cold war crisis,1958-70

• The western attitude towards berlin

  -After the berlin airlift, west berlin became a symbol of democracy-it had to be supported or the west would lose credibility.

  -people fleeing from the east berlin suited the west-it was good propaganda as it made communism look weak.
• The soviet attitude towards berlin...

  -The USSR felt threatened by the economic success in west berlin.

  -East berlin became dependant on trade links with west berlin.

  -The USSR worried that the west was trying to use to use its strong economy to interfere in eastern europe.
• The Berlin wall

  -around 2000 Germans crossed from east-berlin to west berlin everyday. Leading khrushchev to construct the berlin wall.
• The Berlin wall features...

  -The wall was built over night separating east and west Berlin.

  -It was fortified with barbed wire, and machine gun posts, and had checkpoints to police what went in and out of east berlin.

  
  

  -Before the wall, east Berliner's entered the west freely. After the wall some couldn't go to work in the west and were instantly separated from friends and family.

  
  

  -People were rarely allowed to pass and people who tired to escape were shot.
• The berlin wall helped stabilise the situation in Europe

  -The USA condemned the building of the wall, but took no further military action.

  -Kennedy was relieved-he'd been preparing for a confrontation with USSR.

  • The wall succeeded mass emigration, giving the opportunity to rebuild east Germanys economy and strengthen itself as communist state.
  • The berlin wall was a symbol of oppression and the failure of communism.(the USSR saw it as a strength)
• The Cuban missile crisis

  a start of a revolution

  -Cuba was d by Batista , a ruthless military dictator, who allowed American business men and the mafia to make make huge profits in a country where many were poor.

  -A rebel Fidel Castro began a guerrilla war, he had enough support to take Cuba's capital, successfully over threw the government.

  -This worried the USA, having long economic history with Cuba USA owing half its lad and having most of the shares in all Cuban industries.
• The USA pushed Castro closer to the USSR

  -Castro increased taxes on imported goods from America. Angering the USA.

  -USA threatened to stop importing Cuban sugar. Sugar was Cuba's main source of wealth, USA was sure that Castro would back down.

  Instead, Castro signed a trade agreement with the USSR-they promised to buy all sugar exports.

  -All American property in Cuba was confiscated. -(the USSR saw this as a opportunity to gain influence near US soil.)
• USA invaded Cuba at the bay of pigs

  -Kennedy couldn't let a communist state emerge next to America-he intervened.

  -Kennedy authorised an invasion of Cuba by anti-Castro rebels.

  -The rebels landed in the bay of pigs, but were easily defeated the USA were humiliated and pushed Cuba closer to the USSR.

  
  

  tensions continued to grow

  -The invasion led Castro to decide to have soviet military assistance to defend itself

  -Castro announced that he was a communist, confirming USAs fears.
• Khrushchev planned to put nuclear missiles in Cuba

  Khrushchev agreed to help and begun to build nuclear missile sites in Cuba.

  Khrushchev already has missiles which could reach the USA but having missiles in Cuba could mean if there was a nuclear attack USA would have little warning meaning USSR would have the upper hand.