History B Unit 1 (Cold War)

Agreed Points

• Germany would be divided into four zones
• Berlin would also be divided into four zones
• free elections in Eastern European countries
• USSR would join the fight against Japan

Agreements

• Nazi party would be banned and its members tried as criminal

Disagreements

• Britain and France denied Stalin a naval base in the meditteranian 
• Stalin wanted more reperations to be paid by Germany

• Stalin thought that the USA used the bomb as a warning to the USSR
• An Arms Race emerged between USA and USSR

Soviet Expansion

• Free elections were help in Eastern European countries like Stalin promised at Yalta but these were probably rigged.
• Europe was now divided

Greece

• Truman supplied them with arms, supplies and money for their civil war against communism

Turkey

• Gave military aid for defense against communists

Marshall aid

Two Aims:

• Stop spread of communism
• help economies of europe to recover

Effects of aid

• Only 16 european countries accepted the aid
• Stalin banned all eastern European countries from accepting the aid

Soviet Response- Cominform

• Response to Marshall Aid
• Used to spread communist ideas

Causes

• Stalin thought Britain and USA wanted Germany to recover
• French unsure about whether to help Germany
• USSR did not want to rebuild Germany
• Britain, France, USA merged zones of Germany to become Trizonia
• Allies introduced a new currency

Events

• Stalin closed all roads and rail connections from Berlin to West Germany
• Allies decided to airlift supplies e.g. food, clothing, oil

Results

• Victory for the West 
• Relations with the USSR hit rock bottom

Importance

• USA committed defense of West Europe
• USA able to build air bases in Europe, boosting western Europe's  defense

Arms Race

• In 1949, USSR successfully tested atomic bomb
• In 1952, USA detonated hydrogen bomb
• In 1953, USSR tested its own hydrogen bomb

Events

• June 1950- North pushes South back and controls all but South East of Korea
• September 1950- South pushes North back up to the very north of the country
• January 1951- North pushed South back just below the 38th Parallel 
• July 1953- South pushes north just above 38th Parallel where they remained

Consequences

• Korea damaged
• Strained relations between north and south

Causes

• Hungary hated their communist leader because of his brutality

Events

• Nagy becomes leader and wants free elections
• USSR sent troops and tanks
• Plea to the West is ignored
• Nagy captured and is shot

Results

• Over 30,000 Hungarians killed, most civilians
• 700 Soviet troops killed
• New communist goverment set up
• Other eastern European countries scared of USSR 

Name of Pilot: Gary Powers

After the shooting down, Khruschev wantet USA to:

• Apologise for U-2 incident
• Stop future spying flights
• Punish those responsible

Effects

• Not only America plane shot down but Americans lied for the world to see
• Soviets had scored a propaganda victory

West

• A high standard of living

East

• Poor standard of living
• 3 Million crossed from east to west Berlin, many were skilled workers

• At first the wall was little more than barbed wire but was soon replaced with a stone wall.
• Movement between east and west Berlin was stopped

Effects

• Flow of refugees reduced
• Western Nations won a propaganda victory

Kennedy's Reaction

• Visited and said that it was a clear struggle between the forces of freedom and communism. 

Politics of Cuba

• Castro was popular in Cuba but soon USA stopped giving aid to Cuba.This only mad Cuba more friendly with USSR because they accepted aid off of them.
•  Kennedy gave orders for rebels to oppose Castro at the Bay of Pigs but it was a disaster.

Events

20th October- Kennedy imposes a naval blockade

21st October- Kennedy addresses America warning them of the possible threat

23rd October- Khruschev sends letter to Kennedy informing him that Soviet ships would barge through the blockade

27th October- US spy play shot down

28th October- Khrushchev agress to remove missiles if USA removes theirs from Turkey.

Results 

• Leaders of USA and USSR realise nuclezr war is a possibility
• Americans and Soviets set up a 'hot-line' between their countries
• Kennedy becomes hero for defying communism

Prague Spring

• Censorship of the press ended
• Other political parties other than the communist party allowed
• Citizens allowed more freedom for travelling abroad

Reaction of the USSR

• Warsaw Pact troops entered Czechoslovakia
• President of Czeckoslovakia and Dubcek flown to Moscow for talks 
•  Censorship re-introduced and many reforms stopped

• USSR insisted that they were invited to restore order
• Western Nations protested

Reasons for invasion

• Soviets concerned about Muslim revolution in neighboring Iran which could have spread to Afghanistan.
• Political situation in Afghanistan was very unstable
• Afghanistan was close to the middle east oil reserves of Western Powers

Consequences

• SALT 2 not ratified
• President Carter cut trade bretween USA and USSR
• USSR lost many troops
• Dent to the Soviets grip on the world

• Thought Detente was a disaster 
• Rejected the idea of Peaceful co- existence
• Referred to the USSR as ' that evil empire'

'Star Wars'

• Reagan intented to launch satallites with lasers to win the Cold War
• USSR could not afford anything like satellites

• USSR locked in an unwinnable war
• economy was weak from thwe arms race with the USA
• No constructive reform 

Poland- Free Elections

East Germany- East German leader hated and his troops refused to fire on demonstrators. Berlin wall was pulled down

Czechoslovakia- Huge anti- communist protests. free elections introduced

Romania- during a revolution communist leader and his wife were shot.

Bulgaria- communist leader resigned and free elections were held

Khrushchev

• Believed in Peaceful co-existence
• De-Stalinisation

Kennedy

• Brinkmanship- push enemy to brink of war and make them surrender
• Iron fist