Ch 1.5 Flashcards
(44 cards)
1
Q
What did NATO stand for ?
A
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
2
Q
When was NATO set up ?
A
It was et up in 1949
3
Q
What is NATO ?
A
- It was a military alliance made up of the United States, Britain, Canada, Holland, Belgium, France, Denmark and Norway.
- West Germany joined in 1955.
NATO was a military alliance based around the principle of collective security; if one country was attacked other countries had to assist it. - It was directed against a possible military attack form the USSR on Western Europe
4
Q
What was the significance of NATO ?
A
- NATO showed that, after the Berlin Blockade and the Soviet Union’s own development of the atomic bomb, neither the United States nor Western European governments were prepared to accept future Soviet aggression.
- The Soviet Union therefore turned to strengthening its control over Eastern Europe, resulting in the formation of the Warsaw Pact in 1955.
- There were now two military alliances, NATO and the Warsaw Pact, facing each other across the Iron Curtain.
5
Q
What did the Allies agree about Germany ?
A
- The allies were unable to agree about Germany’s future
- A short-term solution was agreed at Potsdam to divide the country and its capital ( Berlin ) into zones of military occupation
6
Q
How was Germany split ?
A
- The ESA, Britain and France are given West Germany and West Berlin
- The USSR was given East Europe and East Berlin
7
Q
What did the USA want in Germany ?
A
The USA wanted a united, capitalist Germany that it could trade with and would help prevent the spread of communism.
8
Q
What did the Soviet Union want in Germany ?
A
The Soviet Union wanted Germany to be weak, communist and divided, so that it would never be able to attack the Soviet Union again.
9
Q
What was Bizonia ?
A
- Bizonia is the zone that was created when the British and the US joined together ( the area was included in the Marshall plan )
10
Q
What was trizonia ?
A
The zone that was created when France joined with Us and Britain, this made up all of West Germany
11
Q
What did the Soviet Union think of Bizonia ?
A
- This was not popular with the Soviet Union, as Stalin was not consulted.
- He thought Bizonia went against the agreements made at the Potsdam Conference, and he suspected the USA was aiming to permanently divide richer Western Germany from poorer Eastern Germany.
12
Q
What did the Soviet Union do in eastern Germany ?
A
- The Soviet Union had 1.5 million troops in its zone, whereas the Western countries had sent most of their troops home.
- Eastern Germany grew almost all the food that West Berlin ate.
13
Q
How war Berlin divided ?
A
Berlin was deep in Soviet-controlled Germany, and divided into US, British, French and Soviet zones.
14
Q
What was the Berlin blockade ?
A
- Stalin knew that Western-occupied zones in Berlin were vulnerable as they were surrounded by Soviet-occupied territory
- In June 1948 the Soviet Union closed all road, rail and canal links into West Berlin to force British, French and US troops to leave their zone in the city.
- The Soviet Union blocked all supplies into Berlin to show it had the power to show USA, Britain and France that a divided Germany would not work
15
Q
What was the Berlin airlift ?
A
- West Berlin couldn’t last for many days without supplies. It looked like the Western powers would have to pull out of Berlin. That would look weak, undermining the USA’s image in particular.
- So Western powers responded with an airlift - between 26 June 1948 and 30 September 1949 thousands of tones of supplies were flown daily into Berlin.
16
Q
What were the consequences of the Berlin airlift for West Germany ?
A
- The Berlin Airlift made the USA appear peaceful and generous.
- In September 1949, West Germany (FRG) was officially formed, with US support.
17
Q
What were the consequences of the Berlin airlift for the USSR ?
A
- The Berlin Blockade made the Soviet Union appear aggressive and threatening.
- In October 1949, East Germany (GDR) was officially formed.
18
Q
What is the timeline of the nuclear arms race ?
A
- 1945 - US drops two atomic bombs on Japanese cities
- 1949 - Soviet Union tests its first atomic bomb
- 1952 - USA develops H-bomb ( hydrogen bomb that 1000 times more powerful that atomic bomb )
- 1953 - Soviet Union develops H-bombs
1957 - Use tests inter-continental ballistic missile - 1957 - USSR makes first successful ICMB launch
19
Q
What led to the arms race ?
A
- Disagreements over how Germany should be governed had helped divide Europe into two camps by 1949
- Tensions were then increased when they battled for military supremacy
20
Q
What did the arms race result in ?
A
- It led to the USA and USSR having so many nuclear weapons by the earl 1950 s that they had enough to destroy the world many times over
21
Q
What did MAD as a result of the arms race lead to ?
A
- This led to changed thinking about war
- Before armed forces and weapons were made to win wars while now when either side understood the risk involved when using nuclear weapons they acted as a deterrent ( develop to stop other side form going to war )
22
Q
What is a deterrent ?
A
A force that prevents something form happening
23
Q
Explain the significance of the nuclear arms race ?
A
- Up to 1949, the United States thought it could use its monopoly of nuclear weapons to deter Soviet attack.
- This meant that US military figures, such as Curtis LeMay and Douglas MacArthur, decided that the best strategy in the event of war with the Soviet Union was to use nuclear weapons.
- However, by the mid 1950s the development of nuclear weapons to include bigger warheads and missile delivery systems meant that any nuclear war would destroy both sides resulting in Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).
- This meant any military confrontation between both sides could rapidly escalate to nuclear war.
- This meant that the USA and the Soviet Union had to find ways of stopping disputes between them turning into dangerous wars that involved nuclear weapons.
24
Q
When was the Warsaw Pact set up ?
A
It was set up on 14 May 1955
following West Germany’s entry into NATO on 9 May 1955
25
What was the Warsaw Pact ?
The Warsaw Pact was a collective defence treaty involving the Soviet Union, Poland, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Albania and Bulgaria.
26
What was the significance of the Warsaw Pact ?
- The formation of the Warsaw Pact meant there were now two opposing alliances in Europe separated by the Iron Curtain.
- Both alliances planned for military action against the other, including the use of nuclear and conventional weapons.
- The Warsaw Pact gave the Soviet Union direct control over the armed forces of its satellite states, thus strengthening its grip on
Eastern Europe.
27
Who took Stalins pace after he died ?
Khrushchev
28
What were the impacts of the Soviet's rule on Hungary ?
- Hungary suffered a lot under
Stalin's control.
- Food and industrial products were shipped off to Russia = food shortages and poor harvests
- Lack of political freedom / all opposition was wiped out
- Matyas Rakosi was a brutal ruler. He called himself 'Stalin's best pupil' but was known as the 'Bald Butcher'
- Communist rule became very unpopular.
29
Who took over from Truman ?
Eisenhower
30
What were Eisenhowers beliefs/ ideology ?
- He was strongly anti-Communist
- He was determined to block any attempts of communist expansion but was also ware of dangers of nuclear weapons
- Therefore he was open USSR proposals that there should be talks to improve relations between the two superpowers
31
What caused Hungarian's to start rioting/protest against communist control ?
Poor harvests, food shortages as well as lack of political freedom
32
How did Hungarian's riot against communist rule from USSR ?
They pulled down Stalin's statues and local communists attacked
33
What did Khrushchev do in response to the Hungarian riots ?
- Although Soviet troops restored order, Khrushchev also appointed amore liberal Prime Minister - Imre Nagy
- He hoped that his appointment would end the protests
34
Who was Imre Nagy ?
He was a former Prime Minister who believed within the communist regime but still believed there should be personal freedoms
35
What reforms did Nagy want in Hungary ?
- Leave the Warsaw Pact and become a neutral country.
- Hold free elections leading to no more single-party communist government.
- UN protection from the Soviet Union.
36
What did Nagy do days after his appointment ?
- Authorised immediate release any political prisoners
- He reorganised the Hungarian government to include members of non-communist parties ending the one-party start in Hungary
- Persuaded Khrushchev to withdraw troops from Hungary
37
Why did Khrushchev accept these reforms but not Nagy wanting to break away from the Warsaw Pact ?
- He was ready to accept the reforms proposed as long as it settled the unrest in Hungary
- He couldn't however accept Hungary trying to break away from eh Warsaw pact because this could cause other countries to want to follow putting the 'buffer zone' created from the USSR's protection under threat
38
What did Khrushchev fear as a result of Nagy's reforms ?
- Khrushchev disapproved of Nagy's reforms and proposals. If Hungary left the Warsaw Pact, other countries would soon follow.
- Khrushchev worried that Nagy's actions threatened communist rule. He claimed communists were being slaughtered in Hungary. This may have been propaganda, but a number of Hungarian communists had been killed and members of the state security forces, the AVH, attacked in the violence of October 1956, which took place in Budapest and other Hungarian towns and cities. Khrushchev feared the unrest would spread to other satellite states.
39
What did Khrushchev do to combat the unrest in Hungary ?
On 4 November 1956, Khrushchev sent 200 000 Soviet troops into Hungary
40
What happened in regards to the Soviet Invasion in Hungry ?
- Up to 20,000 Hungarians were killed as a result of the invasion, and around 1000 Soviet troops. Many Hungarian soldiers loyal to Nagy and the revolution fought against Soviet troops.
- Nagy and his government were deposed.
- Imre Nagy was arrested, tried and executed. Khrushchev wanted to prevent rebellions in other communist countries, such as Poland, and hoped he could do so by making an example of Nagy.
- A new leader, Janos Kadar, was appointed.
41
What did Nagy expect when he proposed the Warsaw pact ?
- Expected support from USA and other Western Nations
42
Why did Nagy expect USA to help in Hungarian uprising ?
- Radio free Europe ( US government-funded radio station ) regularly urged people to stand up against communism
- USA offered financial aid through Marshall Plan
43
Why did the USA do in response to Hungarian uprising ?
- Did not send any military support
- While it may use military force to stop the spread of communism, it did not want to interfere in affairs of an already communist country
- Feared it would trigger a military war and would result in destruction of both sides
44
What were the consequences of USA's lack of action in response to the Hungarian uprising ?
- Satellite states saw that USA would not defend them against USSR
- This retightened Soviet control across Europe and made Khrushchev's position in the uSSr much more strong/secure
- Made the USA look bad, not back up their won word
- Decreased relations between two superpowers
