Cold War Flashcards

Question

Two effects of the Berlin Wall on relations between the Superpowers

Answer 1

**Worsened relationship between US and SU** - Khrushchev had closed the border without consulting the USA - Since people who wanted to escape communism were no longer able to do so, this seemed to the US like an example of the SU trying to spread communism worldwide - On the other hand, Khrushchev now realised that he had to "lock" people into East Germany to make them stay, and they seemed to prefer communism over capitalism - Proved to Khrushchev that the West had successfully "indoctrinated" people to capitalist ideologies and that he had to take more decisive measures into stopping people from turning to capitalism **Made Kennedy more confident in handling Khrushchev and the SU** - The Wall showed that Khrushchev had been forced to accept Western control in West Berlin - Khrushchev didn't think that he could get away with bullying Kennedy anymore, as he had thought that Kennedy's wealth and inexperience made him ignorant to how the real world worked - West Berlin became a symbol of freedom and defiance against communism, and this improved Kennedy's reputation following his failure in the Bay of Pigs invasion - West Berliners treated Kennedy as an idol when he visited Berlin in '63 to make his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech - This would continue as he gained success in the Cuban Missile Crisis

Answer 2

Date: 1961 **Humiliating and embarrassing failure for the USA** - Kennedy had originally planned with the CIA to train a group of Cuban exiles to launch an invasion to overthrow Castro (the new pro-communist dictator of Cuba) as he didn't want communist allies near US territory - Failed because volunteers had little military experience and Castro had already found out about the invasion - USA seemed hypocritical as they had previously accused the SU of trying to build an empire in Eastern Europe, and now it looked like the Americans were doing the same thing in a country which was happy under a communist, non-corrupt leadership - Did the opposite of what was intended to happen: Cuba was now a firm ally of the SU **Stronger relations between Cuba and Soviet Union** - Previously, Castro had begun appointing communists to his new government and had made a deal with the SU in which Khrushchev agreed to buy Cuban sugar and provide economic aid - Castro declared himself to be a communist and asked Khrushchev to help him defend Cuba from future US attacks - Khrushchev announced that he'd provide arms to Cuba - Newly established trust allowed Castro to let Khrushchev build missile launch sites in Cuba to deter any future invasion attempt **Worsened relations between Cuba and USA** - Relations had already been deteriorating prior to the invasion, as Castro and accommodates had overthrown the corrupt pro-American government - Eisenhower was concerned as American businesses had invested heavily in Cuba and much of its land were owned by Americans - Americans cut diplomatic relations with Cuba and events of the invasion further increased hostility, as Cuba was now a SU ally - Now that Cuba would have modern military equipment and training from the SU, it became very worrying as it was very close to American territory and the USA would be under direct threat if nuclear bombs were to be placed

Answer 3

Date: 1962 **Bay of Pigs invasion** - Kennedy had originally planned with the CIA to train a group of Cuban exiles to launch an invasion to overthrow Castro (the new pro-communist dictator of Cuba) as he didn't want communist allies near US territory - Failed because volunteers had little military experience and Castro had already found out about the invasion - This increased suspicion between the US and Cuba, so Castro declared himself to be a communist and asked Khrushchev to help him defend Cuba from future US attacks - As a result, Castro agreed to Khrushchev building missile launch sites which could protect Cuba from future US invasions - The discovery of the launch sites by an American U2 plane caused Americans to worry as the missiles were within range of most US cities - Without the creation of the launch sites, which were in close proximity to America, fear would not have been garnered as this directly concerned the lives of US citizens and the world if nuclear warfare were to happen **Missiles placed in Cuba and Turkey** - NATO had missiles based in Turkey, which was in close proximity to the Soviet Union - This was threatening to the SU as the missiles could easily destroy most Soviet territory, and was a danger to Soviet security established by the creation of satellite states and the Warsaw Pact - Since the SU had developed nuclear technology as powerful as the US had in the nuclear arms race, Khrushchev wanted Kennedy to feel what it was like to be under threat - He wished to use this to pressure Kennedy into removing Turkish missiles - This was highly provocative to the US, and the threat of having powerful missiles placed in such short distances to both nations quickly spiraled into fear of mutually assured destruction in the face of nuclear warfare **Khrushchev's personal ambitions** - The building of the Berlin Wall was presented by many Soviet critics as a failure for Khrushchev - Khrushchev did not want to lose popularity so if he could outwit Kennedy over Cuba, it would restore his reputation - He may have decided to put bases in Cuba as he feared another American attack, and if the Americans overthrew Castro, this would be seen as another defeat for communism - This is because events of the '61 Berlin crisis demonstrated that people were choosing capitalism over communism - Putting missiles in Cuba would reassert his power and make him seem more critical and decisive in his foreign policies

Answer 4

- ExComm was called together by Kennedy and met every day for 13 days to discuss how the USA should react - Kennedy decided not to launch an attack, but instead he set up a naval blockade around Cuba, where no ships would be allowed to pass through without US permission - Kennedy knew that Americans expected Soviets to ignore the blockade, which would result in war, so he prepared 54 bombers equipped with nuclear warheads to anticipate the worst - Khrushchev did not want to start a nuclear war so he ordered Soviet ships to turn around, but the Americans didn't know this until one day after the Soviet ships retreated - The SU agreed to remove Cuban missiles in return of the US not invading Cuba through telegrams, and the US later agreed to remove Turkish missiles in a secret deal

Answer 5

**Khrushchev refused to break the blockade** - Wanted to take action without starting a nuclear war, so the US did not attack but set up a naval blockade around Cuba - Many Americans expected the SU to ignore it, then the US would have to sink their ships and war would follow. Kennedy had prepared 54 bombers in case war broke out - However, Khrushchev also did not want to start a nuclear war, and ordered the ships to turn around - When the US heard of this, they were extremely relieved, and even more eager to peacefully resolve the situation **The USA agreed to move missiles from Turkey** - NATO had missiles based in Turkey, a short distance from the SU. Wanting to make the US feel what it was like to be under threat was one of the reasons the SU put missiles in Cuba - Khrushchev sent a telegram offering to remove the missiles if US missiles in Turkey were also removed. Kennedy agreed - Robert, Kennedy's brother, had met the Soviet ambassador in Washington the day before and agreed to remove the Turkish missiles, but this part of the deal was kept secret - Now that neither side felt threatened, they were more willing to come to an agreement **Kennedy refused to bomb Cuba** - An American U-2 plane was shot down over Cuba, and the Hawks demanded military action, but Kennedy refused to - Instead, as well as agreeing to Khrushchev's proposal, he promised not to invade Cuba - This showed Khrushchev that Kennedy did not want to cause war any more than he did, improving their relations

Answer 6

Date: 1968-69 **Opposition to Soviet control** - Life under communist rule was difficult for the Czechs - Had no freedom of speech, had high censorship and the economy was run for the benefit of the Soviet Union - Purges were conducted and victims included military leaders, Catholics, Jews and even high-ranking communists - Protests and student demonstrations showed how unhappy the people were with low QoL and the unpopularity of the government - Because of this, the Soviets elected Dubcek to replace the previous leader (Gottwald) and trusted him to make the government less unpopular and more effective **Dubcek** - Dubcek was a devoted communist who believed that communist governments should offer "socialism with a human face" - A series of reforms were introduced (known as the Prague Spring), which included relaxing censorship, allowing criticism of government actions and giving more power to the Czech regional governments - Brezhnev disapproved of many of the proposed measures as they would lose control over Czechoslovakia, and other countries would want to follow **Warsaw Pact** - The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance established by the SU in response to the creation of NATO - Like NATO, if one country in the pact was invaded, other members would have to send military support - SU used the Warsaw Pact as an excuse to establish control over its satellite states, and members had little say in what to do (were essentially following SU lead) - Was important for establishing Soviet security as the West and NATO poised as threats to the SU - At the time, Romania was refusing to attend Warsaw Pact meetings and the Yugoslavian leader, Tito, refused to accept control from Moscow - If Czechoslovakia tried to break away like Hungary, the SU's buffer zone would lose members and thus its security would be destroyed - Was the main reason why Brezhnev was so worried: he couldn't allow there to be any threat to SU security **SU knew that the US wouldn't do shit about the invasion** - The USA was involved in a costly war in North Vietnam and was beginning to adopt a less confrontational approach towards the Soviet Union - Like Hungary, the USA's policy of containment meant that even though they would encourage Eastern European citizens to rebel against their communist governments, they weren't ready to deal with the affairs of already communist countries - The Hungarian crisis was evidence that the USA would not do anything about the invasion so Brezhnev knew that there would be no risk in invading Czechoslovakia

Answer 7

- Brezhnev ordered Warsaw Pact troops to carry out manoeuvres in Czechoslovakia to threaten Dubcek - 500,000 troops invaded Czechoslovakia after Dubcek invited Romanian and Yugoslavian leaders to Prague for talks - Little opposition faced and Czech people couldn't do much against a powerful army, but there were some individual acts of bravery - Invading forces were told that they were invited to help restore law and order by the Czech government, and were shocked by hostility encountered - Dubcek was arrested and threatened to reverse his reformed, but was removed from office and replaced by Husak, an extreme communist

Answer 8

**Brezhnev Doctrine** - SU justified the invasion as necessary to protect the unity of the communist movement in Europe - Brezhnev did not want the same thing to happen again, as the Hungarian Crisis and now the invasion of Czechoslovakia showed how risky it was to let more liberal leaders come into power in satellite states - Stated in an article (which is now known as the Brezhnev Doctrinne) that actions of any individual communist country affected all communist countries, and that it was the duty of other countries to take steps to stop those actions - Expressed that all communist countries would be prevented from introducing reforms to make their country more liberal **Worsened relations between the SU and other communist parties** - Yugoslavia and Romania condemned the Soviet invasion, straining relations between their governments and Moscow - Communist parties of Italy and France cut links to Moscow - China denounced the invasion and said that the SU had betrayed their communist comrades, and the Soviet action was dubbed as a sign of Soviet socialist imperialism, socialist fascism and colonialism **Worsened relations between the SU and US** - USA and other Western governments were angered by the invasion and many of them made strong protests to the Soviet Union - An attempt to pass a formal resolution critisising the invasions in the UN was made, but was vetoed by the SU

Answer 9

Date: 30 Aug 1963 **Improved relations between the US and the SU** - Cuban Missile Crisis showed how easy it was for leaders to lose control of events, and the US and SU were dangerously close to all-out nuclear war - The following highly tense diplomatic exchange was plagued by delays caused by slow and tedious communication systems, so they considered ways to reduce the threat of nuclear war - Immediately after the crisis, a system of direct communication (a "hotline") was established between the White House and the Kremlin, so messages could be sent within minutes instead of hours and didn't have to be bounced between several countries - Allowed for discussion in times of crisis and prevent any misunderstanding. Showed that the US and SU were willing to work together, and was one of the factors that led to the thaw idk lol the chapter is so short

Answer 10

Date: 1963 **Reduced the risk of radioactive fallout** - USA and SU had carried out tests in the atmosphere, but both grew worried about contaminating the environment as scientific understanding of the dangers of radioactive fallout increased - LTBT was drawn up, and the three countries agreed not to carry out any nuclear explosion in any environment if the explosion would cause radioactive debris to be present outside the borders of the state conducting the explosion - These limitations would ensure that nuclear testing would be much safer from then on **Improved relations between the US, SU, and Britain** - Treaty showed that all three countries wanted the same thing: to reduce the risk of nuclear war - Signing the treaty showed that the three could work together to reach an agreement - Limitations also slowed the development of nuclear weapons, which slowed the arms race as a result, so the SU and US were less focused on competing

Answer 11

Date: 1967 **Improved relations between the US, SU, and Britain** - USA and SU had carried out tests in the atmosphere, but both grew worried about contaminating space as scientific understanding of the dangers of radioactive fallout increased - Outer Space Treaty was drawn up by the US, SU, and Britain, which prevented the arms race from spreading into space - Showed that the three could work together to reach an agreement **Ensured that space would be a peaceful zone** - Terms stopped space from being used for military purposes, and that states should not place nuclear weapons in orbit or on celestial bodies - Set out that no one could claim to own the Moon, stating that it, and other planets, should be used exclusively for peaceful purposes - Made sure that exploration and use of outer space would be carried out for the benefit of all countries

Answer 12

Date: 1968 **Prevented the spread of nuclear weapons** - Divided countries into nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states - Stated that NWS would work towards disarmament and play no part in helping other nations develop such weapons, and the NNWS agreed not to be involved in developing nuclear weapons - SU, US, Britain, and 59 other states signed, so the development of nuclear weapons was slowed **Improved relations between the US, SU, and Britain** - Cuban Missile crisis showed how easy it was for leaders to lose control of events - Worried that the risk of all-out nuclear war was increasing and considered ways to reduce the risk - The fact that all three countries signed the treaty showed that they could work together to reach an agreement, and none of them wanted a nuclear war

Answer 13

**US and SU** - Though treaties in the 60s seem positive, actual relations were abysmal, however, it did show a thaw in the relations - By the end of 1960s, more attempts at stable relationships were being made, and détente was sought for by both parties - 1968, Nixon was determined to stop the Vietnam War, which costed billions and 60,000 soldiers’ lives. The war showed that military might wasn’t the best, and that war was unpopular within the US itself. Many Americans thought the US should be less active in international affairs - Many social problems also arose due to the cost of war, and urban rioting was high due to the death of MLK. Less money was spent on weapons and more on solving social problems - Nixon himself was more interested in foreign policy than domestic affairs, and wanted to establish relations with China. The growing power of China was worrying and two communist countries against the US was a major threat - SU thought they had the power to be equal with USA, so they hoped to be recognised as in control over East Europe. Soviets were facing economic problems and wanted to cut spending on weapons for raising living standards. Almost 30% of its GDP were spent on defence, so they were falling behind on other aspect like technology **The role of China** - Nixon was worried that the SU and China would reach an agreement, but relations were actually worsening. 1 Oct 1949, communists won the civil war and Mao became the new leader - Mao visited Moscow in 1950 to sign the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance. Though the Chinese government seemed friendly, Mao was offended by treatment Chinese delegates had received in Moscow. Despite this, they worked together in the Korean War - Relations declined further when Khrushchev replaced Stalin in 1953. Mao did not like the De-Stalinization speech and viewed peaceful coexistence as a betrayal to communism - 1958, Khrushchev visited Beijing, but the leaders did not get on and he later criticised Mao’s policies. Mao accused Khrushchev of cowardice during the Cuban Missile crisis, and that the invasion of Czech was an attack on a fellow communist state. Mao was concerned that the SU would attack - 1969, fighting broke out between troops along the Chinese-Soviet border and there was a genuine risk of all-out war. As a result, Mao was friendlier to the SU's rival, the USA - Back in 1949, relations were really poor especially due to the Korean War and threat to Taiwan. However by 1969, American and Chinese joint suspicions of the Soviets led to them seeking to improve relations - Apr 1971, American Table Tennis team was invited to China to play after a cordial meeting in the Japanese world championships. Henry Kissinger, the US secretary of State also went to China where he and the Chinese Prime Minister met and established friendly relationships which led to Nixon’s visitation to China - Feb 1972, Mao and Nixon signed the Shanghai Communique where they agreed to peacefully resolve the Taiwan problem **Ostpolitik** - Improving relations between the East and West were happening in Europe. Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia worried many politicians, so Willy Brandt chancellor of Germany enacted Ostpolitik, an attempt to ease tensions in Europe by establishing links between the two sides

Answer 14

Date: 1972 **Restrictions placed on weapon usage** - Nuclear bombs had been the subject of earlier conflicts (e.g. Cuban Missile Crisis, arms race) - The CMC had demonstrated how dangerous it could be if the USA continued to follow a policy of brinkmanship with mutually assured destruction happening - Therefore, to decrease tensions and to decrease the threat of nuclear bombs to the world, a series of treaties were signed after difficult negotiations between the US and SU - E.g. ABM (each country only allowed 100 ABMs each), Interim treaty (restrictions on the number of ICBMs) and Basic Principles Agreement (rules for conduct of nuclear warfare) **Improved SU-US (hehe sus) relations** - USA and SU wanted to reach agreement and wanted to demonstrate better relations publicly - This was because the two countries did not want to continue their rivalry - the US because of Nixon's ambitions and SU because of increased military expenditure - and sought to reach Detente - After signing SALT 1, Brezhnev and Nixon visited each other and negotiations began for SALT 2 to reach agreements that hadn't been reached - It seemed like the two nations could finally gain truce and put aside their rivalry after over 70 years of conflict

Cold War Flashcards

(38 cards)