1960's : Crisis of the cold war Flashcards
What was the brain drain
skilled workers leaving East Germany to West Germany by travelling through Berlin
What were the causes of the construction of the berlin Wall
-The brain drain : to prevent this
-Life in West Germany was significantly better : more freedom and luxuries
-Krushchev gave Kennedy his Berlin Ultimatum at Vienna Summit (June 1961) which gave the USA 6 months to leave West Berlin
On what day did the USSR began building the wall between East and West Berlin
13th August 1961
What did the USA do to stop the USSR
nothing, apart from sending an official complaint
What were the consequences of the construction of the Berlin wall
-The wall separated families and friends and people’s livelihoods
-The city remained divided for the next 30 years
-Kennedy looked like he had been beaten by Krushchev
-Krushchev looked weak because he had to build a wall
When did Kennedy give a speech to 120,000 West Berliners
1963
What was the USA trade embargo on Cuba
USA refused to buy Cuban sugar as they were becoming communist - USSR agreed to buy it from them improving their relationship
When was the Bay of Pigs invasion
17th April 1961
What was the Bay of pigs invasion
USA’s attempt at over-throwing Fidel Castro. However, it was a disaster as out of the 1500 troops USA sent: 200 were killed and 1197 were captured. The USA and Eisenhower denied involvement
How many times did the CIA try to assassinate Fidel Castro, with all of them being unsuccessful
638 times
On what day did a USA U2 spy plane photograph a USSR missile site in Cuba
14th October 1962
When did Kennedy begin a naval blockade of Cuba
20th October 1962
What DEFCON did Kennedy declare on the 22nd October
DEFCON 3
On what day did USSR’s ships approach the USA blockade - creating a very high level of tension
23rd October
What DEFCON did Kennedy declare on 24th October
DEFCON 2
