Peaceful Co-existence
Khrushchev’s policy
of peaceful co-existence and the USA’s response;
The beginnings of the Arms Race; space race.
As you revise this, you ought to know about
Khrushchev's policies and their
results (including
the USA's response, the
Arms Race and the Space Race).
|
Background |
• Stalin died in 1953 and, after a leadership
battle, Nikita Khrushchev became leader.
• In 1957, Khrushchev gave a speech calling Stalin
a murderer and tyrant. |
|
Meat |
Khrushchev:
a
said he wanted 'destalinisation', and a relaxation of
the tyranny in the countries of eastern Europe.
•
he
told Tito of
Yugoslavia there were 'many roads
to communism'.
b
said he wanted 'peaceful co-existence', and that the
alternative was nuclear war and the end of humankind.
•
he met Western leaders at summit
meetings (e.g. Paris 1960/ Vienna 1961).
BUT:
a destalinisation
and 'many roads to communism'
did not mean he was going to let the Iron Curtain countries
turn capitalist, or get free from Russian control:
•
he sent in
troops when countries tried to leave Russian control (e.g. Poland
and Hungary, 1956)
b by peaceful co-existence, Khrushchev meant ‘free competition’:
•
he
loved to argue (e.g. the kitchen debate with Nixon)
•
he
built up allies (e.g. Afghanistan, Burma and Cuba)
by giving economic aid in return for support.
•
he
entered into the Arms Race (including forming the Warsaw Pact in 1955).
•
he
entered into the
Space
Race |
|
End |
• When
Khrushchev came to power, the West
saw him as a jolly, laughing man who they hoped would end the
Cold War.
• In fact, Khrushchev's policies INCREASED
tension, and 1955-1963 was the time of greatest danger in the
Cold War.
|
a When
Khrushchev came to power, the West
saw him as a jolly, laughing man who they hoped would end the
Cold War.
They hoped that 'destalinisation'
would give Iron Curtain countries freedom, and that
'peaceful co-existence'
meant Russia would be less
expansionist.
b In fact, Khrushchev's policies INCREASED
tension, and 1955-1963 was the time of greatest danger in the
Cold War. Crisis after 1955 included
Poland and Hungary (1956), U-2 crisis
(1960), Berlin Wall (1961) and the Cuban Missiles crisis
(1962).
c
America's response was
aggressive:
• In the 1950s,
McCarthy
conducted a 'witchhunt' for Communists in America
•
America
tried to build up allies (especially in Central America)
•
America
supported wars against communists (e.g. in Vietnam)
•
America entered the Arms Race with Russia
•
America
entered the
Space Race with Russia.
•
American
U-2 planes spied on Russia
•
In 1961 the
Americans elected a new president (Kennedy), who promised to get tougher on Communism.
Both sides raced to build up as many weapons
as possible. The idea was that this would be a 'deterrent' to
the other side, to stop them daring to attack. America had
more nuclear weapons, Russia had more conventional forces.
By the 1960s, both sides had enough ICBMs,
trained on the other, to
destroy every living thing on earth many times over (= '100x overkill')
1945
America
– Atomic Bomb
1949
Russia
– Atomic Bomb
1949 NATO formed
1955
Warsaw Pact set up
1955 NATO agreed to an army of
0.5million men in West Germany
Both sides argued that they were exploring space
for its military, or mineral, possibilities - but really, they were just
trying to prove that they were more 'advanced' than the other.
Although the Americans were the first to put a
man on the moon (1969), it was the Russians who led the space race at first.
1957
Russia
– Sputnik (first satellite)
1958
America
– NASA set up
1961
Gagarin
– first astronaut to orbit the earth
1961
Kennedy promises to put a man on the moon by 1969
|
Revision Focus
This is a Paper 1
topic, so concentrate on learning:
1. WHAT
happened
2. EFFECTS/
Importance
Links
e-book on Khrushchev.
Online revision sheet
Spidergram:
•
Khrushchev & Cold War
|
Revision Diary