Superpower Relations and the Cold War

Question 1

When was the Soviet invasion of Hungary?

Answer 1

4th November, 1956

Question 2

Why did Krushchev send Soviet troops to invade Hungary in 1956?

Answer 2

• Krushchev disapproved of Nagy’s reforms.
• He was worried other countries would follow suit.
• Nagy’s reforms threatened communist rule.

Question 3

What were the consequences of the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956?

Answer 3

• Over 5000 Hungarians killed.
• Nagy and his government deposed.
• Nagy executed.
• New leader appointed, who’s communist policies were more moderate than other satellite states’.

Question 4

Why did Hungary remain communist after the Soviet invasion in 1956?

Answer 4

Even though the USA was able to support Hungary with aid, money an words, they couldn’t send in troops to aid them as it would risk a nuclear war. Hungary was on it’s own against the Soviet Union and thus had to give in to communism.

Question 5

What happened at the Geneva summit in May 1959?

Answer 5

No solutions were agreed, but a next summit was set for Camp David in September.

Question 6

What happened at the Camp David summit in September 1959?

Answer 6

No solutions were agreed but a further meeting was arranged in Paris.

Question 7

What happened at the Paris summit in May 1960?

Answer 7

It was a complete disaster. Krushchev stormed out because the Soviet Union had shot down a US spy plane over Russia.

Question 8

What happened at the Vienna conference in January 1961?

Answer 8

Neither was willing to back down. Krushchev saw Kennedy’s inexperience as a weakness and reissued his ultimatum for the USA to remove its troops from Berlin.

Question 9

What was Krushchev’s Berlin ultimatum?

Answer 9

Issued in November 1958, it stated that all Berlin belonged to East Germany and that occupying troops must leave within 6 months.

Question 10

When was the Helsinki conference?

Answer 10

It took place in Helsinki, Finland in 1975.

Question 11

What was agreed upon at the Helsinki conference of 1975?

Answer 11

• Agreement on borders between East and West Germany.
• All disputes to be settled peacefully, through the UN if necessary.
• No country to interfere with the internal affairs of another.
• Trade between USSR and USA set up.
• Sharing of scientific knowledge and educational cooperation.
• Countries to respect human rights.

Question 12

When was the 1st Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty?

Answer 12

SALT 1 was agreed upon in 1972.

Question 13

When was the 2nd Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty?

Answer 13

SALT 2 was agreed upon in 1979 but it was never ratified because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

Question 14

What was agreed upon in SALT 1?

Answer 14

• No further production of short-range missiles.
• No increase in ICBMs.
• No new nuclear missile launchers.
• Anti-ballistic missile Treaty limited both sides to two ABM deployment areas.

Question 15

How effective was SALT 1?

Answer 15

• Slowed down the arms race.
• Led to further negotiations.
• Ensured that neither side had a strategic advantage in nuclear weapons.
• Did not cover intermediate nuclear weapons, which both sides continued to deploy in Europe.

Question 16

What happened in SALT 2?

Answer 16

• Each superpower limited to 2250 warheads.
• SALT 2 focused on warheads while SALT 2 simply counted missiles and bombs.
• Imposed limits on new launch systems including multi-warhead missiles.

Question 17

Why did SALT 2 fail do be ratified?

Answer 17

• The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979.
• Some US politicians thought the treaty made too many concessions to the Soviet Union.
• Some West German politicians opposed to the treaty as they feared it weakened the defence of West Germany.

Question 18

When did Ronald Reagan become President of the USA?

Answer 18

1981

Question 19

When did Mikhail Gorbachev become leader of the Soviet Union?

Answer 19

1985

Question 20

When was the Geneva Summit?

Answer 20

1985

Question 21

What happened at the Geneva summit?

Answer 21

• Gorbachev and Reagan got on well.
• Public opinion changed to against the arms race, especially in Europe.
• Gorbachev became more popular.
• Reagan liked Gorbachev and was prepared to work on US-Soviet relations.
• They represented an easing of the Cold War.
• Lead to arms control agreements, the INF Treaty and START I.

Question 22

Who was the last leader of the Soviet Union?

Answer 22

Mikhail Gorbachev

Question 23

Who was Gorbachev as a leader?

Answer 23

• Gorbachev recognized that the Soviet economy was failing.
• Recognized Soviets were unhappy.
• Brought perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness) meaning new ways of doing things and more freedom for the people.
• He was desperate to get Soviet troops out of Afghanistan.
• He was very slow to allow democratic elections in the USSR.
• He tried to cover up the massive nuclear accident in Chernobyl.
• Did not want capitalism, just stronger socialism.
• Did not intend to cause the end of the Soviet Union.

Question 24

When was the INF treaty?

Answer 24

It was decided upon in December 1987.

Question 25

What was agreed upon in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 1987?

Answer 25

The INF treaty got rid of all 500-5500km nuclear missiles. It was more successful than SALT 1. It was largely applied to Europe.

Question 26

When was the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan?

Answer 26

December, 1979

Question 27

Why did the Soviet Union invade Afghanistan in 1979?

Answer 27

• The USSR saw Afghanistan as in its sphere of influence as it bordered the Soviet Union.
• When the president was assassinated during a civil war and replaced by Hafizullah Amin, the USSR felt its influence in Afghanistan being threatened.
• Brezhnev ordered an invasion and Barbrak Karmal was made president.

Question 28

What happened at the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979?

Answer 28

• Soviet troops had to remain in the country to keep Karmal in power.
• Afghan rebels known as the Mujahideen resisted these troops.
• Brezhnev believed that because the USA hadn’t intervened at the Hungarian invasion or the Czechoslovakian Spring, Jimmy Carter would not object to the invasion of Afghanistan.
• This was believed wrongly, and the USA did get involved this time.

Question 29

What was the USA’s reaction to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979?

Answer 29

• The USA was worried that the USSR would get more control over the Middle East, and it would get influence in Iran.
• Iran could block Middle Eastern oil exports, which was essential to the USA’s prosperity.
• President Jimmy Carter reacted with the Carter Doctrine of 1980.

Question 30

What was the Carter Doctrine of 1980?

Answer 30

• Carter threated to use force in the Soviet Union attempted to take control over the Persian Gulf.
• The USA imposed economic sanctions - there would be no trade between the USA and the USSR.
• The USA and its allies, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, secretly provided assistance to the Mujahideen.
• In this way, the USA ceased cooperating with the Soviet Union and began to confront it instead.
• The US Senate refused to sign SALT 2, and the arms race sped up again.

Question 31

What were some other consequences of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979?

Answer 31

• Helped lead to the election of President Reagan in 1980, who was anti-communist with a tough attitude towards the Soviet Union.
• Pressure was put on Soviet leadership to end the increasingly unpopular war.
• Soviet troops remained in Afghanistan to keep Karmal in power, although they were often attacked by the Mujahideen.
• US-Soviet relations deteriorated.