How did the Cold War develop in the years 1949-1955? C) The Arms Race 1949 - 1955 and Peaceful Co-existence

How did the USSR get on equal terms in terms of atom bombs with the USA?

1. 1950 - USSR announced they had the atom bomb.

How did the Arms race develop once the USSR had gotten the atom bomb?

1. 1952 the USA developed the much more powerful hydrogen bomb - (H-bomb). 2. By 1953, the USSR had also produced a H-bomb. 3. By 1955 the USA had 2000 nuclear warheads. 4. The USA also increased the B-29 bombers from 50 in 1948 to over 1,000 by 1953. 5. The USA also deployed nuclear weapons in West Germany in 1953 - a direct threat to East Germany.

What was the effect of the formation of the Warsaw Pact?

1. Germany and Europe were now completely divided. 2. It looked as though the Cold War was going to go on for a very long time.

What was the reaction of Khrushchev to this desire for more democratic reforms?

1. He could not allow them to become seperate from the influence of the USSR. 2. This could lead to a breakdown of the buffer between the USSR and the West. Which could lead to the destruction of the USSR.

What happened when people began to call for more democratic reforms in the satellite countries?

1. In 1953 a revolt was took place in East Germany - it was out down 2. In 1956 people in Poland and Hungary people began to take action against the USSR by making democratic reforms in their countries. 3. Both were brutally suppressed - 20,000 people were killed in Hungary by the Red Army.

How did Khrushchev try to show the USA he was willing to talk about Arms reduction?

1. In 1955 he signed the Austria State Treaty. 2. He agreed to leave occupied Austria. 3. Austria became an independent country.

What else did Khrushchev do to show he was different to Stalin?

1. In 1956 he gave a secret speech to the Russian communist party. 2. He said Stalin was a tyrant. 3. He pulled down Stalin's statues and the secret police became less active. 4. He allowed more consumer goods to be sold in Russian stores. 5. This policy was known as de-Stalinisation.

How did the west react to these events in the satellite countries?

1. It convinced them that the thaw was over. 2. They once more became suspicious of the USSR.

What was the effect of the Arms Race?

1. It increased the tension between the USA and the USSR. 2. Both sides that the other one might try to win a nuclear war with a pre-emptive strike. 3. This meant they would attack first and wipe out the other before they could strike back.

What was happening in 1949 to begin the Arms Race?

1. NATO had been set up and the USSR became more suspicious 2. The post war crises, (Hiroshima, Berlin and Korea), had increased the tensions between East and West. 3. The USA wanted to roll back communism. 4. The USSR believed that the USA wanted to undermine the USSR in Europe. 5. The USA increased its spending on their military arsenal, up to 18% of the gross national product into the USA and up to 10% in Britain and France.

Did the thaw in the Cold War last?

1. No. 2. People in the satellite countries like Poland, Hungary Bulgaria etc, took Khrushchev at his word and began to push for more democratic reforms.

What happened in 1953 to change the relations between the superpowers?

1. Stalin died and was replaced by Khrushchev. 2. Khrushchev began to be less repressive than Stalin on the Russian citizens.

What happened when West Germany joined NATO in 1953?

1. The USSR joined Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Albania in a military alliance called the Warsaw Pact. 2. It cancelled its wartime alliance with Britain and France and the brought East Germany into the Warsaw Pact.

What was the result of the idea of 'peaceful co-existence'?

1. There was a thaw in the Cold War

How did the politicians in the USA justify this amount of spending on nuclear weapons?

1. They claimed that the USSR had more weapons than the USA. 2. This was untrue - in 1953 they only had about 50 atom bombs.

How did the West react?

1. They supported the policy of de-Stalinisation. 2. They also welcomed Khrushchev's policy of 'Peaceful co-existence'. 3. this meant that both the USA and the USSR could agree to disagree about how to run their societies but could live together peacefully.

What was Truman really worried about?

1. Truman was worried about the USSR's huge Red Army, much bigger than all other armies. 2. During the Korean War Truman increased the spending on NATO forces in Europe.

What was the state of play between the USA and the USSR in terms of how each was armed in 1949?

1. Up to 1949 the USA were the only country with the atom bomb. 2. The USSR had a much bigger conventional army, which the governments in the west believed could over-run western Europe, for example France, West Germany etc.