Grade 10 Cold War Quiz Flashcards
(80 cards)
Cold War
Called COLD: an ideological war, never fought on USA or Soviet territory.
What other territories was the cold war fought on?
Korean War
Vietnam War
Cuba War
Between
USA and USSR
West and East
Two ideologies
Capitalism and Communism
Capitalism
the means of production are in the hands of private ownership = free market
Communism
the means of productions are int eh hands of ‘the (community) people’ (i.e. the state) = classless state.
Marxism
Communism
- through revolution/violence
Socialism
- through democracy/elections
When did Cold War start?
End of WW2 (1945)
When did Cold War end?
1989 (fall of Berlin Wall) / 1991 (USSR collapsed
Reasons for Cold War tension before WW2
1917 Russian Revolution
Russian Civil War
Reasons for Cold War tension during WW2
- Nuclear arms race: USA had (and used) atomic bombs (August 1945)
- Tehran (War time conference) and Yalta
- 1939: Nazi-Soviet Pact: USSR made an agreement with agressor (changed sides)
- USSR accused US of opening the Western Front (D-Day - June 1944) too late.
Roosevelt
U.S. President (1933–1945) during the final years of WWII and start of the Cold War framework.
- Yalta Conference (1945): Met with Churchill and Stalin to discuss post-war Europe; some decisions (e.g., Soviet control in Eastern Europe) laid groundwork for Cold War tensions.
Died before the Cold War fully developed, but his policies and wartime diplomacy shaped the early U.S.-Soviet relationship.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
U.S. President (1953–1961)
- critical phase of the Cold War.
Promoted “domino theory” – belief that if one country fell to communism, others nearby would too.
Launched the Eisenhower Doctrine to counter Soviet influence in the Middle East.
Expanded U.S. nuclear arsenal and emphasized massive retaliation.
Oversaw the CIA’s covert actions to remove perceived communist leaders (e.g., Iran 1953, Guatemala 1954).
President during U-2 spy plane incident (1960), which worsened U.S.-Soviet relation
Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ)
U.S. President (1963–1969) after JFK’s assassination.
Escalated U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, viewing it as part of the fight against communism.
Believed in the domino theory and sent hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops to Vietnam.
His presidency saw rising anti-war protests at home, which damaged public support for Cold War policies.
Joseph McCarthy
U.S. Senator known for fueling Red Scare hysteria in the early 1950s.
Led aggressive anti-communist investigations, accusing many government officials, celebrities, and others of being communist sympathizers without solid evidence.
His actions led to a period of fear known as McCarthyism, characterized by paranoia and blacklisting.
Eventually censured by the Senate in 1954 for his extreme tactics.
John F. Kennedy (JFK)
U.S. President (1961–1963) during major Cold War events.
Faced the Bay of Pigs invasion (1961) – a failed attempt to overthrow Cuba’s communist leader, Fidel Castro.
Led the U.S. during the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) – a tense 13-day standoff with the USSR over nuclear missiles in Cuba, which brought the world close to nuclear war.
Started the Peace Corps and emphasized Cold War competition through space race and aid to developing nations.
Advocated for nuclear test ban treaty and improved U.S.–Soviet communication (hotline).
Harry S. Truman
U.S. President (1945–1953) at the beginning of the Cold War.
Authorized the use of atomic bombs on Japan, demonstrating U.S. power.
Created the Truman Doctrine (1947) to support countries resisting communism (starting with Greece and Turkey).
Introduced the Marshall Plan – U.S. economic aid to rebuild Europe and prevent the spread of communism.
Oversaw the founding of NATO (1949) as a military alliance against the USSR.
Led the U.S. into the Korean War to stop communist North Korea from taking over the South.
Nikita Khrushchev
Soviet Premier (1953–1964) and key Cold War figure.
Led de-Stalinization of the USSR and promoted more open (though still communist) governance.
Involved in Berlin Crisis and construction of the Berlin Wall (1961)
Placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962), after which he agreed to remove them.
Removed from power in 1964 partly due to perceived failures in Cold War diplomacy.
His aggressive rhetoric and actions led to tensions but also some efforts at peaceful coexistence.
Winston Churchill
British Prime Minister during WWII and early Cold War years.
Gave the famous “Iron Curtain” speech (1946) warning about Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe.
A strong ally of the U.S. in forming the post-war Western alliance against communism.
His rhetoric helped define the Cold War as a struggle between the free West and communist East.
Joseph Stalin
Soviet leader (1924–1953)
during WWII and early Cold War.
Expanded Soviet control over Eastern Europe
created satellite states under communist regimes.
Yalta and Potsdam Conferences: refused to allow free elections in Eastern Europe.
Responsible for the Berlin Blockade (1948–49), prompting the U.S. to respond with the Berlin Airlift.
His aggressive policies helped spark the Cold War.
Richard Nixon
U.S. President (1969–1974)
Continued fighting the Vietnam War, then worked toward Vietnamization (reducing U.S. involvement and handing the war to South Vietnamese forces).
Practiced détente – a policy of easing Cold War tensions with the USSR and China.
Visited China in 1972, opening diplomatic relations and shifting the global balance.
Signed SALT I (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) with the Soviet Union to limit nuclear weapons.
Domino Theory
If one country turns communist, others will follow.
Fidel Castro
Communist leader of Cuba from 1959 until the 2000s.
Took power in the Cuban Revolution (1959) by overthrowing U.S.-backed dictator Batista.
Aligned with the Soviet Union, becoming a key Soviet ally in the Western Hemisphere.
Target of the Bay of Pigs invasion (1961), a failed U.S.-backed attempt to overthrow him.
Allowed the USSR to place nuclear missiles in Cuba, leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962).
Survived multiple CIA assassination attempts and became a Cold War symbol of resistance to the U.S.
Truman Doctrine
The principle that the US should give suppoer to countries or people threatened by Soviet forces or Communist insurrection. First expressed in 1947 by US President Truman in a speech to Congress seeking aid for Greece and Turkey, the doctrine was seen by the Communists as an open declaration of the Cold War.
