Superpower relations

A superpower is the name given to the USA and USSR after the second world war. 

Most powerful countries in the world

based on size, population and military

Stalin didnt trust the West

Britain and France turned down alliance with soviet union in 1938

Belived they wanted the doveit union to destroy itself fighting Germany 

Feb 1945

Roosevelt, churchill, Stalin met to plan end of second world war

Decided to divide Germany into four zones occupied by one of the four allies

USSR declare war on Japan three months after the end of the war with Germany 

Roosevelt believed that Stalin would keep his promises

Prepeared to leave Soviet Union in control of Eastern Europe

Churchill didnt believe this wasnt a good idea

July 1945

Germany divided into 4 zones occupied by one of the four allies ( Britain, France, USA, USSR)

Belrin divided into four sectors

Nazi party dissovlved 

Free elections in Germany, freedom of speech and free press

Germany pay reperations for the war

However, Stalin angry that USA hadnt told him about atomic bomb that they had developed

Beginning of Cold war

1946

Border between east and west in Europe set up by Joseph Stalin

Nmae came from speech Churchill made in 1946

Thousand mile fence cutting off the communist countries of Eastern Europe from the non-communist West

protect USSR from another invasion by Germany 

Didnt trust the west, Britain, and the USA because they invaded Russia in 1919

Trying to prevent Western influence reaching the east

To stop refugees leaving the East for Western Europe

1946 George Kennan a US ambassador in Moscow sent a telegram to Washington

It said that Stalin wanted to destroy capatlism and pained the west as evil and corrupt

USSR was building up its military power and working on the atomic bomb

Also said that Soviet Union would back down if met with force

1946

Russians recieved similar telegram from diplomat in Washington 

Since Roosevelts death the USA wasnt intrested in co-operating with the USSR

US was preparing for war and had lots of money to spend on war (Soviet didnt)

Suggested that the Americans wanted to use their massive military force to dominate the world 

Both of these telegrams encoureged both sides to view the other with suspicion 

When the Allies met a Potsdam they decied how to govern Germany at the end of the Second World War

Each allie was responsible for its own sector 

Intended that Germany would be reunited in the future 

Formed by the US, French and British sectors of Berlin

It allowed people behind the Iron Curtain to see what life is like in the West

West Berlin benefited from Marshall Aid but the East didnt

1976

When Germans left greece there were two rival groups 

Monarchists- Wanted king to retuen 

Communists- Wanted Greece to be a soviet republic

British troops went to restore order in 1945 but suported moncarchists and returned king

1947- communists tried to take control of greece and a civil war developed

Britian couldnt afford so pulled out but Truman stepped in and gave greece arms, supplies and money

1947

Set up by Stalin to co-ordinate various commuhnist countries in eastern Europe 

Ran meetings and sent intrusctions to communist governments about what the Soviet union wanted them to do 

Tightened Stalins control over communist allies

This was his response to the Truman doctrine and Marhsall aid

Encoureged minority communist parties in countries like france To try and turn more people communist

1947

Harry Truman offered to help any country that was being threatened either from within or from without its own borders 

Wanted to help the countries of Europe recover from the effects of the Seocnd World War

hoped to persuade any countries of eatern europe to break away from communism 

Truman didnt mention the soviet Union but it was ovbious that it was a warning that he wasnt going to let Stalin get away with any more attempts to take control of Europe.

1947

Truman believed that poverty might lead people to switch to communism 

The two main aims of marshall aid was to stop the spread of communism and to help the economies of Europe recover

Avaliable to all countries but only countries in the West accepted it 

Marshall plan decied what countries would spend it on, meant USA could influence the countries of the East and stop communism 

Soviet Union realised what Truman was doing and told eastern countries to withdraw applications

All 17 countries recieved $13,750,000,000 in total

1949

Soviet version of marshall aid 

Stalin offered to help communist countries recover from effects of the world war

The soviet union lacked the financial strenth of the USA and COMECON was a massive drain on the Soviet economy

June 1948- May 1949

Stalin ordered that all traffic between West Germany and west Berlin should be stopped

Able to close road, canal and rail routes 

1947- British and US zones were joined together in Bizonia and the French zone was added 1948  to make Trizonia 

1948-  Western allies announched that they were going to intorduce a new currency into the west to help the economy to get going again

West Berlin was a temptation to East Berliners, this was embarresing for Stalin

1948 USA and Britain decided to airlift in supplies to Berlin such as food, clothing, oil, coal and building supplies

1 plane every 90 seconds

8,000 tonnes a day

more then 320,000 flights were made all together

May 1949 blockade lifted

Relations between west and USSR were ruined 

This was a propaganda triumph and left stalin ashamed and humiliated 

1949

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

Military alliance containing most of Western europe aswell as the USA and Canada

If one member was attacked the others would help defend them

US troops and aircraft stationed in European countries to protect them against a possible attack

Stalin saw it as a direct threat to the USSR

1955

Set up by Khrushchev

In response to NATO to protect the USSR

Did the same as NATO but the countries were forced to join 

Led to more soviet troops being stationed in Eastern Europe

1953

Succeeded by nikita Khrushchev 

He believed in co-existance 

Rather then try and destory the West, the Soviet union should accept that it had the right to exist 

Wanted to compete with the USA throughout the world

Made a secret attack at the Communist party international 

Denounced him as a wicked tyrant who was an enemy of the people and kept all the power to himself 

De stalinisation:

Released more political prisoners 

closed down cominform 

agreed to removed Soviet troops from Austria 

Khrushchevs de- Stalinisation made Hungarian people think they would have more freedom

Didnt like the secret police that Rakosi set up after the second world war

Lack of freedom

Hungary was poor due to the Russian control of the economy

1956

Nagy became prime minister and soviet troops removed from Hungary

Secret Police hung

Soviet books and flags were burnt

Planned to leave the Warsaw pact and become neutral in the cold war

Khrushchev didnt like this so he sent soviet troops and 1,000 tanks into Hungary

30,000 Hunagrian civillians were killed 

No active support from the west 

A new pro-soviet government set up to re-establish communist control

Eastern Europe didnt dare to challenge the soviet authority  after these events 

May 1959- US and USSR foreign minister. No agreements reached

September 1959- Eisenhower and Khrushchev. Agreed to meet again

May 1960- Eisenhower and Khrushchev. Khrushchev angry over the Gary Powers event, Eisenhower refused to apologise 

June 1961- Kennedy and Khrushchev. Neither willing to back down over the US presence in Berlin. Khrushchev thought Kennedy was weak and inexperienced. Issued the 6 month ultimatum to remove troops from Turkey. Kennedy refused and began preparing for war. 

1960 

U2 spy plane shot down by a soviet missile.

Pilot, Gary Powers was taken into questioning and admitted to spying

USA tried to cover it up but didnt know Powers had confessed

Week later Khrushchev announced he had Gary and the pictures and wanted an apology from US but Eisenhower refused 

Gary Powers sentanced to 10 years in prison but swapped after 1 for Soviet Spy

1961

Between 1949 and 1961, 3 million East Germans had fled to the west via Berlin where they could travel to West Germany

Many skilled people that fled were crucial to maintain a fair and working communist society

East german government was unpopular

People in the East had little freedom

Standard of living was much lower then the West

People who moved to the West told people about what communism was really like and not what the leaders wanted to show

Highly skilled people were leaving the East so there was less people to fill important jobs

Embarrasing to the USSR as it shows how the West of Berlin was better then the East

Without warning on the 13th of August 1961 the East Germans started building a wall surrounding West Berlin

To begin with the wall was just a barbed wire fence but 5 days later it was replaced by a stone wall

Families and friends were divided 

People risked their lives trying to cross the wall

Flow of refugees was reduced 

Tensions grew massively

The west used the wall as a propaganda victory 

Kennedy said the wall was better then a war

US portrayed the wall as a prison for the East Berliners

West Berlin remained a symbol of freedom

Kennedy made a speech in Berlin declaring 'Ich bin ein Berliner' to show US support for West Berlin

Wall stopped the East Germans escaping to the West

Prevented a war with the USA

The wall was to protect the East Berliners and to protect communism 

Khrushchev said that the West used West Berlin as a route into East Berlin for spies

American ally 160km from Florida

Huge naval base in Cuba at Guantanamo

America gave Cuba economic and military support

Batista was corrupt, unpopular and a dictator. US only supported him because he opposed communism

People became fed up with him and in 1958 Fidel Castro overthrew him. Cuba now was communist

Castro was on the USSR's side 

April 1961

Kennedy supplied arms, equiptment and transport for 1400 anti- castro exiles to invade Cuba and overthrow him.

Once they landed they were met with 20,000 Cuban troops armed with tanks and weapons

They were all captured or killed within days

Expected the people in Cuba to support them but they didnt 

Castro and the USSR looked strong and USA was left humiliated

 1962

14th October American spy plane flew over Cuba and saw nuclear missile sites being built

21st- Kennedy does a broadcast and tells the people of America of the potential threat of war

24th- Blockade around Cuba. Soviet ships around Blockade stop or turn around 

Khrushchev sends two letter to Kennedy. One in defiance and the second offered a compramise. He would remove missiles if they lifted the blockade

US and USSR agreed that the USA would remove their missiles in Turkey

Kennedy popularity increased

Cuba still stayed communist but without missiles

Led to the 'Hot line'

Greater stability between the two countries led to MAD, reason to avoid war

1968

The czechs hated russian control 

Russian control of the economy made Czechoslovakia poor and falling standards of living 

Lack of freedom

Desire for democracy 

1968

During 1967 students and writers were complaing about lack of freedom and the czech economy

Novonty fell from power and Dubcek took over

Dubcek announced Socialism with a human face. Allowed freedom of speech

Dubcek stressed that they were going to stay in the Warsaw pact

3 august 1968 Breznec read out a letter at a meeting from some czechoslovakian communists asking for help

Brezhnev worried that the reforms would spread to other Eastern Bloc countries 

Dubcek flown to Moscow where he talked with Brezhnev. Forced to reisgn 

US did not interfere as it didnt want Brezhnev became involved in Vietnam

1968

Created by Brerzhnev as a result of the Prague Spring 

Argued that a threat to one communist country was a threat to them all

1968

agreement to stop the supply nuclear technology to any countries 

1972

Limited increase in numbers of nuclear missiles  

Significant as it was the first agreements between the superpowers that limited the number of nuclear weapons 

1975

Agreed that they would-

Respect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion

1974-1979

Further reductions in strategic weapons which was to last until 1985

before anything was agreed relations started to deteriate 

1979

Soviets did not trust Amin

concerned about a muslim revolution 

Overthrow of its government 

New government wanted to build socialism in Afghanistan

USSR and Taraki had deals to modernise Afghanistan which challenged Muslim teachings

Civil war broke out between the Communist government and Islamic fighters (Mujahidin)

Soviet troops being killed by Mujahidin rebels 

USA was funding the Mujahidin 

Very expensive 

Embarrasing to the Soviet Union

USA refused to ratify SALT II

USA boycotted the 1980 olympic games which were held in moscow 

1984 Soviet Union boycotted the LA olympic games

Became president in 1981

1983

Reagan said that communism was bad and undermined the moral value of America

The soviet Union was the modern evil

1983

Plan to shoot down Soviet missiles using lasers in space 

Not a serious plan but put pressure onto the Soviet Union

1987

intermediate- range Nuclear Forces 

removed all medium-range nuclear weapons from Europe

Gorbachev thought signing the treaty would increase his popularity

1989

9th November

Fall of the Berlin wall symbolised the end of the Cold war

Gorbachevs new thinking when he became leader in 1985

Wanted things to change

Means openness, more freedom of speech

Another thing Gorbachev wanted to change

Measn re-structuring, particularly of the market and jobs