Events Explained

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Cards (27)

Before the Cold War 1941-45
USA and USSR joined with Britain to form the Grand Alliance against Nazi Germany
USA was capitalist and USSR was communist
USA believed in democracy and freedom
USSR was a single party state where individuals were strictly controlled
Tehran Conference 1943
First meeting of Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin
Roosevelt wanted to build a relationship with Stalin
USSR was promised land in Poland after WW2
All agreed that Germany should be weakened and pay reparations
USA and Britain agreed to invade France to relieve pressure on USSR troops in Eastern Europe
USSR agreed to declare war on Japan but only once Germany was defeated
Yalta Conference February 1945
USSR had now captured most of Eastern Europe from Germany worrying the USA
USSR was promised more land in Poland but Stalin wanted more
Stalin was forced to hold free elections in Eastern European countries
Germany was split into four zones once defeated, but Stalin felt he was getting the poorest zone
Tension and mistrust increased
Potsdam Conference July 1945
Meeting between Clement Atlee, Stalin and Harry Truman
Truman wanted to stop the spread of communism into Europe
Each power could take what it wanted from its own zone in Germany
USSR could take 25% of the industrial equipment in other zones
No agreement reached over land in Eastern Europe
Truman told Stalin that the USA had developed a 'powerful new weapon'
Rising post-war tensions
August 1945 - USA dropped atomic bombs on Japan
February 1946 - US ambassador in Moscow sent the 'Long Telegram' to Washington arguing USSR wanted to end Capitalism
September 1946 - Soviet ambassador in Washington sent 'Novikov Telegram' to Stalin warning that the USA was preparing for war with USSR
1945-48 - Stalin created a 'Buffer Zone' of communist countries in Eastern Europe by fixing elections and arresting opposition
The Arms Race
August 1945 - USA dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan
1949 - USSR tested its first atomic bomb
1952 - USA developed its first hydrogen bomb
1953 - USA and USSR both tested ICBMs
Both sides gained power to completely destroy each other in a war which increased fears of any potential conflict
Truman Doctrine of Containment 1947
Truman feared communism would spread from USSR via the Domino Effect
The USA would try to prevent this by using the 'Marshall Plan'
The 'Marshall Plan' provided $13 Billion in aid to help rebuild European countries
The plan was designed to stop countries turning to communism in desperation and remain friendly with USA
Stalin refused to allow Eastern Europeans to accept Marshall Aid
Cominform 1947 and Comecon 1949
In response to the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, Stalin used these to strengthen his control in Eastern Europe
Cominform 1947 - founded to help Stalin control his satellite states from Moscow, these states were encouraged to trade only with each other and reject help from the Marshall Plan
Comecon 1949 - introduced as the Soviet equivalent of the Marshall Plan
Berlin Blockade Events 1948-49
Britain, France and USA combined their German zones into 'Trizonia' and introduced a new currency
Stalin believed they intended to reunite all of Germany under Capitalism
He blockaded West Berlin (within his zone) hoping for victory against Truman and to force the Allies to give him all of Berlin
The blockade lasted 318 days, during which the USA airlifted supplies into the city
In May 1949 Stalin backed down humiliated
Berlin Blockade Consequences 1949
USA won a propaganda victory over Stalin
NATO was formed to prevent further Soviet takeovers of Europe
British, French and US zones of German and West Berlin were combined into the new Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)
Stalin responded by creating the German Democratic Republic (East Germany)
In 1955, after West Germany joined NATO, Khrushchev created the Warsaw Pact
Hungarian Uprising Events 1956
After Stalin's death in 1953, Khrushchev hinted a 'destalinisation' and increased freedom
In 1956, anti-communist protests began in Hungary, Khrushchev made popular Imre Nagy the new prime minister to bring calm
Instead he proposed holding free elections and leaving the Warsaw Pact
Khrushchev feared this would lead to the end of Soviet Control across Eastern Europe
200,000 Soviet troops were sent into Hungary
Hungarian Uprising Consequences 1956-58
USA did little to help Hungary despite previously encouraging Eastern Europeans to rebel
NATO members were afraid of war with USSR so did nothing
Imre Nagy was executed and a new pro-communist government leader Janos Kadar was placed by USSR
Other Soviet Satellite states saw that the USA would not defend them
Soviet control over Eastern Europe grew
Berlin Ultimatum 1958
By 1958 three million East Germans had crossed to the west
Khrushchev wanted West Berlin to become part of East Germany so he issued an ultimatum
He demanded that NATO troops leave West Berlin and Berlin must be a free city
The Western powers were given six months to agree, if they did not they risked losing access to West Berlin
Berlin Summits
1959 - Summits were held between Khrushchev and President Eisenhower in Geneva at Camp David, no agreement was made on Berlin but Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the Ultimatum
1960 - A U2 spy plane was shot down over the USSR just before its summit to Paris, Eisenhower refused to apologise for spying, so Khrushchev cancelled the talks
1961 - Khrushchev renewed the Berlin Ultimatum to new US president John F Kennedy and he did not want to appear weak and refused
Building of the Berlin Wall 1961
Tensions over Berlin had increased the flow of refugees from East to West Germany
East German troops constructed a barbed wire fence between East and West overnight, this was gradually replaced with a wall
Khrushchev succeeded in stopping East Germans leaving the USSR but have given up hope of uniting Berlin
Kennedy had succeeded in blocking the Berlin Ultimatum
Events proved people would rather live under Capitalism
Cuban Revolution 1959
Fidel Castro led a communist revolution in Cuba
The USA had previously had large business interests in Cuba which were now lost
Cuba instead became close with the USSR who bought sugar (Cuba's main export)
Cuban Bay Of Pigs 1961
President Kennedy agreed to a CIA plan to secretly train and help Cuban exiles invade Cuba at the Bay Of Pigs
The plan failed and US involvement is discovered
Khrushchev announced that he would help defend Cuba
Cuban Missile Crisis 1962
In response to the Bay Of Pigs invasion and the presence of US missiles in Turkey, Khrushchev decided to place missiles in Cuba
US spy planes identified missile sites being built in Cuba
President Kennedy ordered a Naval blockade of the Island to prevent USSR delivering nuclear missiles there
Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles if the USA agreed not to invade Cuba
In private, USA also agreed to remove missiles from Turkey
Cuban Missile Crisis Consequences
Fear of nuclear war began to move towards detente
Hotline created between Washington and Moscow
1963 - Test Ban Treaty banned all nuclear weapon testing, except underground
1964 - Backing down over Berlin and Cuba led to Khrushchev being replaced by Brezhnev
1967 - Outer Space Treaty banned putting weapons into space
1968 - Nuclear non-proliferation treaty banned sharing weapons with other countries
Prague Spring Events 1968
Alexander Dubcek became the new Czech leader and suggested the government should offer communism 'with a human face' to restore communism's popularity
Relaxed censorship, government control and suggests holding multi-party elections for the future
When Dubcek invited leaders of Romania and Yugoslavia to talks, Brezhnev sent 500,000 Warsaw Pact troops into Czechoslovakia
Prague Spring Consequences 1068-69
USA and NATO members made formal protests but took no action
Dubcek was arrested and sent to Moscow
A new government was set up, loyal to USSR
Many Czechs continued to protest; thousands were arrested
Brezhnev Doctrine - USSR would step in if the Warsaw Pact's stability was threatened by an member
Yugoslavia and Romania condemned Brezhnev's actions, relations with the USSR became strained
Detente
Cuba, Vietnam and the cost of the Arms Race led to a relaxation of tensions in the 1970s
1972 - SALT 1 (Strategic arms limitation treaty) banned the production of new weapons and limited number of IBCMs however, both sides still had thousands of missiles
1975 - Helsinki Accords: USA and USSR accepted Eastern European borders, both pledged to co-operate in trade and space missions, also to respect freedom of speech and human rights but the USSR did not fulfil this
Invasion of Afghanistan 1979-80
Brezhnev was concerned that Islamic fundamentalism would spread from Iran to USSR through Afghanistan
Soviet army invaded to 'help' the government fight the Mujahideen
Afghan leader was murdered and replaced by pro-Soviet Babrak Kamal
President Carter asked the US government to cancel SALT 2
The Carter Doctrine stated that the US would use force to protect other countries in the Persian Gulf
The USA boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics
Second Cold War 1979-80
Reagan elected President promising to be tougher with the USSR than Carter had been over Afghanistan
Called USSR the 'Evil Empire' and ended the Detente and restarted the Arms Race
Launched the Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI), a plan to equip satellites with lasers to shoot down missiles
USA moved ahead in the arms race and USSR's economy and scientific research were unable to keep up
The war in Afghanistan was difficult and costly
Gorbachev's new thinking 1985-89
New USSR leader Gorbachev called for a return to Detente
'Glasnost (openness)' - greater freedom of speech
'Perestroika (restructuring)' - economic reforms including increased production of luxury goods
Brezhnev Doctrine ended
In 1987 the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty was signed, Both USA and USSR agreed to destroy all short range missiles in Europe
In 1988, the Soviet army began to withdraw from Afghanistan
End of Soviet control in Eastern Europe 1989
Glasnost led to many in Eastern Europe publicly criticising communism
End of the Brezhnev Doctrine and reduction in Warsaw Pact troops led countries to remove communist leaders
Free elections were held in Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia
Gorbachev refused to help the East German government out down demonstrations
In November, East Germany opened the border and Berlin Wall began to come down
In 1990, Germany reunited
End of the Cold War 1989-91
In 1989, the Cold War ended with the Malta Summit
Gorbachev and new president, George Bush pledged to work for 'long lasting peace'
In 1990, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia split from the USSR
The end of communism in Europe led to the official end of the Warsaw Pact in 1991
The Soviet military attempted a coup against Gorbachev but failed
On Christmas Day 1991, Gorbachev resigned and the USSR broke up