The Thaw Flashcards
Geneva conference occurred in
1954
Geneva conference allowed French to withdraw troops from Indochina. Dulles concerned that it confirmed
communism in North Vietnam
USA lithium bomb developed in
1954
First Taiwan crisis occurred in
1954
Khrushchev’s first visit to Beijing was in
1954
SEATO treaty signed in
1954
SEATO treaty was a south East Asian treaty organisation - a defensive treaty designed to restrict communist expansion in the region. Who were involved?
UK, US, France, Australia and New Zealand were involved.
SEATO never gained much respect from
Independent south East Asia nation
Stalin’s death in 1953 was met with great relief in the West, who saw him as the
dominant factor in the development of the cold war
Geneva summit was in
1955
Geneva summit also known as
Geneva Spirit
Geneva summit was the first east/west summit to be held since
Potsdam
Geneva summit involved the ‘Big Four’:
UK
US
USSR
FRANCE
Geneva summit established a good working relationship between the leaders of the two superpowers by:
restarting face-to-face diplomacy between the leaders of the USA and USSR
(GENEVA SUMMIT) However, agreement could not be reached on:
- GERMANY
- EUROPEAN SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS
- ‘OPEN SKIES’ INITIATIVE
(GENEVA SUMMIT) Germany - Soviet proposals to neutralise Germany were rejected by the West because of concerns that this would
increase soviet influence in central Europe and undermine the FDR’s pro-western stance
(GS) Germany - west also refused to recognise East germany and the Soviets feared that a united Germany would join the western alliance against the
USSR
(GS) European security arrangments:
Soviet plans were put forward for replacing NATO and the Warsaw Pact with a collective security system.
West viewed it as a communist scheme to dismantle NATO
(GS) ‘Open Skies’ initiative. Eisenhower suggested that, in order to prevent surprise attacks and verify arms agreements, both superpowers should be allowed to take aerial photographs over the other’s airspace. Khrushchev rejected this as an
espionage plot
Overall GS only had very limited impact - only agreed on
cultural exchanges
Austrian State Treaty:
1955
Austrian State Treaty USSR agreed to the reunification of Germany, which had been divided into 4 zones of occupation. The USSR was prepared to accept a united Austria, as long as it remained neutral, in hope that it would be seen as by the West as proof of
Khrushchev’s willingness to negotiate on key issues
As a result of the Austrian State Treaty -
all foreign troops were removed
Austria’s independence as a neutral state was guaranteed
Berlin rising occurred in
1953
Berlin rising - following stalin’s death, soviet leadership adopted a new course in economic policy, now a greater emphasis on
consumer goods
Berlin rising - hard-line stalinist, Ulbricht, continued to develop a strict command economy. June 1953, he raised the workers production quotas without increasing pay, provoking demonstrations across East Germany. 400,000 workers took to the streets calling for:
- free elections
- general strike
- lifting of quotas
The Berlin rising was significant for Cold War relations because:
- It demonstrated the unpopularity of traditional communist policies
- Demonstrated that communist control over Eastern Europe was based on force rather than consent
- Indicated that Soviet leadership were unwilling to allow greater independence in Eastern Europe
West didn’t get involved in Berlin rising even though they made anti-Soviet propaganda because:
For fear of provoking war due to it being in the Soviet SOI
Warsaw Pact was formed in
1955
Warsaw Pact was USSR’s response to:
West Germany joining NATO
Warsaw pact was a mutual defense organisation that put the Soviets in command of the
armed forces of the member states
Warsaw Pact consisted of 8 countries:
USSR Czechoslovakia Poland Romania Hungary East Germany Bulgaria Albania
Khrushchev became Soviet leader in
1955
Khrushchev adapted Malenkov’s ‘NEW COURSE’ foreign policy to:
Peaceful coexistence
Peaceful coexistence meant:
peaceful relations between communist and capitalist nations were possible, as capitalism would ultimately fall
Eisenhower president in
1952
Eisenhower’s foreign policy was:
New Look
‘New look’ took a
hard line against communism based on an increased role for nuclear weapons to further containment
5 key features of New Look:
- Belief that Soviet Union and its communist allies were pursuing expansionist policies
- use of military means to contain communism
- policy of ‘massive retaliation’ against communist aggression
- policy of ‘brinkmanship’ in the use of nuclear weapons
- increased use of covert operations within countries that would destabilise the forces of communism
Massive retaliation implied the use or at least the threat of
nuclear action against any aggressive move by the communist bloc
Brinkmanship - the policy of not shying away from threatening a nuclear response during a
crisis
‘New look’ seemed unlikely to produce compromise and conciliation. In practice there were pressures that made the US willing to reach an understanding with the new soviet leadership:
- Eisenhower aware of the destructive force of nuclear weapons
- Eisenhower and Dulles were cautious - aware of the growth of military-industrial complex in US, and need for improved living standards
- New look would enable ‘more bang for the buck’
- Eisenhower = more confident than Truman, wasn’t as affected by attacks on his take on communism
- Use of U-2 spy plane = confident of nuclear superiority, therefore more willing to negotiate with USSR
Federal Republic of Germany joined NATO in
1955
20th party congress occurred in
1956
Khrushchev gave his secret speech at the
20th party congress
In Khrushchev’s secret speech he spoke of:
-Destalinisation
Destalinisation was highly critical of features of Stalin’s rule:
- Promoting a cult of personality
- Using purges and persecution to consolidate his personal rule
- Reducing the communist party to a compliant body, which endorsed his absolute control
Khrushchev’s character assassination of Stalin and Stalinisation was basically saying that the whole idea was stupid, and as a result was indirectly saying that so was
China
Khrushchev took on a revisionist perspective that communism would
prevail through the process of peaceful coexistence with capitalism - capitalism would destroy itself
Khrushchev had not consulted Mao before his secret speech, he automatically thought that he was
leader of communism
Hungarian Uprising occurred in
1956
Hungarian uprising showed the:
vulnerability of the Soviet sphere of influence
(HU) Calls for liberation in hungary were encouraged by Khrushchev’s policy of destalinisation and demonstrated the impact that changes within the soviet union could have on
satellite states
(HU) Encouraged by the
Poland riots
Poland riots occurred in
1956
(Poland) death of stalinist polish communist leader Beriut sparked increasing calls for liberalisation in Poland. In June, large demonstrations in the industrial city of Poznan turned into anti-government protests. Discontent spread and there were strong calls for the Polish nationalist and moderate communist:
Gomulka
(Poland) Khrushchev visited Warsaw in october to resolve the issue. Initially Khrushchev tried to force Gomulka to back down, but once realised the strength of the feeling within the party and the country, he reluctantly relented and allowed Gomulka to become party leader in order to stem the
unrest
(Poland) furthermore some economic reforms were permitted on condition that Poland remained committed to the
warsaw pact
Reform in Poland was significant because it showed
clear divisions in the communist world
Events in Poland showed that there was a struggle going on within the communist camp. Khrushchev had been forced to compromise with the demands of the Polish communists.
Mao publicly supported the Polish reformers, clearly suggesting that Khrushchev’s position within the communist world was
weaker in 1956
(HU) were encouraged by the Poland riots - Hungarian reformers started to demonstrations to put pressure on the government. Khrushchev sensed the danger in a wave of disturbances sweeping through Eastern Europe and Hungarian leader Rakosi (staunch stalinist) was informed that he was
‘ill’ and needed ‘treatment’ in Moscow
(HU) who replaced Rakosi?
Gero
(HU)Gero could not control the increasingly violent demonstrations. Soviet troops stationed in Budapest were forced to leave the city. Under soviet pressure, Gero was replaced by the more moderate :
Nagy
(HU) Nagy’s attempts to introduce more moderate reforms, known as new course, failed to satisfy the increasing demands of popular opinion. In order to keep a hold on events, Nagy gave in to demands to introduce multi-party democracy and to leave Warsaw Pact. These measures were too much for the USSR - Soviet forces were sent into Hungary and a new government under who was established?
Kadar
Results of the Hungarian Uprising?
- Subsequent actions of USSR indicated that there were limits to independence in the Eastern Bloc countries
- Soviet response to calls for reform = invade hungary and restore a government of its own liking, showed a willingness to maintain a tight hold over its SOI
- Warsaw Pact, had helped soviet dominance and the organisation of it ensured that other Eastern Bloc countries contributed to the Soviet straitjacket over the region
- No west intervention = within Soviet SOI
Suez crisis occured in
1956
Suez crisis spurred the creation of the
Eisenhower doctrine
USSR TU20 Intercontinental bombers were created in
1956
Eisenhower doctrine was created in
1957
Eisenhower doctrine stated that:
a country could request American economic assistance/aid from US military forces if it was being threatened by armed aggression from another state
Eisenhower believed that as a result of Suez crisis, a :
power vacuum had formed in the Middle East due to the loss of prestige of Great Britain and France
Eisenhower feared that this power vacuum would open the Middle East up to:
Soviet influence
Sputnik:
1957
Sputnik seemed to demonstrate
USSR’s superior technological achievements
Sputnik combined with Vostok 1 projects led to US fears that the Soviets had
more advanced military technology
Gaither report released in
1957
The Gaither report warned:
of a missile gap but Eisenhower refused to be panicked
Eisenhower refused to be panicked by the Gaither report due to his confidence in:
- Strategic Air Command - coordinated the deployment of B52 bombers in preparation for a nuclear strike
- Information provided by U-2 spyplane (which confirmed the emptiness of Khrushchev’s boasts of supremacy
Eisenhower did increase, as a result of the Gaither report, the allocation of resources for:
science education and research to ensure the USA kept its lead
USA, SLBMs developed in
july 1960
Mao’s ‘Great Leap Forwards’ :
1958
Mao’s ‘Great Leap Forwards’ led to:
increased production in agriculture and industry
1954-57 = significant because of the growing erosion of trust between the USSR and China, 2 reasons:
- China now an ideological rival, Mao less inclined to follow Khrushchev because of his reluctance to back China’s strategic aims in Taiwan and his reluctance to stand up to US
- Personal relationship - Mao willingly snubbed and disagreed with Khrushchev publically
However, China was still dependent on USSR due to
Soviet aid
USSR dependent on China due to
global authority was strengthened by the Sino-Soviet alliance
Mao’s great leap forwards was a clear rejection of the USSR’s model of economic development. He claimed that it was
superior to the USSR’s Five-Year Plans
GLF = turning point in China’s relationship with the USSR because it demonstrate to the world that Mao was willing to
forge his own path - increasingly independent of the USSR
GLF was based on the enthusiasm of the peasants, rather than the USSR’s stress on the role of
expertise and the working class
Mao was increasingly convinced that Khrushchev was not a real revolutionary. Instead he believed that Khrushchev was an administrator concerned with organisation and not with change. Mao was conciously distancing himself from the USSR and undermining Khrushchev’s
leadership of the communist world
GLF= signal of Mao’s self-confidence and his willingness to act independently of the USSR. Differences over Taiwan further convinced Mao that Khrushchev lacked
revolutionary spirit and led to Mao’s deliberate humiliation of Khrushchev during his second visit to China
Berlin Ultimatum =
1958
Khrushchev’s Berlin ultimatum called for the
Removal of all occupying forces from Berlin
Khrushchev wanted Berlin to become a free city with the existence of East Germany being recognised formally by west. the west were unwilling to
Give up West Berlin because of its
Immense propaganda value in undermining the socialist bloc
Only after Khrushchev’s visit to US in 1958 was the ultimatum dropped. This highlight the role of personal diplomacy between the two superpowers in reducing
International tension
During Khrushchev’s visit to US in 1958 he criticised Mao’s great leap forwards which further deteriorated
Sino-soviet relations
Castro’s revolutionary government in Cuba occurred in
1959
Khrushchev’s visit to US in 1958/59 caused Mao to
Condemn Soviet’s rapprochment with US
USA developed Polaris the first SLBM in
1960
U2 spy plane shot down over USSR in
1960
As a result of the U2 spy plane what summit broke down in 1960?
Paris summit
The collapse of the Paris summit in 1960 caused:
Khrushchev to be humiliated
End of ‘thaw’ and ‘peaceful coexistence’
Escalation of the Berlin crisis
Vienna summit occurred in
1961
Kennedy became president in
1961
During the Vienna summit, Kennedy had several problems to deal with:
1) CUBA - castro, us sanctions=communism, bay of pigs (1961) - CIA backed counter revolution = complete disaster
2)Khrushchev returned to his BERLIN ULTIMATUM - Ken”I want peace but if you want war that’s your problem” - relations between the 2 deteriorated
Kennedy ordered a return to nuclear testing and an escalation in military spending
To lose Berlin would mean
Losing the Cold War
Cuban missile crisis occurred in
1962
Cuba developed into a personal conflict between
Kennedy and Khrushchev
Kennedy needed a domestic victory to help his political reputation. Khrushchev needed to protect the Cuban revolution if communism was to be
Credible
Why did Khrushchev send missiles to Cuba?
- US armed NATO countries
- Khrushchev rationally concluded that he could do the same
- countries needed to be reassured the soviets would protect them
- Castro believed that missile would restore balance between Cuba and US
How did the Cuban missile crisis develop?
-U2 spy plane photographed over Cuba (located MRBMs)
-2 options of executive committee chaired by Kennedy
•’surgical strike’ on USSR
•exclusion zone
How did Kennedy deal with Cuba?
Blockade of Cuba
- 150 nuclear missiles armed and aimed at soviet target
- 54 B52s in the air
- Polaris submarines
How did the Cuban missile crisis end?
- ken and khrush exchanged telegrams
- soviet ships would turn back if US removed missiles from Turkey (both claimed victory)
As a result of CMC:
Kennedy’s rep= restored
Khrushchev = Cuban revolution had been secured
Main outcome of CMC that became a deterrent =
MAD (mutually assured destruction)
MAD was seen as the only way for them to restore balance though the threat of
Attack
Khrushchev’s stance on CMC was perceived by Mao as weak: should have used the nuclear weapons or at least not given in to Kennedy. Mao stated that “Khrushchev has moved from adventurism to…
Capitulationism”
Berlin Wall constructed in
1961
At Khrushchev’s visit to America in 1959 - talks at camp david were aimed to
Bring ultimatum over Berlin to an end
Both agreed to reach a conclusion over Berlin at the Paris peace conference in May 1960
Berlin Wall was referred to as
Wall of shame
East German government preferred to call it the
Anti-fascist protective barrier
Berlin Wall was a physical
Symbol of a divided continent. Population had to be penned in so wasn’t a good advert for
Communism
Kennedy assassinated in
1963
Hot line set up in
1963
Nuclear test ban treaty occurred in
1963
Hot line was set up due to the necessity for
Rapid communication between the superpowers
Aim of hotline was to ensure that any superpower misjudgements and misunderstandings could be resolved before a serious
Crisis situation developed
Nuclear test ban treaty banned nuclear tests in the
Atmosphere, water or in space
Underground testing still allowed
