The Cold War Flashcards
What was the Truman doctrine?
Announced in March 1947
President Truman worried about the spread of Communism in Western Europe, where many countries were undergoing economic hardship after WW2. This made communism more appealing to them.
By early 1947, Britain told the USA that it could no longer afford to support the Greek and Turkish governments.
USA decides to intervene and try contain the spread of communism
President Truman made a speech to the US Congress. It was said in that speech that he would support any nation threatened by a communist takeover. This support could be diplomatic, military or financial.
eg 400m dollar of aid was given to Greece and Turkey to stop the spread of communism
What happened to Hungary 1956?
After WW2 USSR helped put brutal stalinist Rakosi incharge of Hungary. His authoritarian became unpopular which lead to the people of Budapest protest against the government in October 1956.
Krushchev allowed Nagy to take over Rakosi as the new Hungarian PM. Nagy hoped that Hungary could be a neutral state
Nov 1956, Nagy would withdraw from the warsaw pact and allow free elections - ending communism here
If hungary were to be allowed to leave other satellite states might follow. Therefore USSR was obliged to respond vigorously and set an example for the rest of the satellite states.
Khrushchev who only been came in power for two years wanted to use the crisis to assert his authority.
in November 1956. 2000 tanks and 6000 troops attacked Budapest and 20,000 Hungarians were wounded or killed. Nagy was hanged. Kadar placed prime minister and ensured loyalty towards the USSR
What was the Western Reactions after the Hungary crisis 1956, and its significance
lack of intervention from Western countries. Condemned USSR but did not want to risk a nuclear war.
UN asked USSR to withdraw from Hungary but Kadar refused to take part in discussions.
Western powers’ reputations as upholders of democracy was discredited.
Their inaction sent a clear message to Eastern Europe that they would not receive any help from western powers to move away from USSR.
UN shown as weak
Krushchev’s resonse to Hungary demonstrated disloyalty would not be tolerated and showed Western powers that they are still in control
pivotal moment for Khrushchev - he reasserted authority and destroyed any illusions in the West that his leadership signified a ‘thaw’ in the cold war.
When was the Cuban Revolution?
1959
and it worried the US
What was the Bay of Pigs?
Where a geoup of Cuban exiles are trained to launch an attack on Castro and overthrowning him. He did this to make it look like a cuban revolution making america not involved. However Castro already knew about the plan therefore making Castro get ready (20,000 soldiers ready to fihgt 1400 invaders)
What happened in April 1961
1,400 exiles cubans landed on cuba
what was Cuba like before the Revolution? Who ruled it and what did he do?
since 1952 cuba was ruled by a ruthless military dictator
he allowed US bussineses and mafia to make huge profits in a country where most people lived in poverty
Who is Fidel Castro
He was a rebel;
in 1956, he began a guerrila war. (small military unit uses tactics like raids to fight a larger opponent)
By 1959 he had enough support to take Cuba’s capital, Havana, and successfully overthew the Batista’s government
How did USA react to kruchev putting weapons on cuba
Kennedy realised that if Cuba had missiles then they would he in under threat. Kennedy warned kruschev that he couldnt allow the soviet union to use cuba as a base to threaten USA
Why was the US worried about the Cuban revolution?
USA had long economic history with Cuba
It owned half of the Cuba’s land and held most of the shares in all Cuban industries.
Therefore they felt that they had the right to be involved in cuba’s affairs. But cubans grown to resent American influences.
How did USA push cuba closer to USSR?
When castro came in to power in 1959,
he increased taxes on goods imported fro america, which angered the USA
Eisenhower threatened to stop importing cuban sugar. Sugar was cuban’s main source of wealth
Instead Castro signed a trade agreement with USSR - USSR promised to buy all sugar exports
All american property in cuba was confiscated
by Jan 1961 USA severed all diplomatic relations with Cuba and the new president kennedy nolonger recognise Castro’s government
What was the bay of pigs?
Kennedy couldn’t let a communist state emerge next to America so he intervened
in 1961, Kennedy authorised and invasion of Cuba anti-Castro rebels trained to overthrow him.
CIA trained 1500 anti-castro exiles
kennedy send 6 planes to bomb cuban air force (did not turn out well), so he canceled air support
supply ship also got destroyed
Castro was told that there would be an invasion but did not know the scale of it so he mobilised all troops (20,000 soldiers ready to fight 1400 invaders)
all exile captured within 7 hours
this lead to Castro decide that they need soviet military support to defend it’s self
consequences of the Bay of Pigs
for usa
humiliating and embarrassing failure
doing what they condemn ussr for
fresh plan to get rid of castro
for ussr
closer relationship with cuba
propaganda victory
august 1961 khrushchev placed nuke in cuba
for cuba
become communist
military support from USSR
Castro felt vulnerable
cuban missile - cause
The reason why Khrushchev placed missile in Cuba was because NATO had missile in turkey and so they have to have a deterrent near America
cuban missile - consequences
- Hotline established so Moscow and Washington could communicate more directly and more quickly in event of a crisis
- all nuclear missile removed from Cuba, then from Turkey by 1963
- Kennedy emerge from the crisis as a hero who stood up against thread of communism
- khrushchev was discredited, he forced the USA to remove missile from Turkey but agreed to keep the deal a secret. In the eyes of the public he failed and resigned in 1964
- in the long term it also prompted new measure to bring the build up of of missile under control, eg test ban treaty, outer space treaty, nuclear non proliferation treaty.
