Page 40 - Year 11
P. 40
History (Superpower relations: The Cold War 1943-1991): 2 of 3
The Berlin Wall Czechoslovakia 1968
•12 August 1961 East German •Alexander Dubcek introduced reforms ‘Socialism with a human Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan 1979
Leader Ulbricht ordered a face’. Not anti- communist, just wanted more freedom. This became • There was a communist revolution in Afghanistan in 1978
barbed wire fence around West known as the Prague Spring. and civil war broke out.
Berlin to stop the refugee • Brezhnev worried about reforms spreading so invaded with
problem. 500,000 troops. Czechs didn’t fight back- learn their lesson from • USSR invaded in 1979 to help the communist government
•Soon grew to 165km, cutting Hungary!
through streets and even •Brezhnev Doctrine- actions of any individual country affected whole • USA very unhappy with this and ended détente. Supported
buildings. Eastern Bloc, so he would use Warsaw Pact troops to stop any Afghan rebels (Mujahedeen)
•Two walls separated by no reforms
man’s land with booby traps, • Carter Doctrine- USA would use force to repel any threats
barbed wire, watch towers and Détente 1970s in Persian Gulf area, and introduced sanctions
guards with machine guns • After the Cuban Missile Crisis the USA and USSR wanted to get
•People tried to escape- 130 on better in the 1970s, this thaw (peaceful period) in the Cold • USA boycotted the Moscow Olympics in 1980. USSR then
killed, most famous was Peter War is called détente. boycotted LA Olympics in 1984
Fechter.
•Khrushchev had to abandon • Both needed to focus on economic and social problems at • Cost USSR $8 billion a year and 15,000 troops were killed.
plans for a united communist home, not war so SALT 1 in 1972 was signed - Strategic Arms
Germany and showed how Limitation Treaty. This limited the number of nuclear weapons
unpopular communism was, but both sides had. Gorbachev’s New Thinking
it did stop the refugee problem •USSR couldn’t afford war in Afghanistan or new missiles to
and showed communism was in • Helsinki Accords 1975- agreed to respect borders, work for compete with USA, and living standards were low.
control in the East closer relations and respect human rights. •Perestroika- reform economy to include some capitalist ideas
•The Berlin Wall became a •Glasnost- introduce more openness and less corruption in
symbol of freedom and defiance • SALT 2 1979- Tried to introduce restrictions on missiles, but USA government, allowed opposition to government.
against communism, and didn’t trust the USSR after invasion of Afghanistan so US •Brezhnev Doctrine would also be dropped.
showed Khrushchev had withdrew from talks. •Reagan saw this as an opportunity to end the Cold War
accepted Western control in •Reykjavik Summit 1986- Gorbachev suggested phasing out
Berlin •Kennedy’s ‘Ich Bin Ein Reagan’s Second Cold War nuclear weapons if USA gave up SDI. No agreement but
Berliner’ speech 1963 very •Reagan became President of USA in 1980, called the USSR an ‘evil improved relations.
popular empire’ and ended détente. •Planned the Strategic Defence Initiative •Washington Summit 1987- Agreed a treaty reducing abolishing
(SDI) 1983 nicknamed ‘Star Wars’- using satellites to destroy soviet intermediate range missiles
missiles in space. •Malta Summit 1989- No new agreements but seen as the end of
•USSR too poor to compete but didn’t know USA hadn’t actually made the Cold War as both sides announced peaceful intentions.
SDI yet. End of the Cold war came out shortly after when the Berlin Wall
•Reagan increased funding for the Cold War and supported anti- was breeched in Nov 1989 and then the other countries in the
communist groups in South America. Warsaw Pact began to break away from the USSR.
