What is the main focus of the Cold War



What is the main focus of the Cold War?

Why did the Cold War break out?

What were the effects of the Cold War?

Individual events in the Cold War – Causes and effects.

Why did the Cold War break out?

Before WW2

ideology

Russian Civil War

Comintern/ Communist International

Nazi-Soviet Pact

During WW2

Second Front

Events immediately after WW2

Potsdam and Yalta

Germany / Berlin

Poland & Free elections

Economic union in Germany / single currency

Berlin blockade

Berlin airlift

Iron Curtain speech

Truman Doctrine

Marshall Plan / Comecon

Korean War

Hungary 1956

Berlin Wall

Checkpoint Charlie

NATO vs Warsaw Pact

Who played a bigger role in starting the Cold War? USA or USSR?

It was caused mainly by broken promises made between USSR and USA at the Potsdam Conference.

especially over the issue of free elections and Germany’s future

Free elections in Poland – USSR felt insecure

USSR version of a divided Germany – They did not want economic union between the British and US zones in 1946. (The French joined in to be part of West Germany in 1948. They did not want a single currency for Germany and refused to be part of such plans)

The point is that it was always Soviet Insecurity (felt since 1917 Constituent Assembly; Civil War etc)

What is Salty Ping Pong Balls? (non examinable)

SALT – It means Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. Late 1960s and 1970s After Cuban missile crisis, SALT were talks designed to reduce tension between the superpowers by discussing nuclear disarmament. There were some success and agreements to reduce long range nuclear weapons.

SALT talks broke down in the late 1970s and early 1980s - 1979 – Invasion of Afghanistan by USSR; Cowboy Reagan who revived the Cold War by calling the USSR an Evil Empire and increasing military spending; The use of the 1980 Moscow and 1984 LA Olympics to heighten Cold War Tensions; Reagan’s; Star Wars Program or Strategic Defence Iniative program.

Ping Pong diplomacy – This refers to a table tennis team which was sent to China to try to improve ties between USA and China. US President Nixon and Secretary of StateHenry Kissinger were responsible for this. USA is trying to improve relations between USA and China because they realized that communism was not a single movement orchestrated by a mastermind. They also realized that there were tense China-USSR relations caused by border incidents. The USA wanted to improve bilateral ties with China and USSR to drive a wedge between the two communist countries.

Why did Gorbachev still introduce Glasnost and Perestroika when he knew the problems would arise later?

He didn’t know it would arise later. Glasnost and perestroika were introduced because:

Russia’s Economic problems were too huge to ignore.

Social problems were too huge to ignore – demotivation

Political system was slowly becoming stagnant and becoming sterile – There was corruption; lack of initiative; favoritism; Among the people, it was becoming unpopular and people just didn’t seem to care.

Military overstretch – USSR were involved in a losing war in Afghanistan; Occupation duties in Eastern Europe; and giving increasing military aid to Third World Countries like Congo in Africa.

Were there any hot wars during the Cold War?

There were almost a few cases

Checkpoint Charlie

Cuban Missile Crisis

Nuclear accidents

Korean War was the only case of direct conflict between USA and a huge communist country – China and USA.; The USSR sent military advisors, military equipment and some pilots. If US General Douglas MacArthur had bombed China and Manchuria with nuclear weapons, the Russians would have been drawn into the war. (Korean War was in 1950; Russia became a nuclear power in 1949)

What is the Helsinki Accords? P 160 (non-examinable)

It is just an agreement between USA and USSR; Representatives of thirty-five nations gathered in Helsinki, Finland, in 1975 for a Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Final Act of the Conference, known as the Helsinki Accords, sets forth a number of basic human rights:

"The participating States will respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion.

"They will promote and encourage the effective exercise of civil, political, economic, social, cultural, and other rights and freedoms all of which derive from the inherent dignity of the human person and are essential for his free and full development.

"Within this framework the participating States will recognize and respect the freedom of the individual to profess and practise, alone or in community with others, religion or belief acting in accordance with the dictates of his own conscience.

"The participating States on whose territory national minorities exist will respect the right of persons belonging to such minorities to equality before the law, will afford them the full opportunity for the actual enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms and will, in this manner, protect their legitimate interests in this sphere.

"The participating States recognize the universal significance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, respect for which is an essential factor for the peace, justice and well-being necessary to ensure the development of friendly relations and co-operation among themselves as among all States."

They agreed to respect Basic Human Rights; the USA agreed to sell grain to USSR.

The Helsinki Accords didn’t work out because the USA claimed the USSR placed political activists (like Russian writers, jouranalists – Andrei Sakharov) under arrest and in concentration camps.

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