Cold War Crises

When was the Berlin wall created?

-13 Aug 1961 Khrushchev closed border between East and West

-Allies did nothing to stop building of the wall as it was within East Berlin

-Very difficult to get through: 3.6m high and 1.2m wide, also had patrolling soldiers and dogs as well as floodlights and trip-wire machine guns

What were the events of the Cuban missile crisis?

-16 Oct Kennedy set up Executive Committee of the National Security Council

-20th Oct 1962 - Kennedy decided to blockade Cuba: this was a 500 mile naval ‘quarantine’ aimed at preventing USSR from bringing further missile parts

-Khrushchev stated USSR would launch nuclear missiles if USA went to war with Cuba

-26 Oct 1962 - Khrushchev sent Kennedy a letter saying he would remove missiles if blockade was removed and USA promised not to invade Cuba

-27 Oct - Khrushchev sent second letter which offered to remove missiles if USA removed missiles from Turkey

-28 Oct Kennedy at suggestion of his brother Robert ignored second letter and accepted first. Added that if no positive Soviet response by 29 Oct US forces invade Cuba + Khrushchev accepted. USA agreed to remove missiles from Turkey, but after removal of missiles on Cuba

What was the impact of the Berlin wall on US-Soviet relations?

-USA disputed the right of Soviet troops to patrol and guard the checkpoints to the Wall as well as to check the passports of American officials who passes the checkpoint

-USA stationed own troops and tanks on the western side of the checkpoints which provoked Soviets to place tanks on the East German side

-Kennedy worked behind the scenes to avoid conflict, promising Khrushchev that if the Soviet removed its troops, USA would do the same

-This ended stand-off

What was the impact of the Berlin wall on Germans?

-171 people died trying to cross the wall

-Families split up as some lived in East and some in West

-Germans felt let down as USSR broken 1949 agreement about the running of Berlin

What happened during Kennedy’s visit to Berlin?

-1963 he visited West Germany

-Made several speeches

-When he moved to West Berlin he embarked on a 30 mile tour of the main streets which were lined with approx. 1.5 million out of the 2.5 million population

-Spoke to a crowd of 200,000 in the city centre

What was the details of increased rivalry after Cuba?

-Kennedy seen as great statesman who had stood up to the communists

-Leading politicians in USSR thought Khrushchev had been humiliated and sought to remove him

-Mao Zedong (leader of China) criticised him

-Khrushchev saw it as victory as he saved Cuba from invasion but many thought he had failed

-However contributed to his removal as leader in 1964

What was the ‘hotline’?

-To ensure that leaders didn’t have to communicate by letter in case of a crisis, a hotline telephone link established between White House in Washington DC and the Kremlin in Moscow

What was the Limited Test Ban Treaty?

-Signed in Aug 1963

-stop testing nuclear weapons in atmosphere

What was the Outer Space Treaty?

-Signed in 1968 with USSR, USA, Britain and other countries

-Use outer space for peaceful purposes and not place nuclear weapons in orbit

What was the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty?

-signed in 1968

-designed to stop spread of nuclear weapons

-the countries signing agreed not to develop nuclear weapons

-Idea that the arms race almost brought about nuclear war helped the superpowers to consider limitations on their arsenals

-Led to talks in 1969 became Strategic Arms Limitation Talks

What was Khrushchev’s view on West Berlin?

-He wanted the Allies to leave West Berlin as it was a symbol of capitalist prosperity and success of western Europe within the communist territory

-Claimed that Allies used it as a base for spying so needed to control movement and access into Berlin to combat this

-Wanted solution to get rid of problem of east Berliners leaving to the west

What was the refugee problem in Berlin?

-Between 1949 and 1961 approx 4 million East Germans to the West through Berlin because they were dissatisfied with economic and political conditions

-From Jan 1961, number of refugees leaving East Berlin for West increased to over 20,000 a month

-Many people who were leaving were professionals and skilled craftsmen - this drain of labour and economic output threatened the economic collapse of East Germany

What was Khrushchev’s Berlin ultimatum?

-issued in 1958

-Accused Allies of breaking Potsdam agreement + told them they should leave Berlin within 6 months

-Suggested it should become a neutral, free city

When was the Geneva meeting and what happened?

-May 1959, Eisenhower met with Khrushchev to discuss ways to ease tension

-One discussion was arms control but main one was Berlin

-Eisenhower refused to leave Berlin

-Meeting unsuccessful: didn’t reach any agreements and tension remained high

What happened at the Camp David meeting?

-Sept 1959

-Khrushchev demanded that Western powers leave Berlin but Eisenhower refused and emphasised the importance of maintaining the city’s freedom and access to the West

-Discussed the possibility of a peace treaty between East and West Germany, but no agreement reached

-Khrushchev took away his Berlin Ultimatum

What happened at the Paris meeting?

-May 1960the two

-9 days before meeting US spy plane shot down by USSR, creating major diplomatic incident between them

-Pilot captured and put on trial and Khrushchev demanded all spying activities stop and Eisenhower issue an apology

-Eisenhower agreed to stop the flights but refused to apologise

-Eisenhower and Khrushchev had heated discussions during a preliminary meeting and Khrushchev stormed out

-Summit talks did not take place and Eisenhower cancelled a planned visit to Moscow

What happened at the Vienna Summit?

-June 1961

-Khrushchev believed that due to JFK’s youth and inexperience he could be pushed in a way that Eisenhower couldn’t

-Kennedy reaffirmed his commitment to the Truman Doctrine

-Khrushchev again demanded that Western powers leave Berlin, threatening to make an agreement with East Germany to end all access and occupation rights

-Kennedy refused and increased US defence spending by $3.5 billion

-In July, Khrushchev announced Soviet defence budget would be increased by over 30%

What was the rule like in Cuba?

-Cuba ruled by unpopular and repressive dictator, Fulgencio Batista unpopular with Cubans but supported by USA

-USA’s received most of the profits (as ran 90% of phone and electric supply, 50% of railways and 40% of sugar production), making Cubans very poor

-over 40% unemployed, 10% illiterate

What were the events of the Cuban Revolution?

-1959

-Overthrow of Batista by Fidel Castro

-Castro wanted greater independence from USA so took control of all American property in Cuba

-His removal of US capitalist companies and his desire to help the ordinary citizens of Cuba seemed to be USA’s worst nightmare - socialist leader

-In response USA banned the import of Cuban sugar which threatened to bankrupt Cuban economy

-USA aware that Castro had connections to communism so refused to acknowledge his government

What was Soviet relations with Cuba like?

-Khrushchev offered to buy Cuban sugar

-Sent weapons to Cuba at end of 1959

-1960 senior Soviet diplomats visited Castro

-Sept 1960 Khrushchev openly promised to send Castro military assistance

What were the events of the Bay of Pigs?

-April 1961

-Due to Soviet involvement with Castro, USA broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba in Jan 1961

-Eisenhower authorised scheme where Cuban exiles living in USA would be trained for invasion of Cuba, Kennedy continued this scheme

-Ain was to remove Castro: trained by CIA in Florida and Guatemala, operations budget was $45 million, exiles called themselves La Brigada (1500 of them)

-Events: encountered 20,000 men from Castro’s army, 100 La Brigada killed and 1100 imprisoned

What was the significance of the invasion?

-Before invasion Castro losing support because of economic situation and many fled

-However Castro’s position became stronger and USA lost support in Latin America

-Embarrassment for Kennedy + became more determined to remove Castro and set up Operation Mongoose

-More positive relations between Castro and Khrushchev

-End of 1961 Soviet military advisors and combat units stationed on Cuba

-Khrushchev saw move to Cuba as beginning of spread of communism into Latin America

-He was concerned by missile bases in Italy and Turkey and thought Soviet bases in Cuba would restore balance of power

How did USSR increase military resources in Cuba?

-Continued to send military supplies to Cuba throughout 1962

-Sept 1962 Soviet technicians began to install ballistic missiles

-Khrushchev said that weapons sent to defend Cuba and were not offensive, unlike the missiles the USA had in Turkey

-14 Oct 1962 a U-2 spy plane took photos of Cuba which showed Soviet intermediate range missile bases were being constructed - estimated that they would be operational by Nov

-Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles could hit all US cities so posed a serious threat to country’s security

Who was Antonin Novotny?

-Czech leader since 1957

-Unpopular due to being hard-line communist who slavishly followed the Soviet line

-Slow to follow Khrushchev’s de-Stalinisation policy. He was particularly slow to release political prisoners jailed under Stalin

what was the Czech economy like?

in 1960s:

-led to fall in standard of living

-USSR forced Czechoslovakia industry to produce materials such as steel for USSR

-USSR stopped Czechoslovakian factories from producing consumer goods

-1962-63 national income fell

-Novotny’s attempts at reform after 1965 (New Economic Model) unsuccessful as they produced a surplus of consumer goods that few could afford

-Failure of economic reform encouraged Czechoslovakians to demand greater democracy

-Oct 1967 a number of reformers challenged Novotny’s leadership

Who was Novotny’s replacement?

-5 Jan 1968 Novotny replaced as First Secretary of the Communist Party by Dubcek, supported by Brezhnev

-In March Novotny resigned as President and replaced by General Ludvik Svoboda

What was included in the Prague Spring Reforms?

-Introduced by Dubcek in the spring of 1968

-Known as socialism with a human

-10 year programme for political change which would bring about democratic elections, a multi-party-state and create a new form of democratic socialism

-Greater political freedom, including free speech and the abolition of press censorship. By March 1968 newspapers printing uncensored discussions of political and social problems

-Reduction in the powers of the secret police to imprison without trial

-Removal of travel restrictions and fresh contact with West such as trade

-Creation of works councils representing the workforce to improve working conditions in factories and an increase in rights for members of trade unions

What were the reactions to the Prague Spring reforms?

-Encouraged opponents of communism and demands for more radical reforms

-June 1968 Social Democrats began to form separate party as rival to Communist Party

What were the reasons for the invasion?

-Brezhnev concerned that Czechoslovakia would leave Warsaw Pact

-Worried that Czech ideas would spread to other countries and become to close to West Germany

-Brezhnev under pressure from other Eastern European countries (East Germany and Poland) to stop the reforms

How did the USSR re-establish control over Czechoslovakia?

-20 Aug 1968: 500,000 Warsaw Pact troops invaded

-No armed resistance from Czechoslovakian army but some from protesters

-Dubcek and other leaders arrested and taken to Moscow where they were forced to accept end of moves towards democracy

-Over next few years hard-line Czechoslovakian officials replaced the reforming Czechoslovakian leaders

What was the Brezhnev Doctrine?

-USSR used propaganda to show that events in Czechoslovakia were a serious threat

-According to the Doctrine USSR had the right to invade any country in eastern Europe whose actions appeared to threaten the security of the Eastern Bloc

-Brezhnev insisted that USSR had no choice but to invade because the actions taken by Dubcek threatened the Warsaw Pact and Soviet control of eastern Europe

-Redefined communism as one-party system and declared that all member countries had to remain part of Warsaw Pact

-Brezhnev also stated that if a capitalist country threatened any communist country than other communist states had the right to intervene by using force

What were the consequences of the Prague Spring for Czechoslovakia?

-Demonstrations against USSR went on until April 1969

-Jan 1969 Jan Palach set fire to himself in Wenceslas Square in protest against invasion

-Czech Communist Party purged

-Dubcek forced to resign

-Under his replacement, Gustav Husak Czechoslovakia reverted to strict communist rule

-Dubcek not executed but sent as ambassador to Turkey then forced to resign from Czech Communist Party

What was the impact of Prague Spring on Soviet and USA relations?

-While USA condemned the invasion, they offered no military support

-USA in the middle of presidential election during 1968 and was also pre-occupied with Vietnam War

-Brezhnev and the American president, Johnson, had an unspoken deal that USA wouldn’t intervene in Czechoslovakia as long as the USSR didn’t intervene in Vietnam

What did Western Europe do about the Prague Spring?

-Followed USA’s lead - condemned invasion but provided no military help

-Western European communist parties in Italy and France outraged by invasion and formally declared themselves independent of the Soviet Communist Party

-USSR increasingly lost influence in the western European countries, which began to develop their own form of European communism known as Eurocommunism

What was the impact of Prague Spring on Communist countries?

-Invasion increased rivalry between China and USSR

-China criticised use of force against a fellow communist nation + feared that USSR would use same action against them

-Other communist countries began to move away from Moscow : President of Romania refused to send troops to join the forces invading Czechoslovakia and took an increasingly independent line against USSR + Albania did the same and left Warsaw Pact in 1968

-Yugoslavian and Romanian governments both condemned the invasion and distanced themselves from USSR

-Following 1968, Yugoslavian and Romanian communists formed alliances with China