History: Cold War

Question 1

When was the Potsdam Conference?

Answer 1

17th July 1945

Question 2

When was the Yalta Conference?

Answer 2

4th February 1945

Question 3

Who attended the Yalta Conference?

Answer 3

• Winston Churchill
• Franklin Roosevelt
• Joseph Stalin

Question 4

Who attended the Potsdam Conference?

Answer 4

• Harry Truman
• Joseph Stalin
• Clement Attlee

Question 5

What was discussed during the Potsdam Conference?

Answer 5

• Post war Germany
• Terratorial changes
• War reparations
• Future of Eastern Europe

Question 6

What was discussed during the Yalta Conference?

Answer 6

• Division of Germany
• United Nations
• Eastern Europe
• Liberty of Europe, allowing countries to choose their own governments

Question 7

What was the Iron Curtain?

Answer 7

A metaphorical boundary between the communist East and the capitalist West

Question 8

What was containment in the Cold War?

Answer 8

The United State’s policy to prevent the spread of communism

Question 9

What was the Truman Doctrine?

Answer 9

A policy by Harry Truman, aimed at containing the spread of communism during the Cold War, primarily a response to politcal and military pressures in Greece and Turkey

Question 10

What was the Marshall Plan?

Answer 10

Billions of dollars was spent to help Western Europe rebuild after WW2

Question 11

How was money from the Marshall Plan used?

Answer 11

• Food supplied
• Fertilisers for farming
• Machinery for farming
• Farm animals

Question 12

In which 2 ways did the Soviets respond to the Marshall Plan?

Answer 12

• Cominform
• Comecon

Question 13

What was Cominform?

Answer 13

An alliance of European communist countries, also known as the Communist Information Bureau.

Question 14

What was Comecon?

Answer 14

An economic agreement between communist countries by giving them economic aid and encouraging them to trade with the USSR

Question 15

How did communism develop in China?

Answer 15

After WW2, the communists and nationalists in China ended their alliance, resulting in a civil war. By 1949, Mao Zedong gained the upper hand. Eventually, establishing the Poeple’s Republic of China. China was now a communist nation.

Question 16

What was NATO?

Answer 16

An alliance of countries from North America and Europe

Question 17

What was the Warsaw Pact?

Answer 17

A defence treaty signed in Warsaw between USSR and 7 other Eastern European countries

Question 18

What was the MAD theory?

Answer 18

Mutually Assured Destruction
The theory that an attack from one side would result in retalliation from the other, ending both nations

Question 19

What was HUAC?

Answer 19

House Un-American Activities Comittee
Questioned spies who might be involved in communist activities

Question 20

What was McCarthyism?

Answer 20

A ‘witch hunt’ on communists. Those accused found it impossible to find jobs because others didn’t want to be associated with them

Question 21

When was the Berlin Blockade and what was it?

Answer 21

1948-1949
It was a crisis where Stalin blocked all road, rail and canal access to West Berlin, aiming to force the Western Allies out.

Question 22

What was the Berlin Airlift?

Answer 22

It was the Western Allies’ response to the Berlin Blockade. The USA and UK flew supplies into West Berlin over the blockade made by Stalin.

Question 23

Who carried out de-Stalinisation and what was it?

Answer 23

Nikita Khruschev
It was an attempt to reform the USSR and improve relations between the East and the West

Question 24

What was the Space Race and its significance?

Answer 24

It was a competition between the US and USSR to achieve dominance in space exploration. It was important since superpowers wanted to prove they were more advanced, which boosted national pride and strength.

Question 25

When was the Hungarian Uprising and what was it?

Answer 25

**Oct-Nov 1956** It was a revolution against Soviet control and the communist government in Hungary.

Question 26

What did Hungarians want as a result of their revolution?

Answer 26

- Free elections - Development in trade links with the West - End to one-party system - Freedom of the press - Freedom of speech - Freedom of worship - Free trade unions - To become a neutral state

Question 27

Who was Matyas Rakosi?

Answer 27

- Stalinist leader of Hungary from 1949-56 - Imposed a dictatorship over Hungary - Ruled through fear, censorship and the secret police - His harsh rule led to the Hungarian Uprising

Question 28

Who was Imre Nagy?

Answer 28

- Reformist communist leader of Hungary during the uprising - Promised free elections, greater freedom, and controversially, leaving the Warsaw Pact - Soviets saw him as a threat, so was arrested and later executed

Question 29

What was the U2 Crisis?

Answer 29

In May 1960, the USSR shot down a US spy plane flying over Soviet territory, with the pilot, Gary Powers, being captured alive. The US claimed it wasn't a spy mission, but the USSR had clear evidence that it wasn't. This caused a major distrust between the superpowers and the collapse of the Paris Peace Summit.

Question 30

What was the Paris Peace Summit?

Answer 30

A planned meeting in 1960 between the US, USSR, Britain and France to discuss arms reduction and Berlin tensions, and therefore, ease tensions.

Question 31

Why did Khrushchev want the Paris Peace Summit to fail?

Answer 31

He felt the USSR was in an advantageous position in the Cold War. He also wanted to appear tough, and a peaceful coexistence was seen as weak. Khrushchev needed to show the world that he wasn't easily manipulated.

Question 32

Why did Soviets build the Berlin Wall?

Answer 32

- East Germans could easily flee into the West - People fleeing to live a capitalist life made communism look worse in comparison - The Brain Drain

Question 33

What was the Brain Drain and its significance?

Answer 33

It was the mass movement of highly skilled and well educated workers from East to West Germany. This weakened the East German economy and embarrassed the USSR.

Question 34

What was John F. Kennedy's involvement in the Berlin Crisis 1961?

Answer 34

He refused to leave West Berlin and increased US troops there, but accepted the Berlin Wall to avoid war. He showed support for West Berlin with his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech.

Question 35

Why was there a revolution in Cuba?

Answer 35

General Batista, dictator of Cuba at the time, was believed to be corrupt and was very unpopular. A large amount of Cubans lived in poverty at the time. But he was opposed to communism, making the US like him. Fidel Castro, who was communist, led a revolution against Batista. Many Cubans wanted change so supported him.

Question 36

What was the Bay of Pigs Invasion?

Answer 36

The CIA trained Cuban exiles, who fled Castro's rule, to invade Cuba with the support of the US Air Force and start a revolt against Castro. However, it was poorly planned and quickly defeated by Castro's forces, a huge embarrassment for the USA.

Question 37

What was the Cuban Missiles Crisis?

Answer 37

The USSR secretly placed missiles in Cuba. The US discovered them using spy planes and demanded for them to be removed, while also implementing a naval blockade to prevent more weapons from being shipped to Cuba. After negotiations, Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles in Cuba in return for a US promise to not invade Cuba and to also remove the US missiles in Turkey.

Question 38

Why was there opposition to Soviet rule in Czechoslovakia?

Answer 38

- Leader, Antonin Novotny was unpopular. He was communist and refused a reformation. - The economy was in serious decline. - Lack of freedom - Murder of Jan Masaryk (non-communist leader of Czechoslovakia.)

Question 39

What was the Prague Spring?

Answer 39

A period of political reform and liberalisation in Czechoslovakia, led by Alexander Dubcek.

Question 40

What were Dubcek's reforms?

Answer 40

- Freedom of speech and press - Freedom of travel - Other political parties allowed - Reduced power of the secret police

Question 41

What did the Soviets think of the Prague Spring and what was their response?

Answer 41

They thought it would damage their control over Eastern Europe as they wanted to protect communism. Dubcek refused to reverse the reforms, so Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia, removed Dubcek from power and reversed the reforms.

Question 42

Who was Leonid Brezhnev?

Answer 42

Soviet leader following Khrushchev's sacking

Question 43

What was the Brezhnev Doctrine?

Answer 43

The policy that the Soviet Union could invade and take over any Warsaw Pact country that introduced reformation which could damage the USSR's communist influence.

Question 44

What is a detente?

Answer 44

The easing of hostility or strained relations

Question 45

What was the Ping Pong Diplomacy and its consequences?

Answer 45

It was a friendly game of table tennis between the US and China. This improved trade and reduced tensions between the two countries. This also paved the way for Nixon's visit to China.

Question 46

What was SALT?

Answer 46

**Strategic Arms Limitations Talk** - A series of negotations between the US and USSR aimed at limiting nuclear weapons during the Cold War. - SALT I (1972) was the first agreement, which limited the number of nuclear missiles each country could have. - SALT II (1979) aimed to further reduce nuclear arsenals, but never got over the line due to tensions over Soviets invading Afghanistan.