Cold War 1950's and 60's

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Crises and Confrontations: Korean War 1950

Korean War

Communist North Korea invaded the democratic South Korea in 1950

South Korea was a US ally and the US, concerned about the 'domino effect', became involved in the war

'Domino effect' was the belief if South Korea fell, communism would spread to other Asian countries

North Korea was backed by China and USSR

US became involved in a costly war, that ended in a stalemate

Showed that the US and USSR would fight each other but not directly

The war lasted three years and led to 1.4 million deaths

Truman sacked General Douglas MacArthur for requesting that nuclear weapons be used against China

Stalin passed away at the end of the Korean War and the new Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, criticised many of Stalin's actions and called for peaceful co-existence with the West.

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Crisis 1: The Berlin Wall 1961

Background:

When Berlin was first divided up into four zones there was support for communism in the East Germany under the control of the Soviets

Complaints from people were made about the Stasi (secret police) and corruption in the government

East Germany had a low standard of living in comparison to West Germany

In the 1950s, many East Germans travelled to West Berlin to access West Germany and never returned upon arriving

The many Germans leaving Berlin boosted US propaganda

Changing environment:

January 1961 - new president of the US, John F. Kennedy, was elected

Kennedy backed a failed attempt to overthrow the communist president in Cuba, Fidel Castro, in April 1961

Khrushchev used Kennedy's failure as an opportunity to request US troops removal from Berlin

Vienna, 1961 - Khrushchev and Kennedy meet

Kennedy refused Khrushchev's demands again and ordered 150,000 US reservist troops to be called for action in Germany

Khrushchev claimed Kennedy was promoting conflict, using Berlin as a base for spies

Within this tension, on the night of the 13 August, East German soldiers erected a barbed-wire fence along the border of East and West Berlin

All crossing points were sealed up apart from Checkpoint Charlie

The main reason for the wall was to stem the flow of people out of East Germany

What happened next?

West Berliners feared Soviet invasion and US withdrawal

17 August 1961 - West Berlin staged a demonstration; Kennedy sent more troops

Soviets and East Germans continued to strengthen the wall

27 October - US and Soviet tanks faced off at Checkpoint Charlie, withdrawing the next day

Impact of the crisis:

Khrushchev ordered East German leader, Walter Ulbricht, to avoid any further tensions

The wall remained in place and became a symbol of division

Kennedy stood up to Khrushchev and made good propaganda of the situation

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Crisis 2: The Cuban Missile Crisis 1962

Background:

1959 - Cuba was practically considered a US colony, under the leadership of anti-communist General Fulgenico Batista

Batista was overthrown in a revolution led by communist Fidel Castro in 1959

Thousands of Cubans fled to the US and pressured the US to help get rid of Castro

US President at the time, Dwight D. Eisenhower, ordered the CIA to investigate a means of overthrowing Castro

US refused to trade with Cuba and began a propaganda campaign against Castro

Crisis develops:

Castro, fearing invasion from the US, turned to USSR for help

Khrushchev agreed to a $100 million package of economic aid, military equipment and technical advisers to Cuba

April 1961 - US president John F. Kennedy authorised a CIA-backed plan to help 1,400 Cuban exiles

These exiles were to land in the Bay of Pigs in Cuba and overthrow Castro

This attempt failed dramatically and strengthened relations between Castro and Khrushchev

May 1962 - the Soviet Union announced it was supplying Cuba with arms

Kennedy's main concern over the arms was that the Soviet Union would locate nuclear arms in Cuba

October 1962 - a US spy plane took detailed photographs that demonstrated there were nuclear missile sites in Cuba

US spy planes reported that 20 Soviet ships were carrying missiles to Cuba

Why locate nuclear missiles in Cuba? There are a few suggestions as to why Khrushchev did this:

To bargain with the USA - the US had missiles in Turkey and Khrushchev may have wanted to make a deal about them

To close the missile gap - with a gap in the amount of weapons, locating missiles on Cuba would make the US less likely to launch a 'first strike'

To defend Cuba - with an advantageous location and also communist state, Cuba would be an effective military base

Strengthen his own position - success here would heighten his popularity

To test the USA - the missiles were a test to see how strong the US really was

The most intense period of the crisis occurred from 16 October - 28 October.

On 28th October, Khrushchev wrote a letter to Kennedy agreeing to remove the missiles that he claimed were for defensive purposes.

Impacts:

Khrushchev kept Cuba communist and received a promise from the US they would not invade

Castro was upset with the deal, but remained in power and nationalised American companies in time

Kennedy appeared a strong figure afterwards, standing up to Khrushchev and own government

However, he failed to oust Castro and removed US missiles from Turkey

Improved relations occurred between the US and USSR:

'hotline' telephone link was established between the White House and Kremlin

1963 - Nuclear Test Ban Treaty signed (limited the testing of nuclear weapons)

From here, the US and USSR became involved in other conflicts around the globe (indirect fighting) i.e. proxy wars