Cold War Flashcards
(18 cards)
Ideological comparison between USSR and US
communism vs capitalism
Economic competition vs state-owned businesses
US wanted to build new markets for manufactured goods
USSR wanted to pursue isolationism and expansionism for security
Liberal democracy vs one party state
Both US & USSR believed they should have a say in the governing of the postwar world
USA fear and aggression
fear of increasingly expansionist USSR Keenan's Long telegram (1946) Adoption of containment by US government Truman Doctrine (1947) Marshal Plan (1948 - 1951)
Kennan’s long telegram
1946
Argued that USSR did not see possibility for peaceful coexistence of Capitalism and Communism and that the best strategy was to “contain” communism
George Kennan was a diplomat in Moscow and sent the telegram back to the US State Department
Truman Doctrine
1947
The principle that the US should give support to countries or peoples threatened by Soviet forces or Communist insurrection
Marshall Plan
1948-1951
Program designed to rehabilitate the economies of 17 western and southern European countries in order to create stable conditions for democratic institutions
USSR fear and aggression
Initial fear of German invasion Yalta/Potsdam Conferences (1945) USSR demanded high reparations from Germany Cominform (1947) Comecon (1949-1991) Berlin Blockade (1948-1949)
Yalta/Potsdam Conferences
1945
Held by the Allied Forces to determine what should happen to Germany
Germany split into 4 zones
Stalin demanded a Soviet sphere of political influence in Eastern and Central Europe, an essential aspect of the USSR’s national security strategy
Salami Tactics
Gradually getting rid of all opposition, bit-by-bit
In this way, Russia gained control of several Eastern European countries
Cominform
1947
a supranational alliance of Marxist-Leninist communist parties in Europe to coordinate their activity under the direction of the Soviet Union during the early Cold War
Comecon
1949 - 1991
Established to facilitate and coordinate the economic development of the eastern European countries belonging to the Soviet bloc
Harry Truman
(1945-1953) Truman Doctrine (1947) Marshall Plan (1948-1951) Berlin Blockade (1948-1949) Entrance to the Korean War (1950-1953)
Berlin Blockade
1948-1949
Stalin blocked the Western Allies’ railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control, preventing supplies from entering certain areas and getting to people. Truman responded by airlifting materials into the blockaded regions
US entrance to the Korean War
1950-1953
Prolonged the Korean war and effectively globalized and militarized the Cold War by causing the US to prioritize military spending
Joseph Stalin
1922-1953
Yalta/Potsdam Conferences (1945)
USSR demanded high reparations from Germany
Employed “Salami Tactics” to gain control over Eastern Europe
Cominform (1947)
Berlin Blockade (1948-1949)
Comecon (1949-1991)
Germany during the Cold War
Divided into four zones of occupation by the Allied Control Council (ACC)
Economic infrastructure had largely collapsed and inflation was rampant
Shortage of food
Citizens fleeing from East to West Berlin
Berlin Wall divided families and jobs
West Berliners protested against the wall
Berlin Wall
1961-1989
Division was meant to be temporary, but the former allies found themselves at odds over their visions for post-war Europe
While Western powers promoted liberal market economies, the Soviet Union sought to surround itself with obedient Communist nations, including a weakened Germany
As their relations deteriorated the Federal Republic of Germany was formed in the West, while the Soviets established the German Democratic Republic in the East
Soviet satellite countries restricted Western trade and movement causing a virtually impassable border to form known as the Iron Curtain
With the tension growing over the situation in Berlin, the number of refugees moving from East to West increased
Berlin Wall constructed to stop flood of East Berliners from leaving
For Khrushchev, the Berlin Wall was a defeat in the sense that it was a visible admission that the Communist propaganda message had failed
Both sides accepted no immediate prospect of change
Cuba during the Cold War
US-Cuba had strong relations under US-backed dictator Batista
Cuban Revolution (1953-1959): Armed overthrow of Batista by Castro
Communist ideologies flourished
Better treatment of citizens under Castro
Temporarily economically affected by US naval blockade
Significantly economically affected by the collapse of the Soviet Union
Cuban Missel Crisis
1962
After Castro takes over Cuba, US unsuccessfully tried to overthrow Cuba’s new communists state in the ‘Bay of Pigs’ invasion
Cuba seeks help from USSR and Soviet premier Khrushchev secretly deploys nuclear missiles to Cuba
Counteracting the threat from the US missiles in Turkey & Italy
JFK introduced a naval blockade to intercept all shipments to Cuba
While the US demanded the removal of the missiles, Cuba and the USSR insisted they were only defensive
On Oct. 27, a nuclear-armed Soviet submarine was hit by a small-depth charge from a US Navy vessel trying to signal it to come up
Vasili Arkhipov, second in command, refused to launch nukes
The US would secretly remove its missiles from Italy and Turkey in exchange for the Soviet withdrawal from Cuba under UN inspection
JFK/USA appeared to win - propaganda defeat contributed to Krushchev resigning in 1964
Negotiations ultimately responsible for the collapse of the Berlin Wall
