The Cold War Flashcards
The Cold War to present
Why was the term “Cold War” Used
The USSR and USA were never in direct military conflict
proxy wars in Asia: Afghanistan. Korea, Vietnam and Africa
US and USSR were both superpowers at this time and this was a truly global war but largely concetrated in the Northern Hemisphere.
USSR and US seem very distant but they are actually direct neighbors when looking at the north pole
The 3 Means of Control by the USSR
Military, Economic, Communist party stucture
- the Warsaw Pact Alliace was a military alliance that made each state in the USSR build their army to Soviet standards - Miitary control
- COMEA (Council of Mutual Economic Assistance) economically integrated the states
- The communsit part had a head in Moscow that had control over the satellite parties.
Soviet satellite control was complex
This worked in Eastern Europe but not on China
COMEA
Council of Mutual Economic Assistance
economic integration btw the Soviet states
War between USSR and China
started in 1969 and tentions lasted til 1989
ended the friendship btw the 2
NATO formation
formed in April 1949 from the Washington Treaty
called NATO bc the North Atlantic Ocean was so important than
Formed partially in reaction to the fall of CZ to a comminist coup detat (big shock to everyone in europe - Po, Hun, Bul, Rom had already fallen but CZ was dif). Communist parties were larges in IT and FR making everyone feel wary. Revealed that the satelite communist parties were in direct contact with moscow.
Greece and Turkey joined in ‘52.
West GR was the last join in ‘54
BC OF NATO, USSR NEVER GOT ANY CONTROL IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC
The Brussels Treaty
April 1948 framework for a military alliance between Western European Countries
UK, France, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium…. elites inviting US to join
only difference btw NATO and the Brussels treaty is the scale
The Washington Treaty
April 1949 established NATO
US, Canada, Iceland, and Greenland asked to participate
US, Canada, Iceland, and Greenland asked to participate ( all about thsoe North Atlantic Sea and Airlines of communcations): Portugal invited for similar reasons
The Baghdad Pact
1955 Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, UK aligned with W Europe rather than the closer Soviet threat
UK had a bigger presence in MENA than US so thats why UK was in charge
later renamed CENTO
SEATO
Southeast Asian Treaty Organization
Pakistan, Thailand, South Vietnam, Philippines, Frnace, UK, US
SEATO + CENTO + NATO encircled the Soviet bloc
Area of Decision
Terriroties that can be reached by both US and USSR bombs
theorized by Alexander De Seversky
all of western europe, USA, and USSR’s industrial cores were now in reach of the bombs (b4 USSR and US had strategicall yunreachable industrial cores)
DEW
D of Early Warning
there were 3 lines of radar established to wan the US and Canda of bombs coming. DEW was the first one on the outskirts of the artic circle. Mid-Canda and Pine Tree lines were the other two
Current Radar System
Thule (Greenland), Flyingdales (UK), Clear + Beale + Cape Cod (US)
new one coming in Romania to add radar from threats from MENA
Thule reiterates the importance of Greenland in NATO.
Flyingdales is the most important radar station in Europe.
GIUK GAP
Greenland Iceland UK Gap
USSR had a plan to invade Iceland in case of war btw Warsaw pact & NATO
Northern fleet was the most imporant USSR naval force (Northern dimension was the most important)
Iceland was where new troops were going to come in.
USS Nautilus (SSN-571)
First sub to do a submerged transit across the north pole (1954)
proved that the north pole was only ocean
World’s first operational nuclear-power submarine.
The WWII era diesel powered subs needed to surface often to get oxygen for the motor, spent most of its time above the surface (nuclear propelled subs spend 99.8% of time underwater).
North pole is ideal place for sub bc the crashing of icebergs conceal the subs from enemy sonars
The USS Nautilus destroyed Mackinder’s idea that the North sea was of 0 strategic importance.
Nuclear Developement
US got nukes in 1945 and USSR followed in 1949
US thought they would be the only one witht he a-bomb for 20 years not 4
US had stronger econ and scientific potential which was a huge advantage.
USSR overtook the US in arsenal #s int he 80s
Today the US has approx 5k nuclear warheads and the RF has like 12k
Nuclear Arms Race
Main issue of the Cold War was that both the US and USSR challenged each other to keep producing nuclear warheads
USSR over took US in the 80s and stayed there, but how many nukes u need
USSR + Warsaw pact were more numerous in soliders, arms, artillery, & aircraft than NATO
Germany in the Cold War
THe most militarized part of Europe
NATO units all over GR (US, Dutch, FR, Belgian)
NATO realized that there was no sense in stationing your troops at home if GR was the 1st vulnerable terrirtory that needed to be invaded if USSR was to continue.
The USSR did the opposite and had permanently stationed Soviet armed forces in each country.
USSR Secret 1970s Plans
Warsaw pact developed secret plans to launch a surprise flash invasions in GR to Western Europe
mimmicked the GR strategy in WWII in a 14 day plan
planned to go thru North GR to the Netherlands and across the English Channel with Polish tanks and USSR rienforcements. CZ was to go from South GR to France.. More than 50k tanks were prepaed for this mission. Until the 80s everything int he USSR army stayed highly mobile. The plan was declassified by Poland in 1995
How NATO would have responded to USSR secret plans
permanently keep equipment on the continent and fly over US/Can troops
this strategy made a 4 day process one of a matter of hours
new type of passenfer pane was developed to transport troops and to this day all private planes can be reallocated in case of war.
USSR vs NATO in numbers
NATO was more populous than USSR but hade fewer tanks and fewer nukes
USSR extremely rich in all raw materials and has a huge army
USSR was 2nd strongest economy in the world
USSR 50k tanks : US 50k tanks (more than half of all NATO tanks were permantely stationed in Europe)
USSR had 45k warheads : US 23k (FR and UK had someO
USSR was a highly militarized society
1st NATO Expansion
CZ. Poland, and Hungary
bc of the demand of the 3 countries, not bc the desire fothe west
Margaret Thatcher was against expasion (even the reunification of GR bc of the threat a bigger GR would be strogner than FR and UK)
The Two Plus Four Agreement
Allowed the reunificaiton of Germany in October 1990
signed by East+west GR, FR, USSR, UK, and US
The Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany.
Gorbachev demanded payment to the USSR in exchange for the reunification (GR would pay fro the construction of homes for the USSR solidies in GR that were to be sent home).
What to do with NATO in West GR -> Gorbachex was like noo fucking way any NATO can go into East German`
NATO Non-Enlargement Promise
When NATO promised to not station any troops in East Germany (as a condition of GOrbachev allowing the reunification of GR)
1997 it was clear that NATO was growing and Moscow was mad
As far as NATO was concerend they had made that promise to the USSR and not the Russian Federation. This is still a big deal today and Putin even broight it up with Biden
