A World Divided: Superpower Relations (Chapter 3)

Question 1

What were the events of the Korean War?

Answer 1

• Soviet-backed, communist North Korean troops invaded the capitalist South Korea in 1950
• Due to the policy of containment, the US, alongside the UN, sent in troops to try and defend it from communist takeover
• US/UN forces, with Macarthur at its head, advanced all the way onto the border with China, prompting China’s Mao Zedong to then enter the war as they were afraid of being invaded
• The war continued for about 2 years, until eventually a peace treaty was signed in July 1953 between the two countries, backed by the superpowers, drawing the borders at the 38th parallel, where it was at the start of the war

The two superpowers were not at war here, instead they were fighting ‘through’ Korea partially in the name of their ideologies

Question 2

What were the effects of the Korean War?

Answer 2

• Suspicion and distrust increased as they both realised they were willing to back their ideologies and politics with force - the US had committed itself to supporting non-communist countries
• Two military pacts, SEATO and CENTO were created to stop the spread of communism, encouraged by the US
• Arms spending was dramatically increased, and the arms race intensified - the number of active personnel in the Red Army increased from 2.8 million to 5.6 million
• 2 years later in 1955, the Warsaw pact was created following West Germany’s ascension into NATO

Question 3

What were the causes and events of the arms race?

Answer 3

• As tensions rose between the powers, both sides realised having more weapons than their opponents, conventional and nuclear, would be a necessity
• In 1945, the USA developed an atomic bomb, with the Soviets following in 1949
• In 1952 the USA developed a hydrogen bomb, with the Soviets following suit in 1953
• Finally in 1957, the USA developed an ICBM, with the Soviets doing the same that same year

The Soviets taking less and less time to catch up can be attributed to increased espionage

Question 4

What were the effects of the arms race?

Answer 4

• As both sides became more powerful, tensions rose as a war would be more destructive
• The two superpowers were put in direct competetion with eachother, increasing tension
• However, it may have reduced tensions because nuclear weapons acted as a deterrent for conventional warfare, so the two sides knew it was less likely for conflicts to escalate into a full-on war

Question 5

What were the causes of potential peaceful co-existence?

Answer 5

• Two new leaders were elected: Eisenhower - who was more afraid of a war than Truman and therefore less tough on the Soviets
  Kruschev - who was less suspicious of the West than Stalin and publicly criticised his policies
• There was a communist philosophy which believed capatalism was weak so would break on its own
• Nuclear weapons were acting as a deterrent for war
• The Korean war had come to an end and the borders of the Iron Curtain were firmly established
• Agreement had been made over Austria in a 1955 summit meeting

Question 6

How did the hopes of peaceful co-existence come to an end?

Answer 6

• West Germany joined Nato, which meant the allies could put military bases straight on the border to a Soviet state
• This prompted the creation of the Warsaw pact to protect Eastern Bloc countries - it included Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and East Germany, among others
• This showed that Europe was truly divided, with the superpowers each controlling half, putting them in conflict for the next 3 decades

Question 7

What were the causes of the Hungarian Uprising?

Answer 7

• The Red Army liberated Hungary during World War 2, and made it a communist satellite state, with a Stalin supporter, Rakosi, as its leader
• The regime he ran within Hungary was brutal, with any opposition being banned and thousands being arrested or executed
• Following Kruschev’s speech criticising Stalin’s repressiveness, people became encouraged to try and push for reforms (as it happened in other countries such as Poland)

Question 8

What were the events of the Hungarian Uprising?

Answer 8

• After many protests and riots, Kruschev sent in the Red Army to restore order. However, he agreed to replace Rasoki with Nagy who was a more moderate communist
• Nagy made reforms such as promising free elections and Hungary leaving the Warsaw Pact - all of his reforms, but especially the one regarding the Warsaw Pact gave Kruschev serious cause for concern as he was worried other countries would follow suit and it would destabalise the Communist Bloc
• Therefore a Soviet invasion of Hungary was ordered. Nagy supporters put up a fight, but the Soviets prevailed and a new government was set up under someone called Kadar (who was a strong Soviet supporter), with Nagy being executed

Question 9

What were the effects of the Hungarian Uprising?

Answer 9

• Kruschev’s position was made stronger, as members of the Warsaw Pact knew they must do what they were told
• Kruschev’s confidence increased as USA’s reputation was worsened as it was clear the USA was powerless in many of these situations as their policy was of ‘containment’ not invasion and they wanted to avoid war
• It damaged relations even more as the USA strongly opposed the oppressive invasion of Hungary and increased tension as the Warsaw Pact was strengthened - relations had been improving due to the Geneva Summit etc. but now all hope of this was lost