The Cold War Key Issue 2

Question 1

What happened in April 1949 and how did this cause tension?

Answer 1

NATO signed, and west Germany was also a member

USA bought weapons into European NATO bases, invoking tension and fear in Russia

Question 2

What was signed by Krushchev in 1955?

Answer 2

The Warsaw Pact

Question 3

Which country became communist in Asia?

Answer 3

Mao Zedong takes control in 1949. China and USSR agree a friendship treaty.
This alliance changed power balance between 2 sides
Fear of communism spreading in the USA was Fever pitch

Question 4

When was the Korean War?

Answer 4

1950 to 1953

Question 5

Describe the events of the Korean War

Answer 5

North invaded South Korea
South Korea appealed to the UN.

But the USSR had boycotted meetings at the UN because the USA didn’t support communist China.
Their absence meant America could help South Korea unopposed

Jun 1953: war ends but north and south divided to this day

Question 6

Describe the event of the Vietnam war

Answer 6

Parallel situation
North (communist) against south.
South supported by USA

USA withdrew 1973 and Vietnam still communist, very unpopular

Physical signs of tension appear in the development of weapons and allies

Question 7

What happened March 1953?

Answer 7

Stalin died: he made Russia a nuclear superpower, created an empire. Russians were distraught

Question 8

State Krushchev’s policies

Answer 8

Ended feuds with china and Yugoslavia
Peaceful coexistence
Reduce spending on arms
Agreed to pull troops from Austria

Question 9

What was destalinisation?

Answer 9

Krushchev exposed the purges and released political prisoners

he closed down cominform to reconcile with Yugoslavia and invited Tito to Moscow

Dismissed Stalin’s foreign minister Molotov

Question 10

Describe the communist regime in Hungary leading up to 1956

Answer 10

Led by Rakosi 
Hungarians had no freedom of speech
They lived in fear of secret police 
Resented presence of 1000s of soviet troops they had to pay for
Hated Russian cultural influence

Question 11

What happened in Hungary in June 1956?

Answer 11

A group in the Hungarian communist party opposed Rakosi.

Although Rakosi wanted to arrest 400 opponents, Russia didn’t back him.

He was forced to retire for health reasons

Question 12

Describe the situation in Oct 1956

Answer 12

Erno Gero replaced Rakosi.
A huge student protest pulled down a statue of Stalin.

Gero replaced by respected Imre Nagy, troops began to withdraw.
1000’s local councils made to replace soviet power.

1000s Hungarian soldiers defected to rebel cause.

Question 13

List the government reforms of Nagy

Answer 13

Free elections
impartial court
total withdrawal of USSR.
Planned to leave the Warsaw Pact and be impartial in the Cold War

Hungarians thought America would support an independent Hungary
But Eisenhower didn’t because of the Sphere Of Influence, didn’t want an act of war

Question 14

What was Khrushchev’s reaction to Nagy’s reforms?

Answer 14

He accepted most, but NOT the Warsaw Pact.
If Hungary withdrew it would set a precedent and trigger other countries to leave.
This would leave USSR defenceless

Question 15

What did Khrushchev do to stop Nagy’s reforms?

Answer 15

November 1956- sent 1000s troops and tanks to Hungary.
2 weeks bitter street fighting.
800 Russians killed
3000 Hungarians and Nagy killed.
Resistance crushed in 2 weeks
200K Hungarians fled to Austria

Question 16

What was the aftermath of the Hungarian rising?

Answer 16

Janos Kadar in power
Didn’t withdraw from WP
35,000 anti Communists arrested
300 executed
Number of RA troops doubled in Hungary

Question 17

What did the western allies do about the Hungarian rising?

Answer 17

They protested but sent no help
Sphere of influence

They were busy with the Suez canal crisis in Egypt

Question 18

When did the arms race begin?

Answer 18

When America tested the atomic bomb before Potsdam in July 1945

Question 19

State facts about the arms race

Answer 19

40% of US spending went to the bombing airforce

USSR developed bison jet and TU-95 bomber

Americans believed falsely that Russia was ahead in the space race: bomber gap

1961: USSR tested Tsar bomba, exceeding all explosive power from World War II

Question 20

State facts about the space race and how it increased tension

Answer 20

In October 1957 Russia launched Sputnik into space shocking USA

November they sent Sputnik II with a dog

January 1958: USA launched Explorer I satellite July: formation of NASA

1961: Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space became a hero and celebrity when he returned
1969: Armstrong= 1st man on moon. A long hard, expensive process

Question 21

What was the importance of the arms race?

Answer 21

Demonstrated simple rivalry
best ideology=best technology

Eisenhower concerned with the cost of US defence. He knew there was no bomber gap but he couldn’t admit spying

Nuclear weapons deterred the other side from attacking first

Created a climate of fear and mass hysteria

Question 22

What was the importance of the space race?

Answer 22

Space captured the imagination of everyone so it was a powerful propaganda tool
the same space technology could build missiles for nuclear war
Eg: May 15, 1957 USSR tested ICBMs.

Question 23

When did illegal flying spy missions begin and why was it banned

Answer 23

Began in 1950
banned by Truman because it violated Soviet airspace
Flights began again in 1956

Question 24

What features did the new U-2 plane have?

Answer 24

It could read a newspaper from 23,000 m

Question 25

What was khrushchev’s reaction to the spying planes?

Answer 25

Each flight “spat in the face of the Soviet people”

But he had no proof of the flights
He didn’t want to admit that the Soviets couldn’t shoot the planes down (embarrassing)

Question 26

What was the U2 crisis

Answer 26

Gary powers shot down in May 1960
Eisenhower refused to apologise for spying
As a result Khrushchev didn’t attend power summit in France, worsening relations

Powers was a Soviet prisoner, but exchanged for Rudolf Abel in 1962

Question 27

State one thing that happened as a result of the U2 crisis

Answer 27

Eisenhower was criticised for being too soft with the Soviets

Kennedy exploited this and won elections in 1961