How did superpowers
react during Cold War
 Aims
crises?
To compare the reactions of the West to two
crises of the Cold War, Hungarian Uprising
(1956) and Berlin Wall (1962)
 Your task

Read about the events of the Hungarian
Uprising (p.88) and complete the appropriate
section of the table your teacher gives you.

Watch the clip and note down the
interpretation it provides of the
Western response to the tragedy
 Extension task




Study the text and sources from Ben Walsh’s,
‘Modern World History’, p.402-3
Using the text & Sources 8 & 10 note down
reasons why Hungarians disliked Communist
control
How and why do sources 11 & 12 differ in their
interpretation of the Uprising?
Which of Hungary’s demands would be most
threatening to the USSR? Why?
 Your task

What does the Hungarian Uprising (1956) tell us
about Cold War politics in the 1950s?
 Extension.
Explain
this British Cold War
cartoon. Can you
spot Stalin? How
would Khrushchev
justify his actions?
Lessons from Hungary




Vulnerability of Soviet sphere of influence –
impact of Destalinisation on satellite states
Willingness of USSR to maintain a tight grip on
Eastern Bloc countries
Importance of preserving Warsaw Pact – only a
year old
Established rules of Cold War – statements of
condemnation but little military reaction
 starter activity




Quick quiz
Workers protests in which country encouraged
the Hungarians to demand more freedoms?
What was the name of the staunch Stalinist
leader of Hungary who was forced to retire due
to ‘ill health’?
What was the name of the moderate Hungarian
leader who was eventually executed by the
Soviets?
Give 4 results of the Hungarian uprisng
Answers




Poland, under leader Wladyslaw Gomulka
Matyas Rakosi
Imre Nagy
Showed there were limits to independence of
Eastern Bloc countries; desire of USSR to
maintain tight control over ‘sphere of influence’;
importance of Warsaw Pact to USSR; Western
reaction established future rules of engagement,
i.e. no conflict only harsh words
How did superpowers
react during Cold War
 Aims
crises?
To compare the reactions of the West to two
crises of the Cold War, Hungarian Uprising
(1956) and Berlin Wall (1962)
 Your task

Now complete the second section of the table
on the Berlin Wall (1961). Use the information
in Phillips (p.90-2) and the sources to help you.

 Your task .Watch the film about the Wall and
answer the accompanying questions with your partner.
How close to WWIII do you think we got?
 Homework


Kennedy’s
speech
Study the text and sources in ‘History at Source’
p.40-5 and answer questions 1-5.
Extension. Read Gaddis p.114-5 and note the
motives for building the Wall. Read Isaacs,
p.194-203 on the attempts at crossing the Wall
and Kennedy’s reaction.
 Plenary



What evidence is there of a genuine ‘thaw’ in
relations between 1953 and 1961?
What caused the changes?
What part did individuals play in developments
in superpower relations?