Foreign Policy 1945-75

When was the Yalta Conference?

1945

What was the Yalta conference about?

USA, USSR and Britain aimed to secure a plan for post war peace

Agreed to divided Germany into zones under the control each power
Agreed for the USSR to join the UN

What was the impact of the Yalta conference?

It became clear that the US and USSR had very different aims

This increased tension

What did Stalin disagree with at the Yalta Conference?

He didn't want to set up free elections in Poland but he agreed reluctantly
He disagreed on how much Germany should pay the allies

When was the Potsdam Conference?

1945

What were the Potsdam conference agreements?

US, USSR and Britain agreed the Germany zones and reparations
Polands borders were moved to give the USSR more territory

What caused tension at the Potsdam conference? (2 things)

Truman found out about the success of his atomic bomb and withheld information from Stalin

Stalin wanted more reparations and had broken his promise at Yalta to set up free elections in Poland

Who was to blame for tension at the Potsdam conference?

Both the US and USSR

US withheld information and Stalin didn't uphold his promise

When was the Stalinisation of Eastern Europe?

1945-48

Example of Stalin using force to extend his influence in the late 1940s?

Used force to get Czechoslovakia to accept communism

Why did the US disagree with Stalin expanding his influence in Czechoslovakia?

They thought it went beyond the soviet sphere of influence

Why did the Stalinisation of Eastern Europe cause tension?

Increased American fears of communism spreading and the Soviets gaining power

When was Churchill's Iron Curtain speech?

1946

What was the iron curtain speech?

Churchill blamed the Soviets for creating an iron curtain separating Eastern Europe from the rest of the world

Why did the iron curtain speech cause tension?

The USA's alliance with the UK meant Churchill's speech also caused tension between the US and USSR

Publicly criticising the Soviets and accusing them of inflicting oppression worsened relatioms

When was the Truman Doctrine?

1947

What was the Truman Doctrine?

The first announcement of the containment policy

Truman said he would support Greece to prevent a communist takeover and would do the same for any country at risk of falling to communism

Evidence to suggest the Truman Doctrine was successful at containment?

Greece did not fall to communism

What is the Truman Doctrine often viewed as?

The declaration of Cold War

What was the impact of the Truman Doctrine?

Increased fears of war

The US publicly declaring their opposition to communism would worsen tensions

When was the Marshall Plan?

1948

What was the Marshall Plan?

The US prepared to offer $30 billion of aid to countries at risk of falling to communism

Why did the Marshall Aid Plan worsen tension?

The USSR viewed it as 'dollar imperialism' and expanding their influence

Was Marshall Aid successful?

Yes, it did help countries recover so communism became less appealing

When was the Berlin Blockade and Airlift?

1948-49

What was the Berlin Blockade and Airlift?

Stalin blocked trade routes and points of entry to West Berlin, effectively sieging the population of 2m

The allies sent in supplies by air with the risk of them being shot down by Stalin

Stalin did not shoot them down

What was the outcome of the Berlin Blockade and Airlift for the US?

It appeared they had one the first major confrontation of the Cold War

Russia looked oppressive whereas the US looked heroic

When was NATO formed?

1949

What was the purpose of NATO?

Primarily for the defence and safety of Western European powers

But also to prevent soviet expansion

Why did the creation of NATO worsen tension?

The USSR was suspicious because the powers involved agreed that an attack on one of them would be taken as an attack on all of them

This put the USSR at greater risk if they further expanded their influence

What 3 key events happened in 1949?

China falls to communism (Mao is the new leader)

USSR test their atomic bomb

Germany is officially split into two nations (East and West)

When was NSC-68?

1950

What was NSC-68?

The US defence policy in attempt to stop Soviet expansiom

When was the Korean War?

1950-1953

Summary of the Korean War

US troops, as part of the UN, help South Korea defend itself against the invasion of North Korea to help contain communism there

China helps the North Korean force

Ended with North and South Korea remaining separate

Why was Truman's approach to the Korean War criticised (including by Eisenhower)?

While he successfully contained communism, he did not go further to occupy North Korea or even China to reverse communism there

Was the Korean War a success for containment?

Yes, the US successfully contained communism in the North

However, they did not limit the powers of already communist powerful nations. Eg China

Also, the war drastically worsened Sino-American tensions

When did Eisenhower and Khrushchev come to power?

Eisenhower, 1953
Khrushchev, 1955

Why was the changeover to Eisenhower and Khrushchev significant?

Eisenhower wanted to pursue a harsher containment policy

Khrushchev was, at first, softer with the US than Stalin had been

When did Khrushchev sign the Warsaw Pact?

1955

What was the Warsaw Pact?

A military alliance of communist nations in Eastern Europe

Counteracted NATO

When did the USSR crush an anti-communist revolt in Hungary?

1956

What was the impact of the USSR's invasion of Hungary?

Their violent tactics caused tension

Why was tension not worsened as much as it could have been when the USSR invaded Hungary?

The US did not get involved because the risk was too great and they did not care about Hungary enough

This is sometimes seen as a sign the US was respecting the Soviet sphere of influence

Why was the USA's lack of involvement in Hungary a failure?

They had failed to contain the spread of communism

What issues were there concerning Berlin in the late 1950s? What did this lead to?

Khrushchev disliked the espionage and sabotage that was going on in West Germany
He disliked that East Germans were fleeing to West Berlin where they were paid more

This led to a series of summits

What was the Brain Drain?

The emigration of intellectuals and skilled workers from East Germany to the West where they would be paid more

When did Khrushchev give the West an ultimatum to leave Berlin?

1958

When was the Paris Summit?

1960

What was the outcome of the Paris summit?

Tensions worsened alot

Why was the Paris Summit a failure?

The USSR had shot down an American spy plane

At first, Eisenhower lied about it
Finally, he admitted to the intent of the plane to spy on the Soviets

When was the Geneva Summit?

1955

What was the significance of the Geneva Summit?

The face that the Soviet Union met with the allied was a huge step forward in itself as Stalin would never have attended

What was the outcome of the Geneva Conference?

No agreements reached

When was the Suez Crisis?

1956

Why did the Suez Crisis worsen tension?

The USSR had close relations with Egypt so Egypt's conflict with the allies worsened Soviet-American relatioms

When was the Eisenhower doctrine?

1957

What was the Eisenhower Doctrine?

The US would defend any Middle Eastern nation against communism

Was partly to protect US trade interests

When was the Berlin Wall built?

1961

Why was the Berlin Wall significant regarding the different images of the US and USSR?

The US looked good while Russia looked oppressive

Why did Khrushchev build the Berlin Wall?

To keep skilled workers from leaving East Germany

How did the Berlin Wall somewhat reduce tension?

It separated East and West Berlin

How did the US use propaganda to make the USSR's building of the Berlin Wall make the Soviets look bad?

They used it to show that communism was so unpopular that it needed a wall to keep people in

When did China fall to communism?

1949

How was the US involved in the Chinese Civil War?

It gave aid to the Chang and Chinese Nationalists

It refused to recognise the PRC after the revolution and recognised the Chinese government in Taiwan as the real government

How did the Korean War affect Sino-American relations?

The Chinese viewed it as American aggression and imperialism

The US viewed it as China's attempt to expand communsim

How did the US sanction China?

Put a trade embargo on it and kept it out of the UN

When was the US-Taiwan defence treaty? What was the impact?

1954

It angered Mao

When was the Bay of Pigs fiasco?

1960

What happened at the Bay of Pigs?

The US trained Cuban exiles to help them overthrow Castro
They did not provide enough support at the attack failed

What was the impact of the Bay of Pigs incident?

The US turned Castro further towards the USSR
Castro declared himself a communist

Was Bay of Pigs successful?

No
It was a disastrous failure

Not only had the US failed to prevent Cuba from becoming communist but they actually pushed them towards it

Very concerning for the USSR to have a communist ally so geographically close to the US

When was the Cuban Missile Crisis?

1962

What was the Cuban missile crisis?

Soviets placed nuclear missiles in Cuba aimed at the US
The US discovered them through spy planes

What was the outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis?

The Soviets backed down and removed the missiles
The US agreed to remove its missiles from Turkey in secret

When did Detente begin?

1963 with the Hotline

When was the Hotline between the White House and the Kremlin created?

1963

Significance of the Hotline?

Would reduce the risk of further incidents like the Cuban Missile Crisis

The US and USSR leaders were now able to communicate immediately to resolve issues

A step towards better relations

When was the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty signed?

1963

What was the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty?

The US and USSR agreed to stop nuclear weapon testing

Why was the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty signed?

The USSR and US had both resumed nuclear testing 3 years after their non formal to stop it

The Cuban Missile Crisis renewed their focus on this issue so they signed the treaty

When was the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty signed?

1968

Impact of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty regarding tensions?

Eased tensions by preventing the risk of nuclear war
Evidenced cooperation between powers

How did the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty affect containment?

It helped the USA's aim of containment as it reduced the risk of the USSR strengthening other communist countries with nuclear weapons

When was the Prague Spring?

1968

Was the Prague spring successful for containment?

No, the US failed to contain communism by respecting the Soviet sphere of influence and their right to enforce Soviet control in Czechoslovakia

When was SALT 1 signed?

1972

What was SALT I?

An agreement between the US (Nixon) and USSR (Brezhnev) to stop the arms race

Each side was to freeze their number of nuclear missiles for at least 5 years

What were the positive and also the drawbacks of SALT I?

It was symbolically significant as the first attempt of each side to prevent the growth of their nuclear power

It did not reduce the number of nuclear weapons each side already had

It was only a temporary agreement

When were the Helsinki Accords?

1975

What were the Helsinki Accords?

The US, USSR and other states pledged to respect each others power, cooperate on matters of mutual interest and respect the rights of their citizens

Why were the Helsinki accords of 1975 controversial?

The pledges were not enforced but law and were often ignored

It allowed Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe

Why were the Helsinki Accords important?

The fact that the US and USSR could meet and discuss these issues shows relations and dramatically improved

What was Nixon's motivation behind bettering relations with China?

To end the Vietnam War (China funded the Vietcong)

3 main reasons why Nixon and Mao wanted improved between the US and China ?

Would help Nixon end the Vietnam War

Mao thought China needed the stimulus to trade and industry

Nixon wanted to exploit the emerging divisions between China and the USSR to force the USSR into detente

What caused the new period of Ping Pong Diplomacy?

China invited the US to compete in China at the Table Tennis World Championships

A Chinese player offered an American player a ride when he was late to his match
This was seen publicly and taken as a sign of friendliness between the two nations

When did Ping-pong diplomacy start?

1971

When did the US lift a trade embargo with China?

1971

When were China's legitimate rights in the UN restored?

1971

Why was the meeting between Nixon and Mao significant?

Sino-American relations had been bad for over 20 years
It symbolised a major improvement in this