Superpowers and Cold War Flashcards
Features of Communism
One-party, No democracy, All businesses are state owned, Censorship
Features of Capitalism
Several political parties, Democracy, Private businesses, Freedom of speech and press
Countries in the Grand Alliance
USA, USSR, Britain
What were the three conferences between 1943-45?
Tehran, Yalta, Potsdam
When was the Tehran Conference?
November 1943
Who was present at the Tehran Conference?
Winston Churchill (UK), Joseph Stalin (USSR), Franklin D Roosevelt (USA)
What was the objective of the Tehran Conference
To plan the invasion of Nazi occupied France
What was the outcome of the Tehran Conference?
Britain and America agreed on Operation Overlord, Russia agreed to help the US fight Japan which led to Stalin’s invasion of Manchuria, They talked about the set up of the United Nations
When was the Yalta Conference?
February 1945
Objective of the Yalta Conference
To plan for the final stages of the war and for post-war Europe
What was the outcome of the Yalta Conference?
The division of Germany, The formation of the UN, German war reparations, The entry of Soviet forces into the far-eastern front (Japan), The USSR were given a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe.
Who was present at the Yalta Conference?
Winston Churchill (UK), Joseph Stalin (USSR), Franklin D Roosevelt (USA)
When was the Potsdam Conference?
July 1945
Outcome of the Potsdam Conference
US had a functional Atomic weapon, Disagreement on the division of Germany
Who was present at the Potsdam Conference?
Clement Attlee (UK), Joseph Stalin (USSR), Harry S Truman (USA)
Manhattan Project (1942)
US plan to develop the atomic bomb
The Long Telegram
8,000 word telegram where George Kennan gives his analysis of what’s going on in Europe
The Novikov Telegram
It outlined the idea that America was after world domination and control all the oil.
Truman Doctrine (1947)
provided aid to anyone who was resisting communism
Marshall Plan (1947)
$12.7 billion to aid 16 Western Europe countries after World War II
Cominform (1947)
(Communist Information Bureau) It allowed Stalin to control the activities of other Soviet countries
Comecon (1949)
(Council for Mutual Economic Aid) set up to coordinate the production and trade of the eastern European communist countries. It favoured the USSR more than any of its other members.
NATO (April 1949)
(North Atlantic Treaty Organization) an alliance made to protect its members from communism attack
Warsaw Pact (May 1955)
A military alliance of communist nations in eastern Europe.
When the first successful Hydrogen bomb test?
1952
When was the first ICBM tested?
1958
What caused the Berlin Blockade?
The West intended to rebuild the economy of Germany. Stalin believed that Germany should be kept weak as it had invaded USSR in 1914 and 1941.
The Berlin blockade (June 1948 - May 1949)
Stalin cut off all road, rail and canal links to West Berlin, aiming to starve the 2 million inhabitants in West Berlin into submission.
The Berlin Airlift
The UK and UK responded with a massive airlift - food, fuel and supplies were flown into Berlin for 10 months. US spent $350 million and the UK spent £17 million. Stalin called off the Blockade in May 1949.
GDR
German Democratic Republic (East Germany)
FRG
Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)
Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)?
A military strategy where the use of nuclear weapons by two or more sides results in the annihilation of both the attacker and defender. Neither side has incentive to disarm or attack.
What caused the Hungarian Uprising?
The people had no freedom of speech, The AVH (secret police) arrested anyone against communism, The Russian language was being forced upon them
Why was Rakosi replaced?
During his time as leader, living standards fell and in 1952 Hungary recorded its lowest agricultural output ever.
Nagy’s proposed reforms
Free elections, develop trade with west, end to 1 party system, free press, free speech, free worship, free trade, free trade unions, leave Warsaw Pact, become neutral
Hungarian Uprising (3rd November 1956)
Nagy announced that Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact and unbanned political parties to form a coalition government
Khrushchev’s response to Hungary (4th November 1956)
200,000 soldiers and 6,000 tanks were sent into Hungary
Consequences of the Hungarian uprising
20,000 Hungarians were killed, 200,000 fled. It demonstrated that Khrushchev would crush any rebellion
Berlin Ultimatum (1958)
Khrushchev demanded that, the Western powers should withdraw their troops from Berlin within 6 months.
Geneva Conference (May 1959)
No decision on the ultimatum, improved relations between Khrushchev and Truman
Camp David Summit (September 1959)
Khrushchev revoked the ultimatum and the two leaders showed a lot of respect towards each other
U2 Incident (May 1960)
U2 spy, Gary Powers, was sent to USSR, but his plane was shot down by Soviets.
Why did the Paris Summit not take place(May 1960)
Eisenhower refused to apologise for the U2 incident
East German refugee problem: ‘Brain Drain’ (1949-61)
about 4 million (20% of the population) fled to the west. By January 1961, 20,000/month
Vienna Summit (June 1961)
Khrushchev threatened to make a treaty with East Germany and cut off western access to Berlin. Kennedy refused and increased military spending by $3.5 billion. Khrushchev responded by increasing military spending by 30%.
The Berlin Wall (12th August 1961 - 9th November 1989)
On the night of 12th August, 27 miles of barbed wire was placed to separate East and West Berlin. The Soviets called it the Anti-Fascist Protection Barrier
USA response to the Berlin Wall
They put lots of troops and tanks on the border and around Checkpoint Charlie.
October Standoff (1961)
After Soviet police searched US personnel at Checkpoint Charlie twice (22nd and 27th), Soviet and US tanks were placed at the checkpoint. Luckily Kennedy and Khrushchev agreed to remove their tanks
Kennedy’s “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech (June 1963)
Kennedy showed that there was nothing he could do about it.
“It’s not a very nice solution, but a wall is a hell of a lot better than a war.”
Short-term consequences of the Berlin Wall
solved the refugee problem, eased tensions
Long-term consequences of the Berlin Wall
people were killed trying to cross, October standoff
Cuba before 1959
heavily influenced by America, they owned half of the land, communication and railways. Ruled by unpopular Bastista
Cuba Revolution (1959)
Fidel Castro with the support of the population and Che Guevara, overthrew Batista in guerilla warfare
Reasons for the Cuban Revolution
wealth inequalities, unemployment, brutal regime under Batista
US Response to the Cuban Revolution
(July 1960) US banned sugar imports,
(Jan 1961) US broke off relations with Cuba
Soviet response of the Cuban Revolution
Khrushchev offered to buy Cuban sugar, and openly promised military assistance
The Bay of Pigs invasion (April 1961)
USA trained 1500 Cuban exiles (La Brigada 2506) to invade Cuba. It failed due to the public not helping the invasion, and Castro’s army of 20,000.
Consequences of the Bay of Pigs
USSR gained an ally, embarrassing for US, made them look imperial
The Cuban Missile Crisis (14th - 27th October 1962)
A U2 pilot spotted USSR nuclear missiles in Cuba which were in range of US. EXCOMM ordered a blockade of Cuba and prevented Soviet ships from reaching Cuba. The Soviet Union removed the missiles when the U.S. promised not to attack Cuba.
EXCOMM
established to decide whether US should:
bomb Cuba and USSR, invade Cuba, use an airstrike, blockade Cuba
Consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Kennedy showed that he could stand up to USSR, Nuclear missiles were removed from Cuba and Turkey. Hotline set up between the White house and the Kremlin
Limited Test Ban Treaty (1963)
US and USSR agreed to stop testing nuclear weapons (except underground tests)
Outer Space Treaty (1968)
UK, US, USSR (and others) agreed to use space for peaceful purposes
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1968)
countries agreed not to develop nuclear weapons
Czechoslovakia during the 1960s
Ruled by hard-line Communist, Antonin Novotny, who refused to introduce reform and was slow to follow de-Stalinisation.
Novotny replaced by Dubcek (January 1968)
(Dec 1967) Alexander Dubcek invited Brezhnev to see the low support for Novotny. This led to Dubcek replacing Novotny
The Prague Spring (1968)
Dubcek offered more freedom to the people of Czechoslovakia, which led to more reforms. Brezhnev was worried that other countries would want radical change
Dubcek’s reforms
Freedom of speech and press, reduced the power of the secret police, removed travel restriction, traded with West Germany, worker councils and increased trade union rights, 10 year plan to bring democratic elections and a multi-party state
Reasons for the Prague Spring
Weak economy, they believed the USA would back them (they were busy in Vietnam)
Reasons for the Invasion of Czechoslovakia (20th August 1968)
Czechoslovakia was important for the Warsaw Pact, 5 countries told Brezhnev that Czechoslovakia were a threat (still happened even though Dubcek reassured Brezhnev that he would not leave the Warsaw Pact)
Consequences of the Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Dubcek was replaced by hard-line Gustav Husak, the Brezhnev Doctrine
Brezhnev Doctrine
Gave USSR has the right to intervene militarily anywhere communism is threatened
Detente (1970s)
Easing of tension between USSR and US leading to cooperation
Reasons for Detente
Arms race was expensive, danger of nuclear war, Vietnam war needed to end
SALT 1 Treaty (May 1972)
(Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) 5 year agreement that froze the number of ICBMs and submarine launched missiles.
The SALT 1 Treaty was signed by
Nixon and Brezhnev
Apollo-Soyuz Mission (July 1945)
spaceflight project in which American and Soviet astronauts shook hands
Helsinki Accords (August 1975)
Human rights agreement signed by 35 countries (incl. US and USSR). US recognised Soviet control of Eastern Europe, whilst countries were expected to gain basic freedoms (such as speech)
SALT II (June 1979)
limited number of strategic weapons and nuclear-missile launchers
Why did SALT II fail?
Some US politicians refused to agree to the treaty as they thought it was too soft, the invasion of Afghanistan
PDPA Revolution (27 April 1978)
The PDPA (People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan) overthrew the Afghan government and imprisoned/tortured 1000s of Muslim intellectuals
The Mujahideen
Islamic guerrilla fighters who declared a jihad against the communist regime, and were supported by the USA
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (25th December 1979 - 1st January 1980)
Soviets sent over 50,000 troops to restore the Communist government. (27th Dec) Amin is killed and replaced by Babrak Kamal
Amin
Afghan politician who arranged the murder of communist PM, Taraki, and seized control (September 1979)
Results of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
Soviets:
15,000 dead
Afghanistan:
1,000,000 dead
4,000,000 fled to Pakistan
Consequences of the Soviet invasion
The costs strained the USSR economically. The destabilisation after the war led to the rise of the Taliban
American Response to the Invasion of Afghanistan
Carter Doctrine, suspended grain shipments to the Soviet Union, US boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Carter formed an alliance with China
The Carter Doctrine (1980)
The USA would resist any attempts by the USSR to threaten its oil interests in the Persian Gulf
Consequences of the Carter Doctrine
Draft registration of 18-20 year-old men, CIA increased its intelligence gathering, creation of the Rapid Deployment Force
Ronald Reagan’s aims and attitudes
US would support countries trying to overthrow Communist regimes, He placed less emphasis on human rights and more on defence spending
Reagan increased defence spending by…
$32.6 billion
Nuclear Utilization Target Selection (NUTS)
US strategy that involved targeting warheads rather than cities
‘Zero Option’ (November 1981)
a proposal for the total removal of certain types of weapons on both sides. Rejected by Brezhnev
Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI/Star Wars)
A laser and satellite system to protect the United States against enemy missiles
The US neutron bomb
A weapon designed by the USA to kill people whilst leaving property intact, described by the USSR as “a Capitalist Weapon”
Glasnost
(Gorbachev’s policy of) openness, which involved easing control on the media, arts, and public discussion.
Perestroika
(Gorbachev’s policy of) economic restructuring; reduced arms spending, allowed some capitalism for small businesses, opened USSR foreign trade
Geneva Summit (November 1985)
Reagan and Gorbachev agreed to reduce the number of strategic weapons and work towards abolishing chemical weapons
Reykjavik Summit (October 1986)
meeting collapsed after disagreement on the US dropping SDI
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty (December 1987)
agreed to eliminate all intermediate-range nuclear missiles
Why was Gorbachev agreeing to the Treaties with Reagan?
the arms race was too expensive, Reagan didn’t intend to invade USSR
Malta Summit (December 1989)
Gorbachev ensured Bush that he would never start a war between the 2 countries
START I (July 1991)
Bush and Gorbachev agreed to a reduction in most of the long-range nuclear warheads and bombs
The Sinatra Doctrine
Gorbachev allowed Warsaw Pact nations to determine their own internal affairs (whether they wanted to be communist or not)
Soviet Collapse: Poland (1988-89)
After years of prtoest and strikes, Solidarnosc wins elections (June 1989) and Mazowiecki becomes the Prime Minister
Soviet Collapse: Hungary (1988-90)
Hungarians dismantled the barbed wire border with Austria. The Communist Party renamed itself the Socialist Party in October 1989 and elections were won by the Democratic Forum the next year.
Soviet Collapse: East Germany (1989-90)
300,000 protest in Leipzig (23 October 1989), and 1 million in East Berlin (4 November) before the Berlin Wall is torn down (9 November) and Germany is reunified the next year
Soviet Collapse: Romania (1989-90)
Army-led revolution in December 1989, leads to Communist leader, Nicolae Ceausesecu, and his wife being executed on Christmas. 1990 Democratic elections were won by the National Salvation Front
Soviet Collapse: Czechoslovakia (1989-90)
Anti-communist protests begin in November 1989, and the government resigns the same month. Vaclav Havel was elected president in 1990
The End of the Warsaw Pact
July 1991
Communist Coup against Gorbachev (August 1991)
hard-line communists placed Gorbachev under house arrest in Crimea. But he was released after a lack of support for the coup
Dissolution of the USSR (December 1991)
Russia declared itself a republic and elected Boris Yeltsin as the leader
