Topic 2 - 1957-69

Question 1

Why were people escaping E Germany to go to West Germany ?

Answer 1

The EastGerman government was extremely unpopular and there was much more freedom in East Germany - Berlin was the centre of East Germany’s refugee problem

Question 2

Why was the refugee problem in Germany a propaganda disaster for Khrushchev ?

Answer 2

It proved that many people preferred the capitalist West t the communist East

Question 3

What did Khrushchev do in response to the refugee problem in 1958 ?

Answer 3

In November 1958 he declared the whole city of Berlin officially belonged to the East and he also issued an ultimatum, giving US troops 6 months to withdraw from Berlin

Question 4

What was Eisenhower’s response to to Khrushchev’s ultimatum ?

Answer 4

It was agreed that an international meeting would be held to discuss the future of Berlin

Question 5

When did the Geneva Summit take place ?

Answer 5

May 1959

Question 6

What happened at the Geneva summit ?

Answer 6

Foreign representatives from the USA and USSR met but no solution was agreed to the issue in Berlin - however it laid the groundwork for Khrushchev to visit the USA and talk face-to-face with Eisenhower

Question 7

Where did Eisenhower and Krushchev meet for a second summit meeting and when ?

Answer 7

September 1959 in Camp David

Question 8

What was agreed at Camp David ?

Answer 8

No solution was agreed however a further summit in the following year was agreed to be held. Khrushchev also agreed to withdraw his 6 month ultimatum

Question 9

How many East German refugees escaped to West Germany between 1949 and 1961?

Answer 9

2.7 million

Question 10

When did Kennedy become president ?

Answer 10

January 1961

Question 11

Paris summit

Answer 11

Took place in May 1960 but was a DISASTER :
- before the meeting the USSR had shot down an American spy plane over Russia and captured the pilot. Khrushchev walked out of the conference when Eisenhower refused to apologise.

Question 12

Vienna Conference

Answer 12

January 1961 between Khrushchev and Kennedy;
Neither side was willing to back down over the U.S. presence in Berlin

Khrushchev saw Kennedy’s inexperience as a weakness to be exploited and so reissued the 6 month ultimatum,confident Kennedy would back down

Question 13

Kennedy’s response to the ultimatum

Answer 13

Declared he would not remove troops and started preparing America for war - committing $3.2 billion on defence spending

An extra $207 million spent on building nuclear fallout shelters - stalemate had been reached

Question 14

What happened at the Paris summit in May 1960 ?

Answer 14

Just before the conference the USSR shot down a US spy plane over Russia and captured the pilot

Khrushchev walked out of the meeting in protest when Eisenhower refused to apologise

Question 15

When was the vienna Conference

Answer 15

June 1961

Question 16

When did John.F. Kennedy become president ?

Answer 16

January 1961

Question 17

What happened at the Vienna conference ?

Answer 17

Neither side was willing to back down to over US presence in Berlin

Khrushchev saw Kennedy’s inexperience as a weakness to be exploited and confident that he would back down, he reissued the ultimatum

Question 18

What was Kennedy’s response to the ultimatum ?

Answer 18

He refused to back down and declared he would not remove troops

He also started preparing America for war by committing $3.2 billion on defence spending and an extra $207 million on building nuclear fallout shelters - stalemate was reached

Question 19

What was Khrushchev’s solution to the refugee problem ?

Answer 19

To build a wall separating East and West Berlin - making it impossible for E.Germans to escape to the West

Question 20

When did East German troops secretly erect a barbed wire fence around the whole of West Berlin? - what would become the Berlin wall

Answer 20

12 August 1961 ?

Question 21

What happened on the 27th October 1961 ?

Answer 21

Soviet tanks were deployed to block further Western access to the East, causing a day-long stand-off with US tanks

After 18 hours the tanks began to pull back and the crisis had passed

Question 22

Impacts of the Berlin wall

Answer 22

• it stopped E.Germans escaping to the West and stopped refugee crisis
• allowed Khrushchev to avoid war with US while still appearing strong
• became a powerful symbol of the division of Germany and the division of Europe

Question 23

When did Kennedy tour West Berlin and what did it allow West Berlin to become the symbol of ?

Answer 23

1963 - West Berlin became a symbol of freedom

Question 24

Arms race 1945-61

Answer 24

USA had nuclear weapons in Italy, U.K., France, and Turkey that could accurately hit Moscow. USSR did not have any nuclear weapons close enough to the USA to be accurately fired.

Question 25

When was the Cuban revolution ? And what happened ?

Answer 25

1959 - Cuban people overthrew the pro-American government and became communist (USA owned 80% of Cuban Land)

The new revolutionary regime was lead by Castro and wanted greater independence from USA

America banned the import of Cuban sugar threatening the Cuban economy

Castro quickly became an ally of Khrushchev, which worried America as Cuba was only 90 miles from USA soil

Question 26

The Bay of Pigs invasion

Answer 26

17 th April 1961
The CIA convinced Kennedy that they could remove Castro and make it look like a Cuban revolt and put Batista (old corrupt ruler of Cuba who was loyal to USA) back into power. This ‘secret’ plan was actually known to Castro’s government, the invasion was a total failure

Question 27

Why was the Bay of pigs a disaster ?

Answer 27

The cuban-exile army of only 1400 were up against about 20,000 of Castro’s troops
Kennedy sent in Planes but it was too late - Exiles surrendered

It ended any chance that the USA and Cuba might negotiate a friendly relationship

Question 28

Soviet missiles in Cuba

Answer 28

In August 1961 Soviet nuclear weapons were placed in Cuba after Castro asked for Khrushchev’s help - in striking range of the USA, balancing The US presence in Turkey

Question 29

How did the USA learn of Khrushchev’s plan to put nuclear bases on Cuba ?

Answer 29

American spy planes had been watching Cuba

Question 30

When and what was the thirteen days ?

Answer 30

Period in 1962 between the 16-28th at the height of the Cuban missile crisis during which there seemed the greatest threat of nuclear war

Question 31

Key events of the Thirteen Days

Answer 31

16th October - Kennedy is informed about nuclear missiles on Cuba
20th October - Kennedy imposes naval blockade around Cuba
22nd October - Kennedy calls on Khrushchev to withdraw ships
23rd October - Khrushchev sends letter to Kennedy saying that Soviet ships will break the blockade
24th October - Soviet ships approach blockade (500 miles from Cuba) Khrushchev issues a statement that the USSR is prepared to go to launch nuclear weapons if Us goes to war
25th October - American and soviet forces are on high alert. Kennedy writes to Khrushchev asking him to withdraw missiles from Cuba
26th October - Khrushchev promises to withdraw nuclear weapons if USA doesn’t invade Cuba
27th October - Khrushchev receives intelligence that the USA is planning to invade and purposes that the US are now to also withdraw nuclear missiles in Turkey.
Robert Kennedy accepts Khrushchev’s deal but demands that the withdrawal of missiles from turkey be kept secret
28th October - Khrushchev accepts this secret deal

Question 32

Immediate consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis

Answer 32

• A ‘hotline’ was set up in June 1963 between the President and Russian Premier
• In August 1963 the LIMITED TEST BAN TREATY was enforced in which testing of nuclear weapons in space, sea and above ground was banned (underground testing still permitted)
• The beginning of detente - signalled in Kennedy’s speech of June 1963 where he argued both superpowers needed to focus on their “common interests”

Question 33

Long term consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis

Answer 33

• Soviet caught up with the USA in the Arms race bringing stability through Mutually assured destruction (MAD)
• France left NATO

Question 34

Czechoslovakian opposition to soviet control

Answer 34

Czechoslovakia was a satellite state run by Novotny
Still run by the oppressive secret police in 1960s
Economy was struggling = declining standard of living during the 1960s

Question 35

When did Dubcek become the Communist party leader in Czechoslovakia ?

Answer 35

5 January 1968

Question 36

Prague Spring reforms

Answer 36

Dubcek wanted to reform communism that allowed more freedom and was less oppressive - these liberal changes were brought about in April 1968
“Socialism with a human face”
Reforms weakened soviet control over Czech and Brezhnev doctrine (1968) could not allow this, so he had to invade, putting Novotny back in power

Question 37

What reforms did Dubcek introduce ?

Answer 37

• relaxation of press censorship
• legalisation of political opposition groups
• official government toleration of political criticism
• more power to regional governments
• more power to Czech parliament
• REINTRODUCTION OF CAPITALIST ELEMENTS INTO CZECH ECONOMY

Question 38

What did the Brezhnev doctrine state ?

Answer 38

The USSR had the right to invade any country in Eastern Europe who’s actions appeared to threaten the security of the whole eastern bloc

Question 39

When did the invasion of Czechoslovakia begin ?

Answer 39

Tanks first rolled in on the evening of the 20 August 1968

Dubcek was arrested and taken to Moscow for betraying socialism and forced to sign the Moscow Protocol which would reintroduce censorship and remove political opposition from Czech

Question 40

America’s response to Czechoslovakia

Answer 40

It publicly condemned the invasion but offered no military support as it wasn’t spreading communism (Truman doctrine) and did not want retaliation

Question 41

Western European response to Czechoslovakia

Answer 41

Publicly condemned the invasion but offered no military help

Communist parties in Italy and France were outraged by the invasion and declared themselves independent of Soviet communist party - creating rival forms of European communism (Soviet communism & Eurocommunism) - Soviet communism lost authority and support

Question 42

Eastern European response to Czechoslovakia

Answer 42

Yugoslavian and Romanian governments condemned the invasion and distanced themselves from the Soviet Union - they later formed alliances with China

East German and Polish governments welcomed the Soviet response