Britain & The Cold War (1970s)

Question 1

Thatcher’s ‘Iron Lady’ (1976)

Answer 1

• Before Thatcher became PM, she gave her “Britain Awake” foreign policy speech
• The speech attacked the Soviet Union saying it was “bent on world dominance”
• Soviet Army journal ‘Red Star’ reported her stance and it headlined “Iron Lady Raises Fears”
• This alluded to her remarks on the Iron Curtain
• Sunday Times covered this and Thatcher embraced the name

Question 2

Georgi Markov’s Assassination (1978)

Answer 2

• Underlying tensions remained due to fears about the USSR’s influence and control over Europe
• Markov was a Bulgarian who defected to the West in 1969
• He outspokenly criticised the Bulgarian Communist regime
• Markov was assassinated in London, 1978, supposedly by a poisonous pellet fired from an umbrella
• The KGB were suspected of being behind the assassination but it was never proven

Question 3

Britain’s Cold War Relations with the USSR

Answer 3

• After the tensions of the Cuban Missile Crisis, US and USSR tried to prevent this from happening again by establishing a direct contact
• Led to creation of the ‘hot-line’
• Regular meetings called ‘summits’ took place
• Eventual agreement to limit the Cold War nuclear arms race, shown in 1972 SALT 1 and the 1975 Helsinki Accords
• Iron Lady
• G. Markov assassination
• Invasion of Afghanistan (1979): Soviets invaded and occupied Afghanistan to support the Communist gov, US’s CIA covertly armed the Mujahideen to fight the Soviets
• Purchase of Trident Missiles: Callaghan negotiated with the US to replace Polaris with Trident

Question 4

Britain’s Cold War Relations with China

Answer 4

• Early 1970s, relations between China, US and Western Europe (Britain) were strained due to the communist revolution in 1949
• Mao Zedong supported the spread of Communism causing further tension China and the West
• Soviet-Sino Split: Growing friction between China and the USSR over who would lead the Communist world, led Zedong to reproach the US
• 1971: Nixon visits China, improved relations between US and China
• 1972: Heath follows US and also visits China visited the country 26 times in 27 years
• Heath later served as Thatcher’s personal envoy to China
• Premier Hua Guofeng’s Visit: First visit to Britain by a Chinese leader since their communist revolution, Thatcher graciously received the Chinese leader, friendly talks included Chinese territory of Hong Kong which was a British Overseas Territory at the time