Final Exam Review Flashcards
(15 cards)
Marshall Plan
Devised in 1948 by Senator George Marshall. This provided economic aid to Western Europe after WWII and used to prevent the spread of communism. The US helped European Nations rebuild their economies, infrastructure, stability, and restoring trade.
George Kennan
Author of the Long Telegram (1946) and served as the main creator of the US containment policy. He later mentioned that he did not support arms buildup. He also opposed the Vietnam War.
Vietnamization
The process of transferring war responsibilities from the US to the Vietnamese during the Vietnam War. This is so that the US can gradually pull out troops from Vietnam. US troops trained Southern Vietnamese troops. This was under Nixon in 1969.
Mikhail Gorbachev
Last general secretary of communist party of the Soviet Union. He had policies of glasnost (openness), economic reform, and ultimately helped put an end to the cold war. He also enforced Perestroika which was an economic reform. The dissolution of the USSR was also due to him. He negotiated an arms reduction treaty with Reagan to put an end to the war.
Kitchen Debate
This was a debate/conversation between Nixon and Krushchev in 1959. Nixon travelled to Moscow to present an exhibit to showcase the classic American life. He showed off new technology in the home which Krushchev criticized. Nixon tried to convince Krushchev that a capitalistic society was much better than communism. It allowed for growth and competition and ultimately progressivism.
Peaceful coexistence “Thaw”
During Krushchev’s leadership, his main foreign policy was peaceful existence between the US and USSR (1955-1964). He criticized Stalin and moved away from his policies. This was when Krushchev visited the US and met with president Eisenhower. Overall this was a period of diplomacy.
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization was established after WWII in 1949. It ensured collective defense with all countries involved. US was one of the founding members.
HUAC
Was originally formed in 1938. It was used to investigate alleged disloyalty in Hollywood. Actors were accused or speculated of having connections with communists were immediately blacklisted. This was mainly used to contain communism (was apart of Red Scare).
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
This gave LBJ the power/authority to take necessary measures to repel against any armed attack that threatened the US. *He could use military force in Vietnam w/o declaring war. This escalated the war and increased US involvement in Vietnam.
Détente
(1960s-1970s) Relaxation of tension, shift from direct confrontation to negotiation and cooperation and increased trade. Arms control agreements were made which reduced risk of nuclear war (SALT) . SALT limited nuclear development. Reagan later on rejected it when he claimed the Soviet Union as being the “Evil Empire”.
Explain Sermon on the Mount
This depicts Reagan standing on a mountain of nukes. This mocks Jesus’ speech on the mount where he gave his speech on the beatitudes and peace. Reagan here is giving his Evil Empire speech to the evangelists. He tries hard to appeal to them, emphasizing the need for people to stick to traditional values. He claims that the Soviets have no religious freedom and the US is overall morally superior. This speech raises the stakes of the arms race which is why he is standing on nukes. This was all a ploy for him to gain more support for increased arms buildup. He needed to paint the USSR as evil in order to gain supporters.
Father of Nuclear Freeze
Reagan is initially opposed to a nuclear freeze and wanted to increase nuclear weapons since he reignited cold war tensions and his reversal of detente. By Reagans second term, he shifts more towards diplomacy. The image overall, mocks the fact that he is not in favor of an arms freeze.
Describe the U.S. policy of containment and discuss at least two examples of U.S. implementation of containment policy between 1945 and 1991.
The Truman Doctrine supported democratic nations that were being threatened by communist/authoritarian forces. This also provided military and economic aid. It helped to prevent communist expansion. NATO, which was formed in 1949 (after WWII) which provided security against potential aggression and used to counter Soviet Influence.
At what cost did the U.S. promote their vision of a free and democratic world during the Cold War?
There were several different costs that the US paid in terms of financial depletion, a moral cost, and a diplomatic cost. The US spent tons of money on arms buildup (Reagan). Morally speaking, one of the major examples of that was the Kent State Shootings. Four innocent people were killed by the national guard who were in protest of US involvement in the Vietnam War. This was a war that was truly unwinnable and thousands of men were sacrificed to fight. MLK mentions in one of his speeches that the black men who fought in the war were treated like second class citizens. There was no focus on the issues within our own country, only focus was winning an unwinnable war. Can mention Cuba being pushed into the arms of the Soviets (diplomatic cost).
Important Dates
Vietnam War: 1954-1975
