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AS History (Cold War) > The End of the Cold War 1985-92 > Flashcards

The End of the Cold War 1985-92 Flashcards

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1
Q

When did the Afghan Communist party overthrow the monarchy?

What did they then begin to do?

A

April 1978

Began a radical reforming programme (educated women, re-distributed land)

Created widespread Islamist opposition

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2
Q

What did the USSR fear would be the result of the widespread Islamist opposition to the reforms of the Afghan Communist party?

A

The development of Islamic fundamentalism in its southern Republics

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3
Q

When did Soviet troops invade Afghanistan?

What did they then do and why?

A

December 1979

Executed their unpopular President Amin and replaced him with Kamal

Hoped Kamal would crush Islamic fundamentalists in a matter of weeks

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4
Q

How many Mujahideen guerilla fighters fought the Soviet occupation, for how long, and where were they based?

Ring any bells?

A

200,000 Mujahideen guerilla fighters fought the Soviets for 10 years in inaccessible mountain territories bordering Pakistan

Similar to the US Vietnam war

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5
Q

What did the US see the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan as?

A

Soviet expansionism

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6
Q

How did President Carter show his dislike for the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan?

A
  1. Suspended grain exports
  2. Boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games
  3. Refused to sign SALT II
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7
Q

How did Reagan proxy-fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan?

Who else was involved?

A
  1. Financially supported the Mujahideen
  2. In 1986 gave ground to air missiles
  3. 1986 shared military intelligence

China also helped

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8
Q

How did Western Europe react to the Afghan War?

A
  • Thatcher: supported US stances
  • France and FRG: tried to maintain detente, merely condemning the invasion verbally
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9
Q

How much of government funds did Reagan spend on armaments between 1981-5

A

30%

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10
Q

When did Reagan announce SDI/Star Wars?

What was it?

A

1983

ABM shield composed of nuclear missiles and lasers in space

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11
Q

When did the USSR mistakenly shoot down a South Korean passenger airliner?

Consequences?

A

1st September 1983

Refused to take responsibility (US had been disguising spy-planes as commercial airliners)

Relations so bad that Andropov feared that an annually scheduled NATO exercise might be a nuclear attack

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12
Q

Describe the difficulties in the succession of Soviet leadership after Andropov

A
  • 1984 - Andropov dies
  • Chernenko becomes leader
  • March 1985 - Chernenko dies
  • Gorbachev becomes leader
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13
Q

What was the Soviet economic system was poor at adapting to?

A

Supplying consumer goods for competitive prices that were readily available in capitalist states

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14
Q

The USSR’s total production was only how much of the US GNP?

Other difficulties/ the reasons?

A

37%

Could not adapt to:

  1. Inflation
  2. Rising oil prices
  3. Global economic depression of the early 1980s
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15
Q

Why weren’t workers motivated to work?

A
  1. Given same wages no matter how hard worked
  2. No feeling of comradeship or working towards good of country​
  3. Poor living conditions, high food prices etc
  4. Knew about corruption in USSR government
    1. ​Far superior living standards to workers
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16
Q

How was worker apathy damaging the economy?

A

Thieving

Low production rates

People took a three day weekend (as a result of…)

Drunkeness

Led to physical degredation

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17
Q

What was Gorbachev’s plan for perestroika?

A

Economic reform:

To increase investment into technology

To decentralise the economy

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18
Q

What was Gorbachev’s plan for Glasnost?

A

Opening politics to the masses:

  • Reduced censorship
    • Investigative journalists could expose disasters like Chernobyl
  • New political organisations estabilished
    • Democratic Union
  • Religion was tolerated
  • Books by former dissedents were published 1988-9
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19
Q

When was the Congress of People’s Deputies established with elections held for it?

Why arguably not so big a deal atm?

A

May 1989

No power at that point

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20
Q

When did Gorbachev cancel Article 6 of the Soviet Constitution?

What were the effects of this?

A

February 1990

Got rid of guarentee of Communist supremacy

In March elections:

Most long-term Communist officials were rejected and

Gorbachev elected first President of USSR

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21
Q

What were Gorbachev’s policies towards disarmament?

Study These Flashcards
A

April 1985 - stopped increasing the number of SS-20 missile installed in E Europe

1986 - At Reykjavik failed to get Reagan to give up on SDI

1987 - At Washington both agreed to withdraw medium-range missiles from Europe

22
Q

When did Soviet troops withdraw from Afghanistan?

Where there any downsides?

Study These Flashcards
A

1989

Peace did not last…

23
Q

How did Gorbachev significantly aid in the Soviet bloc’s disintegration?

Study These Flashcards
A

July 1989

Denounced the Brezhnev Doctrine and encouraged reform in eastern European Communist states

24
Q

Describe the fall of Communism in Poland

Study These Flashcards
A
  • 1988 inflation up to 200%
  • Strikes led Communist party to recognise Solidarity as a trade union. Negotiations began with Solidarity leaders + Catholic Church
  • 7th April 1989 Round Table Agreements
    • Solidarity = political party
    • New constitution created
  • 4th June elections
    • Solidarity won 92/100 seats in Sejm’s upper house
    • 160/161 could win in lower house
  • 16th August Gorbachev made clear would not intervene
  • Removed Communist control of army and police with collapse of Communism in GDR + Czechoslovakia
  • January 1990 Polish Com. Party -> Social Democrat Party
  • November Jaruzelski resigned, Walesa elected president
25
What was the agreement made about Solidarity's position in the Sejm at the Round Table talks?
Could compete for **35%** of **seats** in **lower** Sejm **Upper** house **elected** in free elections **Houses** would jointly **elected** a **president**
26
Which ministerial positions did the Communist party take in the coalition government with Solidarity? Why?
1. Defense 2. Interior 3. Transportation 4. Foreign Trade Plus Jaruzelski = president Because there was dissent within the Communist Party regarding the inclusion of Solidarity in a possible government
27
How did communism fall in Hungary?
* March **1989** **Kader** replaced with **Grosv** - reformist * **Hungarian Socialist Party** transformed into more western **democratic** party (HSP) * March **1990** HSP won less than **11%** of **vote** * **1994** HSP returned to power in **alliance** with **Free Democrats** * **1996** poll HSB were **most popular** party HSP had made a successful transformation into a left-wing social democratic party
28
Why was the Bulgarian leader Zhivkov doomed to be kicked-out in this era of change?
He was **corrupt**: * **Cronyism** * Bought western goods * Access to best **education** for **children** * Receive up to **500%** higher **salary** than other officials * '**Bulgarianisation**' * Explusion of **200,000** ethnic **Turks** * International condemnation
29
What became of Zhivkov?
July **1989** Bulgarian foreign minister **Mladenov** got Gorbachev's permittal for a 'change of direction in Bulgaria' 9 **November** Zhivkov forced to **resign**
30
After Zhivkov's fall, what became of Bulgaria?
* Opposition parties agreed on **free** **elections** for June **1990** * Bulgarian Communist Party -\> BSP * **1992** **BSP** entered a **coalition** government * Dec **1994** BSP narrowly won outright **majority** * **1996-7** BSP **defeated** * Elections called in response to **economic** **crisis** * Sept **1996** fears that the 'ghost of **communism**' was **returning** Bulgaria **failed in medium term** to distance itself from the legacy of communism
31
What did the GDR need to do in order to survive into the Gorbachev era? Why?
Win the **loyalty** of its population Because could no longer appeal to **Soviet** **power** to maintain law and order
32
Why did it seem unlikely that the GDR would survive?
By summer of **1989** GDR's **ecomony** suffered from centralised planning and top-heavy system of bureaucratic control Only kept afloat by massive **loans** from West as a result of **Ostpolitik**
33
What major challenge did the GDR face regarding Austria, Poland, and Prague? What previous crisis could you link this to?
When **Austria** opened its **borders** **150,000** East Germans went across border to FRG **Honecker** forced to grant them + thousands more fleeing to West German embassies in Poland and Prague **exit** **visas** The **Berlin crisis** of **1958-61**
34
Did Honecker's belated grants of exit visas help restore confidence in the GDR?
No - made his handling of the crisis seem **unsure**
35
What was Honecker forced to tolerate, and why?
A series of large but peaceful strikes in **Leipzig** in Sept-Oct **1989** Gorbachev would not support a hardline policy
36
When did Gorbachev visit the GDR and what was his message to Honecker?
5th October **1989** 'Life punishes latecomers'
37
What event pushed the government to let people cross the Berlin Wall? What was the response to the government's proposed action?
4th November **1989** **Half a million protesters** congregated in **East Berlin** for further reform and right to **travel** abroad 2 days later **Krenz's** government agreed to issue permits for travel up to 30 days - rejected by Volkskammer as **insufficient**
38
What final events lead to the fall of the Berlin Wall?
9 **November 1989** All GDR **citizens** with **passports** given right to an **exit** **visa** for **any border crossing** - including to west Meant to take effect from Nov 10th but **announced** **prematurely** at press conference Guards facing a **crowd** of **20,000** opened the crossing points through Wall - Wall fell
39
What did the fall of the Berlin Wall inspire in Czechoslovakia?
The Velvet Revolution
40
Before the fall of the Berlin Wall, what was the situation in Czecholovakia?
Small opposition group Adamec announced only **economic** reforms similar to **Prague** **Spring**, but **not political**
41
What caused the Velvet Revolution?
Fall of **Berlin** **Wall** A demonstration in honour of the death of a student killed in the WWII German occupation turned into a mass protest
42
Describe the events of the Velvet Revolution
* 19 Nov **1989** **Civic** **Forum** of 12 **opposition** groups formed * 7 Dec **Adamec** **resigns** - new gov. in which Coms are minority * 29 Dec **Havel** elected president * Persuaded **USSR** to **withdraw troops** - **initially** **agreeing** to remain in **Warsaw Pact** * Became clear that Germany would reunite - **pressed for pact's dissolution** with Poland and Hungary * **1992** **Split** into Slovakia and Czech Republic
43
Why was Ceausecu so unpopular?
Corrupt: **11,00** room **palace** while country in economic hardship
44
Describe Ceausescu's fall and Romania's changes
* Nov **1989** Gorbachev agrees **overthrow** providing Coms still dominant * 1st revolts in Timisoara * 21 **Dec** spread to **Bucharest** * **Army** sided with **people** * Ceausescu fled with wife * 22 Dec **NSF** **formed** * Talks with opp. -\> established a **Council for National Unity** * 25 Dec Ceausescu captured + killed * May **1990** **NSF** won **majority**, Iliescu president * **1996** NSF decisively **defeated** by **Social Democratic Union**
45
When was Germany reunified? After what?
2nd October **1990** '**Two-plus Four talks**' between * FRG Chancellor Khol * Bush * Gorbachev * GDR * British * French
46
What did the 'Two-Plus Four talks' agree?
* Germany remained in **NATO** * Cancelled allied power residual rights * Accepted **Oder-Neisse Line**
47
When did the Warsaw Pact dissolve? What did this mean?
**1991** East + West 'no longer adversaries'
48
What were the main factors for Communist decline 1979-88?
Soviet Problems 1979-85 US Pressure Gorbachev's policies
49
What made 1989 a 'year of change'?
Overthrow of communism in Poland Hungary Bulgaria GDR + fall of Berlin Wall
50
What were the main consequences of the fall of the Berlin Wall?
Velvet Revolution Fall of communism in Romania Reunification of Germany Dissolution of the Warsaw Pact
51
Overall, what were the three main factors that led to the end of the Cold War?
Communist decline 1979-88 Popular unrest + 'year of change' in 1989 The fall of the Berlin Wall

AS History (Cold War) (10 decks)

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