IB History Impact on Cold War Notes

De-Stalinisation's Impact on Eastern Europe

1. The Secret Speech (February 1956) destabilised the Eastern Bloc by encouraging reform movements that tested the limits of Soviet tolerance
2. Polish protests in Poznan (June 1956) forced Moscow to accept Wladyslaw Gomulka as leader - a nationalist communist who pursued limited autonomy within the bloc
3. The Hungarian Uprising (October-November 1956) was the most serious challenge - Imre Nagy's attempt to leave the Warsaw Pact provoked Soviet military intervention
4. The crushing of Hungary (2,500 Hungarians killed, 200,000 fled as refugees) established the principle that satellite states could not leave the bloc - anticipating the later Brezhnev Doctrine
5. De-Stalinisation created a paradox - by admitting Stalin's crimes, Khrushchev undermined the legitimacy of the system that imposed communism on Eastern Europe in the first place
6. The West's failure to intervene in Hungary confirmed the reality of spheres of influence and discouraged future uprisings for over a decade
7. The impact on the Cold War was mixed - it exposed Soviet brutality but also stabilised the status quo by demonstrating the costs of challenging Moscow

Peaceful Coexistence - Reduced or Increased Tensions?

1. Peaceful coexistence reduced tensions by establishing direct communication between superpower leaders through summits (Geneva 1955, Camp David 1959)
2. The Austrian State Treaty (1955), which created a neutral Austria, demonstrated that Cold War disputes could be resolved through negotiation
3. However, peaceful coexistence coexisted with aggressive moves - the Berlin ultimatum (1958), missile deployment in Cuba (1962), and support for Third World revolutions
4. Khrushchev's brinkmanship meant that periods of detente alternated with dangerous crises, creating an unpredictable pattern of tension and relaxation
5. The U-2 incident (May 1960) demonstrated how fragile trust was - a single spy flight destroyed months of diplomatic progress
6. Overall, peaceful coexistence moved the Cold War away from direct military conflict but intensified competition in other arenas - space, Third World, and propaganda

The Berlin Crises and Their Impact

1. The Berlin ultimatum (November 1958) reignited one of the Cold War's most dangerous flashpoints and tested Western resolve over three years
2. Khrushchev's demands - Western withdrawal and a 'free city' status for West Berlin - were never achieved, exposing the limits of Soviet pressure
3. The Berlin Wall (August 1961) was a turning point - it stabilised the division of Germany and removed Berlin as an active crisis point
4. Kennedy's acceptance of the Wall signalled that the West would defend West Berlin but not challenge the division of the city itself