Hungary 1956, Czechoslovakia (Prague Spring 1968), Poland 1980s are examples of how the Soviet government tolerated no independence USSR sponsored communist.

• Hungary 1956, Czechoslovakia (Prague Spring 1968), Poland 1980s are examples of how the Soviet government tolerated no independence

• USSR sponsored communist parties outside Eastern Bloc and tacitly supported terrorist movements to undermine the security of western nations (e.g., IRA (Britain), Red Brigades (Italy), Red Army (Japan)

The IRA has been featured in the media on a regular basis, as it’s conflict with

Great Britain has been well-documented.

The Red Brigades (Brigate Rosse in Italian, often abbreviated BR) was a Marxist-Leninist

organization, based in Italy, which was responsible for numerous violent incidents,

assassinations, and robberies during the so-called "Years of Lead". Formed in 1970, the

organisation sought to create a "revolutionary" state through armed struggle, and to remove Italy from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The Red Brigades attained notoriety in the 1970s and

early 1980s with their violent attempts to destabilise Italy by acts of sabotage, bank

robberies, and kidnappings.[1]

The Japanese Red Army ( 日本赤軍 , Nihon Sekigun?, JRA) was a communist militant group founded by

Fusako Shigenobu early in 1971 in Lebanon. It sometimes called itself Arab-JRA after the

Lod airport massacre. The JRA's stated goals were to overthrow the Japanese government and monarchy

and to start a world revolution.

• Cuba, Vietnam and Afghanistan can also be seen as efforts by the USSR to expand beyond the Heartland

• they also supported a variety of governments throughout the developing world

What did Cuba and the USSR have in common?

Containment• Containment was the West's response to Soviet

expansionist threats as seen at first in the context the Heartland theory

• NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization – USA, Canada, Great Britain), SEATO (South East Asia Treaty Organization - Philippines, Pakistan, Thailand, Australia ), and CENTO (Central Treaty Organization – Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan) were the military alliances set up, mainly through US pressure, to carry out the policy of containment. Seato and Cento are no more.

NATO

This 2001 movie is partially linked to NATO.

• Basically, Soviet expansion was contained to the Heartland by the threat of first strike nuclear retaliation if the Soviets invaded any allied member or threatened the security of any member nation

• Soviet response to containment was to leap-frog Western Europe and to establish pro-Soviet bases (countries) elsewhere - Angola, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Cuba

Last remaining Russian military

base outside of

the old Soviet Union

• the Soviet response to containment was itself contained by the further threat of nuclear war - especially the case with Cuba (and the 1962 Missile Crisis)

President John F. Kennedy,

US President during 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis

This theory has been modified (twisted) to fit a smaller scale like a country. The theory has also become an economic one. In Canada we have the Heartland-Hinterland theory. The Heartland being southern Ontario and Quebec. Where all the industry, manufacturing, finances and other major functions are located. The Hinterland is the rest of Canada that supplies, labour and raw materials to the Heartland.

The USA considers its Heartland the agricultural heart of the country – states like Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas are considered the Heartland.