1.5, 1.6 - Cuba, Czechoslovakia, and Detente

Practice vocabulary flashcards covering the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Brezhnev Doctrine, and the era of Detente based on lecture notes.

Cuban revolution

• Jan 1959, Castro and Che Guevera overthrew US backed Cuban govt

• USA recognised govt, refused to help economically

• May 1959, Castro nationalised all american owned land

• USSR agreed to buy Cuban sugar, and secret clause supplying Cuba with arms from USSR

Bay of Pigs

• An invasion on 17 April 1961 where 1400 CIA-trained Cuban exiles were sent to invade Cuba, seen as a “counter revolution” - was a huge fail

• USA didn’t want to be seen as involved, so they couldn’t help

• Castro’s govt knew about the plans beforehand

• Castro then showed wrecked airplanes and other evidence to media, seen as Cuban victory

• Public humiliation for USA, their involvement was undeniable

14 October 1962

The date a U-2 Spy Plane identified USSR launch pads in Cuba, initiating the Cuban Missile Crisis

ExComm

The executive committee assembled by Kennedy in October 1962, marking the start of the 'Thirteen Days' of the Cuban Missile Crisis

Crisis

• The blockade on Cuba launched by Kennedy on 22 October 1962 in response to the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba

• No ships were allowed past without US permission

• October 24th, Soviet ships reached the blockade, and turned around!

• 26th october, USSR sent telegram saying they will remove missiles if USA don’t invade

28 October 1962

Khrushchev agreed to remove weapons from Cuba and Bobby Kennedy met with the Soviet Ambassador to agree on removing NATO bombs from Turkey - kept secret from the public

Impact of the crisis

• Direct communications line set between Washington and Moscow, June 1963

• Test ban treaty signed, August 1963

• 1967, outer space treaty, agreeing not to use space for military purposes

• 1968. NNP signed to stop spread of nukes

Brezhnev Doctrine

The policy stating the USSR will intervene if a communist country threatens the unity of the Eastern bloc.

Detente

A period or policy aimed at reducing tension and avoiding war between the USA and USSR

USA reasons for detente

• Nixon wanted to fix issues inside USA, like inequality

• Take USA out of Vietnam war

• Many americans thought USA should take less active role in international affairs

USSR reasons for detente

• USSR faced economic problems, cut spending on weapons, focus more on living standards and economy

• Soviets felt this was good time to improve relations

SALT 1

The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty signed in May 1972 that limited ICBMs and SLBMs - unreliable though as just a piece of paper can’t stop nuclear war

Helsinki Accords

Agreements from 1973 to 1975 involving three 'Baskets' (Political, Social, and Economic) covering human rights, recognized borders, and technology

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project

A joint space mission between the USA and USSR conducted during the period of Detente.

causes of Prague Spring

• poor standards of living, desire to vote freely

• workers wanted more say

• resented lack of freedoms, terrifed of secret police

• all aspects of media were controlled

events of prague spring

• dubceck appointed 1968, makes reforms Brezhnev doesn’t like

• dubceck reassures Brezhnev he doesn’t want to leave communism and warsaw pact

• Tito invtes Dubceck to Prague, Brezhnev feels he is trying to break czheckslovkia away from soviet authority

• 20th August 1968 - 500k warsaw pact troops invade

• dubceck arrested and sent to Moscow

Consequences of prague spring

• USSR recieves huge condemnation

• Led to greater soviet control of warsaw pact

• USSR knew USA wouldn’t take direct action to oppose USSR in eastern europe

• countries recognised USA was keen to critisise, but hesitates to attack