USA BRITAIN SOVIET CZECHOSLOVAKIA

UNION
TRUMAN CHURCHILL STALIN (to 1953)
(1945-1953) (1940-1945)

EISENHOWER ATTLEE KHRUSHCHEV NOVOTNY

(1953-1961) (1945-1951) (1955-1964) (1953-1968)

KENNEDY CHURCHILL —————————

(1961-1963) (1951-1955) —————————

JOHNSON The others are BREZHNEV DUBCEK

(1963-1969) irrelevant (1964-1982) (1968-1969)

NIXON ————————— ————————— HUSAK

(1969-1974) ————————— ————————— (1969…)

YEAR (1940s) KEY WORDS, PURPOSE, EFFECT

NOV. 1943 - Iran,
- USA and Britain to open 2nd front in West Europe. - To ease
TEHRAN pressure on Soviets.
(Churchill, Stalin - Stalin to help in USA’s war against JAPAN
Roosevelt) - Poland gets land from Germany after WW2
- Soviets keep Polish land seized in 1939
- UN to be set up to settle disputes diplomatically (not war)
1945 - Split Germany into 4 zones
- $20 billion reparations for Germany ( Half given to Soviet Union)
Feb = Yalta - 1st UN meeting 25th April 1945
(Churchill, Stalin - Poland returned to position in 1921 (beneficial for Soviet Union)
Roosevelt) - Free elections in E. Europe.
- ——————————————————————————————
July = - Stalin rejected free elections (made Poland communist)
Potsdam - German boundaries set
(Attlee, Stalin, - Amount of reparations: West disagreed with Soviets’ demand for
Truman) heavy post-war Germany reparations.
 - Churchill not Prime Minister.
1946
- Soviet Union was a threat to freedom and world peace.
March = Iron - Unofficial declaration of war
- Stalin thought this speech reflected US views.
Curtain - —————————————————————————————————
(Churchill, gym in - Kennan = USA ambassador in Moscow.
Missouri) - Stalin wanted to destroy Capitalism. Thought non-Soviet Union countries
wanted to destroy Communism
Long (George - If Soviet Union was faced with strong resistance, it would soften its
position.
Kennan) +
- USA determined policy if containment (stop spread of communism).
Novikov - —————————————————————————————————
- Soviet ambassador to the USA's response to the Long telegram.
telegrams
- USA - world domination
- Soviet Union needed E. European countries as a buffer zone.

1947 - Truman delivered a speech in 1947

- USA would assist nations fighting Communism
Truman - USA to provide $400 million to Greece and Turkey
Doctrine - Said communism shouldn’t be allowed to spread and democracy
was better.
- ——————————————————————————————
COMINFORM - 22nd September
- Stalin controlled satellite state governments.
- Spread propaganda
- Said America was the same as Nazi Germany.
- Stalin thought the USA suggested it was its job to protect the world
with Marshall Aid.
- Economic means of containment
1948
- New west Germany currency. (Deutschmark)
Marshall - $13.7 billion to: Austria, Belgium, West Germany, Turkey, France Greece,
Britain etc…
Plan(Aid) - Soviets called it “Dollar imperialism”
- Western European countries support USA
- Divided Europe
Berlin - —————————————————————————————————
- Stalin wanted to remove Western influences from East Berlin
Blockade
- Shut off land routes across Soviet Germany to Berlin
(June) - Showing the west that divided Germany wouldn’t work.
- Direct challenge to Truman
- Propaganda - Berlin would run out of food
- caused BERLIN AIRLIFT:
- West flew food, coal etc… into Berlin - new airport at Tegel for planes.
- 1,000 tonnes of supplies per day
 - Soviets lift blockade in 1949
- The Soviets looked foolish and aggressive.

1949 - western defense alliance led by USA

- Defends Europe from USSR - contain communism
NATO - Any member attacked, all members would assist.
COMECON - Americans keeping bases in Europe.
- ——————————————————————————————
FDR + GDR - Stalin’s alternative to Marshall aid
- Discouraged trade with West.
- Controlled satellite states.
- Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania
etc…

YEAR (1950s) KEY WORDS, PURPOSE, EFFECT

1950 - Divided along the 38th parallel.
- Truman didn’t want S.Korea to become communist - domino effect.
Start of the Korean
- N.Korea invaded S.Korea
War
- UN forces led by General Douglas MacArthur - pushed N.Korea as
far as Chinese Border
- Chinese (Mao Zedong) joined war and usher UN out of N.Korea
- Ended in 1953 - no gains, still 38th parallel.
- IMPACT:
- SEATO FORMED (USA, Britain, Philippines, Thailand,
Pakistan)
- Soviet Union strengthened red army (2.8 mill to 5.6 mill)
- The USA strengthened land forces for Greece and Turkey to
join NATO.
1952 Nuclear Arms Race:
USA detonates 1945 - USA Atomic Bomb 1949 - Soviet Union Atomic
Hydrogen bomb bomb
1952 - USA Hydrogen Bomb. 1953 - Soviet Union hydrogen
bomb
1957 - USA ICBM. 1957 - Soviet Union ICBM
 - Arms race was a deterrent - USA and Soviet Union had such
powerful weapons that they could destroy the world.
1953 - struggle in SU - he didn’t name a successor
- Khrushchev became leader in 1956 ( TOOK 3 YEARS)
Stalin Dies
- At communist congress party Khrushchev criticised Stalin’s policies -
he wanted PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE with the West.
1955 - Soviet response to West Germany joining NATO (8 countries)

Warsaw Pact
formed (WTO)

- Result of the Korean War

West Germany
joins NATO
1956 - Khrushchev’s speech gave satellite states chance to relax soviet
control.
Hungarian Uprising
- Hungarians protested: lack of freedom, fuel shortages, poor harvest
- Khrushchev sent red army to restore order
- Khrushchev replaced Rakosi with Nagy.
- Nagy announced Hungary would leave Warsaw Pact - become
neutral:
- Khrushchev = concerned, if Hungary broke away from WTO,
others would follow.
- Khrushchev invaded Budapest. Hungarians begged West for
help, but West refused.
- Nagy executed, 20,000 Hungarians killed.
- Some NATO nations took in Hungarian refugees, but no military
support.
- US policy of containment Sid they could interfere in affairs of an
already communist country. - could lead to nuclear war.
1958 - 3 million East Germans crossed to West Germany ( skilled workers,
engineers, technicians, teachers - to have higher salaries)
Khrushchev
- People made it clear they preferred West Germany - bad
Ultimatum
propaganda.
- Berlin should be demilitarised and Western troops withdraw
- Berlin to be a free city.
- West had 6 months, otherwise control of all routes into Berlin would
be given to the government of East Germany,
1959 Geneva(May): proposals for how Berlin should be governed. NO
AGREEMENT.
Geneva + Camp
Camp David(September): Soviets agreed to withdraw Berlin Ultimatum.
David Summit
Better international relations. NO AGREEMENTS ON BERLIN.
Fidel Castro
overthrows Batista

YEAR (1960s) KEY WORDS, PURPOSE, EFFECT

1960 - Soviets had shot down American U-2 spy plane.
- Americans tried to claim it wa a weather aeroplane:
U-2 spy plane
- Soviets interrogated Gary Powers (pilot) who admitted it

🤭
was a spy mission.
Paris Summit(May)
- NO DECISIONS MADE. Khrushchev walked out of the meeting .
1961 - Khrushchev renewed Berlin Ultimatum - thought Kennedy was
inexperienced.
Vienna Summit
- Relations between Kennedy and Khrushchev were strained.
- NO DECISIONS MADE.
Berlin Wall built
- Kennedy increased American Armed forces by $2 billion

- BERLIN WALL
- Started as barbed wire fence, then a 165 km concrete wall.
- 2 walls, separated by ‘no-man’s-land’ packed with books
traps and minefields.
- 130 killed, as they were shot.
USA broke off
- Showed that people had to be ‘locked’ into East Germany
diplomatic
- Stopped refugees from leaving East Berlin
relations with Cuba
- Khrushchev forced to accept western control in West Berlin.
- Plan: Land Cuban exiles in the Bay of Pigs - overthrow Castro and put
a US-friendly government in control.
Bay of Pigs
- WAS A FAILURE FOR THE USA:
incident.
- Volunteers had little military experience
- US wanted it to look like a Cuban revolt - couldn’t send US forces
- Castro found out - 20,000 ready to fight the 1,400 Cuban exiles.
- Cubans didn’t support USA, they were happy with Castro
- Castro appointed communists in Cuba’s government
- Khrushchev agreed to buy Cuban sugar as a form of economic aid.
- Cuban government took over land owned by foreigners in Cuba
- Cuba would receive arms from the Soviet Union.
1962 - American spy plane took pictures of Soviet missiles in Cuba. -
Missiles could reach most US cities.
Cuban Missile crisis
- Soviet ships on their way to Cuba with supplies.
- Khrushchev told Kennedy he wouldn’t put nuclear weapons in Cuba:
- US had missiles in Turkey which was close to Soviet Union.
 - Berlin Wall was a Soviet Union failure, Cuban Millie’s would
restore Khrushchev’s reputation.
- Khrushchev feared another US attack.
- Kennedy met with an Executive committee for 13 days.
- Decided not to launch an attack - set up naval blockade (quarantine)
around Cuba instead.
- If Soviet Union ignored blockade, USA would have to sink ships - war
- Khrushchev ordered soviet ships to turn around
- Khrushchev said he would remove missiles in Cuba if:
- USA didn’t invade Cuba
- USA took missile out of Turkey
- Showed what could happen if they followed a policy of
brinkmanship- pushing disagreements to the point of war.
- Hotline set up
- Nuclear non-proliferation treaty
- World became safer.
- Kennedy’s image improved- stronger, challenged Khrushchev and
Hawks in his government ( those who supported going to war).
1963 - MAD - mutually assured destruction. Neither of the superpowers
would survive a nuclear war.
Hotline established
- Direct communication between Washington and Moscow
- To prevent any misunderstanding between the two countries.
Limited Test Ban
- Only used in 1971 with Indian and Pakistani war.
Treaty

- Dangers of radioactive fallout were explored.

- Not to carry out nuclear weapon tests: in the atmosphere,
underwater, outer space, or where the debris will be outside the
country’s borders.
1967 - Stopped the arms race spreading into space.
- No one could claim to own the Moon.
Outer Space Treaty
- Exploration of space to benefit all countries
- States responsible for any damage caused.
1968 - Causes: no freedom of speech, censored radios and newspaper
- Pitches carried out between 1949 and 1954
Prague
- Dubcek elected
Spring(Czechoslova
- Ducek pushed “socialism with a human face”:
kia)
- Censorship reached criticism of the government allowed.
- Trade unions given power
- More power given to the regional governments.
- Trade with West increased.
- Causes of invasion:
 - Soviet Buffer zone threatened
- Satellite states want same rights
- Brezhnev knew West wouldn’t help Czechoslovakia
- Soviet Union wanted to look in control.
- Brezhnev ordered manoeuvres in Czechoslovakia to threaten Dubeck
not to make anymore reforms.
- DUBCEK invited Romanian and Yugoslavian leaders to Prague for
talks
- 500,000 WTO troops invaded Czechoslovakia - ended Prague Spring.
- Little opposition - individual acts of bravery:
- Blocking roads
- Attacking individual tanks.
Brezhnev Doctrine - Dubcek arrested - sent to Moscow to reverse his reforms
- Replaced by HUSAK in 1969.
Nuclear - HUSAK was an extreme communist - introduced more oppression.
Non-Proliferation - Caused the Brezhnev doctrine:
Treaty - ’Actions of any individual communist country affected all
communist countries’
- Stop communist countries from making more liberal
reforms.
- USA couldn’t help because it was involved in the Vietnam
War and was trying to be less confrontational.

- Divided into NWS and NNWS

- NWS would work on disarmament
- Stop the spread of nuclear weapons.
- Not to share nuclear technology with other countries.
1969 - Ostpolitik:
- Willy Brandt chancellor of West Germany.
Ostpolitik
- Established links between East and West Europe.
- boosted detente.

1971 - World table tennis championships in Japan.

- Henry Kissinger visited China
Ping pong
- Strategic Arms limitation treaty formed (SALT)
diplomacy
1972 - USA wanted better relations with China to reduce tensions, would
force Soviet Union into agreements.
Detente - USA wanted to end Vietnam War
SALT 1 signed - Rioting in USA because of economic and political problèmes
- Nuclear weapons expensive
- Poor living standards and economy in Soviet Union
- Soviet Union wanted technology from the West
- Relations between china and Soviet Union were worsening
- Mao didn’t like how Chinese Delegates were treated in Moscow
- Fighting broke out on the Chinese-Soviet border in 1969
- USA agreed that it would help China regain Taiwan peacefully.
- Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty - ABMs allowed at two sites per country,
maximum of 100 missiles.
- Interim Treaty - Restricted number of ICBMs and SLBMs.
- Basic Principles Agreement - avoiding nuclear war, banned warheads
on seabed. Stopped spread of nuclear weapons.
- SALT 1 weaknesses:
- Did not cover latest technology (e.g. multiple nuclear
warheads on a single missile)
- Nixon and Brezhnev met in Moscow shortly after SALT 1.
-