notes 18 the cold war Flashcards
(19 cards)
main struggle at the root of the cold war
cold war: 1947-1991
ideological struggle
communism (ussr and communist countries in eastern europe: “eastern bloc nations”) vs. capitalism (usa and western democracies*)
*capitalism is usually democracy, and vice versa
iron curtain
steel fence dividing europe in the cold war put there by ussr
goal: prevent people from fleeing communism by going west
expansionism
western view of the soviet approach to foreign politics
goal: soviet control over eastern europe + implementation of communism (ussr was previously the only communist gov)
goal: create a buffer zone to prevent invasion of soviet union again
containment
aka truman doctrine
western approach to foreign politics (response to ussr’s expansionism)
usa president truman’s support of countries under threat of takeover by ussr’s expansionism
goal: aid “free” people in standing up against “armed minorities” (as in communists) and prevent expansion of communism
marshall plan
part of containment (truman doctrine)
usa giving aid ($$) to:
- fight against communism through civil wars
- stimulate economic growth to encourage capitalism + democracy
some countries rejected these offers because of soviet pressure
alliances during cold war + effects
NATO - defensive alliance against soviets’ large army (still mobilized at the time of creating nato even though no reason)
⬇️
not seen as “defensive” by ussr since west was intruding in the east
led to warsaw pact (1955)
many other alliances created at this time, which build distrust between ussr and the west
warsaw pact
1955
basically just the ussr’s alliance in the cold war, in response to nato alliance
after stalin’s death, russia begins to see other countries more equally
arms race and effects
during cold war (1947-91)
competitive military advancement by both usa and russia
also included space race which further advanced weapon technology
created much distrust and tension between west and ussr
deterrence and example during cold war
something done to scare another party from acting
ex. mutually assured destruction between usa and russia: they both know that they each have the nuclear power to destroy basically all of humanity
brinkmanship
refers to things that put usa and russia very very close to causing ww3, and preparation of both countries to launch nuclear attacks
berlin blockade
(1948-49)
example of brinkmanship
ussr blockade stopping food + resources from entering berlin
usa countered by airlifting goods to berlin for 11 months
if it hadn’t ended when it did, usa was preparing to start war against ussr
berlin wall crisis
1961
example of brinkmanship
10% of population moved out of west germany
ussr created wall around berlin to prevent this, were people were shot if they tried to escape
cuban missile crisis
1962
example of brinkmanship
cuba was already under communist control (ussr)
ussr sends missiles to cuba in retaliation against usa, leading usa to blockade cuba (no ships allowed in without being searched)
communist submarine very close to launching nuclear torpedo at cuba
detente events
periods in cold war that lessened tension between usa and russia
- hotline between usa and russian presidents (immediate communication + instant translation to talk out conflicts instead of acting irrationally + uninformed)
- various treaties restricting nuclear weapon access + other weaponry
- ping pong diplomacy (usa ping pong team first americans since war to be invited to china)
- usa president nixon to china (beginnings of easing tension between usa and communist governments)
non-alignment in cold war
describes countries that did not pick a side in the war
difficult because no trade with large production countries (usa, china) and because interactions with any aligned country would be seen as being on their side
proxy wars
aka wars of liberation
wars fought between usa and russia via “substitutes” (proxies)
in some wars (korea v china) usa sent their troops to assist in conflict, russia did not
weapons and us troops were sent in (vietnam v france)
revolutions against russia by individual countries (hungary v russia + associates)
some conflicts (hungarian revolution + “prague spring) usa did not intervene because they were worried about starting ww3
conflicts leading to tension between usa and ussr during cold war
arms race
space race
proxy wars
ideological conflict
prestige race (science, sports, etc.)
creation of spheres of influence
espionage (spying)
ussr response to truman doctrine + marshall plan
molotov plan (russian aid to those nations as bribes)
