The Global War, 1955-1963

nikita sergeyevich khrushchev

• 1894-1971

• leader of soviet union from 1953 to 1964

• committed to de-stalinisation

de-stalinisation

• stalin ensured that those eastern european states that formed pro- communist and soviet served as clones of the communist system

• the stalinist system was characterised by the cult of personality, centralised planning , a one-party political system , the dominance of the communist party ,a secret police system & press censorship

• de-stalinisation involved the removal of most of these controls

what did khrushcehv want to achieve

wanted to achieve long-term political stability, economic growth and improved living conditions through a process of de-stalinisation - but without changing the basic structure of the communist system

when did khrushchev deliver his secret speech

25 february 1956

what did the secret speech include

criticisms of Stalin's policies and reporting stalins crimes

where did uprisings occur as a result of the secret speech

in Poland and Hungary

when did bolesaw beirut (polish communist leader) die

1956

who did khrushchev nominate to be leader of poland

edward ochab

what did poles start to demand after the secret speech

more political freedom and national sovereignty

when did polish workers go on strike in protest at wage cuts and poor working conditions

28 june 1956

when was gomulka elected as first secretary of the polish united workers party

October 1956

khrushchev met up with gomulka and threatened what if gomulka refused to cooperate

military intervention

khrushchev agreed to gomulka being first secretary if he agreed to..

• not carry out reforms that might threaten local communist rule or the unity of the soviet bloc

• poland would remain a member of the warsaw pact

• soviet troops already stationed in poland were available to move in warsaw but were not needed

why was force not used against the polish uprising and gomulka

because of the support shown from beijing towards to polish communist party

the impacts in poland

• many poles supported gomulka because he had preserved a polish path to socialism rather than conforming to soviet views on how their satellite states should behave

• gomulka skilfully balanced the need for polish security with the presence of soviet troops in poland , in order to placate moscow - The USSR would protect poland form any revanchism from west germany

• the polish rising showed that moscow would allow its satellites a measure of national independence if the regimes were led by trustworthy men

• khrushchev’s instinct had been to use force once gomalka had taken control of the polish communist party - force was not used primarily because china supported the polish communist party

revanchism

based on the idea that people of a nation may wish to restore their lost territories

imre nagy

• 1896-1958

• hungarian communist leader from 1945 to 1956

• proposed a new course in socialism in hungary

• challenged oppressive control from moscow - led to his dismissal as chairman of the hungarian council of ministers

• fled to yugoslavia and was caught - executed in 1958

when did students in budapest demonstrate and list 16 demands

22 october 1956

some of the demands of the hungarian protesters

• appointment of imre nagy as prime minister

• the withdrawal of soviet troops from hungary

• freedom of speech and a free press

• multi-party elections

what happened on 23 october in hungary

the situation escalated into an armed revolt - as protestors were fired at by the hungarian secret police

who joined the students in the hungarian uprising

workers groups

when was nagy appointed prime minister of hungary

24 october

why did nagy immediately meet up with soviet delegation after he was appointed

to convince the USSR that military intervention was not necessary and nagu argued that the revolt could be calmed and assured moscow of hungarys loyalty

when did soviet forces withdraw from budapest

28 october

what did USSR do from 28 -30 october

red army forces began to withdraw from budapest and declared they would withdraw from hungary as a whole

what did USSR do on 31 october regarding the hungarian uprising

Sent troops back into Hungary to suppress the revolution and restore control over the country

why did USSR change its mind and send back soviet forces to hungary

• feared the collapse of communism in hungary

• the introduction of a multi-party political system

• the dissolution of the secret police

• unacceptable moves towards freedom of the press

what did nagy announce on 1 november 1956

hungary had withdrawn from the warsaw pact and declared its neutrality

by when did 15 divisions of the red army and 4000 tanks had surround budapest

by 3 November 1956

what happened within a few days after 3 october - hungarian uprising

the hungarian uprising was crushed

who was the leader of the new government installed in hungary after the uprising

janos kadar

casualties of the hungarian uprising

• 4000 hungarians killed

• 200,000 hungarians went into self-imposed exile

the impacts of the hungarian uprising

• the lack of intervention from the west confirmed that the post-war status quo had been accepted - this simply reassured the USSR that the west wouldn’t intervene in eastern europe

• the rising was demoted to merely a debating issue in the united nations , illustrating that the UN would not intervene in eastern europe either

• move towards peaceful coexistence were compromised

• the rising did show that there was a need for social and political reform in eastern europe and this reality was not entirely lost on either the USSR or national communist movements across the region

when was the 20th congress of the communist party of the soviet union held

february 1956

what did the 20th congress of the communist party of the soviet union represent

• represented what appeared to be a fundamental shift in the USSR’s thinking

• khrushchev abandoned the conventional marxist-leninist view that war between the socialist and capitalist camps was inevitable

what did khrushchev claim about communism

claimed that communism had become so powerful that it would be victorious without war

what would communist states do instead of preparing for an ideological war against the west

concentrate resources on internal improvements and progress

what were khrushchevs clear foreign policy imperatives

• the soviet union would remain as the unchallenged leaders of the socialist community both within eastern europe and in the face of growing competition from china and mao

• a firm grip must be maintained over the eastern bloc satellite states

• germany must be prevented from rearming and becoming a future threat to the soviet union

• the USSR must continue to expand its nuclear capability and thereby stay firmly implanted in the nuclear arms race between the east and west

• spending on military security including soviet conventional forces in eastern europe has to be reduced

• international tension has to be defused and care taken to not unnecessarily provoke the USA

what was a foreign policy imperative that underpinned the aims of the USSR

post-stalinist soviet leadership proposed to meet and counter the growing power of the USA through a policy of peaceful coexistence - strategy to consolidate soviet international power and security by existing in a less volatile environment

peaceful coexistence

a diplomatic strategy by the Soviet Union to coexist with Western powers, particularly the USA and engage with the USA in diplomacy to diffuse tensions where possible and prevent direct confrontation to ensure security and stability while promoting communist ideology

what was the USSR receiving from austria

receiving economic aid - reparations

how many occupied zones was austria divided into

4 zones of occupation like germany was

when was the austrian state treaty signed

may 1955

austrian state treaty

france UK USA USSR all agreed to withdraw their forces from austria and declared that austria would be a neutral state

impact of the austrian state treaty regarding the superpowers

• agreement showed a serious intent towards mutual cooperation between the two superpowers

• removed a major source of potential conflict

• eased the path towards further cooperation between east and west

what did the western powers do as a result of the austrian state treaty regarding west germany

western powers removed their occupation forces from west germany

when was the geneva summit

september 1955

what goals could khrushchev achieve if USSR had a less confrontational relationship with the west

• russia needed extensive conventional forces to ensure compliance among the eastern bloc states and to contribute to their security

• khrushchev also needed to promote internal economic development in the soviet union

• protect the soviet unions national security and global superpower status at the same time

why did eisenhower present the open skies proposal

to end the deadlock over the issue of the superpowers inspecting each others nuclear arsenals - thereby taking a step closer to disarmament

open skies proposal

• each superpower had to provide details of military installations

• to allow aerial reconnaissance

• one or more of the crew on each plane should be a representative of the inspecting nation

did khrushchev reject or accept the open skies proposal

reject

eisenhower’s vs khrushchev’s suggestion of future of germany

• eisenhower= proposed a unified germany , free elections and germany’s freedom to ensure its own security - which effectively meant it would become part of NATO

• khrushchev= proposed a unified germany if it was demilitarised and neutral

what did khrushchev refuse to talk about at the geneva summit

the future of the eastern bloc states

impact of the geneva summit

marked the beginning of dialogue between the superpowers

when was camp david

september 1959

what was camp david

khrushchev met with eisenhower in the USA to discuss peace and reduce tensions - first soviet leader to visit the USA

what was discussed at camp david

• disarmament and the situation in berlin

• agreed to settle international issues through diplomacy instead of force

who did khrushchev face opposition from due to his commitment to peaceful coexistence

china and many in the soviet hierarchy

when was the paris summit

may 1960

what did khrushchev want agreement on at paris summit

• wanted a deal over berlin

• an agreement to prohibit nuclear weapons in the pacific

• a ban on such weapons in germany

why did the paris summit collapse

due to the news that an american U-2 spy plane had been shot down while on a mission over the soviet union

what did the U-2 spy plane incident give USSR the opportunity to do with china

calm down opposition from china

when did john f kennedy become president

january 1961

john F kennedy

• 1917-63

• US president from 1961-63

• USA’s youngest president

• assassinated in 1963

• committed anti-communist

what did kennedy declare in his inauguration speech

that the USA would do whatever was necessary , regardless of the cost , to support the survival of liberty and freedom - reaffirmation of trumans doctrine

kennedy’s policies

• increased the defence budget and promised more conventional forces

• favoured an expansion of the USAs nuclear arsenal and its polaris missile submarine force

when was the vienna summit

June 1961

why did khrushchev humiliate kennedy at the vienna summit

• believed kennedy was a young unexperienced and politically vulnerable leader

• kennedys recent failed bay of pigs invasion

kennedy told the american people that berlin represented

a symbol of freedom

what did berlin symbolise

• a symbol of cold war confrontation

• symbol of the global differences between the superpowers

what did JFK ask congress to do after the vienna summit

• increase defence spending

• call up army reservists

• reactivate ships about to be scrapped

when did JFK call for a build up of NATO forces

25 july

how were Eisenhower and Khrushchev extending the arms race?

whilst Khrushchev wanted peaceful coexistence he was also stockpiling weapons

Eisenhower continued to develop new types of weapons which also continued the space race

What is the arms race?

competition between nations for superiority in the development and accumulation of weapons, especially between the US and the former Soviet Union during the Cold War.

What are ICMBs?

Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles A MUCH BIGGER range than the nuclear weapons

What was the arms race timeline and turning points?

29 August 1949

• Soviets ended the USA nuclear monopoly

1 Novemeber 1952

• US 1st hydrogen Bomb it released a load of pollution into the air

8 August 1953

• Soviets 1S H-Bomb but it was less powerful than the West

1955

• SLBMS by the USSR

26 August 1957

• USSR ICBMS (first) could travel to bomb destinations now

4 October 1957

• Sputnik, the space race had begun

JULY 1960

• USA Submarine bombs by the US a submarine ICBMS

October 1961

• Tsar Bomb it was the biggest explosion and was time sensitive with the berlin wall just going up - biggest man-made explosion

June 1963

• The hotline

August 1963

• Test ban treaty, only underground testing was permissible

Gaither Report 1957

Top-secret government report issued by the Security Resources panel of President Eisenhower's Science Advisory Committee that assessed the state of missile technology in the U.S. it showed that the ussr was becoming more militarly and economically adavanced than the US

What caused the arms race between the US and USSR?

Arms were viewed as necessary to safeguard the interests of East and West.

The development of the atomic bomb sparked off a nuclear arms race.

Each side was determined to keep ahead of the other in the development of weapons of mass destruction.

Military influence in each country pressurised successive governments to maintain the arms race (often known as the 'military-industrial complex'). This was one of the reasons used to force Khrushchev's resignation in 1964 when he attempted to cut military spending.

Powerful economic/industrial concerns benefited from the manufacture of arms and wielded considerable control over politics. Eisenhower's concerns and Khrushchev's worries about arms spending floundered due to powerful opposition.

What was the impact of the arms race?

The arms race increased rather than reduced rivalry and insecurity.

Stalin was convinced that the USA used the atomic bombs on Japan as a warning to the Soviet Union. The USSR felt especially vulnerable in the years 1945-9 until they had developed their own atom bomb.

The result was a massive build up of US missiles

The danger of initiating nuclear war acted as a restraint on both sides. Limited war, such as in Korea and Vietnam, was used to avoid direct confrontation

In the 1950s, the USA developed the tactic of brinkmanship, of being prepared to go to the brink of a nuclear war in order to stop enemy aggression. This was shown most significantly in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

In the 1970s, both sides had enough weapons to totally destroy each other. This led to MAD (Mutually Aided Destruction). A more flexible range of responses was necessary.

The arms race also provided one of the reasons for ending the Cold War because it partially bankrupted the USSR and prompted some of the political events of the late 1980s.

Space Race

The USSR was winning with launching Sputnik in October 1957

The West saw it as USSR threatening the existence of massive retaliation

The US shifted a huge focus on making a missile for the space race ($1 billion in 1958) it became known as flopnik

The US were lucky because their U2 planes allowed them to see that the USSR was not ahead as was suggested with 63 compared to 15

NASA 1958 was created then to show its power in space

What was the Berlin Crisis?

1956 GDR acted as a loyal state to the USSR

But, they were economically weak states which meant that east germans were fleeing to the West so that they could have a good income

the population was too small for the country to grow economically and this crisis was 3 years long

What were Khrushchev's aims in GDR?

he wanted to delay the arming of the FDR - west wanted to since Korean war

show that he was not soft on imperialism

What was the Berlin Ultimatium?

In November 1958, Khrushchev demanded a peace treaty and then gave a 6 months timeline to the west

if they said no he would sign with the GDR leader which is a problem because of the hallstien doctrine meant they did not recognise the GDR leader. ULBRICHT

What was the reaction of the western allies?

They ignored the timeline they rejected it in December 1958

but they were willing to discuss Germany for example the Geneva conferences

There were also the London letters showing that there was a divide in the way that people wanted to deal with the crisis

What did summit conference meetings improve?

september- may 1960, they solved nothing becuase nothing was ever decided about germany which was not easing tensions

U-2 plane and the arms race?

May 1960, the USSR shot down a u2 plane, Gary powers was alive and it showed that the arms race favoured the US

What was the impact of the Berlin wall?

It stopped East Germans from escaping into the West and ended the refugee crisis

It allowed Khrushchev to avoid war with America while still appearing strong

It became a powerful symbol for the division of Germany and Europe.

what was the significance of the Berlin wall?

The West used it to fuel anti-communist propaganda, referring to it as the 'wall of shame' designed to cordon off the inferior communist part of the city. It was a symbol of the bankruptcy of the Soviet Bloc.

It stopped the flood of refugees from east to west although some 5000 risked their lives escaping over or under the wall, of which 136 died.

Although the Wall was condemned by the West, once again the USA did not directly intervene to prevent its construction.

what forced ho chi minh to concentrate on consolidating communist control in north vietnam

the decision not to hold national elections in 1956

what was ho chi minh’s priority

to construct a solid communist state in the north - in order to fight for the reunification of vietnam

what was key component for the vietnam workers party to achieve communist control in the north

land reform - the regime seized privately owned land and redistributed it among the rural farming population

what was the outcome of land reform by the vietnam workers party

• public denunciations of landowners and landlords were commonplace

• thousands were executed and many more imprisoned in labour camps

• 1956 - military had to put down a revolt resulting in 6000 deaths

what did ho chi minh publicly apologise for in august 1956

for the aggressive and clumsy implementation of the land reform programme

how many refugees fled to south from north vietnam as a result of the land reform programme

about one million refugees

who were the majority of the victims of the land reform programme

loyal communists who happened to have little wealth

what had increased as a result of the land reform programme

• full scale collectivisation

• agricultural production

collectivisation

the practise of combining farming units into large scale units ; these would be controlled by the state and each would have production targets

when did the VWP central committee decide to commit to a strategy that would reunify vietnam

end of 1958

why was ho chi minh more confident in his route to reunify vietnam

• communist rule in north vietnam was well established by 1959

• the power of the vietnam workers party was well established

what did the strategy of unifying vietnam serve as for the north

a declaration of war on the south