The Cold War intensifies 1952-1958

Who created the hydrogen bomb and why?

• some US scientists that worked behind the Manhattan project

• once they discovered a Russian spy working in the us team , they decided to start the process of the H2 bomb

when was the first hydrogen bomb produced?

1952

when did Russia develop technology for a hydrogen bomb

1953

hydrogen bomb stats

		Nuclear fusion. The bomb explodes when two radioactive atoms come together to form a third atom
		Approximately 10,000 kilotons
		In tests, hydrogen bombs had a blast radius of roughly 44 square miles. The radiation of the bomb could reach up to 18 miles away from detonation

when did the ussr test their hydrogen bomb

By the 1960s, the hydrogen bomb had become an incredibly dangerous weapon

• The Soviet Union tested 'Tsar Bomba' in 1961. I

when and why did the US make ICBMS

The USA wanted to develop nuclear technology that could hit targets from a further distance away

• In 1957, the USA created the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)

The Impact of the Arms Race on US-Soviet Relations

• The Arms Race negatively impacted US-Soviet relations

  • It caused more fear and tension between the USA and the Soviet Union

  • It increased both countries' spending on their military departments

    • During the 1950s, the USA invested more than 13% of its GDP in military spending

    • By the 1960s, the Soviet Union spent more than 20% of its GDP on its defence budget

  • The major leaders of both countries felt the Arms Race was necessary

    • By staying ahead of their rivals, it made each country 'feel' safer

    • Both countries recognised that nuclear technology could destroy the world. They believed that the existence of nuclear weapons would deter warfare

    • In the 1960s, this developed into the policy of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

who was Dwight Eisenhower and what did he do

• Dwight Eisenhower became the new president of the USA in 1952.

• He was very anti-communist but he feared nuclear warfare

• to avoid it He wanted to work on improving the USA's relationship with the Soviet Union.

What happened after Joseph Stalin died on 5 March 1953?

• A three year power struggle was triggered between various politicians in the Soviet Union

• Malenkov was a weak leader and he was elected but he did not know how to stop political rivals from taking his power

• an alliance against him resulted in Nikita Krushchev formally taking the position of general secretary of the Soviet Union 1956

• Khrushchev began a process called :

• Khrushchev began a process called 'De-Stalinisation'

  • He released a large number of political prisoners

  • He lifted some censorship of information

  • He increased the number of consumer goods in the Soviet Union

  • Khrushchev's actions indicated that the Soviet Union wanted to improve relations with the West

    • The two powers met in 1955

What Caused the Hungarian Uprising?

• Life in the eastern block in a communist society was very difficult

  The communist economy set a five-year plan for each satellite state however the targets were often unattainable

• The Soviet Union treated and paid their workers poorly resulting in discontentment and poor health

• The situation was especially poor in Hungary

How did Khrushchev deal with the protest for reform and freedom in Hungary?

he used repression

when were there violent protests in Budapest?

in October 1956

when did the USSR restore control in Hungary?

24th October?

Why did Khrushchev appoint Imre Nagy?

• Khrushchev decided to change the leadership of Hungary

• He replaced Rákosi with Imre Nagy who had previously been prime minister of Hungary

• He served as prime minister between 1953 and 1955

  • Other communist members removed Nagy from office. They did not agree with his reforming attitudes

• Khrushchev believed that Nagy would resolve the unrest in Hungary

  • The people liked Nagy

  • Limited reforms would stop Hungarians from protesting

how did Khrushchev react to the Hungarian uprising

very violently

how did Khrushchev stop the Hungarian uprising

• sent an invasion force of 1000 tanks to hungary on 4th Nov 1956

• Nagy and his supporters fought the USSR and called for the west to help them

• USSR brutally attacked the Hungarians

• ended in almost 20000 deaths

what happened after the uprising had ended?

• KRU established a stronger communist gov

• Nagy sought refuge

• July 1958 - Nagy executed

international reaction to Hungarian uprising

• Khrushchev's suppression of the Hungarian Uprising shocked many Western nations

  • Khrushchev's actions did not match his previous policies of de-Stalinisation

reason the USA should intervene in the Hungarian uprising

Khrushchev's repression went against the UN's stance on human rights
Nagy's government wanted to increase Hungary's individual freedoms. This matches the democratic values of the USA
If the USA could free Hungary from the Eastern Bloc, it could use Hungary's geographical position to intimidate the Soviet Union. It could make analliance with Hungary or station ICBMs on its border with the Soviet Union

reason the USA should not intervene in the Hungarian uprising

• The USA had a foreign policy of Containment. This meant that the USA did not intervene in countries that were already communist

• Any military intervention in the Eastern Bloc could cause a nuclear war between the USA and the USSR

• The US government and population still distrusted communist countries. They were unsure if their support would change Hungary's opinion about communism

The Impact of the Hungarian Uprising on Cold War tensions

• Relations between the Soviet Union and the USA worsened

  • Khrushchev's suppression of Hungary had shocked andappalled the West

  • The relationship between the USA and the Soviet Union continued to deteriorate throughout the 1960s

impact of HU on USA reputation

• The Hungarian Uprising ruined the USA's reputation as a protector of freedom 

  • The USA had an opportunity to help a country free themselves from communism. They did not take the opportunity

  • The event proved that the USA did not back its words with actions

    • Satellite states were less likely to rebel against the Soviet Union

    • It increased the Soviet Union's confidence that the USA would not risk military action against them