Communist Ascendance The 1950s and Early 60s EQ

Communist Ascendance: The 1950’s and Early 60’s EQ: How did the Communists gain the Upper-Hand in the Cold War during the 1950’s and Early 1960’s? ? ?

The People’s Republic of China • In 1945, after the Japanese were expelled from China, the Civil War resumed • The Communists, led by their charismatic leader, Mao Zedong triumphed in 1949 • A pro-Soviet communist regime was established with Mao as the dictator

Formation of NATO: 1949 • North Atlantic Treaty Organization • USA, Canada, and Western European Democracies • Mutual defense against Soviet and communist aggression • Dominated by the USA

Nikita Khrushchev becomes Soviet Premier: 1953 • Began “Destalinization” which allowed more freedom of speech and press and allowed some freedom within the economy • Cut drastically back on the gulags within the Soviet Union • Publicly criticized the brutality of Stalin and his minions • Much more charismatic and likeable than Stalin.

The Warsaw Pact: 1955 • The Warsaw Pact was formed with member states East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union. • Countered the formation of NATO • Dominated by the Soviet Union

Hungarian Revolution: 1956 • Began as a Hungarian protest against Communist rule in Budapest. • On 24 th October Soviet tanks entered Budapest • The tanks withdrew on 28 th October and a new government was formed which quickly moved to introduce democracy and freedom. • The Soviet tanks returned on 4 th November encircling Budapest. • Prime Minister Imre Nagy made a World broadcast that Hungary was under attack from the Soviet Union and calling for aid. • Hungary fell to Russia on 10 th November

Space Race: 1957 • The Space Race begins when the Soviets launched Sputnik in to space • This showed that the United States was far behind the Soviets in terms of rocket technology • The Soviets might be able to attack us!!!

Fall of Cuba: 1959 • Fidel Castro, Castro a Cuban lawyer led the revolution that ousted the corrupt president Fulgencio Batista • He initially reached out to the USA for support, but when that failed, he created a Communist dictatorship • He repatriated land owned by foreign interests and booted out American businesses • His rule was fairly harsh and he would support Latin American revolutions throughout the Cold War

U-2 Incident: 1960 • On May 1, 1960, an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union • The pilot, Francis Gary Powers was taken prisoner • This severely strained US-Soviet relations, because days before this President Eisenhower had told Nikita Khrushchev that we were not spying on the Soviet Union • It also showed that Soviet missile technology was ahead of ours

The First Man in Space: 1961 • On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin was the first human in space • He went around the Earth several times before he landed safely in the ocean • This further showed how far ahead of the United States Soviet technology was • Shortly afterwards, NASA announced the plan to send a man to the Moon

Bay of Pigs Invasion: 1961 • On April 17, 1961, the Bay of Pigs invasion was launched • The plan called for Cuban immigrants to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro • The plan failed due to the Cubans being tipped off • President Kennedy also refused to use the American Airforce to assist in the plan

Berlin Wall: 1961 • In August, the Soviet and East German military began the construction of “The Wall” • This would cut off the last method for East Germans and other Eastern Europeans to leave the Soviet Bloc • The Berlin Wall became the physical manifestation of the “Iron Curtain” that was described by Churchill