The Crises Of The Cold War 1960-1980

Question 1

What was the space race (1960-1980) mostly about?

Answer 1

Propaganda. Each side boasted that its science, technology and culture were better than that of the other side

Question 2

When did the Soviets launch the first satellite (Sputnik) and what did the rocket engines that sent this also power?

Answer 2

1957

ICBMs

First US satellite was 1958

Question 3

What year did the soviets send the first man into space? (Yuri Gagarin)

Answer 3

1959

Question 4

What year did the soviets make the first space walk?

Answer 4

1965

Question 5

When did the USA land the first man on the moon?

Answer 5

1969

Question 6

Who “won” the space race?

Answer 6

The soviets led the way on everything except the most headline catching thing- the moon landings- so US seemed to “win”

Question 7

Consequences of the space race?

Answer 7

Helped fuel the rivalry as it was about appearances- each side wanted to look like the most advanced country in the world

Space technology often led to improvements in weapons e.g. ICBMs

Question 8

Consequences of nuclear arms race 1960-1980?

Answer 8

Nobody could “win” a nuclear war- virtually impossible to launch an attack that would destroy enemy missiles before they were launched. (MAD)

Both sides needed to have nuclear weapons for defence- made Cold War more dangerous as any war between US and USSR could destroy a lot of the world

Question 9

What was the U2 crisis and what year was it?

Answer 9

A U2 plane flown by Gary Powers was shot down over Russia in May 1960

Question 10

What had the U2 plane been doing before it was shot down?

Answer 10

It had been photographing ICBM sites- unknown to the US Powers was captured and parts of the wreckage + photos recovered by the Soviets

Question 11

How did the Americans try to cover up/ what excuse did they come up with for the U2 flights?

Answer 11

Said the shot down plane was a weather research plane- Soviets then able to embarrass the Americans by showing evidence that the plane was spying. The Americans had been caught lying

Question 12

Consequences of the U2 crisis?

Answer 12

-U2 shot down just when the Summit meeting was about to open- Soviets withdrew
World hoped this would bring a new thaw in the Cold War.

• Propaganda victory for the soviets
• Test ban treaty could not be agreed and signed
• Deep mistrust created was still there when the Cuban Missile Crisis developed in 1962

Question 13

What happened during the 1950s in West Germany? (Berlin wall)

Answer 13

It went through an “economic miracle”, a period of amazing growth in industry + wealth that allowed it to recover from the huge damage of WW2

Question 14

How were the conditions of East Berlin compared to West+ why was this a propaganda “victory” for the West?

Answer 14

Living standards were much lower, economic growth and recovery was slow.

No political freedom, huge security police (Stasi)

Seemed like a great advert for the strength and power of capitalism

Question 15

Where was the one place where an East German could easily cross from east to west?

Answer 15

Berlin

Question 16

Between 1945 and 1961 how many East Germans defected to to west + what were a high proportion of these people?

Answer 16

Over 2 million

Well-educated or skilled people

Question 17

The loss of population was very embarrassing to the East Germans + soviets.

What did Krushchev ask the USA, Britain and France to do + why?

Answer 17

Asked them to leave West Berlin because the communists wanted to control all of Berlin. All of these requests were refused.

Question 18

When did the East German leader suddenly close the border in Berlin with barbed wire + what was his name?

Answer 18

August 1961

Ulbricht

Question 19

In the first year of the wall how many people were killed trying to cross into West Berlin + who’s death was one of the most famous?

Answer 19

More than 40

1962 Peter Fechter- lay in the death strip in full view of cameras in West Berlin

Question 20

Consequences of the building of the wall? (3)

Answer 20

1. The East Germans succeeded in closing off the flood of people leaving for the west
2. Thousand of German families were divided
3. It made the communist system look bad- in the eyes of the world it was clear that the East Germans were walking in their own people . Made it easy for western propaganda to portray communism in a bad light

Question 21

What did the Americans do about the wall?

Answer 21

Protested but took little other action.

• Senior US politicians travelled to Berlin to condemn the wall
• Increased US troop levels in West Berlin

Question 22

What happened in October 1961 at checkpoint Charlie?

Answer 22

Confrontation between US and Soviet tanks, but this did not result in any shots being fired

Question 23

Privately how may Kennedy have felt about the wall?

Answer 23

Relieved- clear that the Soviets had given up pushing for Western troops to be removed from West Berlin. Said: “ a wall is a hell of a lot better than a war”

Question 24

What did Kennedy do in 1963 when he visited West Berlin?

Answer 24

Made a famous speech declaring that all free people around the world felt the injustice of Berliners forced to live in a divided city

Question 25

Until when did the Berlin Wall stand?

Answer 25

The collapse of communism in east Germany in 1989

Question 26

Until 1959 who ruled Cuba + what was he like?

Answer 26

Batista- corrupt and harsh dictator but friendly with the US

Question 27

Who was Batista’s government opposed by?

Answer 27

Armed rebels led by Fidel Castro who was a socialist

Question 28

In what year did Fidel Castro succeed in taking over Cuba + what did he declare after?

Answer 28

1959

All Cuban businesses would be nationalised- wanted to stop Cuba’s wealth being exported to US

Question 29

After Fidel succeeded in taking over what did the US declare?

Answer 29

That it wouldn’t import any Cuban goods- the main Cuban export was sugar

Question 30

What started the close relationship between Castro and the Soviet Union?

Answer 30

1960 the USSR signed an agreement to buy 1 million tonnes of sugar a year

Castro became communist

Question 31

When + where did anti-Castro Cubans rebels who fled to the USA try to overthrow Castro?

Answer 31

In April 1961 CIA funded, trained and armed Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs.

The invasion was a disaster and they were easily defeated

Question 32

Consequences of the Bay of Pigs?

Answer 32

1. President Kennedy was humiliated and the failure was a big embarrassment for USA
2. Krushchev thought Kennedy must be weak and tried to take advantage- USSR supplied weapons to the Cubans and Krushchev said he would place nuclear weapons in Cuba

-these missiles would give the USSR missile sites close to the USA and match the USA’s missiles in Turkey

Question 33

Why did the soviets attempt to place nuclear missiles on Cuba? (2)

Answer 33

1. Krushchev wanted to negotiate with the USA from a position of strength- placing missiles would give them more bargaining power + would be a propaganda success
2. May have been about protecting Cuba as an ally of the USSR

Question 34

What happened on 14 October 1962 that was the first stage in the development of the Cuban missile crisis?

Answer 34

A US U2 spy-plane took pictures over Cuba that clearly showed nuclear missile sites in Cuba

Question 35

What did Kennedy announce on the 22 October + what did it entail?

Answer 35

A naval blockade of Cuba. Called it “quarantine”

Any Soviet ships heading for Cuba would be stopped and US forces would go aboard to remove any military supplies

Question 36

What happened on the 24 October 1962?

Answer 36

Soviet ships carrying nuclear missiles reached the edge of the blockaded zone. Krushchev ordered them to stop and not enter however work on the missile bases continued

Question 37

What happened on the 26 October?

Answer 37

Krushchev sent a letter to Kennedy offering to remove the missile bases if the US ended the naval blockade and agreed never to invade Cuba

Question 38

What happened on the 27 October?

Answer 38

Krushchev sent a second letter which increased the demands- in addition to terms in the first letter USA must remove its missiles from Turkey.

On the same day a U2 plane was shot down over Cuba- it looked like there may be war

Question 39

How did Kennedy respond to the letters from Krushchev?

Answer 39

Chose to ignore 2nd letter and accept conditions of the 1st.

At the same time American negotiators secretly let the soviets know that if the missile crisis was solved peacefully then they would remove their missiles from Turkey shortly after.

Question 40

What happened on the 28 October?

Answer 40

An agreement was reached- Soviets agreed to remove their nuclear missiles from Cuba and stop construction of missile bases. US agreed to end naval blockade + promised not to invade Cuba in the future- Removing their missiles form Turkey was kept secret from the world

Question 41

What were the consequences of the Cuban missile crisis? (5)

Answer 41

1. The two leaders had avoided nuclear war- closest the world had come. BRINKMANSHIP
2. Kennedy was seen as strong as he had forced Krushchev to back down. Seen as a hero in the west - strong leader who had faced down communism without causing war
3. 1963 a telephone hotline was set up between US and USSR to give instant contact between the two if there was another crisis
4. Nuclear test ban treaty was signed + promised not to supply nuclear weapons to other countries
5. Cuba remained an ally and base of the Soviet Union- US removed missiles from Turkey

Question 42

What year was the Prague spring?

Answer 42

1968

Question 43

From 1948-1968 who ruled Czechoslovakia?

Answer 43

Novotny, a communist leader who was highly loyal to Moscow

Question 44

By 1968 would had happened in Czechoslovakia?

Answer 44

Czech communist party had a new leader- Alexander Dubceck

Question 45

Alexander Dunceck wanted “communism with a _____________”?

Answer 45

Human face

Question 46

What kind of changes did Dubceck make to the country?

Answer 46

• less censorship
• more freedom of speech
• lowering of the power and activities of the secret police

Question 47

What did Dubceck realise that the soviets may do + how did he try to stop this?

Answer 47

That they might interfere to stop him as they had done in Hungary 1956

Tried to reassure Moscow of his loyalty to communism, told Brezhnev Czechoslovakia wouldn’t leave Warsaw Pact or Comecon

Question 48

The soviet leadership remembered the events of 1956 in Hungary very clearly, what were they highly nervous about?

Answer 48

Hat the mood of freedom would spread to other Warsaw Pact countries

Question 49

What did the communist leaders of other European communist countries begin to demand?

Answer 49

That the soviets do something to stop the Prague spring

Question 50

The soviets tried to negotiate with Dubceck to stop the reforms, what did Dubceck continue to do?

Answer 50

Try to reassure the soviets

Question 51

What happened suddenly and without warning in 1968?

Answer 51

Soviet troops sent over into Czechoslovakia, assisted by Polish, East German, Hungarian and Bulgarian troops

Question 52

Did the Czechs resist when troops were sent in? (Prague spring 1968)

Answer 52

No but there were protests and demonstrations on the streets in Prague

Less than 100 people were killed in the invasion

Question 53

Who was the Czech student who publicly set himself on fire to protest against the invasion?

Answer 53

Jan Palach

But eventually the Czech opposition died out

Question 54

What happened after the invasion? (Czechoslovakia, Prague spring 1968)

Answer 54

A new Czech communist leader, Husak, was put in place by the Soviets and the Prague spring reforms were removed.

Dubceck demoted then expelled from the communist party

Question 55

How did the US respond to the invasion of Czechoslovakia? + why (Prague spring, 1968)

Answer 55

Condemned Soviet actions but nothing more- relations between US and Soviets had been improving since 1962 and nothing was done to risk this + did not see it as practical to interfere with Soviet running of Eastern Europe.

Question 56

Consequences of the Prague spring?

Answer 56

Led to the Brezhnev Doctrine in September 1968

Question 57

What was the Brezhnev Doctrine?

Answer 57

Brezhnev, the soviet leader made a speech saying that any country which tried to break away from soviet domination or reform communism would be seen as a threat to the security of all the other Warsaw Pact countries - made clear that Soviets wouldn’t allow another Prague spring

Question 58

What was détente and when was it?

Answer 58

A period in the 1970s when things started to get better in the Cold War- tensions eased

Question 59

How was the end of the Vietnam war part of détente?

Answer 59

• In Vietnam US had been fighting against communists who had been trying to make Vietnam communist- China + USSR also supplying them with weapons
• Vietnam war area of tension between the countries- therefore end of war 1975 improved relations

Question 60

Why was the cost of the arms race a factor of détente?

Answer 60

It was very costly- both countries saw this as money that could be spent more wisely on improving conditions in their own countries

Question 61

What was SALT 1 and when was it signed?

Answer 61

Strategic arms limitation treaty- both sides agreed to limit the number of nuclear weapons they each had

Signed in 1972

Question 62

What happened in space that was part of détente?

Answer 62

American and soviet astronauts met up in space and shook hands in space 1975

Question 63

What happened at the Helsinki conference + when was it?

Answer 63

35 countries including the US and USSR signed an agreement

- August 1975

Question 64

What was the agreement signed at Helsinki supposed to do + how?

Answer 64

• Designed to make conflict in Europe less likely
• Western countries recognised the frontiers of eastern and agreed USSR had right to have a say in what happened in the communist Eastern European countries- soviet “sphere of influence”

Question 65

Consequence of détente?

Answer 65

Did seem to make Cold War better but it had some positives and negatives- didn’t make the Cold War go away

Question 66

Positives of détente? (2)

Answer 66

1. SALT 1- showed US and USSR could make agreements with each other + lead to more talks throughout the 1970s leading towards SALT 2
2. Meetings + visits between USA and USSR did make relations better and showed both sides could have friendlier relations

Question 67

Negatives of détente? (4)

Answer 67

1. Still areas of the world where USA and USSR were trying to increase their influence e.g. Africa and the Middle East- still trying to one up each other- Angola war USSR have lots of weapons + military advice to communist rebels which angered the US
2. SALT 1 didn’t make significant difference, when Soviets put new advanced nuclear weapons in Europe so did US
3. USSR and EE countries didn’t stick to Helsinki agreement- did not give their people more human rights
4. Some people say détente was all propaganda with little real progress- handshake in space called a publicity stunt

Question 68

What year did all the stuff in Afghanistan go down?

Answer 68

1978

Question 69

In what year was Afghanistan taken over by a communist government?

Answer 69

1978

Question 70

What did the new communist government that was closely supported by the Soviets begin to do in Afghanistan?

Answer 70

Modernise the country and bring in communist teachings

Question 71

Who hated the changes made in Afghanistan and why?

Answer 71

Traditional religious-minded Afghans who were strongly Muslim + traditional tribal leaders and land landowners

• land was shared out
• Muslims felt their religion was being attacked- communism officially atheist

Question 72

What were the Afghan rebels called + what did they say they were fighting against the communists?

Answer 72

The mujahidin

A holy Islamic war (jihad)

Question 73

What did the USA secretly start to do + why? (Afghanistan)

Answer 73

Fund the mujahidin- wanted to try and get rid of the communist government

Question 74

What reasons did the Soviets have for invading?

Answer 74

1. To protect the communist government in Afghanistan from being defeated by the mujahidin- soldiers were deserting in large numbers
2. Control of Afghanistan would get the USSR closer to the important oil routes of the Middle East e.g. Persian Gulf- USA had built up a lot of support and USSR did not like this. If the USSR had full control of Afghanistan they could try and increase their influence and weaken the USA’s
3. Claimed USA was helping the mujahidin- US denied although it was true

Question 75

What happened on the 25 December 1979?

Answer 75

80,000 troops entered Afghanistan to try to defeat the mujahidin. USSR brought modern tanks, weapons and aircraft with them

Question 76

Why did USSR fail in Afghanistan?

Answer 76

Couldn’t fight the guerilla tactics + Russian soldiers didn’t speak the language/ understand local way of life.

Seen as foreign invaders and their presence just stirred up more rebellion

Question 77

How did Afghanistan affect relations between the USA and USSR?

Answer 77

Made them really bad- Carter and Brezhnev restarted the tension of the Cold War

Question 78

What did the US president Jimmy Carter say the USSR invasion of Afghanistan did?

Answer 78

Threatened world peace

Question 79

What did the UN do in response to the invasion + how did Soviets respond? (Afghanistan)

Answer 79

Passed a resolution criticising USSR actions and telling them to withdraw their troops

USSR ignored this

Question 80

What did the USA do in protest of the invasion?

Answer 80

Stop trading with the USSR

Question 81

Brezhnev was furious with the USA and UN, what did he accuse the US of? (Afghanistan)

Answer 81

Ruining détente- USA said it was the USSR, tension of Cold War was back

Question 82

What was the USA afraid that the soviet invasion was + what happened as a result? (Afghanistan)

Answer 82

That it was part of a plan by the USSR to get closer to the oilfields of the Middle East

Jimmy Carter announced that US would do anything it could to stop USSR from gaining influence over the oil producing countries of the Middle East- Carter Doctrine

Question 83

After the invasion of Afghanistan which treaty did Jimmy Carter say that he would not complete?

Answer 83

SALT 2

Question 84

What did the US do in 1980 (Olympic games)

Answer 84

Boycott the Olympic Games held in Moscow- so did many other countries

Question 85

When did Reagan become the US president + what did he do in the early 1980s?

Answer 85

1981- much more anti-soviet than Carter had been

Greatly increased US arms spending