Three crises: Berlin, Cuba, Czechoslovakia Flashcards
Berlin crisis (1958-61) and the Berlin wall - refugee problem
- West Germany was economically thriving after having received aid from the Marshall aid package/Truman doctrine previously
- East Germany, however, was suffering immensely regarding its economy, and more than 3 million refugees crossed to West Germany by 1958, most of these refugees were skilled workers, engineers, technicians - what East Germany most need to upstart its economy and compete with West Germany.
- This angered and aggravated Krushchev and the USSR, as it was a propaganda disaster for communism. The refugee crisis made it clear, that most people preferred West Germany over East Germany, or in other words the Western doctrine of capitalism over the Soviet’s doctrine of communism.
- The west’ acceptance of all these refugees made Krushchev believe they were trying to undermine the economy of East Germany and were trying to prevent its development, thus worsening relations.
Berlin crisis (1958-61) and the Berlin wall - Krushchev’s Berlin Ultimatum
- Krushchev believed that if he were to secure control of Berlin which was deep in control of USSR territory, he would prevent the crossing of refugees from West Germany to East Germany which was mostly conducted in between East Berlin and West Berlin.
- He demanded the western powers to withdraw their troops from West Berlin and make it a free city ‘without divide’
- He also remarked that if these demands were not met, he would hand over control of all routes to the government of Eastern Germany which has enormous implications.
Berlin crisis (1958-61) and the Berlin wall - Krushchev’s Berlin Ultimatum - effects
This worsened relations between the West and the East severely, as threatening to hand over control of all routes to the Eastern government would mean that if Western countries wanted to access Berlin, they would have to speak with the government authorities of Eastern Germany which would insinuate that the West recognizes Eastern Germany as an independent nation. This would’ve worsened relations and increased tension as the West were very adverse to the idea of Eastern Germany being a sovereign nation and thought that Germany should be one. Moreover, Krushchev’s demands were seen by the West as them trying to again expand communism and further spread the influence of the USSR. Krushchev on the other hand as merely a solution to the refugee problem.
Khrushchev’s ultimatum however also led to improved relations, as summit meetings were later induced to solve the impasse regarding Berlin and Germany. Two summits were held subsequently in 1959, one in Geneva and one in Camp David. The camp David summit held particular significance, as Krushchev was invited to the US (the first time any soviet leader was invited to the US), Krushchev was allowed to experience the American culture and was pleased by the hospitality. The talks resulted in success and relations were improved, moreover, a future summit was scheduled in Paris and this showed a sense of cooperation between the two powers, hence de-escalating tensions.
Berlin crisis (1958-61) and the Berlin wall -The U2 incident and the Paris summit.
- As the talks were beginning in Paris, the USSR made a sudden announcement that thwarted all chances of success in the talks.
- They announced that they had just shot down a US spy plane in Soviet airspace.
- America first claimed this to be a weather plane that had flown off course.
- But the USSR disputed this claim and said they had interrogated the pilot, and that it was in fact a spy plane.
- Eisenhower did not apologise saying spying operations like this could not be avoided, Krushchev took leave and the talks swiftly came to an end.
Berlin crisis (1958-61) and the Berlin wall -The U2 incident and the Paris summit - effects
The U2 incident, sparked enormous distrust between the two powers and thwarted any chance of compromise. The presence of a US spy plane in USSR airspace showed the Soviets that the US had no trust in them and were still very sceptical despite tensions easing slightly from the Camp David summit. The distrust was furthermore amplified by the fact that the US first denied the existence of this spy plane, citing that it was only a weather plane, and only admitting after the USSR gave substantial evidence to prove otherwise.
The U2 incident also led to the backtracking of any steps made towards a better relationship between the superpowers previously made and made it seem Eisenhower was not completely prepared to take steps towards a better relationship, thus worsening relations. Eisenhower did not even apologise after the meeting instead claiming the spy operations to be inevitable, this showed Krushchev, Eisenhower was not willing to make concessions in order to better the relationship between the US and the USSR, creating the sense that any form of negotiation with the US in the future would be futile.
Berlin crisis (1958-61) and the Berlin wall - Vienna summit
- The new president - John F Kennedy
- Krushchev thought he could exploit Kennedy as he was very young and inexperienced, he was very tough and restarted the Berlin Ultimatum
- JFK didn’t appear weak and made no concessions
- Talks stayed at an impasse
Berlin crisis (1958-61) and the Berlin wall - Vienna effects
- With Krushchev’s tough approach targeted at the youthfulness of JFK, JFK was determined not the appear weak and after the meeting, he increased the budget spending on armed forces by 2 billion. This would’ve likely increased the tension between the superpowers, and the tension between Khrushchev and JFK personally. It looked like the US was preparing for a full drawn war and the act may have led Krushchev to believe this was an act of antagonism, therefore worsening relations.
- Krushchev’s increasingly tough approach on the western powers led to more East Germans fleeing- up to 40 thousand a day. As the tensions became more apparent, and the possibility of Krushchev closing the Border increasing, many East Germans fled. This would’ve again strained relations between the two superpowers as the west made no attempts to stop and reduce the number of refugees and East Germany’s economy continued to suffer, reflecting badly on both communism and the USSR.
Berlin wall - effects on East and West Germany
Massive protests erupted both in East and West Germany, and the relation between East and West suffered immensely. The west had been hoping for a reconciliation and reunification between East and West, the physical wall made the divide inexorable, dismissing any chances of reunification, thus worsening relations greatly.
However, the construction of the Berlin wall did hold its merits and could in the coming years lead to better relations between East and West. The wall rectified the refugee problem, there were no more refugees travelling across the border every day. The refugee problem was an enormous strain and eliminating it was a big factor in improving relations between the two sides.
Berlin wall - effects on superpower relations
Negative:
-For US: the border between East and West was closed without prior consultation with the US, many East Germans who were seeking a better life had their hopes dashed. Reflects badly on US’ image as they were unable to do anything about the construction of the wall and allowed the Soviets to continue building it, as if they were not able to completely save everyone from communism.
For USSR: the wall meant that any plans to unite Germany under soviet control and expand communism was thwarted, making the USSR look weak and unable to reach their primary goal, moreover, the building of the Berlin wall showed people around the world that the Soviets had to build a sort of confinement to prevent people from choosing capitalism over communism, which again showed the weakness of communism and how the principles and ideologies of the west were more desired than that of the East.
Positive:
-For the US: The wall showed everyone that the USSR had given up on seizing control of West Germany/Berlin and that the West/capitalism had successfully resisted communism; the wall became a symbol and pillar of freedom, resistance and defiance against communism and Soviet expansion. It also showed from a political standpoint that Kennedy was not someone who could be exploited and used, this reflected well on the US, showing competent leadership.
-For USSR: The wall stopped refugees from leaving the East and made the chances of upstarting a thriving economy higher and more likely which could improve the image of communism and the USSR in the future. Furthermore, the wall was a clear sign to the Western powers that reunification would not be possible, and the communism ideology would prevail despite all the difficulties and complications.
The Cuban revolution and Cuba’s relationship with the USSR
- Group of revolutionaries, led by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, took control of the Cuban government.
- They were pro-communist and began appointing communists to the government, they also made a deal with the USSR on economic aid.
- America saw the increasing that a pro soviet regime was being established, very close to America’s domestic homeland, this led to the Bay of pigs incident.
The bay of pigs invasion
- The US dispatched one and a half thousand counter-revolutionaries onto the bay of pigs in Cuba.
- This operation was an enormous failure as these men were not very experienced, the Castro government had found out abt the invasion plans prior to the attack and were very prepared.
The Bay of pigs invasion - effects
- The failure of the bay of pigs invasion was extremely humiliating for the US as it was a complete failure, showing weakness and vulnerability as a superpower. It also shed a bad light on the integrity of the US, it suggested to the world that the US were trying to expand their influence, just like how they previously criticised the USSR on doing so, by supporting a coup against a government that most of the Cuban population was content with.
- The bay of pigs invasion also led to Fidel Castro officially positioning and declaring himself as communism. Krushchev afterwards publically declared his support for the Cuban government and pledged to sell arms to them. This worsened the relations between the US and the USSR as Cuba was positioned very close to the US itself and could pose an enormous threat domestically if given soviet technologies (nuclear weapons).
The Cuban missile crisis
-Spy planes took pictures of Soviet Union building missile launch sites in Cuba. USSR could potentially fire nuclear missiles into US territory.
-JFK had to find a way to stop this as this posed an enormous threat both physically and symbolically.
-At the end with the help of ExComm, he determined the best course of action was to set up a naval blockade or a quarantine around Cuba.
Krushchev didn’t want to start a nuclear war so turned back in the end but the threat of nuclear war was almost imminent
The Cuban Missile Crisis - effects
- The Cuban missile crisis de-escalated tensions between the two superpowers. As it made clear what would happen if the US and the USSR continued to follow a policy of brinksmanship. With the threat of all-out nuclear war being so close to actualizing, important steps were taken to avoid future incidents. A direct hotline was established between the Kremlin and Washington. And a nuclear proliferation treaty was signed to prevent the increasing spread of nuclear weapons. This improved relations as the two countries cooperated in a common goal of denuclearization and both countries made steps to improve their relationship
- The Cuban missile crisis reflected differently on the two leaders - Kennedy and Kruschev. Kennedy had shown himself to be a competent and strong leader, withstanding the pressure from Krushchev and the hawks within his own government, his popularity, as a result, rose dramatically. Krushchev, on the other hand, was made out by the people of Moscow as weak and people criticized his decision to withdraw the troops from the blockade, this later led to his dismissal in 1964.
The Prague spring
- After decades of tight authoritarian Soviet control over Czechoslovakia a new leader was elected - Dubcek.
- Dubcek was a devoted communist, but he also believed in human rights and thought that citizens should be able to enjoy life and live in a liberal environment.
- Dubcek invoked new reforms aimed at this. Known as the Prague spring
- Examples include relaxed censorship, the government had less power over the means of trade and production, people were given more freedom to travel abroad.
- However, after a while, Brezhnev began to saw this as a threat to communism, and he invaded Czechoslovakia, thus ending the Prague spring.
- Dubchev was eventually dismissed。
