The Cold War Flashcards
(39 cards)
It was at this meeting that leaders from the United States (Truman), Great Britain (Attlee) and the Soviet Union (Stalin) agreed to divide Germany into four different zones. It was also the meeting at which Truman was told of the successful test of America’s Atomic Bomb.
The Potsdam Conference (Summer of 1945)
Define ‘Cold War’
The conflict (or hostile rivalry) between the United States and the Soviet Union from 1945 until 1991. This was not an actual military conflict. It was political, diplomatic, economic and strategic competition between the two nations.
What was the Truman Doctrine?
A policy announced by President Harry Truman in 1947, stating that the US would provide military and economic aid to nations threatened by subversion or invasion. It was created to assist Greece and Turkey, which were threatened with a communist takeover.
This program was designed to help Europe, severely damaged during World War II, rebuild. Under this program the US gave around $13 Billion in aid to the countries of Western Europe, between 1948 and 1952.
The Marshall Plan
What was the Berlin Blockade?
A blockade of West Berlin by the Soviet Union in June of 1948. The Soviet Union denied access to West Berlin by Road, Railway or Canal. In response, Truman and our allies began the Berlin Airlift to deliver supplies to the people in West Berlin, under our influence and occupation.
What does NATO stand for and for what purpose was it created?
NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It was formed in 1949 by those capitalist, democratic countries as a COLLECTIVE SECURITY alliance. An attack against one member of NATO would be considered an attack against all members of NATO. The Soviet Union responded in 1955 by forming the Warsaw Pact.
This Soviet-led organization was created in response to the 1949 creation of the collective security alliance called NATO. It fell apart upon the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The Warsaw Pact
This line divided the Korean Peninsula, creating the communist north and the capitalist south. This is still the border between North and South Korea today.
The 38th Parallel
This conflict, lasting from 1950 until 1953 was a United Nations police action. It began when the communist section of Korea in the north invaded the south. It ended in a stalemate and the original borders were restored at the 38th parallel.
The Korean War
This general was fired by Harry Truman, largely over a disagreement surrounding how large or how limited the Korean conflict should be. Exercising his power as Commander-in-Chief, President Truman fired him in April of 1951.
General Douglas MacArthur
Winston Churchill traveled to Fulton, Missouri in 1946 and gave a speech in which he declared an “_______ _______” had descended across the continent or Europe.
“Iron Curtain”
What did Winston Churchill mean by the “iron curtain?”
The series of fortified borders separating Western Europe from Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe.
What did HUAC stand for and what did it do?
HUAC = House Un-American Activities Committee. This committee was established in the House of Representatives and held hearings, examined witnesses and issued reports that called people out for being communists or supporting communist organizations. It most famously went after the Hollywood Ten - a group of actors, producers, and directors who refused to testify before it.
This policy was adopted by the US and other Western democracies after WWII to prevent the further expansion of communism and the Soviet Union. This became the basis for American foreign policy from 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991.
Containment
These three major Cold War events occurred in 1949. Two of these events were considered major setbacks or losses for the USA in the Cold War.
1) Formation of NATO
2) Soviet Union developed their own Atomic Bomb
3) China fell to communism under the leadership of Mao Zedong.
This was the belief in the 1950s and 1960s, that the fall of one nation to communism would lead to the fall of neighboring nations. Ultimately, this idea or belief was partly responsible for the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
The Domino Theory (Domino Effect)
Which man won the Presidential Election of 1952, campaigning on the promise to end the war in Korea, which he did in 1953?
Dwight D. Eisenhower, who will be President from 1953 until early 1961.
What was the Berlin Airlift of 1948 and 1949?
A response to the 1948 blockade set up by the Soviets around the city of Berlin. The United States, Great Britain, and France flew food, medicine, coal and other necessities to the 2 million people of Berlin. The blockade was withdrawn (ended) in 1949 and was considered a loss for the Soviet Union.
Who were the Rosenbergs?
A married couple named Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who were accused of spying on the United States for the USSR and helping steal secrets from the US to help the Soviet Union build their own atomic bomb. They were arrested, convicted and executed for their actions. Later, evidence would prove that Julius did play a part in this incident, but the evidence is less clear about the role played by his wife, Ethel.
Explain what is meant by the Arms Race.
The arms race was an ongoing competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to develop more weapons than the other side and to have those weapons be ‘bigger and badder’ than the weapons of the other side. In the end, both sides will spend a lot of time and resources developing thousands upon thousands of Atomic, Hydrogen and other Nuclear bombs and the missiles to deliver those bombs.
President Eisenhower, in response to instability in the Middle East, promised that the US would intervene in the Middle East on behalf of any country threatened by a communist takeover. This applied the idea of containment to the Middle East. This is called the __________ __________.
Eisenhower Doctrine
What was Sputnik and why was it important?
Sputnik was the first man-made satellite to be launched into space and to orbit earth. This was a victory for the Soviet Union and made the United States feel like it was falling behind the Soviet Union in math, science, and technological ability.
How did the United States respond to the Soviet launch of Sputnik?
The US created NASA (National Aeronautic and Space Administration) and put more resources and focus on education in math, science, and technology. This really began the Space Race.
What happened in Cuba in 1959 that would shape many of the Cold War events in the years that followed?
Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries overthrew the government of Batista in Cuba, and declared Cuba was a communist country. Castro allowed the Cuban government to take over the sugar industry and seize American assets in the country. This will begin a 50 year period of tension between Cuba and the United States.
