Cold War Crisis (1958-70)

the Refugee Problem in Berlin (Jan 1961)

* the number leaving East Berlin for the West had risen to over 20k
* many refugees were professional people but there were also many skilled craftsmen among them
* this was called the ‘brain drain’
* the West was deliberately showing of their power and freedom

Khrushchev’s Berlin Ultimatum (1958)

* Khrushchev issued the Berlin Ultimatum
* he demanded the Allies leave Berlin within 6 months
* US President Eisenhower did not want to risk war over Berlin
* they agreed to meet and Camp David to discuss Berlin

the Summit Meetings

* May 1959 = Geneva Conference
* Sep 1959 = Camp David Summit
* May 1960 = Paris Summit

Geneva Conference (May 1959)

* the two leaders were seeking a new agreement on Berlin
* no solution to the ultimatum was found, relations between Khrushchev and Eisenhower improved
* Khrushchev agreed to consider a trip to the USA for another summit meeting the following year.

Camp David Summit (Sep 1959)

* the fact that Eisenhower had invited Khrushchev to the official US presidential residence and Khrushchev had agreed demonstrated the respect they had for each other
* Eisenhower said: Because of our importance in the world, it is vital that we understand each other better.
* no agreement on the long-term fate of Berlin was reached
* the ultimatum on Berlin was withdrawn by Khrushchev
* it was agreed that further negotiations would take place in Paris the following year.

Paris Summit Agenda (May 1960)

* Nuclear weapons and the need for a Test Ban Treaty: both sides knew the potential destructive power of nuclear weapons
* they were keen to avoid turning bits of the planet into **radioactive** no-go areas
* Berlin: the Soviets were exasperated that East Germans were continuing to escape to the West.
* Cuba: the Americans were concerned that the recent revolution in Cuba had created a **communist** government on their doorstep.

American U2 Spy Plane

* 1 May 1960 = an American U2 **spy plane** was shot down over the USSR
* USA claimed the U2 was a weather monitoring plane that had lost its way
* but film retrieved by the Soviets from the plane clearly indicated that Powers had been on a spying mission

Consequence of American U2 Spy Plane

* Paris Summit ended in failure: there was no agreement on Test Ban Treaty
* because America lied about the U2 plane’s mission, they no longer held the ‘moral high ground’ in the Cold War
* nothing was resolved on the issues of Berlin and Cuba; both would remain major sources of tension in the Cold War.
* superpower relations deteriorated even further, heightening Cold War tensions

Cuban Revolution (1959)

• Cuba it was closely allied to the United States under the leadership of the right-wing dictator, General Batista

• 1959 = Batista was overthrown in a revolution led by Fidel Castro

• One of Castro’s first moves was to go to the USA to secure support, but President Eisenhower refused to recognise his government

• Castro talked with representatives of the Soviet Union, and they offered their support for his new government

• Castro was drawn to communism by the friendship and support offered by Khrushchev

• Castro nationalised all American-owned companies in Cuba, and refused to pay compensation

• The USA then had a communist state ‘in its own backyard’.

USA Response to Cuban Revolution

• USA banned the import of Cuban sugar; they’re main source of income

• this backfired on the Americans as it meant the Cubans then looked to the USSR for a market for their sugar

• the Soviets were only too happy to oblige and were soon supplying Cuba with oil and weapons

the Bay of Pigs (1961)

• April 1961 = after he was installed as President John F Kennedy approved a plan to invade Cuba and overthrow communism

• CIA landed La Brigada 2506 (1,400 Cuban exiles) at the Bay of Pigs with the aim of provoking an anti-communist uprising

• but Kennedy cancelled an order that had promised the Cuban resistance US Air Force support for their coup d’etat

• this meant the rebels were easily defeated when they were met by 20,000 heavily armed Cuban troops; all were captured/killed

• Kennedy now looked weak and aggressive at the same time.

Significance of Bay of Pigs

* the failed invasion strengthened the position of Castro's administration
* they proceeded to openly proclaim its intention to adopt socialism and pursue closer ties with the Soviet Union
* It led to a reassessment of Cuba policy by the Kennedy administration.

Cuban Missile Crisis (Oct 1962)

• The Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the most serious Cold War crises

• It happened because the USSR placed missiles in Cuba and was the closest the world had been to a possible nuclear war

• lasted for 13 days, from 14th to 28th October, 1962

Causes of the Cuban Missile Crisis

* the Cuban Revolution in 1959 and the Bay of Pigs incident in 1961.
* This pushed Cuba closer to the USSR, which bought Cuban sugar. In return, the Cubans bought oil from the Soviets.
* Khrushchev was concerned about the missile gap and the fact the USA had nuclear missiles based in Turkey which could easily reach the USSR
* the deployment of Soviet nuclear missiles to Cuba for protection against possible attack by the USA
* Cuba is close to US state of Florida, which meant the mainland was within range of any missiles placed on Cuba. The USA therefore felt threatened.

Events of Cuban Missile Crisis

• 14 Oct = American Spy planes spotted missile bases being built on Cuba

• 22 Oct = Kennedy decided to blockade Cuba - a 500 mile naval quarantine to prevent the Soviets from bring any further military supplies

• 24 Oct = Khrushchev stated the USSR would launch nuclear missiles if America went to war in Cuba

• 26 Oct = Khrushchev offered to negotiate if the blockade was removed and the USA did not invade Cuba

• 27 Oct = Khrushchev offered to remove the missiles if the USA removed its missiles in Turkey - they accepted

• 28 Oct = Khrushchev agreed to the dismantling of nuclear missiles

Consequence of Cuban Missile Crisis

• a hotline was established between the Kremlin and the Whitehouse so leaders could contact each other quickly in time of a emergency

• 1968 = the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was signed to stop the spread of nuclear weapons

• 1964 = Khrushchev removed from power for his failings over the crisis

• 1963 = Limited Test Ban Treaty was signed so that the USA and USSR should stop testing nuclear weapons in the atmosphere

• 1967 = Outer Space Treaty signed to use outer space for peaceful purposes and not place nuclear weapons in orbit

Prague Spring (Jan-Aug 1968)

• the Czech people attempted to exert some control over their own lives and reform the communist system to create 'Socialism with a human face’

• That meant keeping the socialist model of government but guaranteeing a better delivery of goods, services and freedoms to the Czech people

Cause of Prague Spring

• communist leader, Antonin Novotny, was unpopular - rule was characterised by censorship of the press and a lack of personal freedom for ordinary citizens

• Czech economy was weak and many Czechs were bitter that the USSR controlled their economy for its own benefit

• Novotný was replaced by Dubček as the leader of Czechoslovakia in the hope that this would reduce discontent

• Some Czechs thought the USA would come to their assistance if they stood up to Moscow

Dubček’s Reforms + Reactions

• Censorship was relaxed which allowed more criticism of communism.

• Free speech was allowed.

• Political parties other than the Communist Party were allowed to exist.

• Travel restrictions were lifted, so Czechs could travel abroad.

• Many communist parties where horrified believing the reforms were a threat to communism

• Brezhnev was worried that it would lead to calls for reform elsewhere

Soviet Response to Prague Spring

• On 20th-21st August, 1968, 500,000 Soviet-led Warsaw Pact troops entered Prague to arrest the reformers.

• Dubček and other leaders were arrested

• Dubček was forced state that Czechoslovakia would protect communism and the reforms would be reversed.

• All the reforms were reversed when Dubček returned to Czechoslovakia

Consequences of Prague Spring

• Aug 1968 = Brezhnev Doctrine was introduced to justify the invasion and to prevent any other eastern European nations from creating reforms

• it stated that the Soviets had every right to invade any country in eastern europe whose actions appeared to threaten the security of the eastern bloc

International Reaction of Prague Spring

• US government condemned the Soviet invasion but offered no military assistance

• communist parties in Western Europe showed their disapproval by distancing themselves from the Communist Party of the USSR

• Yugoslav and Romanian governments also condemned the Soviet invasion and began to foster closer links with China

  • significant because it showed a weakening of the Soviet Union’s ideological power in Eastern Europe.

Reasons for Construction of Berlin Wall (1961)

• To prevent East German people defecting to West Berlin (the brain drain, the lure of the west)

• To keep capitalism and spies from the West out, according to the Soviets and the East German government.

Consequences of Berlin Wall

• families were separated for years and homes were evacuated

• people tried to escape - hundreds died trying

Impact of Construction of Berlin Wall on Superpower Relations + Kennedy’s Response

• Negative

  • SU = Krushchev had to abandon plans to unite Germany under soviet control

  • showed thta SU had to ‘lock’ people in the country

• Positive

  • SU = the wall stopped refugees from leaving

  • sent a message that any attempt to reunite Germany would fail

  • USA = west berlin became a symbol of freedom

  • Kennedy’s reputation grow in west germany

• June 1963 = Kennedy visited West Berlin and gave his 'Ich bin ein Berliner' speech meaning 'I am a Berliner' showing that America stood side-by-side with the people of West Berlin