Three Crises: Berlin, Cuba And Czechoslovakia

Question 1

Berlin Ultimatum

Answer 1

Nov 1958, khrushchev’s berlin ultimatum
- Following riots in east Germany
- Brain drain - refugee problem - by 1958, 3 mill, over ⅙ of the population, had left, many skilled workers, peaking in 1953
- Demanded west recognised east Germany as indépendant; after refusal, he wanted berlin to be demilitarised, withdrawing western troops and becoming a ‘free-city’ within 6 months, otherwise he threatened to hand over all control over routes into Berlin to east government east Germany

Question 2

Summit Meetings and U2 Incident

Answer 2

1959-61
Ultimatum worsened relations but leaders recognised danger of nuclear weapons so discussions began
- May 1959, geneva summit
- September 1959, camp David summit, khrushchev’s visit to usa ( better relations?)
- May 1960, paris summit, 1 may: U2 crisis
America claimed i ‘twas weather - Gary Powers admitted to spying, Eisenhower wouldn’t apologise
- June 1961 Vienna summit, Kennedy president, ultimatum renewed, Americans spent $2 billion in military protection following the meeting

Question 3

Berlin Wall

Answer 3

12 August 1961, Berlin Wall construction began
- Tensions grew, more refugees crosse (40,000 on one day)
- 165 km of concrete, 130 killed
- Negatives: no chance of unification, walls bowed communism must be imposed upon people, closed the border without discussions, no escape for East Germans - poor living standards and separation
- Positives: no refugee strain, showed communism would survive, Khrushchev had accepted western control and knew he couldn’t bully Kennedy, West Berlin became a symbol of freedom
- June 1963,Kennedy visited berlin - positive response

Question 4

Cuban Missile Crisis

Answer 4

Jan 1959, Fidel Castro came to power
- in May, Castro took over American land in cuba, angering USA
- 1960, made agreement with Soviet Union around aid weapons and trading Cuban sugar
- 145 km from US mainland, the government was worried, Eisenhower banned all trade with Cuba in October
- 17 April 1961, 1400 exiles failed at ‘Bay of Pigs’ and America was blamed. Failed because: untrained, Cuban citizens supported Castro, 20,000 soldiers were waiting for them, America could not outwardly support the exiles
- Sept 1961; arms from ussr to cuba, Khrushchev did this because: Berlin Wall was seen as a failure and Khrushchev had a fear of the NATO bases in turkey near borders
- 14 October, 1962: American spy plane took photos of missile launch sites in Cuba
- 16 October; excomm for 13 days resultING in ‘quarantine’ forced ships to turn around
- 26 oct telegram agreed turkey warheads removed

Results; Khrushchev humiliated (later dismissed in 1964), hotline and nuclear non-proliferation treaty, Kennedy established as strong leader and gained popularity

Question 5

Czechoslovakia

Answer 5

• 1966, Czech student protests about living conditions after years of soviet cruel rule
• Dubcek came into power and introduced Prague springs in 1968 (multi-party elections, censorship relaxed, trade with west, etc)
• 20 august 1968, 50,000 Warsaw pacts troops invaded Czechoslovakia in response to non-Soviet approved reforms
• Husak replaced him 1969, introduced wave of oppression, over 1000 arrested

Results: USSRs strain with yugoslavia, Romanian, Italian communists and western governments, but USA could not directly confront due to Vietnam war, Brezhnev established control over Warsaw Pact, securing the buffer zone, Lyndon B. Johnson cancelled a meeting with Brezhnev 1968 - Brezhnev Doctrine 26 sept 1968