Edexcel Cold War Chapter 2: Cold War Crises

When did people in East Berlin riot over poor living conditions?

1953

By 1958, how many East Germans had crossed to West Germany?

3m (1/6+)

What was the movement of East Germans to West Germany known as?

The "Brain Drain", as many were skilled workers

When did Krushchev demand that the West recognise East Germany as an official country?

November 1958

When did Krushchev issue the Berlin Ultimatum?

27th November 1958

What was the Berlin Ultimatum?

Krushchev demanded that: Berlin be demilitarised, Western troops withdrawn, made a Free City, the West had 6 months or Krushchev would hand control of all routes into Berlin to the government of East Germany

What was the reaction to the Berlin Ultimatum?

Neither side was prepared to go to war over Berlin, but the West was outraged and talks and summits ensued

When was the Geneva Summit?

May 1959

What happened at the Geneva Summit?

Foreign ministers met, both sides put forward proposals about Berlin, no decisions were reached

When was the Camp David Summit?

September 1959

What happened at the Camp David Summit?

Krushchev and Eisenhower met, no agreements were reached but the Ultimatum was withdrawn and better relations established

When was the Paris Summit?

May 1960

What happened before the Paris Summit?

On 1st May, the USSR had shot down a US U2 Spy Plane, pilot Gary Powers admitted to being on a spying mission

What happened at the Paris Summit?

Eisenhower was embarrassed but refused to apologise, and Krushchev walked out of the meeting

When was the Vienna Summit?

June 1961

What did Krushchev believe about Kennedy?

That he was inexperienced

What happened at the Vienna Summit?

Krushchev renewed the Berlin Ultimatum, Kennedy was concerned but made no concessions, no agreements were made

What happened as a result of the Vienna Summit?

The working relationship became strained, JFK then increased military spending by over $2 billion, it appeared he was prepared to fight over Berlin

On one day in August 1961, how many East Germans crossed to the West?

40,000

What did East German leader, Ulbricht, urge Krushchev to do?

Close the border

When was the Berlin Wall (barbed wire fence) built?

The night of the 12th August 1961

How long did the Berlin Wall become?

165km

What was between the two sides of the Berlin Wall?

No man's land, minefields, barriers and watch towers

What was a negative outcome for the US with regards to the Wall?

Those that wanted to escape communism now couldn't

What were the positive outcomes for the US with regards to the Wall?

It showed that Krushchev had been forced to accept Western control in Berlin, no longer able to bully Kennedy, West Germany was a symbol of freedom and defiance

What was a negative outcome for the USSR with regards to the Wall?

They had to abandon plans to unite Germany, they had to lock people in East Germany to stop them leaving

What effect did the Wall have on the people of Berlin?

It was a symbol of division, split many families, prevented the two sides going to war

What were the positive outcomes for the USSR with regards to the Wall?

Stopped the refugee crisis, sent a message that attempts to unite Germany under Western control would fail

When did Kennedy visit West Berlin, praising them for their freedom?

1963

When did revolutionaries led by Castro and Guevara topple the pro-American Cuban government?

January 1959

What was Castro strongly against?

The US ties to Cuba

What did the US do with regards to Cuba?

Reluctantly recognised the new government, but refused to provide economic aid

When did the Cuban government take over all land that was foreign-owned and pay compensation to the owners?

May 1959

When did Krushchev agree to buy Cuban sugar and provide economic aid (and secretly, weapons)?

February 1960

What was Eisenhower concerned about?

Having communism so close by, as Castro had appointed many communists to his government

When did the US reduce their Cuban sugar purchases?

July 1960

When did the US ban all trade with Cuba?

October 1960

When did the US break off all diplomatic relations with Cuba?

January 1961

Which organisation suggested the Bay of Pigs plan?

CIA

Why did the Bay of Pigs seem like a good idea?

It dealt with removing the communist government, and did not obviously involve the US

When was the Bay of Pigs?

17th April 1961

How many Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs?

1,400

Why did the Bay of Pigs fail?

The exiles had little military training, the US could not send military support, there were 20,000 Cuban soldiers waiting, the Cuban people were happy with Castro

How did the Bay of Pigs present the US?

It was an embarrassing failure, looked like the US was trying to build an empire, emphasised the popularity of communism

What did the Bay of Pigs prompt Castro to do?

Declare himself communist

When did Krushchev announce that he would provide Cuba with arms?

September 1961

When did a U2 Spy Plane take photos of missile sites in Cuba, and reports of USSR ships sailing to Cuba reach the US government?

14th October 1962

When did ExComm meet for the first time?

16th October 1962

When did Kennedy decide to set up a naval blockade around Cuba?

22nd October 1962

When did Cuban ships reach the blockade?

24th October 1962

What did Cuban ships do when they reached the blocakde?

They turned around

When did Kruschev sent his first telegram to Kennedy?

26th October 1962

What did Krushchev's first telegram say?

That the USSR would remove the missiles from Cuba, so long as the US did not invade Cuba

When was Krushchev's second telegram to Kennedy?

27th October 1962

what did Krushchev's second telegram say?

The USSR would remove the missiles from Cuba, if the NATO missiles in Turkey were also removed

What else happened on the 27th October 1962?

A U2 Spy Plane was shot down by the USSR

What was Kennedy under pressure to do?

The 'Hawks' in the US demanded action against the USSR

When did Kennedy send a telegram to the USSR?

28th October 1962

What did Kennedy's telegram say?

He agreed to the initial terms suggested by Krushchev, but Robert Kennedy secretly agreed to the removal of the Turkey missiles

How did the Cuban Missile Crisis affect Kennedy?

He was seen as a strong leader, not giving in to the Hawks or Krushchev, increased his popularity and his confidence

What might have been Krushchev's aim all along?

To remove the missiles in Turkey and strengthen himself after the Berlin Wall

How did the Cuban Missile Crisis affect Krushchev?

He lost support, the military felt that he had a humiliating withdrawal, this contributed heavily to his dismissal in 1964

When was the Washington-Moscow hotline set up?

June 1963

When was the Test Ban Treaty?

August 1963

What was the Test Ban Treaty?

No testing nuclear weapons in space, underwater or in the atmosphere

When was the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty?

1968

What was the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty?

No sharing of nuclear technology

When was the Outer Space Treaty?

1967

What was the Outer Space Treaty?

Space was not to be used for military purpose, no nuclear weapons in orbit

When was Alexander Dubcek elected in Czechoslovakia?

1968

What were Dubcek's politics?

He wanted to pursue 'socialism with a human face'

When did students lead demonstrations in CZ?

1966

Why did students lead demonstrations in CZ?

The communist rule made life difficult for the people

When was the Prague Spring?

April 1968

What were Dubcek's reforms?

Censorship relaxed, criticism of government actions was allowed, trade unions were given wider powers, more power to Czech regional governments, trade with the West was increased, people could travel abroad

What did the Czech people think about the reforms?

They liked them

When did Brezhnev take actions in CZ?

When Dubcek invited Ceausescu (Romania) and Tito (Yugo) for talks

When did Warsaw Pact troops invade CZ?

20th August 1968

How many Warsaw Pact troops invaded?

500,000

What did Brezhnev order the Czech army to do?

Remain in the barracks

What had the troops been told?

That they had been invited to restore law and order

When was the Brezhnev Doctrine announced?

26th September 1968

What was the Brezhnev Doctrine?

The actions of any one communist country affected all communist countries, if one country's actions threatened communism, it was the duty of the other countries to stop these actions

What did the invasion do?

Ended the Prague Spring and returned CZ to 'normal'

Which two countries condemned the invasions, straining their Moscow relations?

Yugoslavia and Romania

Which two countries welcomed the actions?

Poland and East Germany

How did the Prague Spring affect the US?

They appeared unprepared to take any direct action to oppose the USSR in Europe

How did the Prague Spring and Brezhnev Doctrine affect the Warsaw Pact?

Led to greater control of the members

How did Western governments react to the Prague Spring?

They were outraged, the UN attempted to condemn the invasion, but this was vetoed by the USSR