The Development Of The Cold War In The 1950s (2nd Notes Pack) Flashcards
When was the arms race?
Throughout the 1950s
When did the Korean War start and end?
1950-1953
When was the military alliances and the formation of the Warsaw Pact?
1955
When was the Hungarian Uprising?
1956
When did Stalin die?
1953
Truman (1952)
Lost the election
Replaced in 1953 by Eisenhower
Who was Eisenhower?
A military general who had commanded the Allied forces in World War Two
When did the USSR successfully test their own atomic bomb?
29th August 1949
—> America discovered this in September
What did the USSR’s atomic bomb do?
Increased tension through fear and paranoia
Plunged American foreign policy strategy into crisis
—> Truman ordered development of the hydrogen bomb
This began the cycle of rivalry and competition
Desire/desperation to have the biggest and most powerful supply of weapons to ensure their dominance and safety
—> arms race
What was the hydrogen bomb?
An even more powerful weapon
USA - hydrogen bomb
November 1952
USSR - hydrogen bomb
1953
USA - H-bomb on bomber plane
March 1954
USSR - H-bomb on bomber plane
September 1954
USA - ICBM
Tested 1957
Called Atlas
USSR - ICBM
Tested 1957
Called R-7
The US had weapons ready to fire from which three locations (include the year)
1960
Air
Land
Sea
What was Polaris?
A submarine-based missile
What did the Soviets do on 31st October 1961?
Detonated the ‘Tsar Bomba’
—> translates to ‘King of Bombs’
What was the ‘Tsar Bomba’?
Largest bomb the world had ever seen
Equivalent of nearly 50 tonnes of dynamite
Explosion was more powerful than all used in WW2 combined
How were the defence budgets of both countries affected during the arms race?
Rose continually throughout the Cold War
What was the ‘missile gap’?
Driven in the USA by fears that the Soviets were ahead in the arms race
—> led to the US spending more money on defence
How much money did the USA and USSR spend a year?
USA: around $50 million a year in 1953
USSR: spent $25 million
What is ‘mutually assured destruction’? (MAD)
strategy where both sides have enough nuclear weapons to destroy each other
—> neither side wants to use them because it would lead to total destruction for both sides
—> helped prevent conflict as USA and USSR built up their nuclear weapons to scare each other into not using them
What is brinkmanship?
Pushing a conflict to the edge (brink) to force the enemy to backdown
What was “duck and cover”?
Government plan if an attack came
In 1950’s, USA held a campaign that taught people how to “duck and cover” - children taught in schools
What was “ban the bomb”?
In 1950’s people questioned if nuclear weapons were morally right
In 1958, Britains campaign for Nuclear Disarmament called to “ban the bomb”
—> spreading ideas across the West
Arms race impact on relations at the time
Hydrogen bombs - increased tensions and scared everyone
Increased fear of nuclear war
Increased suspicion on both sides
Led to brinkmanship on both sides
Arms race impact on relations in the longer term
Fear of nuclear war
Shaped global politics for decades
Lasting distrust
Always at the back of people’s minds
Out limits on testing nuclear weapons
What was the Domino Theory?
America were concerned that if another country in Asia turned communist, more would follow
What did Japan do in WW2?
Forced controlled Korea
What happened after Korea was defeated in 1945?
The country was split into two - along a line of latitude known as the 38th parallel
Who was the Northern zone of Korea occupied by?
The USSR and was communist
Who was the Southern zone occupied by?
The USA and was capitalist
When did Korea formally split into two nations? (North and South Korea)
1948
The superpowers withdrew
North Korea
Kim II Sung
Communist leader
South Korea
Syngman Rhee
Nationalist leader (anti-communist)
What did Kim II Sung do in March 1949?
Directly asked Stalin to support an invasion of South Korea
What was Stalin’s response to Kim II Sung?
Initially he did not want to fight the 7500 US troops stationed in the South
—> shows he was not willing to engage a lot in the war and kept quiet
What did Stalin do in 1950? And what did he make clear?
Reluctantly agreed to provide weapons and equipment to support Kim in his attack on the South
—> made it clear that Soviet troops would not get involved in a war against the Americans
—> his focus remained on Europe
What happened in June 1950?
North Korean troops invaded the South
What was the United Nations?
An international organisation
Created to keep peace between nations
Agreed at the Yalta conference (formally began in October 1945)
Goal is to prevent war through diplomacy
Own force of ‘peacekeepers’ (soldiers send on behalf of the UN to fight)
Who determined when and where the ‘peacekeepers’ force would be used?
The security council
By 1950 how many nations had joined the UN?
60
Who were the 5 permanent members of the UN?
Britain
France
USSR
USA
China
—> each have the power to veto decisions
What did the USA do as soon as the invasion on South Korea began?
Asked the UN to call for a ceasefire (stop the fighting)
What was the UN’s response to the USA calling for a ceasefire?
Voted for immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops from the South
What was the USSR doing to the UN?
Boycotting them
—> In protest of the fact that most countries wouldn’t recognise Mao’s government in China
What did the USSR boycotting the UN mean they couldn’t do?
Couldn’t veto the decision
Why was the USSR not being able to veto the decision beneficial for the USA?
Having secured UN support the USA could not be accused of acting on its own
February 1950 (Korean War)
Stalin agrees to provide North Korea with military equipment (no army)
June 1950 (Korean War)
The North invades the South
—> UN calls for a ceasefire but the war continues
September 1950 (Korean War)
US-led forces (led by General MacArthur) landed at Inchon
—> and drove the North Koreans back to the 38th parallel
October 2950 (Korean War)
Chinese troops enter the war and help launch a North Korean counter attack
—> the South Korean capital, Seoul, is captured
April 1951 (Korean War)
MacArthur is dismissed from his command by US president Truman after calling for the use of nuclear weapons
June 1951 (Korean War)
The war reaches stalemate and peace negotiations begin
—> neither side wins
July 1953 (Korean War)
A final ceasefire is agreed
—> with the Peninsula divided in almost exactly the same place as before the war
How many troops did the Chinese send to support the North in the war?
Around 220,000
What did the USSR send instead of troops?
Tanks
Guns
Aircraft (MIG - 15s) + pilots but in Chinese uniforms
To support China and North Korea
How many troops were killed in the conflict?
30,000
How much did the Korean War cost the USA?
Around $30 billion
What did the refusal from the USSR to send troops show?
They wanted to avoid direct conflict
—> were willing to send weapons but not troops
How did the USA uphold containment during the Korean War?
Used military force
—> helped stop the spread of communism in Korea
—> by supporting the South against the North
—> which was backed up by the USSR and China
What does the term ‘proxy war’ mean?
Fighting indirectly
What does the proxy war show about the USA’s feelings towards the policy of containment?
They were really committed to upholding containment
—> willing to fight in a proxy war to stop the spread of communism
What does the firing of MacArthur show about the USA’s Cold War policy/approach?
Didn’t want to escalate things with China or the USSR
—> chose to stick to a more cautious approach
—> not willing to risk a hot war or atomic weapons in response
Korean War impact on relations at the time
PROXY WAR:
Increased tensions between the USA and USSR
NOT RISKING NUCLEAR/DIRECT CONFLICT:
Scared the superpowers into trying to reduce the nuclear threat
Korean War impact on relations in the longer term
PRECEDENT THAT:
willing to fight indirectly
USA willing to intervene in a proxy war
What did the West allow West Germany to do in 1955?
Rebuild their military
Joint NATO
What was NATO? And when was it?
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
April 1949
What was the USSR’s concern about West Germany rebuilding their military and joining NATO?
idea of a more powerful West Germany was the final straw
They wanted to keep Germany weak
Why was the new leader, Khrushchev, particularly concerned (West Germany)
Not yet secure in his position
Couldn’t afford to look weak
What did Khrushchev decide to form? And why?
The Warsaw Pact
A way for the USSR to make its control over Eastern Europe official
Gave them more direct control over the other members’ militaries
NATO impact on Cold War
1949
Increased tension
Encouraged the development of an arms race
USA placed weapons in other members states
—> more effective defense
—> USSR threatened - tried to put weapons closer to the USA
—> later conflict would be caused by this - both felt threatened
Warsaw Pact impact on Cold War
1955
Allowed Stalin to tighten his control over Eastern Europe
—> made his dominance official and strengthens their position
—> further worrying the West
World was divided along conflicting ideological line
—> gave USSR more direct control over the other countries’ militaries
—> further encouraged an arms race
—> USA feared they were most vulnerable
Heightened tension between them
Warsaw Pact impact on relations at the time
SYMBOL OF:
The divisions between Eastern and Western Europe
—> by uniting communist countries under Soviet control
MILITARY TENSION:
Increased
Led to an arms race
Sense of competition
Warsaw Pact impact on relations in the longer term
ARMS RACE:
Lasted longer
—> both sides were willing to keep building up their weapons to try and win
USSR CONTROL OVER THE EASTERN BLOC:
Created a divide between the East and West
—> making it hard for them to be independent
Tension
Mistrust
Who is the new leader of the USSR?
Khrushchev - 1953
What did Khrushchev do in 1956?
He made a ‘secret speech’ at the annual communist party conference
—> critiquing the way Stalin had ruled
—> known as de-Stalinisation
What was de-Stalinisation?
Promised more freedom
Called for peaceful co-existence with the West
—> USA and USSR should try and get along without conflict
Hungary was in Stalin’s …
Sphere of influence
Elections were controlled to ensure communists were in power
Government were never fully loyal to the Soviet Union
—> looked to make links with communist, but not Soviet controlled, Yugoslavia
What happened in 1949 (Hungary)
Leader of Hungary was executed for anti-Soviet activities
Who became the new leader of Hungary?
Matayas Rakosi
Stalin kept tight control
Many people resented the Hungary communist government because they felt:
History of their country was being eroded
Their strong catholic beliefs were being suppressed
—> some religious traditions banned
Fear of the secret police - arrested and tortured opponents of the government or USSR
No freedom of speech
Tension about Soviet soldiers across the country
—> angry that Hungarians themselves had to pay to have them there
What happened on 23rd October 1956?
Students took to the streets of Budapest, the Hungarian capital, issuing a list of demands
What were the student’s demands?
Greater freedom
Civil rights
Called for the removal of Rákosi as leader
Called for withdrawal of Soviet troops from the country and a removal of some of the restrictions and oppression
The demonstrations became … (Hungarian Uprising)
Small scale protests quickly grew into much larger demonstrations across the city and violence became widespread
What did the Soviets do in response (Hungarian Uprising)
Soviet tanks opened fire on some protestors
Nagy became …
Prime minister
But caused dismay among the protestors
What did Nagy then do? (Hungarian Uprising)
Promised reforms and more freedom
Announced the formation of a new government - including non-communist party members
Released cardinal Mindszentry from prison
Called for calm and loyalty towards the Hungarian communist party - who supported Stalin
What happened between 29th and 31st October? (Hungarian Uprising)
Soviet forces were withdrawn from Budapest
What happened after Nagy’s compromise? (Hungarian Uprising)
Seemed that the crisis was over
The removal of Soviet tanks was seen as a victory by the protestors
What did the protestors then demand?
Even greater reforms
Proclaiming Hungary as an independent state with no loyalty to the USSR
Called for Hungary to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact
What did Nagy then went on to do? (Protestors calling for withdrawal from Warsaw Pact)
Withdrew from Warsaw Pact
Embrace democracy with the formation of new political parties
Release political prisoners
Allow press freedom
Eventually rejected communism
—> on 1st November announced that Hungary was an independent and neutral county
Why did Khrushchev withdraw Soviet troops and Nagy’s initial compromise?
To keep peace between them and be different to Stalin
—> de-Stalinisation
—> uphold peaceful co-existence
Why did the protestors go on to demand even greater reforms?
Small changes gave them hope for freedom
Believed Western nations might help them break free from Soviet control
—> achieve full independence
How did Khrushchev and the USSR feel about Nagy’s decisions after 2nd wave of protests on November 1st?
Felt angry and threatened that Nagy wanted to leave the Warsaw Pact
Made Soviet Union look weak
Risked causing more Uprisings in the other Eastern bloc countries
How did other countries in the Eastern bloc/Warsaw pact feel about all of these events? (Hungarian Uprising)
Might have been inspired to leave the Warsaw Pact
Leaders saw the uprising as a threat and worried it could spread
When the Soviets stopped the uprising it warned other countries not to rebel (resist their control)
Soviet … (November 4th)
Soviet troops and tanks attacked revolutionaries
—> killing the in the streets
The communist party (4th November)
Took power once again under the loyal János Kádár
—> opponents were killed or arrested
Nagy (4th November)
Tried to escape to Yugoslavia but was caught
—> put on trial and executed
Refugees (4th November)
Flee
Mainly across the border to Austria which was soon closed
What does the response of the Soviet Union show? (Hungarian Uprising)
The brutality
Demonstrated that opposition would not be tolerated
Khrushchev talked of peaceful co-existence abroad but showed he could be just as brutal as Stalin at home
What did most Hungarian revolutionaries believe the US would do?
Help them because of the Truman Doctrine and policy of containment
—> suggest they’d help countries resisting Soviet control
John Foster Dulles hinted at this during a speech
—> led them to think the US would intervene
What did the possibility of America intervening do?
Raised hopes
But also worsened tensions
—> showed they wouldn’t fight Soviet control in Eastern Europe
Would’ve risked a direct conflict with the Soviets
—> they feared war with the USSR
Both sides on edge
Hungarians were disappointed
What did Eisenhower make clear?
American involvement was not an option
—> would be seen as a direct attack on Soviet security
—> many revolutionaries felt betrayed by the USA as the Soviet tanks rolled in to stop the Uprising
How would America not intervening affect international tensions at the time?
Increased
—> showed the US were unwilling to challenge the Soviets directly
—> cautious about risking a greater conflict
—> left people uncertain about their commitment to fighting communism
What happened on 4th November? (Hungarian Uprising)
Issue of Hungary was raised at a UN meeting
—> security council called for Soviet troops to withdraw but the USSR vetoed it
What did the General Assembly do? (Issues with Hungary)
Strongly criticised the Soviet’s response to the uprising but had no power to intervene
How would the USSR have seen the lack of US involvement?
A sign of weakness
—> made Soviets feel more secure
Feared theUN might challenge their control over Eastern Europe
—> raised tensions as USSR wanted to maintain full control over the Eastern bloc
Hungarian Uprising impact on relations at the time
HUNGARY-USSR TENSION:
Increased
Disappointed of US’s lack of involvement
Strengthened Soviet confidence and control
INTERNATIONAL TENSION (threat of US involvement):
Brought the superpowers close to a hot war
Heightened fear of direct conflict
Worsened Cold War rivalry
DECREASED:
Led to a spirit of cooperation
Encouraged them to resolve matters diplomatically
Hungarian Uprising impact on relations in the longer term
USSR MESSAGE TO EASTERN BLOC COUNTRIES:
Increased tension, rivalry and suspicion (USSR)
Soviet demonstration of power and control
Soviet dominance reinforced
