Cold War 1958-70

• What had happened by 1958 in East Germany?

  three million East Germans had crossed to the west, over a sixth of the country's population
• How was Berlin like in 1950s

  -West Germany received Marshall Aid and became prosperous, with a high standard of living

  -East Germany received far less economic aid from Soviet Union and suffered from low standard of living
• When did Khrushchev issue the Berlin Ultimatum

  27 November 1958
• What was the Berlin Ultimatum

  -Berlin should be demilitarised and Western troops withdrawn

  -Berlin should become a free city (own independent government)

  or Khrushchev would hand over control of all routes into Berlin to the government of East Germany
• When was the Geneva Summit about the Berlin problem

  May 1959
• What was conclusion of Geneva Summit

  -No agreement reached
• When was the Camp David Summit

  September 1959
• Conclusion of the Camp David Summit

  -no agreement reached on how Berlin should move forward

  -Soviets agreed to withdraw Berlin ultimatum

  -better relations

  -Khrushchev and Eisenhower met face to face
• When was the Paris Summit

  1960
• Conclusion of Paris Summit

  -Soviets discovered an American U-2-spy plane

  -Eisenhower refused to apologise

  -worse relations
• When was the Vienna Summit

  1961
• Conclusion Of Vienna summit

  -Khrushchev thought Kennedy was inexperienced due to the Bay of Pigs Failure

  -Renewed the Berlin Ultimatum

  -Kennedy increased spending on armed forces by over $2 billion
• Negative outcomes of the Berlin Wall for the Soviet Union

  -Khrushchev abandoned plan to unite Germany under Soviet Control

  -majority preferred capitalism over communism, he had to 'lock' people inside East Berlin
• Negative outcomes of Berlin Wall on the USA

  -USSR closed border without consulting USA

  -people who had wanted to escape communism would not be able to
• Positive outcomes of Berlin Wall on the Soviet Union:

  -stopped refugees leaving for the West

  -sent message that communism would survive in Berlin and there would not be an attempt to unite Germany under Western control
• Positive effect of Berlin Wall on USA

  -showed Khrushchev was forced to accept Western control in West Berlin

  -West Berlin was an emblem of freedom and defiance against communism
• When did Kennedy visit West Berlin

  1963
• How did the Berlin Wall reduce tension between international relations?

  -less likely that US and Soviet Union would go to war over Berlin
• Negative outcome of Berlin Wall on international relations

  -Berlin Wall became symbol of differences between the East and the West

  -US and Soviet Union had failed to resolve the issue regarding Germany, instead building a concrete wall
• What was the Cuban revolution

  -1959, revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro toppled the pro-American government of Cuba
• What were the three main areas of tension after the Cuban revolution?

  -American government refused to provide economic aid to Cuba unless it followed guidelines set out by International Monetary Fund

  -Cuban government took over land owned by foreign nationals and compensated prev owners, but US government refused to recognise scheme

  -Castro made an agreement with the Soviet Union that Khrushchev would buy Cuban sugar and provide economic aid. Secret clause stating Cuba would receive arms from the Soviet Union.
• How many Cuban exiles were sent to topple Cuban revolution?

  1,400
• When did the Cuban exiles land in Cuba?

  17 April 1961
• What was the Bay of Pigs?

  -Kennedy did not want a Communist ally so close to American territory

  -sent group of Cuban exiles to launch invasion to overthrow Castro. Would look like a Cuban counter-revolution
• Why was the Bay of Pigs a failure?

  -volunteers had little military experience

  -USA could not send ground forces or air strikes to support attack, as it was presented as a Cuban counter-revolution

  -Castro's government found out and there were 20,000 soldiers awaiting to fight off 1,400 invaders

  -USA assumed most Cubans would support them, however Cubans were happy with Castro and did not lend support
• Impact of Bay Of Pigs failure for USSR

  -indicated popularity of communism

  -Castro declared himself to be a communist, and asked for Khrushchev's help to defend Cuba against and future attack from USA

  -September 1961 Khrushchev publicly declared that he would provide arms to Cuba
• What were USA concerns regarding Cuba and Soviet Union

  -If Soviet Union placed nuclear weapons on Cuba, USA would be under direct threat.
• When did American spy planes discover nuclear weapons in Cuba

  14 October 1962
• What were potential reasons for Americans to put weapons in Cuba?

  -NATO had missiles based in Turkey near the Soviet Union

  -Berlin Wall seen as a failure for Khrushchev. If he could outwit Kennedy over Cuba, it would restore his prestige.

  -feared another American attack on Cuba. If they overthrew Castro, it would be seen as a defeat for communsim.
• What did Kennedy decide to do after thirteen days of Executive Comittee meeting 16-28 October 1962?

  a naval blockade of Soviet ships to Cuba, could trigger war if USSR ignored blockade and USA would sink their ships
• What was the agreement after the naval blockade?

  -26 October. Khrushchev sent telegram to Kennedy offering to remove missiles if Americans promised not to invade Cuba.

  -27 October. Khrushchev sent another telegram saying he would only remove missiles if US missiles in Turkey were also removed

  -Kennedy ignored second telegram and agreed to the first
• Were the Turkish missiles removed

  -Yes, in secret
• What was the policy of brinkmanship?

  pushing disagreements to the point where there is risk of war
• What were the four steps taken after the Cuban Missile Crisis?

  -June 1963, 'hotline' between Washington and Moscow. Direct communication

  -August 1963 Test Ban Treaty signed by USA, USSR and UK. Prohibited testing of nuclear weapons in outer space, underwater or in the atmosphere.

  -1967 Outer Space Treaty USA and USSR agreed not to use space for military purposes

  -1968 Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty stopped spread of nuclear weapons. No sharing of nuclear technology with other countries.
• Why was Kennedy seen as a strong leader after Cuban Missile Crisis

  -stood up to Khrushchev

  -confronted Hawks in his own government

  -agreement over Turkey was not public
• Why was the Cuban Missile Crisis a significant factor in Khrushchev's dismissal?

  -military had been forced into a humiliating withdrawal