Cold war crisis

• What were the main reasons for the unpopularity of the communist regime in East Germany?

  Low living standards and lack of freedoms
• What event occurred in East Germany in 1953?

  Mass unrest led to USSR sending troops
• How many refugees fled East Germany by 1958?

  3 million
• What was Khrushchev’s solution to the ‘brain drain’ issue in East Germany?

  Make all of Berlin part of East Germany
• What term describes the loss of skilled workers from East Germany to West Germany?

  ‘Brain drain’
• What was Khrushchev’s Berlin Ultimatum?

  Demilitarize Berlin or give control to East Germany
• When was the Geneva Summit held?

  May 1959
• What agreement did Eisenhower secure from Khrushchev at Camp David in September 1959?

  Withdrawal of the Berlin Ultimatum
• Why was the Paris Summit in May 1960 considered a failure?

  USSR shot down a U-2 spy plane
• Who became US President in 1961?

  John F. Kennedy
• Why did Khrushchev see Kennedy's election as an advantage?

  Kennedy was young and inexperienced
• What occurred at the Vienna Summit in June 1961?

  Khrushchev reissued the Berlin Ultimatum
• What was Kennedy's response to the Vienna Summit failure in 1961?

  Increased US military spending by $2 billion
• How many refugees crossed from East to West Germany in August 1961?

  40,000
• Who was the East German leader during the Berlin Wall's construction?

  Walter Ulbricht
• What significant action did East German troops take on 12 August 1961?

  Put a barbed wire fence around West Berlin
• How long was the Berlin Wall when completed?

  165 km
• What early Cold War idea did the Berlin Wall physically represent?

  Iron Curtain
• How many people were killed trying to cross the Berlin Wall?

  130
• What were the positive consequences of the Berlin Wall for Khrushchev?

  Showed communism could survive in Berlin
• What were the negative consequences of the Berlin Wall for Khrushchev?

  Abandoned plans to unite Germany under Soviet control
• What was the positive consequence of the Berlin Wall for Kennedy?

  He stood up to Khrushchev successfully
• What famous phrase did Kennedy use in Berlin in June 1963?

  ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’
• What did Kennedy say the Berlin Wall was better than?

  War
• How close is Cuba to the US mainland?

  145 km
• What economic ties existed between the US and Cuba?

  US controlled Cuban land and investments
• What happened in Cuba in 1959?

  A nationalist revolution overthrew the government
• Who led the Cuban Revolution in 1959?

  Fidel Castro and Che Guevara
• Why did US-Cuban tensions increase after the revolution?

  US refused aid unless Cuba followed rules
• When did Castro nationalize foreign-owned land in Cuba?

  May 1959
• What agreement did Castro sign with Khrushchev in February 1960?

  Soviet Union to buy Cuban sugar and provide aid
• What was the secret clause in Castro’s deal with Khrushchev?

  Cuba would receive Soviet weapons
• What action did Eisenhower take in response to Cuba's deal with the USSR?

  Reduced sugar imports and banned trade
• When were diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba broken off?

  January 1961
• What plan did Kennedy support regarding Cuba?

  A CIA plan to train Cuban exiles for invasion
• When and where did the failed invasion of Cuba occur?

  April 1961, Bay of Pigs
• How many men were in the invasion force during the Bay of Pigs invasion?

  1,400
• Why did the Bay of Pigs invasion fail?

  Volunteers had little military experience
• What were the consequences of the Bay of Pigs invasion for the US?

  Humiliation and accusations of hypocrisy
• What steps did Castro take after the Bay of Pigs invasion?

  Declared himself communist and sought Soviet aid