The ending of the Cold War Flashcards
(44 cards)
1
Q
Dates of gerontrocratic leadership USSR
A
- Yuri Andropov, Nov 1982-Feb 1984
- Konstantin Chernenko, Feb 1984-March 1985
WHY GORBACHEV COMING TO POWER IS SIGNIFICANT
Reagan says: ‘How am i meant to do business if leaders keep dying on me’
2
Q
Problems under Brezhnev
A
- 1972, a series of crop failures, food shortages
- USSR spending huge amounts of money on uts military programme, approximately 25% of Soviet GNP was spent on military supplies 1964-82
- Morale and productivity declined as living standards fell
3
Q
Economy of the USSR 1980-5
A
- economic growth fellfrom 5.9% a year (1950s) to 1.9% a year (1981-5)
- Total military cost represented 20% of Real GDP
- SIGNIFICANT COSTS OF BEING A SUPERPOWER - BURDEN ON A STRUGGLING ECONOMY, such as $10bn supporting NV, $7bn supporting ethiopia, $17bn p.a to E.European countries
4
Q
Aims of Gorbachev
A
- reform of the USSR, through New Thinking and Glasnost
- End the (expensive) cold war
- withdraw from Afghanistan (expensive)
- Reduce military to that needed to defence only
5
Q
Factors undermining Soviet economic growth
A
- Alcoholism, led to losses in productivity through worker absenteeism and frequent workplace injuries
- Lack of foreign investment, USSR was largely closed to foreign investment, stifled growth and business innovation
- State controlled businesses, little recognition of consumer demand
- Inflation and worker discontent, workers’ wages rarely stayed in line with inflation, led to unrest and frequent strikes
- SYSTEMATIC WEAKNESSES
6
Q
First major reform of the Gorbachev era
A
- targetted alcoholism
- was trying to target individual productivity and absenteeism
- prices were raised on beer, wine and vodka and places and times for selling alcohol was restricted
- there were arrests for public drunkeness and for being intoxicated at work
- DID NOT HAVE DESIRED EFFECT AND COST THE STATE ALMOST 100 BILL RUBLES IN TAXES LOST
7
Q
Perestroika
A
- Restructuring
- key to G.Chev’s economic reforms - major economic reforms and development
- Some degree of self-management was permitted with the loss of state-ownership of factories and other business enterprises
- End state price controls, done with knowledge it would lead to increased prices and decreased living standards at first
- Enabled Sovoiet economy to be opened up to foreign investment
8
Q
Failures of Perestroika
A
- Economic reforms largely failed with ensuing economic weakness and rising prices
- CATASTROIKA
- While the general public saw a decreased standard of living and was suffering hardships, a small entrepeneurial class was benefitting
9
Q
Glasnost
A
- Openness
- Improving liberty/freedoms in the USSR
- Had come about because of the Chernobyl disaster, made Gorbachev realise high censorship could not continue
- was announced in 1988
10
Q
failure of Glasnost
A
facilitated the spread of dissent/ideas without censorship
11
Q
Mutual aims of summit diplomacy
A
Opposed and wanted to reduce reliance on nuclear weapons and sought cooperation/diplomacy and rejection of MAD
11
Q
Geneva Summit
A
- Nov 1985
- Seemed to craete an air of festivity around it
- Many were sceptical that the two leaders would agree on anything, but there was general agreement to work towards cutting nuclear weapons by 50%
- Both Reagan and Gorbachev wanted the summit to look like a success
- NO CONCRETE AGREEMENTS BUT SUCCESS FIR DIPLOMACY/RELATIONS
- Issue a joint statement saying ‘a nuclear war cannot be won and must never fought’
- Reagan’s SDI is a contentious issue and would be continually contentious throughout next summits
12
Q
what/when Chernobyl disaster
A
April 1986
Failure/explosion occures at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power PLant in Ukraine
leads to Glasnost
13
Q
Reykjavik summit
A
Oct 1986
* Purpose was to put relations back on track, in many respects accomplished this
* lack of any cncrete agreements, Reagan was in favour of eliminating nuclear weapons but G.Chev qoudl not discuss them unless Reagan agreed to abandon SDI plans
* Also discusses human rights, no agreement just exchange of ideas
* IMPORTANT BECAUSE BOTH SIDES GAINED INSIGHT INTO THE OTHER
14
Q
Washington summit
A
- Dec 1987
- INF TREATY IS SIGNED, generally regarded as the most significant step taken by the USA and USSR to bring the arms race to an end
- Girbachev decides to withdraw from Afghanistan
- success by all accounts
- COLD WAR SEEMED TO BE ENDING
15
Q
INF treaty
A
Dec 1987
* Signed at Washington summit
* Agreement for both sides to destroy intermediate range missiles by June 1991
* was the first time the powers had agreed to remove a whole class of nuclear weapons
* USSR made no demands that the treaty was to be conditional on the USA withdrawing from SDI
16
Q
Moscow Summit
A
- May-June 1988
- Goal was to agree to START, initially proposed in Geneva, BUT WASNT SIGNED
- focus was on cultural exchanges and human rights, agree to 7 agreements on cultural exchanges and human rights
- Reagan commented that his description of the USSR as an ‘evil empire’ was ‘another era, another time’
17
Q
When was Reagan’s Ivan and Anya speech
A
Jan 1984
18
Q
New York Summit
A
Dec 1988
Success for diplomacy, President-elect Bush attends with Regan and G.Chev
19
Q
Gorbachev’s ‘Fulton in reverse’ speech
A
- Dec 1988
- Speech by Gorbachev to UN
- Announced policy shift, wanted E.Europe to reform
- Globally projected his commitment to arms reductions
20
Q
Dates of Bush presidency
A
Jan 1989-Jan 1993
21
Q
Sinatra Doctrine
A
July 1989
Gorbachev’s new policy that Soviet communist states now determined their ‘own political line, strategy and tactics without external intervention’
Marked a significant shift, rejects the Brezhnev Doctrine from Nov 1968
fufilled G/Chev’s aims to reduce expensive commitments in E.Europe
22
Q
Malta Summit
A
Dec 1989
* from Yalta to Malta’
* Commitment by both the USSR and USA for there to be ‘no hot war’
* Bush promises not to intervene in Baltic states
* Discuss CFE treaty
23
Q
CFE treaty
A
- Conventional forces in Europe Treaty
- Nov 1990
- Agreement for the USSR to limit conventional military presence in Europe
24
Washington Summit
* May-June 1990
* Success for diplomacy/relations
* DISCUSSED START TREATY, NOT SIGNED UNTIL JULY 1991
25
START Treaty
July 1991
Superpower agreement for arms reduction
Reducing strategic warheads by 20-25%
26
Collapse of communism in Poland
* Jaruzelski had crushed Solidarity by imposing martial law in 1981
* Sep 1986, general amnesty for political prisoners, and because Jaruzeleski thought solidarity had lost popularity he ended martial law and made the reconstruction of solidarity legal.
* THESE ACTIONS COINCIDED WITH AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, which led to raised food prices and strikes (ideas spread easily because of glasnost)
* Without Soviet support the governemnt had to work WITJH dissenters not suppress like in 1981
* feb 1989, discussion which led to: legalisation of non-government trade unions, creation of the position of president, and creation of a senate
* June 1989, LANDSLIDE VICTORY FOR SOLIDARITY
* Aug 1989, New pro solidarity gov established
* By the end of of 1989, Poland was a multi-party state
27
Collapse of communism in Hungary
* 1988 Kadar (who had overseen the 1956 suppressed uprising) resigned
* Miklos Nemeth negotiated a one billion DM loan from W.German banks
* Because of this he was named prime minister and followed his economic reforms with political ones
* April 1989, Soviets announce withdrawal of all military by 1991
* Sep 1989, Hungary agreed to open its border with Austria and allow East Germans to travel freely to West Germany
* PEACEFUL MOVE AWAY FROM COMMMUNISM, March 1990 free elections deliver non-communist government under Antall
28
Collapse of communism in Czechoslovakia
* communists maintained control right up until the collapse in 1989
* part of reason for this, because Czechoslovakia had a thriving economy
* April 1987, Husak implements half hearted reforms, opposition movements began to grow (Charter 7 led by Vaclav Havel)
* Jan 1989, demonstration to commemorate a student's suicide
* July 1989, limited economic reforms, population don't feel it's sufficient
* 21st Aug, massive demonstration saying: 'long live Dubcek' and 'long live poland'
* VELVELT REVOLUTION
29
Velvet revolution in Czechoslovakia
* Nov 17th 1989, demonstrations begin
* Nov 19th 1989, Valclav Havel forms 'Civic Forum' organisatiom
* Dec 28th 1989, Vaclav Havel is elected Czechoslovakia leader
30
Collapse of communism in Romania
* Nicole Ceausescu leader since March 1965, very repressive regime
* Economic problems developed - due to 1973 oil crisis/large foreign debts
* Dec 21st 1989, attempts to suppress protests in Bucharest lead to the army forming the FSN to secure control
* Dec 25th 1989, Ceausescu 'tried' and executed (FSN promise elections)
* May 1990, free elections deliver a non-communist gov
31
When was the Austrian Hungary border disabled
Aug 19th 1989
allowed significant influxes of East Germans to West Germany
MOVES TOWARDS COLLAPSE OF BERLIN WALL
32
Collapse of communism in Germany
* GDR had been led by ERich Honecker since 1971, he was a hard line, Brezhnev-era communist
* Sep 1989, because fo mounting international pressure the EG government temporarily allowed its citizens to travel to WG
* OCT 1989, oppoaition could be seen in every east german street
* OCT 1989, QITH SUCH OPPOSITION HONECKER WAS FORCED TO RESIGN, replaced by Egon Krenz
* Nov 1989, Krenz visited USSR on an economic mission, USSR would not offer aid, growth was only 2.8% in 1989 in EG
* 9th Nov 1989, fall of the Berlin Wall
* Dec 1989, communist gov resigns
* March 1990, free elections
33
How many East Germans left for Hungary to get through to West Germany by Sep 1989
60,000
34
When was the reunification of Germany
Oct 1990
35
Collapse of communism in Bulgaria
1990
* Zhikov had been leader since 1954
* 1988, resistance to Zhikov's regime began to organise and strengthen
* Nov 1989, Zhivkov removed by party, replaced by Mlandenov
* Opposition continues
* April 1990, communist party dissolved
* June 1990, free electiosn deliver a social-democratic government
36
Rejection of the Brezhnev Doctrine
gorbachev chose to reject this right from the start of his time in power
showed individual populations that they no longer had to fear the influx of troops from Moscow
37
When did the USSR remove all forced from Afghanistan
Feb 1989
38
End of Cold War tensions in Afghanistan
* Gorbachev's view of preserving communism was an end to the Brezhnev doctrine
* So he wanted to remove troops from Afghanistan
* Process of withdrawl began in 1988 and was completed in 1989
* Apil 1992, PDPA gov falls
* 1992-96, Afghan civil war breaks out, the Taliban secures largest degree of control and iimpose strict islamic law
* Oct 2001, USA/NATO invade after 9/11
39
Ending of cold war tensions in Yugoslavia
* Republics began declaring independence eg. Slovenia and Croatia in 1991
* Violent regional conflicts erupt
40
Ending of cold war tensions in Nicaragua
* Late 1980s, the Contra began to see a reduction in US funding
* Led to a Sandinista-Contra ceasefire
* feb 1990, Violeta Chamorro wins election with US backing
41
end of cold war tensions El Salvador
* 1987, amnesty law meant to release falsely accused, also absolved members of military death squards, ANGERED POPULATION
* 1988 elections, Cristiani, opposition FMLN lunched a new offensive
* NEEDED a truce
* USA encouraged gov to begin negotiations
* Peace accords signed in 1992 and free elections held
42
End of cold war tensions in Cuba
* Collapse of USSR meant Cuba lost a major source of its funding
* So Cuba had to face economic restructuring, forced to diversify its trading partners and economy
43
