THE CRISES OF THE COLD WAR

Lobj: to consider whether ‘peaceful existence’ really existed.

PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE ?

• Khrushchev made visits to foreign leaders

• Gave aid to the Third World – trying to raise Communist influence

• Was certain Communism was superior

• Crushed a Hungarian Revolution

• Built the Berlin Wall

PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE ?

• Space race with USA – proved USSR was technologically superior

• Enraged the West with a Nuclear Arms race

• Demanded the USA left Berlin

• USSR challenged US dominance in Olympic games

PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE ?

Khrushchev was not the Tyrant like Stalin – but the Cold War got to the hottest point

during his time

THE GENEVA SUMMIT

• 1955 – World leaders met to discuss trade, the arms race & disarmament.

• President Eisenhower suggested each side could monitor (from the air) what the other was doing

• Neither could stockpile weapons & tensions would be reduced = high point in relations

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Dwight_Eisenhower_Nikita_Khrushchev_and_their_wives_at_state_dinner_1959.png

THE ARMS RACE 1955-63

• Up to 1957 – nuclear bombs had to be carried to their destination by a plane

• Oct 1957 – USSR developed a rocket – R7 , which could send a satellite into space

• Dec 1957 – USA had own rocket – Atlas-A

• Meant nuclear weapons could be launched at targets with no need for planes

• 1960 – both countries had ICM’s (Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles)

• These were land based & stored underground• They could hit target 6400 kilometres away

• The USA based these missiles in Turkey – on the USSR border

• 1960 – Polaris missiles designed – could fire 1600km away – based in submarines

THE HUNGARIAN RISING 1956

• June 1956 – Polish people revolted and gained some freedoms for Moscow

• Oct 1956 – Hungarian demonstrations & protests• Nagy Imre became PM and started to reform –1. No Govt control of press2. Non communists allowed in parliament3. Free and fair elections4. Leave the Warsaw Pact

• The last moved was unacceptable for Khrushchev - if they left the WP then it would threaten the safety of the USSR

• These reforms made communism look bad

• 4 Nov 1956 – The Red Army returned to Hungary & killed 4000

• 200,000 fled to the West

RESULTS OF THE RISING

• Nagy was arrested and executed

• 300 protestors were executed

• Janos Kadar became Prime Minister – he abolished all of Nagy’s reforms

• NATO did nothing - No Action; Talk Only

• Communism looked brutal & cruel – thousands left the Communist party in GB