GCSE-ready- Home
- Lessons
- GCSE & IGCSE History
- Cold War crises, 1956 to 1962
Cold War crises, 1956 to 1962
🎬 The doodle video for this lesson is coming soon. Subscribe on YouTube to see it first.
Three crises brought the superpowers dangerously close to war: Hungary, Berlin and Cuba.
Hungary, 1956
Hungarians rose up against Soviet control. The new leader, Imre Nagy, announced Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact.
Soviet tanks crushed the uprising in November 1956. The West did not intervene.
Soviet tanks crushed the uprising in November 1956. The West did not intervene.
The Berlin Wall, 1961
Millions of East Germans had fled to the West through Berlin.
On 13 August 1961 the East German government began building a wall to stop them.
It became a symbol of a divided Europe.
On 13 August 1961 the East German government began building a wall to stop them.
It became a symbol of a divided Europe.
The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962
In October 1962 US spy planes found Soviet nuclear missile sites in Cuba.
Kennedy ordered a naval blockade (a "quarantine"). After thirteen tense days, Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles. Secretly, the USA agreed to remove its missiles from Turkey.
In 1963 a hotline was set up and a Limited Test Ban Treaty was signed.
Kennedy ordered a naval blockade (a "quarantine"). After thirteen tense days, Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles. Secretly, the USA agreed to remove its missiles from Turkey.
In 1963 a hotline was set up and a Limited Test Ban Treaty was signed.
Why did the Cuban Missile Crisis lead to better relations afterwards?
- Both sides realised how close they had come to nuclear war.
- They set up a direct hotline in 1963 to talk quickly in a crisis.
- They signed the Limited Test Ban Treaty in 1963.
Answer: The near-disaster pushed both sides to communicate and limit testing.
Hungary 1956 crushed by Soviet tanks; Berlin Wall from 13 August 1961; Cuban Missile Crisis October 1962, followed by the 1963 hotline and Limited Test Ban Treaty.
Check you have got it
Answer 6 quick questions with instant marking. If you get one wrong, GCSE-ready shows you why and gives you another go. It is free, and you do not need an account.