A10: Superpower Relations 1945-1962: Key Events

#

1.) The Yalta Conference – February 4th-11th 1945

Who? Causes What happened? Consequences

USA led by

President

Roosevelt

UK led by

Prime

Minister

Winston

Churchill

USSR led

by Joseph

Stalin

War situation

had changed:

Germany was

close to defeat.

Discussions over

the post-war

world were

needed.

USA & UK

wanted USSR

to declare war

on Japan.

Needed to

agree a political

solution for

liberated

countries,

especially

Germany and

Poland.

Stalin agreed to declare war on Japan

within three months of the defeat of

Germany.

Compromise over Poland. All agreed to form

a Polish government pledged to hold ‘free

elections’. Borders of Poland also changed

– USSR gained land from Eastern Poland

whilst Poland would gain land from East

Germany.

The ‘Declaration on Liberated Europe’.

USA, USSR & UK commit to work for

democracy in Europe.

Allies agree to form the United Nations.

Germany and Berlin to be divided into four

zones of occupation between Britain,

France, USA and USSR.

Big Three restate their agreement that the

USSR should have a ‘sphere of influence’ in

Eastern Europe.

The talk of ‘democracy’ and ‘free

elections’ was interpreted differently

by USA and USSR. American free

speech vs. Stalin’s idea that communism

represented the people so no opposition

allowed.

Yalta raised false expectations in the

USA that Stalin would allow western-

style governments in Eastern Europe.

Stalin paid only lip service to idea of

‘free elections’ in Poland. In March, 16

leaders of the Polish resistance were

arrested by Stalin and never seen again.

Further talks over Poland achieved

nothing. USSR refused to allow pro-

western Poles into new government.

Soviet troops had captured most of

Eastern Europe. Stalin’s demand for a

‘sphere of influence’ had to be taken

seriously.

Knowing and understanding the key events from each topic is obviously essential. For

Section A topics like Superpower Relations, you need to be able to describe or explain the

causes, key features and consequences of each event. Make sure you study the following

list of key events as part of your revision:

2.) The Potsdam Conference – July 17th - Aug 2nd 1945

Who? Causes What happened? Consequences

USA

represented

by

President

Harry S.

Truman

UK

represented

by Prime

Minister

Winston

Churchill &

Prime

Minister

Clement

Attlee

USSR

represented

by Joseph

Stalin

The war against

Nazi Germany was

over. Hitler was

dead. The Allies

needed to decide

how to disarm and

punish Germany.

A political solution

had to be reached

over the liberated

countries. The

Western Allies

now occupied the

whole of western

Europe. The Soviet

Red Army occupied

the whole of

eastern Europe.

Roosevelt had

died and Truman

was keen to meet

Stalin. He wanted

to be tougher with

Stalin over issues

like Poland.

A compromise was reached over war

reparations. Each ally would take

reparations from the zone they

occupied. USSR was also given industrial

equipment from Western zones in

return for raw materials.

Agreed to prosecute Nazi war

criminals.

Statement of aims of the occupation of

Germany by the Allies: demilitarisation,

denazification, democratisation,

decentralisation and decartelisation.

Details of the German-Polish border

were finally agreed.

The communist dominated Polish

Provisional Government of National

Unity was recognized by all three

powers.

Was confirmed that the Polish

Provisional Government of National

Unity would hold ‘free and fair

elections’ as soon as possible.

The terms of the surrender of Japan

were agreed. Japan had to agree

unconditional surrender or face ‘prompt

and utter destruction’.

The conference ended

without agreement on what

would happen to the newly

liberated states across

Europe. Both superpowers

were determined to keep

their half of Europe.

Truman’s attempt to assert

his authority by declaring a

‘powerful new weapon’ at the

conference only made Stalin

more determined to protect

the USSR. He saw this as a

threat from the USA. He

therefore wanted to create a

‘buffer zone’ in Eastern

Europe.

The USA and UK became

aware of their need to

confront communism in

Europe. Truman approved

Churchill’s 1946 ‘Iron Curtain’

speech, in which he said that

countries in the West were

free and countries in the East

were under communist control

behind an ‘Iron Curtain’.

3.) Churchill’s ‘Iron Curtain’ Speech – March 1946

Who? Causes What happened? Consequences

Former

UK

Prime

Minister

Winston

Churchill

who lost

power in

the

1945

general

election

By 1946 it became

clear that Europe

had been divided.

From 1945-1948,

Stalin rigged

elections to establish

communist

governments in

Poland, Hungary,

Bulgaria, Romania,

East Germany &

Czechoslovakia.

The West

responded to this

division with a war

of words, designed

to portray Stalin as a

power-hungry

dictator. Truman had

even compared Stalin

to Hitler.

Churchill gave a speech in the

presence of President Truman at

Westminster College, Fulton,

Missouri on 5th March 1946:

‘From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste

in the Adriatic an "Iron Curtain" has

descended across the continent.

Behind that line lie all the capitals of

the ancient states of Central and

Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin,

Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade,

Bucharest and Sofia; all these famous

cities and the populations around

them lie in what I must call the

Soviet sphere, and all are subject, in

one form or another, not only to

Soviet influence but to a very high

and in some cases increasing measure

of control from Moscow.’

The speech showed that both

sides now clearly viewed each

other as opponents. Stalin

responded by saying:

‘…Mr Churchill now adopts the

position of the warmonger, and in

this Mr Churchill is not alone. He

has friends not only in Britain but

in the USA as well. A point to be

noted in this respect is that Mr.

Churchill and his friends bear a

striking resemblance to Hitler

and his friends.’

This war of words led to both

sides initiating spying and

assessment reports on each

other to determine the thinking

of their opponents. This resulted

in the Long Telegram and

Novikov’s Telegram.

4.) The Long Telegram & Novikov’s Telegram – 1946

Who? Causes What happened? Consequences

US

ambassador

to Moscow,

George F.

Kennan

Soviet

ambassador

to

Washington,

Nikolai

Novikov

Truman and

Stalin were

both keen to

understand

each other’s

intentions and

threats so

they both

commissioned

reports to be

written by

embassy staff.

Kennan responded to Truman with a telegram on 22nd

February 1946 that reported:

The USSR perceived itself to be at war with

capitalism.

There could be no peace with the USSR while it

was opposed to capitalism.

The USSR was rebuilding its military.

Novikov responded to Stalin with a telegram on 27th

September that reported:

America wanted to dominate the world.

The USA was no longer interested in co-

operation.

The American public was being prepared for war

with the USSR by ‘capitalist elites’.

The telegrams made

both governments

feel that they were

facing the imminent

possibility of war.

The USA now

believed that the

USSR was planning

world domination

whilst the USSR

believed the same

about the USA.

These fears led the

USA to form the

‘Truman Doctrine’.

5.) The Truman Doctrine – March 1947

Who? Causes What happened? Consequences

President

Truman of

the USA

George Kennan advised Truman

that the USA’s best hope was to

‘contain’ communism rather than

fight it on the battlefield.

Much of Europe was devastated

after the war and communism was

appealing. Truman was worried

about the Domino Theory: if

communism took over one country,

neighbouring countries were next

in line to be threatened.

In Feb 1947 the UK announced it

could no longer afford to pay

for troops in Greece and Turkey.

The US feared communism would

spread to these countries.

The Truman Doctrine stated that:

The world had choice between

communist tyranny and

democratic freedom.

America had a responsibility to

fight for liberty.

America would send troops and

money help governments against

communism.

Communism should not be

allowed to grow and spread and

should be ‘contained’.

Over the course of the Cold War,

the Truman doctrine provided arms

and money to defend Greece, Korea,

Cuba, Vietnam, Afghanistan and

South America.

The doctrine was significant

because it suggested that

America had the responsibility

to protect the world, not the

UN which marked an end to

USA’s traditional policy of

‘isolationism’.

The doctrine assumed that

Capitalism and Communism were

incompatible = the unofficial

start of the Cold War.

Truman was now committed to

a policy of ‘containment’.

US military aid to Greece

meant that the communists

were defeated in the Greek

Civil War in 1949.

6.) The Marshall Plan – June 1947

Who? Causes What happened? Consequences

President

Truman of

the USA

George C.

Marshall,

US

Secretary

of State

Economic crisis in

Europe: food

shortages,

unemployment, food

rationing and

starvation. Communist

party support was

growing, especially in

France and Italy

where riots broke

out.

Truman knew that to

weaken the

attraction of

communism, he

needed to rebuild and

encourage prosperity

in Europe.

The USA decided to offer economic

aid to Europe, organised by US

Secretary of State General George

Marshall. Committed $13 billion

USD to rebuild the ruined

economies of Europe.

Countries had to agree free trade

agreements with the USA in order

to receive money. This would

benefit the American economy as

the US would provide the money

and goods needed to rebuild.

American money was made available

to eastern Europe and the USSR as

well. Stalin ordered Poland &

Czechoslovakia not to accept it.

European leaders met at the Paris

Conference of 1948 to discuss Marshall

Aid. The USSR walked out of the

conference as they believed the US was

trying to split Europe into two camps.

Stalin claimed that Marshall Aid had

tricked western Europe into an economic

reliance on the US. Led to the creation of

Soviet rivals: COMINFORM and COMECON.

West European economies experienced an

economic boom and had returned to pre-

war levels of growth when the plan ended in

1952.

Divided Germany as the military governors

of western Germany agreed to accept

money. Divide in Europe was now

economic, not just ideological.

7.) Creation of COMINFORM – Sep 1947

Who? Causes What happened? Consequences

Communist

Party General

Secretary

Joseph

Stalin

Stalin was concerned

that eastern European

countries would be

tempted by the

Marshall Plan. He wanted

to prevent this by forcing

Eastern European

countries to become

‘satellite states’,

controlled by the USSR.

Stalin wanted satellite

states on his European

borders to trade with,

and for military defence.

At an international conference, the USSR

created the Communist Information Bureau

(COMINFORM) which represented Communist

Parties across Europe and brought them under

the control and manipulation of the USSR.

COMINFORM encouraged Communist Parties

in Western Europe to organise demonstrations

and strikes in order to wreck the Marshall

Plan. 2 million workers went on strike in

France in 1947 calling for their government to

reject Marshall Aid.

COMINFORM was also used to stamp out

opposition and ensure the loyalty of Eastern

European governments. 5% of population was

imprisoned in Hungary by 1953.

COMINFORM organised

strikes in Western Europe

did not work as growing

prosperity weakened the

attraction of communism.

COMINFORM

strengthened Stalin’s hold

on Eastern Europe. He

could use COMINFORM to

investigate government

ministers and employees,

and remove or imprison

those who were not loyal.

8.) Creation of COMECON - Jan 1949

Who? Causes What happened? Consequences

Communist

Party

General

Secretary

Joseph

Stalin

The failure of

COMINFORM to

destroy Marshall

Plan through political

opposition forced the

USSR to consider an

economic rival. Stalin

wanted to minimise

the influence of the

USA.

Stalin wanted to

prevent Eastern

Europe from

benefiting economical

from the West.

The Council for Mutual

Economic Aid (COMECON)

was designed as a trading

organisation of communist

countries. Aims was to

economically develop Eastern

Europe and prevent trade

with Western Europe.

USSR, Bulgaria,

Czechoslovakia, Hungary,

Poland and Romania were all

members in first year.

Albania and Eastern

Germany joined in 1950.

Was not very successful as the Soviet

Union had little spare cash to inject

into the economies of Eastern Europe.

Meant that Eastern Europe did not

develop as fast as Western Europe.

The USSR used COMECON to help

rebuild itself first – not its satellite

states. The USSR eventually

encouraged COMECON members to

specialise in different products.

Stalin’s wish of a sphere of influence

over Eastern Europe was now made

an economic reality.

9.) The Berlin Blockade and Airlift – June 1948

Who? Causes What happened? Consequences

Communist

Party

General

Secretary

of the

USSR,

Joseph

Stalin

US

President

Harry

Truman

Stalin didn’t want a

divided Germany.

Germany’s main

economic resources

were in the west and he

wanted to prevent the

USA from having

further influence in

Germany. He feared

they were rebuilding

Germany as an ally

against the USSR.

He viewed the merging

of the Allied zones of

Germany in 1947, along

with the introduction of

the Deutschmark in

June 1948 as an

attempt to divide

Germany. He expected

the western powers to

make a humiliating

retreat.

Stalin set up a military blockade

around West Berlin on 23rd June

1948. He planned to cut western

Germany off from its capital: Berlin.

This would prove that a divided

Germany could not work.

All roads and railways to Berlin were

blocked by the Soviets. Stalin

assumed the West would give in as 2

million Berliner’s were starving.

Truman responded with the Berlin

Airlift. It was the first major test of

the Truman Doctrine. Allied planes

would supply West Berlin from the air.

The first flight was on the 26th and by

Sep, a US aircraft was leaving every 3

minutes. 70 large cargo planes airlifted

600-700 tonnes of food and supplies

every day. This increased to 1000

tonnes within weeks. At its height, the

airlift provided over 170,000 tonnes of

supplies, flying along 3 ‘air corridors’

during January 1949.

Stalin backed down on 12th May

1949. Stalin seemed like the

aggressor as the attack on Berlin

looked like the first step in a march

westwards. This was a propaganda

success for the USA.

Blockade seemed to prove to the West

that the USSR wanted to take over

Europe. This led to the creation of

the NATO alliance in April 1949 and

the creation of West Germany (FDR)

as an independent state in Sep 1949.

This in turn forced the USSR to

establish East Germany (GDR) as an

independent nation one month later.

Stalin ordered the speeding up of

atomic testing as he realised that

without an atomic bomb, he could not

win confrontations with the USA. The

USSR test their first atomic bomb in

1949, starting the arms race.

10.) Creation of NATO – April 1949

Who? Causes What happened? Consequences

1949 – USA,

UK, Canada,

Iceland,

France,

Portugal,

Italy, Belgium,

Luxembourg,

Netherlands,

Denmark and

Norway. 1952

– Greece and

Turkey. 1955

– West

Germany.

1982 – Spain.

The Berlin

Blockade raised

the possibility of

war in Europe as it

was the first

military

confrontation of

the Cold War.

European

countries were

keen to establish

a military alliance

in order to ‘keep

the USA in, the

USSR out and the

Germans down.’

The North Atlantic Treaty

Organisation (NATO) was

established as a military alliance

between the USA and Western

Europe. An attack on one member

would be considered as an attack

on all members.

It was in effect a military alliance

with the aim of defending the

West against communism. It

wasn’t just a promise either. Five

divisions of US troops were based

in Germany.

West Germany joined NATO in

1955, adding millions more troops.

The creation of NATO significantly

heightened tensions in the Cold War. The

creation of NATO now added a clear

military divide to Europe.

The USSR felt threatened by the

creation of NATO and especially when

West German troops joined. The USSR

responded by creating the Warsaw Pact in

1955 which was a military alliance of

Eastern European countries.

The build-up of military alliances turned

into an arms race when the USSR tested

its own nuclear bomb in 1949. But

paradoxically, the threat of Mutually

Assured Destruction (MAD) prevented war

in Europe.

11.) The Korean War – June 1950 – July 1953

Who? Causes What happened? Consequences

North Korea,

led by Kim Il

Sung

South Korea

led by

Syngman

Rhee

China led by

Mao Zedong

USA led by

President

Truman and

Dwight D.

Eisenhower

from 1953

US/UN

Forces led by

General

Douglas

MacArthur

Truman believed the

Russians were behind

the attack and it was

a test of his policy of

containment.

China had become

communists in 1949

providing further

proof that

containment was

needed.

In Sep 1949 the USSR

had developed an

atomic bomb. Truman

became convinced

that communism

wanted to take over

the world.

UN vote gave the USA

greater ‘legitimacy’ to

invade

Korea was divided after the Second

World War. On 25th June 1950, North

Korea led by Kim Il Sung invaded the

South in an attempt to re-unite the

country by force.

Truman asked the UN Security

Council to back the use of US troops

in Korea. The Security Council approved

the use of force to defeat the

Northern invasion.

In Sep 1950, US troops led by

General Douglas MacArthur led a

successful counter-attack and by 1st

Oct, US troops had reached the 38th

parallel. When MacArthur invaded

North Korea, the Chinese intervened,

pushing US led forces back to Seoul.

For the rest of the war, stalemate

ensued. Ceasefire was agreed on 27th

July 1953. Korea remained divided.

Demonstrated the US commitment

to containing communism anywhere

in the world. Proved that

containment could work to prevent

the Domino Theory – would later

influence decision making in

Vietnam.

War led to rearmament

throughout the western world. The

Involvement of USSR and China

persuaded the US to increase

defence spending, up to 400% after

the war. Marshall Aid money also

was diverted to defence spending in

Western Europe.

Dangers of nuclear war, proposed

by General MacArthur scared the

world and put pressure on the

superpowers to negotiate. After

the death of Stalin in 1953, this led

to a thaw in relations.

12.) Creation of the Warsaw Pact – May 1955

Who? Causes What happened? Consequences

USSR, Poland,

Czechoslovakia,

Romania,

Bulgaria,

Hungary,

Albania and

East Germany.

The formation of NATO in 1949

altered the balance of power in

Europe in the West’s favour.

Stalin needed his own rival alliance

to ensure parity with the west.

The addition of West Germany

to NATO in 1955 along with over a

million extra German soldiers

accelerated the need for the

USSR to create a military alliance.

The USSR responded to

NATO by creating the

Warsaw Pact which was a

military alliance of

Eastern European

countries. The countries

agreed to respect each

other’s independence and

to defend each other in

the event of war.

Unlike NATO, the Warsaw

Pact countries were

strictly dominated by the

USSR.

The creation of a communist

military alliance cemented the

control of the USSR over Eastern

Europe.

It also contributed to the

increasing competition of the

arms race. The Warsaw Pact had

poor technology and relied on

conscription, therefore the USSR

focused on developing nuclear

weapons as a means of deterrence.

13.) The Hungarian Uprising – Feb-Nov 1956

Who? Causes What happened? Consequences

Hungarian

Dictator

Matyas

Rakosi

Hungarian

Leader

Erno Gero

Hungarian

Leader

Imre Nagy

Hungarian

Leader

Janos

Kadar

USSR led

by Nikita

Khrushchev

Hungarians were dissatisfied

with Soviet rule. After 1949,

COMINFORM imposed an

oppressive regime on Hungary.

Hungarian land was given to other

countries, resources shipped to

Russia, political parties abolished

and Matyas Rakosi was appointed

dictator in Aug 1952.

Rakosi’s reign was harsh – he

used what he called ‘salami

tactics’ to deal with opposition

‘one slice at a time’. He

imprisoned over 387,000 people

and was responsible for over

2000 deaths.

The death of Stalin in 1953 led

to the end of ‘Stalinism’ and the

start of what Khrushchev called

‘peaceful co-existence’ with the

west. This was taken to mean

that Soviet rule was to be

relaxed in Hungary.

In June 1956, there were anti-

Soviet demonstrations in Poland.

Khrushchev agreed to allow

reforms there. This inspired

many Hungarians to demonstrate

and protest, hoping to gain

reforms in their country.

After Khrushchev’s ‘secret speech’

in Feb 1956, many students began

to riot in Budapest, attacking

Soviet troops with petrol bombs

and grenades. Police lost control

and protests erupted in other

cities. By the summer, Khrushchev

realised that Rakosi was

extremely unpopular & replaced

him with Erno Gero in July 1956.

This made little difference.

On 24th Oct, Khrushchev agreed

to calls for a more liberal leader

and appointed Imre Nagy. He

proposed leaving the Warsaw Pact,

making Hungary a democracy with

free election, communism should

end and Hungary should ask the UN

for help against the USSR.

Khrushchev worried that to allow

this greater freedom and let

Hungary leave the Warsaw Pact

would mean the end to Soviet

control of Eastern Europe. He

responded by sending 200,000

Soviet troops and 2500 tanks into

Hungary to crush the government.

They reached Budapest on 4th Nov.

20,000 Hungarians were killed and

another 200,000 fled to Austria.

Nagy fled to the Yugoslavian

embassy but was arrested by

Soviet troops as soon as he left.

He was accused of treason by

Khrushchev and was hanged in

June 1958.

The west was accused of

‘abandoning’ the Hungarians.

The USA had encouraged the

uprising but didn’t want to risk

nuclear war. May have actually

improved relations as USSR had

seen the USA as having no

desire to interfere in its sphere

of influence.

The lack of military help from

the USA discouraged other

radicals in Eastern Europe from

rising up. In that sense,

Khrushchev’s show of force

worked to strengthen his

control on Eastern Europe.

Janos Kadar was appointed as

the new Hungarian leader who

called for: re-establishing

communist control and remaining

in the Warsaw Pact.

14.) The Berlin Crisis & U2 Incident – 1958-1961

Who? Causes What happened? Consequences

USSR led

by Nikita

Khrushchev

USA led by

President

Truman

and Dwight

D.

Eisenhower

from 1953

Khrushchev was

deeply concerned

by the growing

refugee problem.

Between 1949 and

1961, 2.7 million

East Germans

escaped to West

Germany through

Berlin. Many were

highly skilled.

Khrushchev also

believed that West

Berlin was being

used by the West

as a base for

spying and

sabotage.

The post-war

recovery of West

Berlin seemed to

remind people of

the benefits of

capitalism. This

worried Khrushchev.

In Nov 1958, Khrushchev issued an

ultimatum giving Western Powers six months

to withdraw from Berlin. Eisenhower was

unsure how to respond but agreed to hold

talks on the issue.

Further talks are held in Geneva (May

1959) and at Camp David (Sep 1959) but

both talks fail to achieve anything. Further

talks are scheduled for 1960.

On 1st May 1960, an American U2 spy

plane is shot down over USSR. Khrushchev

used this to expose the USA’s spying

programme at the UN.

The Paris Summit on 16th May 1960 breaks

down as Khrushchev walks out. Eisenhower

refuses to punish the leaders of the U2

programme.

At the Vienna Conference on 4th June 1961,

Khrushchev challenges Kennedy to withdraw

US troops from Berlin within 6 months or

to declare war. Kennedy refuses.

On morning of 13th Aug 1961, Berliner’s

awake to find that a fence had been

erected around the whole of West Berlin. It

was eventually reinforced.

The wall stopped East Germans

from escaping to the West,

ending the refugee crisis. Allowed

the communists to consolidate

their hold over East Germany.

Allowed Khrushchev to avoid war

with USA whilst appearing strong.

Was propaganda victory for the

USA as USSR had to ‘wall people in’

to make sure they didn’t run away

from communism. Kennedy took

advantage of this by touring West

Berlin in 1963, saying in a speech:

“All free men, wherever they live,

are citizens of Berlin and

therefore as a free man, I take

pride in the words Ich bin ein

Berliner.”

86 Germans would die over the

next 30 years in trying to cross the

wall.

Led to a period of calm in Europe

as both sides accepted there was

no immediate prospect of change so

tension went down.

15.) The Cuban Missile Crisis – October 1962

Who? Causes What happened? Consequences

USA led by

President

Kennedy

USSR led

by Nikita

Krushchev

Cuba led by

Fidel

Castro

Long-term

The continuing arms race

forced both sides to find

ways in which to gain

military supremacy. The

launch of Sputnik 1 in

1957 had intensified the

arms race. In early 1962,

the US placed nuclear

missiles in Turkey. The

USSR decided to retaliate

by placing missiles in Cuba.

This would allow the USSR

to undermine American

nuclear superiority without

having to develop

expensive inter-continental

ballistic missiles.

Short-term

The overthrow of the

pro-US Batista

government in Cuba with

a communist government

led by Fidel Castro in

1959 intensified fears of

communist expansion in

Latin America. Cuba was

only 90 miles from Florida.

Castro nationalised US

property in Cuba and the

USA banned the import

of Cuban sugar – their

main export. This forced

Cuba to turn to the USSR

for help. The USSR now

gave economic aid to Cuba.

The failed Bay of Pigs

invasion of Cuba in April

1961 by the CIA left

Castro fearing another US

invasion. He asked

Khrushchev for military

help.

In August 1961, Khrushchev agreed to defend

Cuba by stationing Russian nuclear missiles in Cuba.

On 25th September 1962, Khrushchev sent 114

ships to Cuba carrying nuclear warheads and long

range missiles.

14th Oct – American U2 spy plane spots a nuclear

site under construction in Cuba.

16th Oct – Kennedy was shown the photographs

proving the missiles were on Cuba. The ExComm

committee is established and he spends 6 days

secretly discussing how to respond.

20th Oct – Kennedy ignores pressure from ‘hawks’ and

decides to impose a naval blockade around Cuba to

prevent further missiles reaching Cuba.

22nd – Kennedy gives a public address officially

declaring the blockade with 100 ships and calls on

Khrushchev to recall his ships on route to Cuba. He

promised to destroy any ships that passed the

‘quarantine line’.

23rd Oct – Khrushchev states that Soviet ships will

break though the blockade.

24th Oct – Khrushchev issues a statement saying the

USSR is prepared to respond with nuclear weapons if

the USA goes to war.

25th Oct – Kennedy writes a letter to Khrushchev

asking him to withdraw missiles from Cuba. Both

armies told to prepare for war. Tension at highest

point.

26th Oct – Khrushchev’s first offer: he ignores calls

for a nuclear war and responds, saying in a letter he

will withdraw the missiles in return for a US

guarantee not to invade Cuba.

27th Oct – Khrushchev’s second offer: he sends a

second letter now demanding that the US withdraws

its missiles from Turkey in return for the removal

of Cuban missiles. Kennedy ignores this letter but

agrees to the first letter. Robert Kennedy then

meets with Soviet ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin. He

agrees to Russian demands to withdraw missiles from

Turkey but insists the deal must be kept secret.

28th Oct – Khrushchev agrees to the secret deal

and orders all ‘cargoes’ to return to the USSR.

Short-Term

Kennedy and the USA appeared

victorious as Khrushchev was seen

by the world as the one to

publically back down. This

propaganda defeat contributed to

Khrushchev resigning in 1964.

Kennedy had agreed to pull US

missiles out of Turkey. In reality,

the event did end in compromise.

European allies of the US were

shocked at how little they were

consulted throughout the crisis.

French leader Charles de Gaulle

pulls France out of NATO in

response. NATO is weakened.

The Chinese were not impressed

with the performance of the

USSR so began to pursue a more

independent foreign policy. World

communism was also weakened.

This led to the creation of a

‘hotline’ in June 1963 between

Washington and Moscow in order

to avoid future

‘misunderstandings’.

The Limited Test Ban Treaty

was agreed in August 1963. Both

sides agreed to ban nuclear

testing in space, in the sea and

above ground.

Long-term

Both sides recognised the dangers

of direct conflict. The USA and

USSR began to search for

meaningful ‘peaceful co-existence’

as they realised how close they

came to nuclear war. This led to a

policy called ‘détente’ – a

relaxing of tension in the Cold

War which dominated superpower

relations in the 1970s.