19. second cold war

Question 1

explain the coup in Afghanistan?

Answer 1

• April 1978, people’s democratic republic of Afghanistan overthrew Khan due to his failure to implement socialist reforms
• USSR feared losing influence in Afghanistan and invaded to restore control as they feared PDPA would not be loyal
• they also saw A as key to soviet security being a buffer state due to its location
• causing further hostility with the USA

Question 2

explain the USA’s concerns with Afghanistan?

Answer 2

• PDPA leadership may align itself with USA, Pakistan or China (PDPA was split into several factions, which all had support from one of these 3 leaders
• instability in A could spread across the boarder
• if A left the soviet sphere, other allies may seek to do so
• soviets feared loss of influence due to growing dissent within the Warsaw Pact countries

Question 3

what was the USSR’s reaction to Afghanistan?

Answer 3

• intervene
• invoked the Brezhnev doctrine and Basic principles treaty arguing soviet intervention will prevent expansion of socialist regimes
• did not believe this would cause conflict with the USA as they had never put Af in their sphere of influence
• expected intervention to be brief and trouble free= long and draining, weakening the USSR

Question 4

what was the USA’s reaction to Afghanistan

Answer 4

• USA feared regime would collapse and and leave Iran vulnerable to communist influence
• at summit meeting in vienna carter emphasised that neither USA or USSr should intervene
• when USSR invaded Carter:
  
  • asked US sentate to postpone considerations of SALT II
  • increased US defence budget
  • tried to convince NATO allies to suspend participation in detente= failed
  • carter doctrine announced= US commitment to prevent soviet advance into persian gulf

Question 5

how did the USSR view USA’s response to their intervention in Afghanistan?

Answer 5

-actions to be opportunist, designed to end detente

Question 6

explain Ronald Reagan as a new power and his policies?

Answer 6

• called for strong patriotic policies to restore American pride after Vietnam
• attacked Carter for being sot on communism’
• 1980- Reagan became president
• policies:
  
  • opposed summit talks and rejected detente
  • increased defence budget to $1.4 trillion
  • authorised deployment of SDI (star wars)

Question 7

explain Margaret Thatcher as a new power and his policies?

Answer 7

-prime minister 1979
-believed in strong anti-communist personalities
policies:
-provided economic and military support for NATO
-supported US military in Europe and North Africa to protect Britain from potential soviet aggression
-policy of deterrence rather than detente
-but was critical of the SDI programme

Question 8

explain Pope John Paul II as a new power and his concerns?

Answer 8

• he was the first Polish Pope
• concern for the USSR and communist leadership in Poland because the church believed in anti-communist opposition
• concerns:
  
  • protect human rights
  • religious freedom
  • open boarders
  • reunite Europe

Question 9

explain the rise of solidarity in Poland?

Answer 9

• in Eastern European countries people were questioning the influence of communism and the control it had over their lives, due to economic distress and inflation
• Poland had a crushing foreign debt
• a new union called super union called ‘solidarity’ led by Lech Walesa rose to prominence
• rising of the working class people, against communism and all members in the Warsaw pact wanted to crush it
• pope John Paull II encouraged the POles to engage in non-violent protest

Question 10

explain the actions of ‘Solidarity’?

Answer 10

• July/August 1980, 300,000 workers striked due to government imposed rises in food prices
• the government to ease unrest officially recognised ‘solidarity’
• soviet politburo demanded restoration of order fearing dissent couldn’t move to other Warsaw pact states
• membership increased to almost 10 million by 1981
• december 1981 USSR made arrests on over 10,000 member of solidarity= declaring it illegal in 1982
• USA imposed economic sanctions and by 1985 solidarity asserted influence again

Question 11

explain the shooting down of KAL 007?

Answer 11

• in 182 Brezhnev died and replaced by Yuri Andropov
• sep 1983 KAL shot down by soviets, killing 270 people inc. 70 americans as it had strayed into soviet airspace
• soviets accused US of spying
• reagan called the incident ‘crime against humanity and soviet planes were denied to land in USA
• the fate of the shot down KAL 007 meant the re-emergence of suspicion between USA and USSR
• USSR never apologised

Question 12

explain ‘Able Archer’ 1983?

Answer 12

• codename for NATO ‘war game’
• designed to TEST US and European readiness to deal with a nuclear strike which almost became a reality due to KAL 007 and announcement of SDI
• soviet defences had mistakingly believed there was an attack by ICBM’s, as part of the game US security alert was raised, provoking panic in the Warsaw Pact command

Question 13

explain the stationing of cruise missiles in Western Europe?

Answer 13

• this threatened the security of the USSR
• missiles were deployed in West Germany 1983 at the same time as the Able Archer game
• focal point of public protests by peace campaigners in the West