Achievements and Failures of the Thaw

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  • Created by: Isabella
  • Created on: 27-04-14 10:44

Achievements and Failures of the Thaw

Advantages

  • There was no Nuclear War
  • There was peaceful coexistence (USSR focused on domestic issues)
  • They didn't use their technology (Nuclear weapons)
  • Geneva Summit, lead to other meetings and "Geneva Spirit"
  • Culutural exchanges between them- art, music, sports
  • End of the Korean War (reached a peaceful agreement)
  • Austria Peace Treaty- Austria got sovereignty again and gained neutrality
  • Soviet withdrawal from Finland-  shows willingness to work to rehabilitate Europe
  • Hungary 1956- US did not take action, recognition of the sphere of influence

Disadvantages

  • No reduction in produce of nuclear weapons- continued to stockpile weapons (fulled by K's potemkinism)
  • Khrushchev's visit to the US-  barred from Disneyland (v angry about that) and scared Americans by saying "We will bury you!" live
  • Increase in covert operations w/ Eisenhower, Guatemala and Iran
  • U2 plane incident- US caught spying and denied it despite proof
  • Space Race begin and flourished (Sputnik, Yuri Garagin)
  • "Duck and Cover" campaign- still nucleart threat
  • Warsaw Pact established- 1955 (military alliance of the Soviet bloc)
  • Hungary 1956- USSR crushed their reform attempts
  • Berlin Crisis 1958- Khrushchev threatened to use nuclear weapons in West Berlin unless West left- Eisenhower and Kennedy, eventually led to Berlin Wall.
  • Nuclear submarines developed and used
  • Eisenhower's policy of massive retaliation and brinkmanship- constant threat of nuclear weapons
  • Cultural exchange- only thing agreed at Geneva Summit.

Evaluation

There wasn't a real "Thaw". On the surface, perhaps, to look good in home countries but in reality tensions were increased with the development in the nuclear arms race and space race, plus Khrushchev's actions in Europe (Poland, Hungary, East Germany)

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