Early Cold War and American Life in 1950s Flashcards
4 issues resolved at Yalta
- Future of Eastern Europe
- Division of Germany
- Establishment of the United Nations
- End of War with Japan
Satellite Nations
Nations that appeared to be independent, but were really under Soviet control
- East Germany
- Poland
- Czechoslovakia
- Hungary
- Romania
- Bulgaria
When was containment successful?
-Marshall Plan- sent economic aid to European countries (revitalized Europe’s economy; no country fell to communism)
“Iron Curtain”
- Winston Churchill
- Response to Stalin’s speech
- Area of Eastern Europe controlled indirectly by USSR
- Cut off from western Europe
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- Military alliance-1949
- Alliance/mutual defense pact to deter Soviet aggression and defend Europe
- Provided psychological barrier
Chinese Civil War
- Mao Zedong (communist)
- Chiang Kai-shek (nationalist)
- Not a success for America/Nationalists
- China became communist (containment failed)
Korean War
-Liberated South Korea, but North Korea remained communist- the goal was to unite the two into one
38th Parallel
Served as the border between North and South Korea before and after the war
Douglas MacArthur
- Put in charge of UN command in the Korean War
- Launched a counterattack with tanks, heavy artillery, and fresh troops
- Troops made an amphibious landing behind enemy lines at Inchon, other troops moved north from Pusan
- Half of the North Korean troops surrendered
- Saved army from defeat
Outcome of Korean War
- Ended with an armistice
- Only a temporary measure provided for: suspension of open hostilities
House Un-American Activities Committee
Congressional committee that investigated communist influence inside and outside the US government during the cold war
Alger Hiss
Accused of spying for the Soviet Union and went to jail
Julius Rosenberg
Accused of being communist, found guilty of espionage and sentenced to death
Brinkmanship
- Used to protect Taiwan in 1954
- Policy based on the assumption that the US must be prepared to threaten war in order to contain communism
Mutual assured destruction
-Policy under which the US or the Soviet Union would respond to a nuclear attack by launching its own missiles
