boost America’s armed forces by increasing spending on arms.
He announced the Reagan Doctrine where the USA would only support anti-communist governments, but also anti-communist groups trying overthrow communist governments. This was very controversial as some of these anti-communist groups were arguably worse on human rights and other issues.
What was Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI or ‘Star Wars’), 1983?
A new program announced by President Reagan where the US would place a series of satellites in orbit which could carry powerful lasers that would shoot down Soviet missiles.
This went against the terms of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. In reality, SDI was many years from being ready. Ultimately, it was never completed and it was all done to stir up Soviet panic.
Why was the announcement of the SDI program, 1983 so consequential to the Soviet Union?
The Soviet Union devoted huge resources to the arms race and to catching up with American missile and technology and now their missiles would be redundant and a new system was needed.
It was a significant turning point in the arms race and the Cold War. The Soviet leaders knew they would have to invest huge sums of money to develop an equivalent but there economy was not strong enough.
Who were the two Soviet leaders who served briefly before Mikhail Gorbachev, 1982-1985?
Yuri Andropov - former KGB head - succeeded Brezhnev and was leader from the 12th of November, 1982 until the 9th of February, 1984. He made the Soviet military budget 70% of the total budget and supplied military aid to Syria, Iraq, Libya, South Yemen, Cuba, North Korea.
Konstantin Chernenko succeeded Andropov and was leader from the 13th February 1984 to the 10th of March 1985. He boycotted the 1984, Los Angeles Olympics alongside 14 other Eastern Bloc nations including Cuba. He did little to deescalate the Cold War and prevented a visit to West Germany by East German leader but did agree to resume arm control talks in early 1985.
When did Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev come to power and what was so significant about him?
Gorbachev was the last leader of Soviet Union who served from the 11th of March 1985 to the country’s dissolution on 24 August 1991.
He was the most liberal leader and was unlike every Soviet leader to precede him.
What was Gorbachev’s New Thinking?
State and government should be reformed to include some capitalist practices. This was called perestroika.
More openness and less corruption in government. This policy of glasnost would allow opposition to the government.
The Brezhnev Doctrine would be dropped entirely.
The Soviet Union would reduce spending on arms and defense and withdraw from Afghanistan and spend their efforts on improving domestically.
What was the first major reform of Gorbachev’s New Thinking, Perestroika, 1985-1991?
Restructuring/Reforming the the political economy, in an attempt to end Stagnation which caused by 20% of GDP on defence spending and using much of its resources in maintaining nuclear and military arsenals.
What was the second major reform of Gorbachev’s New Thinking, Glasnost, 1986-1991?
Increased the openness and transparency of the Soviet government. Reflected a commitment by the Gorbachev government allowing Soviet citizens to discuss publicly the problems of the Soviet system and potential solutions. It also allowed opposition to the government.
What were the 5 Summits the Superpowers attended between 1985-1989?
Hint: Get Ready With Milo’s Mum
Geneva, 19-21, 1985
Reykjavik, October 11-12, 1986
Washington, December 7-10, 1987
Moscow, May 29-June 1, 1988
Malta, December 2-3, 1989
What did the Reykjavik Summit, October 11-12, 1986 almost lead to?
It nearly resulted in a major agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons but collapsed over the U.S’ ‘Star Wars’ program.
What was so significant about the Washington Summit, December 1987?
Despite Reagan’s tough approach on the Soviet Union he realized he could make progress alongside Gorbachev.
The Washington Summit led to the signing of a formal treaty, the Intermediate Range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty which was not included in SALT 1.
What caused the end of the Soviet Hold on the Eastern Bloc?
Gorbachev believed dropping the Brezhnev Doctrine would strengthen the communist government uniting Eastern Europe.
However, it led to countries being able to think for themselves and disband the communist system and leave Soviet control.
What led to the Fall of the Berlin Wall, November 9, 1989?
Due to Gorbachev’s New reforms Hungary opened its border with Austria in May, allowing East Germans to escape. Many East Germans believed they could convince the Soviet Union to tear down the Wall by going on peaceful protests starting in September 1989.
On November 9, 1989, East German official Gunter Schabowski mistakenly announced that border crossings to the West were open ‘immediately’. Thousands rushed to the wall, and overwhelmed guards let them through. Berliners from both sides began tearing it down that night.
What impact did the Fall of the Berlin Wall, 9th November 1989 have on Europe?
For Germans they were finally reunited with relatives and friends who they had not seen for almost 30 years.
Symbolically it was another part of the Iron Curtain which was dismantled under Gorbachev whereas 30 years ago this was the final part of the Iron Curtain under Khrushchev.
This also led to Germany’s reunification in October 3rd, 1990.
What led to the end of the Warsaw pact, July 1991?
The events of 1989 saw more communist governments under pressure from their citizens to leave the Warsaw pact.
Military cooperation between member states ended in early 1990 and the pact was formally dissolved in July 1991.
What was the final straw that led to Gorbachev’s resignation and the fall of the Soviet Union, 25th December 1991?
The end of the Warsaw Pact signaled the end of the division of Europe and meant that many countries could become truly independent, forming their own governments and their own policies.
A string of countries that comprised of the Soviet Union declared independence. 1989 was the final year all members were cohesively part of the USSR.
Gorbachev resigned on the 25th December 1991 with Russia as it’s last stronghold going independent once more. The Soviet Union officially dissolved on the 26th December 1991.
What were two consequences of the end of the Cold War?
The Soviet Union was dissolved into 15 independent countries.
Boris Yeltsin - the first president of Russia, post USSR - moved away from communism and pursued capitalism.
