Cracks form in Cracks form in the Wall…the Wall…

The Cold War Thaws

Chapter 17.5

Behind the Iron CurtainBehind the Iron Curtain• Soviet

satellite nations took all their direction from the USSR.

• They could not develop their own economies

Soviet Leaders After StalinSoviet Leaders After Stalin

Joseph Stalin

1927-1953

Nikita Khrushchev

1953-1964

Leonid Brezhnev

1964-1982

Yuri Andropov

1982-1984

Konstantin Chernenko

1984-1985Mikhail Gorbachev

1985-1991

Stalin Died in 1953Stalin Died in 1953

Soviet Leaders After StalinSoviet Leaders After Stalin

After Stalin:• Communist leaders were

not as strict and allowed a little more freedom

• Satellite nations also got more freedom…as long as they stayed allied with the Soviet Union

DestalinizationDestalinization

• 1956: Khruschev criticized Stalin’s repressive actions

• Destalinization: getting rid of Stalin’s memory in the Soviet Union

• Supported “peaceful competition” with the West

• Problem: – Encouraged satellite nations to

look for freedom from Soviet control.

1956: Hungary1956: Hungary

• Hungarians protested against the Soviet-controlled government

• Imre Nagy formed a new government and promised democracy and an end to Soviet domination

• Should Hungary be allowed to have more freedom?

““From the youngest child to the From the youngest child to the oldest man, no one wants oldest man, no one wants

communism.”communism.”

The Soviet Response…The Soviet Response…

• The Soviets sent in tanks and troops crushed the uprising

• New government established Nagy executed

The Age of BrezhnevThe Age of Brezhnev

• Khrushchev lost power in the USSR after the Cuban Missile Crisis

• Leonid Brezhnev brought back censorship and limited human rights within the USSR

• Brezhnev also would not allow any dissent (opposition) in the satellite nations

1968: Czechoslovakia1968: Czechoslovakia• Alexander Dubcek

decreased censorship and strict government control

• Wanted “socialism with a human face”

• Prague Spring was a time of new ideas and new freedoms in Czechoslovakia

• August 20 Warsaw Pact nations invaded to stop reforms.

The Brezhnev DoctrineThe Brezhnev Doctrine

Soviet Union has the right to prevent

satellite nations from moving away from

communism.

Soviet-Chinese SplitSoviet-Chinese Split

• Mao and Stalin signed 30-year friendship treaty in 1950 didn’t last

• China didn’t like having to take direction from the USSR.

• China wanted to spread its own communism in Africa and Asia.

• By 1960, they were no longer cooperating.

Brinkmanship (a reminder)Brinkmanship (a reminder)• Brinkmanship was the Cold War policy of

lots of tension between the super-powers and a willingness to go to the “brink of war”

• 1970s relations got less tense

• What were the problems with brinkmanship?– Lots of scary moments when people thought

nuclear war was really going to happen

Détente: The Cold War ThawsDétente: The Cold War Thaws

• Began when Nixon was president of the US

• US moved toward better relations with the USSR and moving away from direct confrontation the US decided to be more flexible and practical with their actions

• Still supported containment, but two sides tried to get along better

Examples of Détente Examples of Détente

• Nixon visits China! – 1st US president to visit Communist China

• Nixon visits the USSR!!• SALT begins (Strategic Arms Limitation

Talks) to get rid of nuclear weapons.• SALT I—Nixon and Brezhnev agree to

limit certain types of missiles• Helsinki Accords (1975)—33 nations

agree to work towards détente

It’s getting chilly again: Détente It’s getting chilly again: Détente FaltersFalters

• Jimmy Carter worried about human rights abuses behind the iron curtain

• The Soviets invaded Afghanistan

• New SALT II treaty wasn’t ratified by US Congress

• China and India started to build nuclear weapons

Détente FailingDétente Failing

• Ronald Reagan elected in 1980– VERY anti-communist

• Reagan increased defense spending Soviets felt they needed to do the same

• 1983: SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative) --- to protect against enemy missiles (also known as “Star Wars”

• US support Contras in Nicaragua

A sign of hope…A sign of hope…

• 1985: reformer Mikhail Gorbachev took power in the USSR