Cold War Flashcards
(16 cards)
Address Given by President Harry Truman to a Joint Session of Congress
on March 12, 1947
. . . The peoples of a number of countries of the world have recently had totalitarian regimes forced upon them against their will. The Government of the United States has made frequent protests against coercion [persuasion] and intimidation, in violation of the Yalta agreement, in Poland, Rumania, and Bulgaria. I must also state that in a number of other countries there have been similar developments. At the present moment in world history nearly every nation must choose between alternative ways of life. The choice is too often not a free one. . . . I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation [oppression] by armed minorities or by outside pressures. I believe that we must assist free peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way. . . .
Source: President Harry S. Truman, Address to Congress
Which historical development is most closely associated with the situation described in
this passage?
(1) Berlin Conference
(2) Nuremberg Trials
(3) Armenian Massacre
(4) Cold War
Cold WAR
What ended the Berlin Blockade?
Stalin lifted the Berlin Blockade. The Soviet Union imposed the blockade on June 24, 1948, in an attempt to force the Western Allies out of West Berlin. However, the Western Allies responded with a massive airlift of supplies, and in response, Stalin lifted the blockade on May 12, 1949
What was the primary ideological conflict during the Cold War?
Capitalism vs. Communism
True or False: The Cold War was characterized by direct military conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union.
False
Fill in the blank: The _____ Plan was a U.S. initiative to aid Western Europe after World War II.
Marshall
Which event marked the beginning of the Cold War?
The end of World War II and the division of Europe
Multiple Choice: What was the purpose of NATO, formed in 1949? A) To promote economic cooperation B) To provide military defense C) To facilitate cultural exchange D) To establish a global government
B) To provide military defense
What was the Non-Proliferation Treaty?
After World War II, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. This showed the world how powerful and dangerous nuclear weapons could be. Soon after, other countries — starting with the Soviet Union in 1949 — also developed nuclear weapons.
The NPT was signed in 1968 and went into effect in 1970.
Countries that signed agreed not to spread nuclear weapons to others.
Nations without nuclear weapons agreed not to develop them.
Countries with nuclear weapons agreed to work toward disarmament (eventually reducing their nuclear weapons).
What happened during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956?
When Hungary (a communist satellite controlled by the Soviet Union) tried to break away from Soviet control, the Soviet Union sent in the army and repressed (ended) the rebellion. The Hungarian Revolution was partly a **consequence **of Hungary’s membership in the **Warsaw Pact **and the Soviet Union’s control over the region. The Pact’s existence, which required Hungarian loyalty to the Soviet Union, fueled the desire for independence and led to the revolutionary movement. Specifically, the revolution was triggered by the Hungarian government’s decision to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact and declare neutrality, which the Soviet Union viewed as a direct threat
One way in which Vladimir Lenin’s New
Economic Policy and Mikhail Gorbachev’s policy
of perestroika are similar is that both
(1) allowed elements of capitalism within a communist economic system
(2) strengthened their country’s military
defenses
(3) supported censorship of news and of personal correspondence
(4) increased tensions during the Cold War
(1) allowed elements of capitalism within a communist economic system
What were the historical circumstances of The Korean War?
The Korean War (1950-1953) was the first armed conflict of the Cold War era, and historians agree that communist North Korea would not have invaded South Korea in 1950 without the approval of Joseph Stalin, the ruthless and autocratic leader of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1953. A desire to unify the Korean peninsula under communist rule, a belief that the United States would not intervene, and the support of the Soviet Union and China. North Korea’s goal was to overthrow the South Korean government and establish a communist state across the entire peninsula
What led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union?
A deteriorating Soviet Economy and secessionist republics desiring independence. Other key factors include including the rise of nationalist movements and the desire for political and economic reform.
***a Secessionist Republic is a group who favors formal withdrawal from membership of a federation or body, especially a political state (such as the USSR)
What is Glasnost?
Gorbachev’s policy which aimed to increase transparency and freedom of information in government institutions and activities.
What is Perestroika?
Restructuring or reforming the economic and political system.
What was the Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine, announced by President Harry Truman in 1947, was a foreign policy that pledged U.S. support to nations resisting communist influence.
What is Containment?
a United States foreign policy adopted during the Cold War, aimed at preventing the expansion of communism and Soviet influence
