Khrushev In Power Flashcards
(14 cards)
What year did Stalin die?
March 1953
Who ascended to power after Stalins death.
Nikita Khrushchev in 1955
What ways did Khrushchev show cooperation with the United States
Khrushchev beloved that capitalism was inherently flawed and doomed to fail. As such he wanted peaceful coexistence with the west. One of the ways he portrayed this was by introducing de-Stalinisation, this was the removing of Stalins cult of personality and influence over the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
He also withdrew troops from Finland to show his motivation for peaceful coexistence.
Why by 1955 were US-Soviet relations improving.
Khrushchev wanted peaceful coexistence with the west in order to secure the Soviet Union
The removal of soviet troops from Finland and Austria
Stalin had died and Khrushchev was less interested in soviet dominance over Europe
The Korean War had ended in 1953
Brinksmanship on behalf of America meant no direct intervention between the two countries.
Why was the Geneva conference only a partial success?
It was successful as it was the first meeting between the 2 super powers since the conclusion of world war 2
The Austrian treaty that allowed Austrian neutrality was decided
However very little else was decided:
The soviets wanted to disband NATO which was impossible and the Americans proposed the open skies policy. Again this was impossible despite the US sending U2 spy planes over anyway.
Briefly describe the East German rebellion in 1953
The German workers were angry at poor pay and conditions. This led to a rebellion in Berlin that spread across east Germany. The soviets had to use the red army to squash the rebellion and did not meet any of the workers demands. Although the government was more sympathetic many moved from east to west across the border because of the dispute.
How did Khrushchev policy’s destabilise Eastern Europe.
Khrushchev hopes that denouncing Stalin would generate sympathy but by removing the terror people were more likely to revolt. Khrushev had been friendly with Tito and Yugoslavia who were independent of soviet control despite being communist. This meant that other country’s most notably Hungary and Poland wanted the same and to be free of Soviet control.
Briefly describe the polish uprising in 1956
Khrushev had pardoned 28,000 members of the polish government who had been arrested by Stalin.
There was then an uprising in Poznan against soviet control forcing the army to take control and leading to the deaths of 70 workers. In response the polish government asked for help. In order to appease the workers Gomulka, an arrested hero to many was made leader without soviet permission and began his own destalinsaiotion. Khrushev positioned tanks on the border. However gomulka reassured The soviets by remaining in the war saw pact and in fact became more loyal to the Soviet Union by removing the freedoms granted over time.
Describe the Hungarian uprising
Hungary was governed by Rakoski who was Stalinist. Many intellectuals opposed his rule and as such he was replaced by Imre Nagy who was favoured as a liberal. With rekoskis removal many took to the streets demanding reform. Over 1000 Hungarians were killed by soviet tanks, nagy convinced the tanks to withdraw as he could control the situation. The Hungarians had appeared to have won, and many convinced Nagy to push for complete independence. The soviets sent tanks back to Hungary killing over 20,000 and leading to Nagys execution.
Why didn’t American intervene in Hungary?
The Americans did not know how far ahead or behind the soviets were in the arms race and did not want to start a war. Nagy only wanted independence from The USSR as the country was already communist and as it was located deep within Eastern Europe would be surrounded by communist allies and as such was not defendable. The Suez crisis also diverted American attention.
Explain the Sino Soviet split.
China had become communist and wanted to become a independent superpower. He also admired Stalins use of force. Because of this when khrushev denounced Stalinism he saw it as an indirect threat and called khrushev a revisionist and not a true communist. This caused a divide between the two nations that was increased by the offshore islands crisis. Mao wanted to cause a war between the US and USSR so that China would remain dominate. However as Khrishev wanted peaceful coexistence he refused to help Map proving to the rest of the world a Sino-Soviet split.
What year was the nuclear test ban treaty implemented
1963
What did the treaty outline?
The treaty prohibited the testing of nuclear weapons on land,sea,air and in space. It was designed to limit production and development of new weaponry. Britain, America and the USSR all signed the treaty. The PRC was uninvited as it was seen as the false leaders of China.
What was the bay of pigs invasion.
In 1959 there was a revolution against the Batista dictatorship in Cuba led my nationalist Fidel Castro. Castro was a socialist and the Americans feared a communist country 90 miles from the coast of Florida. In order to stop this, the newly appointed Kennedy green lighted an operation to send in Cuban exiles with CIA training to overthrow the Castro regime. The operation failed as the US had underestimate support for Castro and had a lack of air support. This disgraced Kennedy on the international front.
