America Flashcards
(115 cards)
Define communism
An economic theory where collective ownership of property makes a classless and equal society.
Seen as the antithesis of the US and democracy
What was the Truman Doctrine about?
Preventing the spread of communism across the world, and helping other countries wanting to fight communism
The US and the USSR had an ____ ____ to gain military superiority
Arms race
What word is used to describe two sides pushing each other to the limits and escalating a dangerous situation in the hope of pressuring opponents to give up?
Brinkmanship
Where was Checkpoint Charlie?
A crossing point between the split West and East Berlin when the Berlin Wall split the city
Describe the difference between a hot war and a cold war
A hot war contains actual violence and death
A cold war is just a very serious rivalry where no actual violence takes place
What does containment mean?
The US trying to contain communism by preventing it spreading to other countries
Why did Americans fear the Domino Theory?
The domino theory suggested that if neighbouring countries to the USSR fell to communism, it would eventually spread across the world - like domino’s - and cause America to be outnumbered
What does detente mean?
The relaxing of tension between the superpowers
Describe these two policies, who introduced them and when
a) Glasnost
b) Perestroika
Both of these policies were created by Mikhail Gorbachev
a) Literally translating to “openness”, this reduced censorship significantly in the later 1980’s
b) Literally translating to “restructuring”, this allowed private ownership again by decentralising the Soviet economy to improve it in 1987
These are both more capitalist tactics to help the country, proving that Gorbachev put his countries beliefs before his political beliefs
The Hotline or ‘red telephone’ was a direct line of communication between who? And what year was this established?
a) The White House - US & 10 Downing Street - UK
b) The White House - US & The Kremlin - USSR
c) National Assembly of People’s Power - Cuba & The White House - US
d) 10 Downing Street - UK & The Kremlin - USSR
e) National Assembly of People’s Power - Cuba & The Kremlin - USSR
b) The White House - US & the Kremlin - USSR
Define ICBM
InterContinental Ballistic Missiles - they were missiles that could carry nuclear bombs thousands of miles
Fill the gaps:
_______ _________ described in a speech to describe the growing ______ between Western and Eastern _______ (or ______-influenced states) by using the phrase “____ _______”
Winston Churchill Divide Soviet Europe Iron Curtain
What did the Limited Test Ban Treaty state?
When signed in August 5th 1963, this worldwide agreement prohibited nuclear weapons from being tested in the atmosphere, space or underwater
The missile gap worked which way round?
a) US > USSR
b) US < USSR
b) US < USSR
MAD stood for…
Mutually Assured Destruction (or…)
Everyone Will Die
This became the ultimate deterrent against a nuclear war
What was SALT?
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks were negotiations between the US and USSR to limit the amount of new nuclear missiles.
First negotiations extended 1969 - 1972, each side agreed to keep strategic ballistic missile launchers at current numbers and provided for the increase in submarine-launched ballistic missiles
Second negotiations 1972 - 1979, each side provided a broad range of limitations on offensive nuclear weapons
When did the Space Race begin and why?
In 1957 when the Soviet Union successfully launched their first satellite - Sputnik
Star Wars was a nickname given to what plan?
Reagan’s plan to build a space system capable o destroying incoming nuclear missiles. Introduced March 23rd 1983 with the official title SDI - Strategic Defence Initiative
Name some famous works of literature from these time perids -
a) 1950s
b) 1960s
c) 1970s
a) Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, 1984 by George Orwell (famous in 1950s) - distopian futures with morals for today’s society
b) The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan - equality issues
c)
What was music like in these years?
a) 1950s
b) 1960s
c) 1970s
d) 1980s
a) Rock and Roll - Elvis Presley - different to parents
b) British bands - Beatlemania & Rolling Stones
Protest songs - Bob Dylan - enact change
c) Disco & rock - The Jacksons
d) Rock & techno & rock and roll - Led Zepplin
When was the Wall Street Crash?
October 1929
Talk about how the Wall Street Crash affected
a) The countryside
b) The urban areas
a) Farmers unable to sell produce to people, as they were in poverty. Farmers then became poor.
ALSO, there was a dust bowl that occurred during the early 1930’s. This made crops difficult to grow, so farmers not only couldn’t sell, but they also had little to sell
b) Factories closed causing unemployment
How many hobos were there roughly in 1932?
2 million