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HISTORY: The Cold War > The Transformation Of The Cold War > Flashcards

The Transformation Of The Cold War Flashcards

1
Q

When was the Berlin Wall built?

A

13 August 1961

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2
Q

What type of wall was the Berlin Wall to begin with?

A

Barbed wire fence

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3
Q

When was the Berlin Wall made into an actual concrete wall?

A

16 August 1961 - 3 days later

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4
Q

Between when did the Berlin Wall stand?

A

August 1961 - November 1989

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5
Q

Checkpoint Charlie (3)

A
  • Checkpoint Charlie = a guarded crossing point between East + West Berlin.
  • On 27 October 1961, there was a tense standoff between American + Soviet tanks - the Cold War could easily have turned into a hot war.
  • The crisis lasted 18 hours until an agreement was reached + both sides began to slowly back down.
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6
Q

Reasons for the Berlin Wall (5)

A
  • kept important East Berliners in E.Berlin
  • protection against Allied spies
  • Khrushchev wanted complete removal of allied troops from the city
  • save reputation of communism + consolidate control
  • prove to China that the USSR could stand up to the USA
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7
Q

How many East Berliners left E.Berlin a day? (before the wall)

A

2000

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8
Q

Why did the USSR not like East Berliners leaving to go the West? (2)

A

They were losing highly skilled + well-qualified workers

Almost proved people liked the West / the idea of capitalism better

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9
Q

Why did the USSR want to protect against US spying? (Berlin Wall) (2)

A
  • The U2 incident showed the US use of espionage + that they could not be trusted
  • Soviets believed there were spy centres in the East that the USA used for spying
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10
Q

Who invaded at the Bay of Pigs?

A

Exiled Cubans with the support of US bombers

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11
Q

Why did exiled Cubans invade at the Bay of Pigs?

A

To try and overthrow Castro (who had turned Cuba into a communist dictatorship)

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12
Q

How many Cuban troops did the exiles face at the Bay of Pigs?

A

20000 Cuban troops

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13
Q

Why were the Cuban exiles easily defeated at the Bay of Pigs?

A

They were hugely outnumbered (1400 v 20000)

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14
Q

When did Cuban exiles + US bombers invade at the Bay of Pigs?

A

(April) 1961

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15
Q

How many Cuban exiles invaded the Bay of Pigs?

A

1400

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16
Q

When did Castro overthrow Batista in Cuba?

A

1959

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17
Q

Who was Batista? (Cuba) (3)

A

Batista = leader of Cuba before 1959

  • pro-American
  • capitalist
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18
Q

Who was Castro? (Cuba) (3)

A

Castro overthrew Batista (1959) and turned Cuba into a communist dictatorship
- signed a trade deal with the USSR

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19
Q

What class of Cubans were Castro’s policies unpopular with and what happened to them?

A 
Middle class Cubans
They were driven into exile in the USA
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20
Q

Why was it a problem for USA if there were missiles on communist Cuba?

A

Cuba is 90 miles south of Florida —> missiles could easily hit the USA’s largest cities

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21
Q

When did a U2 spy plane discover nuclear missile sites being built in Cuba?

A

14 October 1962

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22
Q

What did a U2 spy plane discover in Cuba in October 1962?

A

Nuclear missile sites being built

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23
Q

How many days after the discovery of Cuban missile sites were Soviet warships seen sailing to Cuba carrying missiles?

A

2 days after

24
Q

How many Soviet warships were seen sailing to Cuba after the discovery of missile sites?

A

18 warships

25
What does Kennedy do to prevent Soviet warships delivering missiles to the Cuban sites?
A naval blockade
26
What does Kennedy use a naval blockade to do? (Cuban Missile Crisis)
Prevent Soviet warships delivering missiles to Cuban missile sites
27
What happens after the naval blockade? (Cuban Missile Crisis)
The ships turn back | Khrushchev sends his 2 telegrams asking different things of Kennedy
28
What did Khrushchev write in his first telegram? (Cuban Missile Crisis)
offered to dismantle Cuban bases if Kennedy lifted the blockade + promised not to invade Cuba
29
What did Khrushchev write in his second telegram? (Cuban Missile Crisis)
Demanded dismantling of USA’s Turkish Missile bases in return for the Cuban bases being dismantled (as well as the other things he said in his first telegram)
30
How does Kennedy respond to Khrushchev’s telegrams? (Cuban Missile Crisis)
He agrees publicly to the first telegram + secretly to the second
31
What were the results of the Cuban Missile Crisis? (3)
- missiles removed from Cuba + Turkey - direct phone line set up between the White House + Kremlin - West saw Kennedy as the hero who faced down communism but really Khrushchev achieved both his aims (US never bothered Cuba again + US missile sites in Turkey dismantled in 1962)
32
When was a direct phone line set up between the White House and the Kremlin as a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis?
1963
33
What was ‘Duck and Cover’?
Film shown to children in USA to warn them of what to do in a nuclear attack - they were being taught all over the country ways to survive so the nuclear threat must have been real + very scary
34
Why did MAD mean that nuclear war was unlikely?
No side would attack first as they knew the attack would be returned
35
What brought Alexander Dubcek to power in Czechoslovakia? (2)
Protests grew throughout the 1960s + people demanded change | - Dubcek saw the need for reform
36
What was the period of change called in Czechoslovakia called?
Prague Spring (series of reforms)
37
What did Dubcek promise as part of the Prague Spring? (phrase)
Communism with a human face (softer version)
38
What reforms were introduced in the Prague Spring? (5)
- increase living standards - more democracy - increase Western trade - abolish press censorship - free travel
39
How and why did Dubcek try to reassure Brezhnev in the Prague Spring?
He was mindful of events in Hungary so tried to reassure Brezhnev that his changes would not threaten the USSR’s security - that Czechoslovakia would not leave the Warsaw Pact Brezhnev was unconvinced
40
When did the Soviets + other Warsaw Pact countries invade Czechoslovakia?
20 August 1968
41
How many troops invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968?
50000
42
What was most Czech resistance like to the invasion of Soviet + W.Pact troops?
Non-violent | Most took the form of demonstrations and sit-ins
43
What happens after Soviet forces crush Czech resistance? (to Dubcek)
Dubcek is taken to Moscow, made to abandon reform programme, forced to resign + expelled from communist party
44
Who takes over Czechoslovakia from Dubcek + what does he do?
Gustav Husak | Returns country to old ways
45
When was the Brezhnev Doctrine made up?
3 August 1968
46
What was the Brezhnev Doctrine?
Said that the Soviet Union promised to intervene if any communist state appeared to be abandoning communism
47
When did the Brezhnev Doctrine remain in force until?
1989
48
What is Détente?
The relaxing of Cold War tension
49
When was Détente?
Late 1960s - early 1970s
50
What factors encourage Détente?
- military spending was very costly - both sides had stockpiles of weapons that could destroy the Earth many times over - Nixon keen to talk with Brezhnev + B keen to extend policy of peaceful coexistence
51
Why was military spending becoming a problem for the USA + USSR by the late 1960s?
USA was experiencing economic problems including rising inflation USSR needed to expand its world trade to improve living standards
52
Who was involved in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty?
USA, USSR, Britain
53
When was the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty signed?
1968
54
What was the aim of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty?
Stopping the spread of nuclear weapons + technology
55
After how many years of talks was the SALT agreement reached?
After 3 years of talks
56
When was the SALT agreement reached?
1972
57
What were the main parts of the SALT agreement?
Limited number of ICBMs + ABMs on both sides | Allowed each side to use spy satellites to check on the other side

HISTORY: The Cold War (5 decks)

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