The global war 1955-1963

Destalinisation

The series of reforms introduced by Khrushchev which attempted to dismantle the cult of personality, excessive control of satellite states and centralised planning that had been built up during Stalin's control

What was the impact of the Secret Speech?

It profoundly impacted the stability of Eastern Europe as uprisings occurred in both Poland and Hungary soon after

How did relations between Yugoslavia and the USSR change when Khrushchev came to power?

Yugoslavia was 'readmitted' into the socialist bloc in 1955 and an agreement was issued in 1956 that recognised different 'paths to socialism'

What happened in Poland in June-October 1956?

Workers in Poznan began to riot about the increased work targets imposed on them and the communist party responded by trying to reimpose Gomulka, who had just been released from prison and was thought to be more popular

How did the USSR respond to the riots in Poland?

They sent a high powered delegation and mobilised military force however they realised that it was not wise to engage in fighting in both Hungary and Poland and so Khrushchev withdrew the troops

Who encouraged the uprisings in Hungary?

Tito- he wanted an independent communist regime to emerge in Budapest that would look to him for influence not to Moscow

What turning point occurred in Hungary on the 23rd October 1956?

A demonstration escalated out of hand and protesters called for the withdrawal of Soviet troops and a new government under Imre Nagy

How did the Soviets initially respond to demonstrations in Hungary?

They sent in 30,000 troops with tanks and artillery

What did Khrushchev issue on 30th October 1956?

The 'Declaration on the Principles of development and a further strengthening of friendship and cooperation between the USSR and other socialist countries' essentially providing a legal framework for the presence of Soviet troops in Eastern Europe

What did Nagy announce that threatened the USSR?

That he was planning on leaving the Warsaw Pact, this would make Hungary independent of the USSR and other states may soon follow

What was Eisenhower's response to events in Hungary?

He feared nuclear war if NATO intervened and so made it clear that the USA would not intervene to save Nagy

What was the Suez Crisis?

Egyptian leader Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal in 1956, in response British, French and Israeli troops launched attacks on Egypt to try and recover the canal.

What happened on 4th November 1956?

Soviet troops advanced into Hungary and after fierce fighting a new government was installed with Janos Kader as the leader

What was the USA's role in the Suez Crisis?

The USA refused to help the British and French as they saw it as a means to further their imperial interests. By refusing a loan to Britain they caused the conflict to holt.

What was agreed at the Moscow Conference of International Communist leaders in 1957?

The USSR was recognised as the leader of all socialist countries but they acknowledged the idea of 'different roads to socialism'

What was the effect of the Hungarian and Polish revolutions for Khrushchev?

His position was significantly strengthened in the USSR

How did the USSR take the lead of the arms race in 1957?

They launched an ICBM and Sputnik

What was the consequence of the 1956 crises for the West?

Relations were quickly repaired but a distrust of American policies remained

What was the aim of Malenkov and Khrushchev's 'New Course'?

To focus spending on the production of consumer goods rather than on the military- they believed that the collapse of capitalism was inevitable so war was not needed to make this happen

What was peaceful coexistence?

The policy pursued by Khrushchev to forge better relationships with the USA in order to avoid costly military entanglements and thereby allowing resources to be focused on domestic developments.

What changes to foreign policy occurred as a result of the Secret Speech?

-peaceful coexistence

-more freedom given to satellite states

-better relations with Tito

-more reliance on nuclear forces than conventional

What were Khrushchev's domestic aims?

-provide consumer goods

-process of 'controlled liberalisation'

-wanted to distribute power away from the Kremlin

-increased political freedom

What was the Virgin Lands Scheme?

A plan designed by Khrushchev to get rid of the inequalities caused by collectivised farming

What were Khrushchev's foreign policy aims?

-peaceful coexistence

-summit diplomacy

-rebuild relations with Tito

-develop USSR nuclear capacity

-defuse international tensions

-enhance soviet prestige

What did Khrushchev dissolve in 1956 and why was this significant?

COMINFORM- showed a centrifugal, dispersing approach to political power

Who did Khrushchev meet with in 1955?

Tito- to rebuild relations between the USSR and Yugoslavia

Why was a rebuilding of relations with Yugoslavia significant?

It showed that the USSR was no longer intent on imposing conformity to Soviet communism and would allow more 'paths to socialism'

What was the impact of the uprising in Poland for other satellite states?

It sent a message to other satellite states that they could have more freedom without reprisal from the USSR

What was the impact of the Polish uprising for Cold War relations?

May have improved Cold War relations as it was showing the West that Khrushchev was committed to being more tolerant of other types of socialism and was going to adopt a less authoritarian stance in his satellite states

What were the consequences of the Hungarian Uprising for the USSR?

They were retaking some of their power and sending a message to other satellite states, telling them not to go too far

What was the principal reason that caused the USSR to not get involved militarily in Poland?

China was supporting Poland- an increased role for Bejing on the global stage

What day did students begin protesting in Hungary?

22nd October 1956

What did Nagy immediately do after becoming PM?

He met with a Soviet delegation and tried to persuade them that Hungary was loyal and that they could remove their troops

What did Nagy announce on 1st November 1956?

That Hungary had left the Warsaw Pact and become a neutral state

How many Hungarian citizens died in the uprising?

About 4000

Why did Khrushchev believe that he could reduce defence spending?

He thought that communism had become so powerful it could be victorious without war and so resources should be spent consolidating power within each state, not preparing for war

Where did the idea of peaceful coexistence originate?

Malenkov- he was able to recognise that a hard line approach was not always necessary, as he believed that the capitalist system would collapse on its own, resources could be directed to consumer goods as well as the military

What were the limits to peaceful coexistence?

-Khrushchev wanted to carry on with military and technological developments

-would not allow any threats to the security of the Eastern Bloc or USSR

When was the Bermuda Conference?

4th December 1953

What opinion did Eisenhower express at the Bermuda Conference?

He referred to the Soviet Union as the 'same old girl'- essentially saying that although they have put on a facade of cooperation, underneath he believed their motivations were the same and thus he did not trust them

When was the Berlin Foreign Ministers' Conference?

Jan 25- Feb 18th 1954

What was discussed at the Berlin Foreign Ministers' Conference?

-failed to reach an agreement over Indochina

-Molotov called for re-unification of Germany but the West opposed this

-preliminary agreement made over the future of Austria

What disagreement occurred at the Geneva Conference?

Dulles walked out as he felt that the negotiations would allow North Vietnam to become communist

When was the Warsaw Pact created?

May 1955

How many nations were in the Warsaw Pact?

the USSR and 7 satellite states

What prompted the creation of the Warsaw Pact?

West Germany joined NATO in 1955

When was the Austrian State Treaty signed?

May 1955

How were the USSR and USA managing their respective zones of Austria?

-the USSR had been taking heavy reparations

-the USA had been sending in large amounts of Marshall Aid

Whose idea was it to reunify Austria?

Khrushchev- he overrode Molotov's hesitancy to do so as he felt that by making concessions to the West he could convince them that he was serious about negotiating

What did the Austrian State Treaty do?

It recognised the sovereignty of a unified Austria

When was the Geneva Summit?

July 1955

What was the 'Geneva Spirit'?

A hope for cooperation between the superpowers that went in to the Geneva conference

How was Germany dealt with at the Geneva Summit?

Khrushchev again called for German reunification but the West refused as they saw West Germany as central to their strategic interests

What was the 'Open Skies' proposal?

Eisenhower's offer at the Geneva Summit that spy planes should be allowed to fly over each other's territory to enforce arms limitation agreements. Khrushchev refused this

What was the only agreement to be made at the Geneva Summit?

An agreement of cultural exchanges between the USA and USSR

What was the 1947 Finnish-Soviet peace treaty?

An agreement that committed Finland to paying the Soviets reparations and giving them some land along the border

How much had Finland had to pay the USSR in reparations?

$300m

What part of Finland was returned to them from the USSR?

Porkkala

When was Porkkala returned to Finland?

January 1956

What was the USSR's relationship with Finland from 1956?

They still retained significant influence in the region despite Finland's neutrality and caused the withdrawal of a candidate from the presidential race in 1962.

When was the Kitchen Debate?

July 1959

What did the Kitchen Debate signify?

A willingness to engage in discussions about each others' ideologies and interact peacefully

When was the Camp David summit?

September 1959

How did Khrushchev cause a diplomatic incident at Camp David?

He said 'we will bury you'- meaning economically but seen as violent

When was the Paris Summit?

May 1960

Why did the Paris summit fail?

A U2 spy plane as shot down in Soviet airspace, proving that the USA had been spying on the USSR, and causing a break down of trust

What were the names of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

'Little boy'- Hiroshima

'Fat man'- Nagasaki

When was the first ICBM tested?

August 1957 by the USSR

When was Sputnik launched and the space race begun?

October 1957

What was the significance of the space race?

By having weapons in space both powers could target each other's territory

When was Tsar Bomba first tested?

October 1961

What was the significance of Tsar Bomba?

It was the largest nuclear detonation of all time at 50 megatons

Why was the Geneva Summit significant?

The very fact that the leaders were willing to meet seemed to herald a future of cooperation and a tacit acceptance of the status quo

What does the term Long Peace mean?

The established European status quo that began to emerge in the mid 1950s

What event was taking place in the USA at the same time as the Suez and Hungarian crises?

Eisenhower's re-election week.

What was Stalin's immediate reaction to Mao's victory and why?

He was not pleased because he had wanted to maintain good relations with the West which this would damage

How did Stalin use China in Korea?

He used them to gain influence in Asia by getting them to fight, which allowed him to get what he wanted without damaging relations beyond repair with the West.

How did Mao conceive of China's place in the world?

He wanted China to be the leaders of global communism

What attitude of Khrushchev's did Mao attack?

His 'revisionism', what he saw as abandoning true communism through de-Stalinisation etc

How did Mao begin to exert influence in the Third World?

He got involved in the Vietnamese liberation struggle and supported the Algerian liberation movement from 1954

How did divisions between the USSR and China manifest in July 1958?

The USA invades Lebanon to support a pro-Western candidate. Mao denounces this whilst Khrushchev does not

What do the USSR refuse to do in 1959?

Help China develop nuclear weapons after Mao's 'Great Leap Forward' which Khrushchev disagreed with

How did divisions between the USSR and China further emerge in June 1960?

The Albanian Communist Party backed Mao and not Khrushchev, challenging the USSR's authority

What does Mao do after the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962?

He denounces Khrushchev for not standing up for communism more aggressively

When do China get their own nuclear bomb?

October 1964

How had relations between the USSR and China deteriorated by March 1969?

They had reached military confrontation (though not all out war) over Zhenbao Island

What did Mao call Khrushchev in 1959 and what did this lead to?

an "american stooge"- shortly after this the USSR withdrew all advisors from China and Mao began producing anti-Soviet propaganda

What was Nixon's policy of triangulation?

Pitting his rivals of the USSR and China against each other by trying to forge better relations with China which, he hoped, would benefit the USA

When are the PRC given a seat on the UNSC?

October 1971

What was 'ping-pong diplomacy' and when did it occur?

The USA and China engaged in a ping pong tournament in Japan in April 1971, meant to signal better relations and cooperation between the nations

In what way was the Sino-Soviet treaty unequal and what effect did this have?

The Soviets gave far less military aid than China wanted, whilst China had to accept the USSR as the leaders of global communism and be subordinate which created mistrust

What aspects of Khrushchev's ideology did Mao dislike?

Mao believed that Khrushchev was a 'revisionist' and that he was not true to the Marxist-Leninist principles

What event caused the USSR to remove its economic advisors from China?

The Great Leap Forward- massive industrialisation and collectivisation program which failed massively

What were the 4 causes of the Sino-Soviet split?

-ideological differences and leadership of socialism

-power struggle for territory

-personal dislike

-unequal terms of the original friendship treaty

How did Khrushchev's behaviour in Hungary impact Ulbricht?

He felt empowered to pursue further Stalinist reforms in East Germany which he perceived of as 'building socialism'

What did Ulbricht think about West Berlin?

He believed it should belong to East Germany

Why was Khrushchev confident from 1956?

The USSR's economic power was increasing and the development of Sputnik and ICBMs had given them an advantage in the arms race

When was the Berlin Ultimatum?

27th November 1958

What did Khrushchev say in the Berlin Ultimatum?

That the West had 6 months to withdraw their troops from West Berlin or he would give control of West Berlin to the GDR

How did Khrushchev describe West Berlin?

as a 'malignant tumour'