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Cold War Section 3: 1955-63 - Coggle Diagram
Cold War Section 3: 1955-63
Presidents
1961-63 = Kennedy
1963-69 = Johnson
1953-61 = Eisenhower
Khrushchev and East-West relations 1955-60
De-Stalinisation in the Soviet bloc
Death of Stalin in
1953
led to changes in soviet foreign policy
Khrushchev became the new leader of the USSR, he sought to clarify and redefine the relationship between the USSR and Eastern Europe
After West Germany's integration into NATO in 1954, Khrushchev created the
Warsaw Pact (May 1955)
to build a collective security link among the European communist countries
His goals were interpreted in a variety of ways - some countries interpreted this as a move away from totalitarian control
Austrian State Treaty 1955
Austria was divided into 4 zones at the end of WWII; 10 years later the USSR expressed a willingness to reach an agreement on the future. The treaty was drafted and signed by the 4 occupying powers
Agreed to withdraw from Austria becoming independent for the 1st time since 1938
Austria was to be ruled by democratic gov based on free elections
October 1955 the Austrian gov adopted policy of neutrality - Removed major source of conflict - raised hope for peaceful coexistence
Powers removed occupation forces from West Germany
Peaceful Coexistence
Khrushchev's secret speech - February 1956 advanced the policy of de-Stalinisation
The Geneva Summit, September 1955
Two main issues discussed were
Open skies proposal
Eisenhower proposed that military flights over military installations to be aware of each other's capabilities
Rejected by soviets calling it an espionage plot
Europe and the problem of a divided Germany
USA proposed reunification of Germany but Soviets proposed demilitarised
Leaders agreed reunification of Germany through free elections should be carried out
Led to no real outcomes but showed a willingness to engage
Polish Uprising June - October 1956
After the secret speech Poles began to demand increased freedom and resulted in a general strike with demands including:
Improved working conditions
Higher wages for industrial workers
Greater freedom for the Catholic Church
End to collectivisation of agriculture
28th June
- Polish workers strike leading to anti-communist armed uprising
29th June
- Martial law imposed in Poland in response
19th October
- Khrushchev threatens Soviet military intervention
21st October
- Gomulka elected leader of Polish communist party
23rd October
- Gomulka agrees Poland will remain committed to communism + Warsaw pact
24th October
- Khrushchev decides not to take military action (partially - communist party = supported by china) - he permits domestic changes to mollify the Polish population while the country is still loyal to the USSR
Hungarian Uprising October - November 1956
Previously led by hard line communist Rakosi but when he tried to arrest 400 opponents who called for reform the USSR forced him to step down and replaced him with Gero
22nd October
- Students in Budapest organise anti-soviet protest - articulation 16 demands
23-24th October
- Workers join in and escalates to armed revolt - secret police take action - state of war
24th October
- Nagy appointed PM and meets with soviet officials to convince them of loyalty and lack of militarily intervention necessary
25-26th October
- Soviet tanks fire on unarmed citizens - revolt spreads to countryside
28th October
- Khrushchev agrees to remove troops - partly due to Chinese pressure
1st November
- Nagy announces removal from Warsaw pact - neutral status + appealing to UN
3rd November
- Red army surrounds Budapest - 4,000 Hungarians killed, 200,000 escape - UN calls for soviet withdrawal
4th November
- soviets installed new gov under Kadar + the revolution is crushed
Plans for the Paris Summit May 1960
Feb 1959
British PM Macmillan made a 10 day visit to Moscow and a few months later Nixon did the same
September 1959
Khrushchev became the 1st Soviet leader to visit the US - partially successful, talks at Camp David
October 1959
Khrushchev wrote an article reaffirming his commitment to Peaceful coexistence - published in the American, Foreign Affairs
These actions paved the way for another summit to discuss the future of Germany
Conflict in Asia 1955-63
1960
Creation of the NLF
Diem
Corruption
Nepotism
Opposition
Repression
Support from US
Kennedy and Indo-China
Domino theory
Containment
Anti-Communist South Vietnam
Counterinsurgency
May 1963
Buddhist Crisis
2nd November 1963
Assassination of Diem
1962
Strategic Hamlet programme
End of 1962 over 3,000 hamlets
1963-72
US began dropping Napalm
1962 - 1971
Use of Agent Orange
19 million gallons dropped
Confrontation between superpowers
US attitudes to Cuba + developments leading to the crisis
Castro's assumption of power in Jan 1959 caused alarm to the US
Cuba had been an economic colony of the US since the
1890s
and Castro's policies were a threat to US interests
Castro visited the US in
April 1959
but Eisenhower refused to meet him
Relations deteriorated and the USSR saw this as an opportunity to cultivate Cuba as a cold war ally
May 1959
- US owned property in Cuba seized as part of agrarian reform programme
Feb 1960
- USSR gave Castro $100 mil to help social programmes tying Cuba into economic relationship with USSR
April 1960
- US owned oil companies refused to refine oil shipped from USSR - Castro nationalised oil refineries - US imposed economic sanctions on Cuba and reduced imports of sugar by 95%
October 1960
- Castro seized $1 billion of US assets
Cuba sought new markets to avert economic disaster and only USSR responded positively
Bay of Pigs invasion and Operation Mongoose 1961
1960
- Eisenhower ordered the CIA to prepare covert operations to overthrow Castro
This led to the plan for an invasion of Cuba by anti-Castro Cubans secretly backed by the USA - inherited by Kennedy in 61
1,500 Cuban exile trained by US forces -
April 61
landed in Cuba at Bay of Pigs to carry out counter-revolution
Exiles were defeated + those who survived were traded to the US fro medical supplies - great humiliation for Kennedy
November 1961
- Kennedy initiated operation Mongoose to overthrow Castro through covert operations or necessary assassinations
US began military manoeuvres in the Caribbean suggesting a planned invasion of Cuba
Soviet decision to deploy Nuclear Missiles
Khrushchev was interested in protecting Cuba for numerous reasons
Ideological
- assist a left wing socialist state
Militarily
- Soviets could have a military presence in the Americas
Nuclear
- Proximity to US = ideal place
Economic
- made large scale conventional forces unnecessary - financial resources available to be invested in civilian economy
13 Days of the Missile Crisis
14th October 1962
- U2 Spy plane photographs missile site in Cuba
16th October
- Kennedy is informed and convinces Ex Comm to consider options and consequences
22nd October
- Kennedy's televised address to US announces naval quarantine in Cuba preventing offensive weapons being shipped
23rd October
- UN council meeting called condemning soviet deployment of weapons to Cuba
24th October
- 1st Soviet ships reach quarantine line stop or turn around
26th October
- Khrushchev offers to remove soviet military presence in Cuba if the US promises not to invade - Castro convinced a US attack is imminent orders anti-aircraft forces to fire on low-flying reconnaissance planes
27th October
- Khrushchev's 2nd request demands removal of US nuclear missiles from turkey - U-2 Spy plane shot down over Cuba killing pilot - Ex Comm advocates responding with attacks against soviet anti-aircraft emplacements - Kennedy publicly accepts Khrushchev's 1st offer + secretly agrees to 2nd on later date
28th October
- Khrushchev agrees to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba - Castro is incensed and refuses to allow UN inspection of missile sites
Significance of the Crisis
Accepting quarantine was admission of Soviet weakness
Khrushchev was forced to back down and was humiliated
Cuba's survival as a communist state was a great success
USA bullied the USSR
US used power to pressure soviets into removing weapons
Blockade could be seen as offensive use of military power
USSR forced respond rather than take action
Soviets left to restore international reputation after crisis
Both leaders responded rationally and responsibly
Impact
Kennedy and Khrushchev understood each other better - more respect
Hot line created
Missiles in Turkey removed 6 months after
October 1963
Moscow test ban treaty agreed
Cuba remained communist state - US commitment to containment + Truman doctrine failed