cold war Flashcards
(36 cards)
1
Q
iron curtain
A
A metaphorical divide between communist east and democratic west
2
Q
NATO
A
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- april 1949
- meeting of 10 western european countries, US, and Canada
- decided for countries to be united if attacked
- shows shift in US help to europe from economic to military
3
Q
Warsaw Pact
A
- background: soviets still want to unite berlin after the berlin blockade and airlift
- cause: West germany became independent and democratic and joined NATO in 1949
- warsaw pact (1955): eastern european countries (albania, hungary, etc) coming to together and agreeing to give each other military assistance if attacked
- also agreed to have soviet troops in these eastern european countries
4
Q
containment
A
- President Truman’s plan to stop the plan of communism after WWII
- the Marshall Plan and Truman Doctrine
5
Q
Harry Truman
A
president during Berlin Airlift, Marshall Plan, Truman Doctrine, Korean War (1945-1953)
6
Q
Truman Doctrine
A
- states that the US will intervene with military to help countries who have been attacked
- part of containment (stop spread of communism)
7
Q
Marshall Plan
A
- created in 1947 by George Marshall (secretary of state)
- US sent money to 16 European countries to rebuild cities, railroads, factories, electrical systems
- as life improved, the appeal of communism decreased
- considered a success by US and Europeans
-part of containment (stop spread of communism)
8
Q
Berlin Blockade
A
- started in 1948
- berlin was split up between Soviets (east) and Allies (west)
-Soviets want to control all of berlin - stalin made railroads close & cut of electrical system to starve allies out of city
9
Q
Berlin Airlift
A
- US and British airlifted supplies into west berlin during the Berlin Blockade
- lasted 10 months
- soviets wanted to avoid war, so they did not shoot down allied planes
- Soviets gave up and gave resources back
10
Q
red scare
A
- fear of communism in the US
- caused by US government (McCarthy) accusing citizens of spying for the Soviets
11
Q
Joseph McCarthy
A
- US senator who accused citizens of spying for the Soviets
12
Q
Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)
A
- 1961 - neither side will be able to win the arms race
- US military policy
- states that we should create enough weapons (missiles) to ensure victory if attacked
13
Q
proxy war
A
a war when superpowers back countries without directly fighting
ex: korean war
14
Q
Korean War
A
- 1950 - 1953
- fought in proxy war
- south - backed by US, capitalist
- north - military advisors from soviet union, communist
north korea pushes into south korea border ➡ south korea pushes border into china ➡ chinese (and maybe north korea) push borders back into almost original spot
15
Q
38th parallel
A
- divided North and South Korea before the Korean War
- the US proposed the divide
- Soviets = help communists in North Korea
- US = help democratic government in South Korea
16
Q
Kim il-Sung
A
- dictator of north korea from 1945- 1994
17
Q
Berlin Wall
A
- built in 1961 to stop east germans from escaping to the west w/ armed guards
- lasted 30 years
- symbol of division in europe
- stopped young people looking for a better life from escaping into west berlin (allied)
18
Q
Nikita Khrushchev
A
- leader of the soviet union after stalin
- sent and built nuclear bases and missiles in Cuba during the cuban missile crisis
19
Q
John F. Kennedy
A
- US president during the Berlin Wall, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War
- 1961-1963
20
Q
Fidel Castro
A
- led the rebellion and overthrowing of the cuban government (1959)
- become leader of communist cuba during the cuban missile crisis
21
Q
Cuban Missile Crisis
A
- 1962
- US military presence & control of natural resources in cuba since the spanish american war
- Cuba changes to communism under Fidel Castro
- cuban government receives aid from the soviets
- nikita krushchev (leader of the soviet union) sent and built missiles to cuba that can easily hit the US (or any point in the western hemisphere)
- US threatened to invade and remove missiles
- CIA bay of pigs (failed)
- after both groups of ships meet in the water, cuba agrees to remove the missiles and the US won’t invade and they will take out missiles bases in turkey
22
Q
Bay of Pigs
A
- by made by the CIA during the cuban missile crisis
- cuban escapees will go back to cuba and blend in as citizens
- spread rebellion against communism and overthrow the cuban government
- FAILED, escapees caught and captured
23
Q
Sputnik
A
- October 4, 1957 - soviets launch successful satellite into space (Sputnik)
- Sputnik II - second soviet space launch with a dog
- shocked and embarrassed the US b/c we thought we had more advanced space technology
24
Q
Apollo 11
A
- july 20, 1969
- US gets first people on the moon with the Apollo space program
- Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr
- great source of pride for US
25
Mao Zedong
- leader of communist China starting in 1949
- china = most populated country & communism popular
26
space race
- 1958 - 1969ish
- included Sputnik one and two, Apollo 11
- US created NASA after Sputnik
- many US Space fails
- President Kennedy has a mission to have a successful Space launch
27
Vietnam War
CAUSE
- vietnam going to hold election in 1956 for leader after its independence from France
- election cancelled by US and Diem (democratic leder of South Vietnam
BEGINNING OF WAR
- south vietnam : controled by anti-communists
- have US support
- communist rebels (viet cong)
- backed by north vietnam
US INVOLVEMENT
- President Johnson decided that the US couldn't let vietnam be communist ( domino theory)
- UN sends in troops to fight Viet Cong
- majority American
- 1965 - 180,000 US troops
- 1967 - 500,000 US troops
ENDING OF WAR
- Nixon got US troops out by 1972
- peace agreement made in 1973
- 1976 - vietnam has one communist government
- 1st time US looses a major war
28
Ho Chi Minh
- likely winner of the 1956 vietnam elections
- communist
29
domino theory
- US uses it to justify their involvement in Vietnam
- states that if vietnam becomes communist, then communism will quickly spread and take over all of Asia
30
gulf of tonkin resolution
- US military boat gets fired at by North Vietnam during the beginning of the Vietnam war
- congress gave the US permission to send in more military into vietnam
31
guerilla warfare
- opposed to trench warfare (WWI)
- smalls groups of soldiers
- traps/land mines
- used by the Viet Cong (communist rebels, opposed to the US) in the vietnam war
- able to blend in with civilians
32
agent orange
- herbicide that kills plants (mostly foliage)
- used by the US in the vietnam war to be able to see their enemy clearer
- open up dense forest
- dropped from planes
33
napalm
think, jelly-like gasoline, highly flammable
- inside a bomb
- used to destroy/set fire to Viet Cong hideouts in vietnam war
- used by US
34
glasnost
- means 'openness'
- policy that increased freedom of press, speech, and religion
35
perestroika
- means 'restructuring'
- improve economy
36
détente
- relaxing of tensions and de-escalation at the end of the cold war
