Summary
Highlights
This video covers the second part of the Cold War, from 1959 to 1968, focusing on how the US and USSR responded to international crises. The content is primarily for the Edexcel GCSE course but is widely applicable.
The Berlin crisis was a pivotal period in the Cold War. Khrushchev was concerned about the 'brain drain' of East Germans fleeing to the West through Berlin, the allure of Western prosperity, and West Berlin being a hub for espionage. In November 1958, Khrushchev issued an ultimatum demanding the withdrawal of Western forces from West Berlin. Summits in Geneva (1959) and Camp David (1959) eased tensions but didn't resolve core disagreements. The Paris Summit (1960) was derailed by the U2 incident, and a Vienna Summit (1961) between Kennedy and Khrushchev also failed. The crisis culminated in August 1961 with the construction of the Berlin Wall, solidifying the division of Germany and Europe.
The Cuban Revolution of 1959, led by Fidel Castro, overthrew the US-backed dictator Batista. Castro's alignment with the Soviet Union alarmed the US. The failed Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961 further strengthened Castro’s ties with the Soviets. In October 1962, U2 spy planes discovered Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, leading to a 13-day standoff. Kennedy imposed a naval blockade and demanded the missiles' removal. A compromise was reached: Khrushchev removed missiles from Cuba in exchange for a US pledge not to invade Cuba and the secret removal of US Jupiter missiles from Turkey. This crisis led to a direct hotline between Washington and Moscow and arms control agreements like the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (1963).
In January 1968, Alexander Dubček initiated the Prague Spring reforms in Czechoslovakia, aiming for 'socialism with a human face,' including greater freedom of speech and economic decentralization. However, Dubček did not intend to leave the Warsaw Pact. Brezhnev and other Warsaw Pact leaders feared these reforms would inspire similar movements in other Eastern Bloc countries. In August 1968, Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia, crushing the Prague Spring and reinstating a hardline communist regime. Dubček was removed from power, and reforms were rolled back. This led to the Brezhnev Doctrine, stating the Soviet Union's right to intervene in socialist countries where socialism was threatened. The US condemned the invasion but did not intervene militarily, wary of nuclear war after the Cuban Missile Crisis.