The Cold War 1956-84 Flashcards
DEVELOPMENTS IN GERMANY
DEVELOPMENTS IN GERMANY
When did the 3 Western zones become the FRG?
21st September 1949
When did West Germany join NATO?
6th May 1955
When was the Warsaw Pact formed?
14th May 1955
Who was the first Chancellor of the FRG?
Konrad Adenauer
What was the first major issue in Germany?
Whether there should be German rearmament
What was the FRG Chancellor keen on?
Germany regaining strength to counter any Soviet threat
What event led to the USA supporting the idea of German rearmament?
The Korean War - North Korea invaded South Korea in 1953
What was Stalin’s March Note in 1952?
He proposed a united, neutral Germany with free elections supervised by the 4 occupying powers
Why did NATO countries reject Stalin’s March Note?
They thought the Soviets did it to gain full control of Germany
By when was the FRG the 2nd largest army in NATO?
1961
What did the USSR form in reaction to the rearmament of the FRG?
The Warsaw Pact
What did the Kremlin leadership after Stalin’s death warm to the idea of?
German reunification
What did GDR leader Walter Ulbricht introduce in June 1953?
Higher quotas for industrial workers
How many people protested against Ulbricht raising work quotas?
400,000
How many Russian troops and tanks were sent in by Khrushchev to stop the East German Uprising?
200,000 Soviet troops and 600 tanks
How many were killed in the East German Uprising?
125
How many were arrested in the East German Uprising?
6,000
What did the USSR show the West in how they dealt with the East German Uprising?
That they were prepared to use force to prop up a communist government
What happened in West Germany in September 1953?
Konrad Adenauer was re-elected as FRG Chancellor
What did the East German Uprising end any chance of?
German reunification
How many East Germans fled West from 1945 to 1961?
3.5 million
What did Khrushchev say to JFK in a meeting in Vienna in 1961?
That all of Berlin was East German territory
When was Berlin sealed off from the rest of East Germany?
13th August 1961
How many people died trying to cross the Berlin Wall?
130 people
What did the SED refer to the Berlin wall as?
The ‘anti-fascist protective barrier’
How much did JFK order defence spending to increase by after the Berlin Wall was built?
$3 billion
When was Checkpoint Charlie?
22nd September 1961
Who apparently gave Ulbricht the idea for the Berlin Wall?
Chairman Mao
REBELLIONS IN EASTERN EUROPE
REBELLIONS IN EASTERN EUROPE
What were the 3 uprisings in Eastern Europe from 1956 to 1984?
- Polish Uprising 1956
- Hungarian Uprising 1956
- Czech Crisis 1968
When did Poles strike over pay?
June 1956
How did the Polish government respond to the strikes in June 1956?
They sent in tanks to put down the strikes
How many were killed in the Polish Uprising?
74 killed
How many were injured in the Polish Uprising?
300 injured
When was Gomulka appointed as General Secretary of the Polish Communist Party?
October 1956
When had Gomulka been imprisoned by a pro-Stalin government?
1951
What did Khrushchev threaten to do to restore control in Poland?
To send in troops
How did Gomulka respond to Khrushchev threatening to send in troops?
He said the Polish Army would resist any intervention
Who backed down: Khrushchev or Gomulka?
Khrushchev
What did Poland remain part of after the Uprising?
The Warsaw Pact
When was the Hungarian Uprising?
23rd October 1956 - 11th November 1956
What did the Hungarian Uprising threaten which the Polish Rising didn’t?
The continued supremacy of communist control
What 3 things did Hungarian protestors demand?
- Withdrawal of Soviet troops
- Multi-party elections
- Freedom and speech and the press
Who did the USSR allow to become Prime Minister of Hungary as a replacement for hard-line communist leader Erno Gero?
Imre Nagy
Why had Nagy been expelled from the Communist Party in 1955?
Nagy was expelled for his reformist views
When did Khrushchev agree to withdraw Soviet troops from Budapest, Hungary?
28th October 1956
What 3 things did Nagy announce on the 1st November 1956?
- Withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact
- Abolition of AVO (Secret Police)
- A move towards multi-party elections
What did Khrushchev fear would happen in Hungary?
Feared communism would collapse
When did Khrushchev send 4000 tanks in Hungary?
2nd November 1956
When was Imre Nagy arrested?
4th November 1956
When was Imre Nagy executed?
16th June 1958
How many Hungarians were killed in the Hungarian Uprising?
3000 killed
How many Hungarians fled after the Uprising?
200,000 fled to Austria
What is the 1968 Czech Crisis also known as?
The Prague Spring
When did Alexander Dubcek embark on a series of reforms?
April 1968
What did Dubcek want to implement?
‘Socialism with a human face’
What did Dubcek promise in his reforms?
Free speech and a multi-party democracy
What did Dubcek promise the USSR?
That Czechoslovakia would remain in the Warsaw Pact and the Communist Party would retain its leading role
What did the leadership of Eastern European countries argue in the Warsaw letter?
That challenges to socialism in one country were a threat to the entire socialist movement
How many died in the Czech Crisis?
72
How many were injured in the Czech Crisis?
702
What did Brezhnev issue after the Czech Crisis?
The Brezhnev Doctrine
Who went on strike on Poland after the government increased food prices by 100%?
Shipyard workers in Gdansk
Who led the strikes in Gdansk?
Lech Walesa
What trade union was formed in Poland in 1980?
Solidarity
What size was Solidarity before the Polish government agreed to wage increases?
8 million
When did Solidarity push for further reforms?
August 1981
Who was appointed as First Secretary of the Polish Workers’ Party after Solidarity pushed for further reforms?
General Wojciech Jaruzelski
What did Jaruzelski impose in December 1981?
Martial law
ARMS RACE/SPACE RACE
ARMS RACE/SPACE RACE
When did the Soviets produce an atomic bomb?
1949
When did the US test the first hydrogen bomb?
1952
When did the USSR launch the first ICBM?
1957
What did Reagan launch to end mutually assured destruction?
SDI - ‘Star Wars’
When did the USSR successfully launch the first satellite into space?
4th October 1957 - Sputnik
How much did Congress give to NASA after Sputnik was launched into space?
$1 billion
When did Yuri Gagarin go into outer space?
April 1961
What programme did JFK launch?
The Apollo Programme
What ended the space race?
The moon landing 1969
DETENTE
DETENTE
What are the 4 factors in a Detente 20 marker?
- Arms Limitations
- Helsinki Accords
- Ostpolitik
- End of Detente
What initiated Detente?
The Cuban Missile Crisis
What did the US, UK and USSR sign in 1963, which China and France didn’t?
The Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 1963
What treaty was signed in 1968 by the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council?
The Non-Proliferation Treaty
When was SALT I signed?
26th May 1972
What was SALT I supposed to do?
Limit the number of ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads
How many nuclear warheads did the US have in 1972?
7600
How many nuclear warheads did the US have in 1980?
10,600
How many nuclear warheads did the USSR have in 1972?
2600
How many nuclear warheads did the USSR have in 1980?
7500
What was SALT II supposed to limit?
Limited the number of nuclear delivery vehicles to 2250
Why did the US Senate not ratify SALT II?
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
When were the Helsinki Accords signed?
1st August 1975
What did the Helsinki Accords finalise?
The post-war borders of Europe
What did the USSR promise in the Helsinki Accords?
To respect human rights
What did the USA think of the USSR promise to respect human rights?
They thought it was a diplomatic coup
What were the Helsinki Accords called at the time?
The new Yalta
How many countries signed the Helsinki Accords?
35
Who was elected as West German Chancellor in 1969?
Willy Brandt
What policy did Willy Brandt develop?
Ostpolitik
What treaty did the FRG and USSR sign in 1970, in which they agreed that they had no territorial claims against each other?
The Moscow Treaty 1970
What treaty did the FRG sign with Poland in 1970, which was the same as the Moscow Treaty except for Poland?
The Warsaw Treaty 1970
What treaty did the FRG sign with Czechoslovakia in 1973?
The Prague Treaty 1973
What did the 4-power Berlin Treaty of 1971 allow?
West Berliners to visit East Berlin
What treaty did the FRG and GDR sign in 1972, meaning they recognised each other?
The Basic Treaty 1972
What did the FRG and GDR both join in 1973?
The United Nations
When did Detente reach its point of highest development?
At the Vienna Summit 1979
How did President Jimmy Carter respond to the invasion of Afghanistan?
He ended all grain shipments to the USSR from the US
What broke down after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan?
Arms discussions
What country received billions from the USA for their involvement in fighting the Soviets?
Pakistan
What did Ronald Reagan describe the Soviet Union as?
The ‘evil empire’
How much did US defence spending increase from 1980 to 1981?
$71 billion to $147 billion
