Cold War Era: Key Events and Impacts
**1. Communist Poland**
When Khrushchev announced a smoothing scheme, the Polish people began to demand greater freedoms and prepare for an uprising. Gomulka, the Polish Communist Party boss, fought to prevent this. The Russians, hoping to liberalize their policy somewhat, managed to intervene.
**2. Perestroika and Glasnost**
_Perestroika_, meaning “restructuring” in Spanish, consisted of reforming the economic structure, seeking to liberate businesses without infringing on Socialist rules. _Glasnost_, meaning “openness” in Spanish, allowed greater freedom to the media and reduced censorship of freedom of expression.
**3. USSR Domestic and Foreign Policy**
The USSR took a turn in domestic politics by returning to restrict freedom in light of the failure experienced by the previous government in its attempts at democratization. In this context, the new policy toward the satellite countries of Central and Eastern Europe was known as the Brezhnev Doctrine or the Doctrine of Limited Sovereignty. The first measures taken by the new government resulted in some economic improvements overall but did not alleviate the situation in agriculture, which in 1972 entered a new crisis, more serious than the one in 1963. This forced the authorities to conduct food imports increasingly large and more damaging to the Soviet economy. Moreover, excessive acceleration of industrialization caused the opposite effect of light industrial stagnation, to the extent that it was impossible to meet the growing consumption of the population.
**4. Division of Vietnam**
The Geneva Conference decided to split Vietnam in two. North Vietnam was under the sway of the Communists, and South Vietnam was backed by America because it was considered a square essential to stop communism in Southeast Asia.
**5. Consequences of the Vietnam War**
The USA took heavy human casualties without achieving victory and had huge monetary losses. Social pressure carried out by the hippie movement in the U.S. took effect in the communication media, lobbying the government to stop the campaign.
**6. Cuban Missile Crisis**
In 1963, the Russians started to install missiles in Cuba, the largest island on the west coast of the USA. Cuba was the only country belonging to the USSR since Castro succeeded in overthrowing the Batista regime by establishing a socialist one. Kennedy, therefore, blocked the Soviet supply ships, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the missiles.
**7. Fight Against Poverty and Discrimination**
The fight against poverty and racial discrimination.
**8. Prague Spring**
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia. This movement sought to establish a progressive, totalitarian communist government, legalizing unions and political parties. This ended when Czechoslovakia was invaded by the USSR, marking the end of its political opening.
**9. Reason for the Berlin Wall**
To separate West Berlin (Federal Republic of Germany, FRG) from East Berlin (German Democratic Republic, GDR). It was built to stop the continuous emigration of Germans from the GDR to the FRG.
**10. Origin of the Division of Korea**
Korea was divided after WWII along the 38th parallel north between the Russians and Americans. Both countries supported the formation of governments under their influence. When the occupation troops of Russia and America left Korea in 1950, each of the Korean governments attempted to expand its area of influence, which caused a conflict that killed more than 1,000,000 people.
**11. Formation of NATO**
The NATO treaty was the organization of the North Atlantic and was created to have a defensive system. It was founded by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the USA, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the UK.
**12. Purpose of the European Economic Community**
The EEC was an international organization established in 1957 to create a common European market. The signatory states were France, Italy, West Germany, and the three Benelux countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The trade market established a common external tariff. After the Maastricht Treaty, the name was changed to the European Community (EC).
**13. Benefits of the Marshall Plan**
It was a financial aid plan of a large wingspan. The plan required the cooperation of recipient countries. The plan involved the occupation zones of the Western powers and the western part of Berlin. The assistance of U.S. $14,000,000,000 was contributed by the USA between 1948 and 1952.
**14. Benefits Brought to the USSR by COMECON**
COMECON (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance) was founded by Stalin for the countries of Eastern Europe. Through this body, the USSR could direct the economic plans of democratic republics, manipulating exchange rates of member countries.
**15. Reason for the USSR Blockade of Berlin**
After meeting the monetary reform and the intention to form a western German state, the Soviet Union determined to force the Western powers to abandon occupied areas in the capital of Berlin. On June 24, 1948, the Soviets closed all the roads connecting West Germany with Berlin.
**16. Three Events Marking the Beginning of the Cold War**
- The withdrawal of Soviet control of the council of the Allies in Germany in response to the intention of creating a new German state by joining areas.
- The occupation-Communist coup in Czechoslovakia.
- The Berlin blockade.
**17. Republics and Allied Countries**
Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Poland, Finland, and East Prussia.
**18. Transformation of the FRG**
Transformation of the FRG after it was separated from the occupation.
**19. Moments**
Moments