Unit 8 Flashcards
What was the Cold War (1947 - 1991)?
A rivalry and tension between the United States and the Soviet Union but there was never direct fighting between the two powers, only indirect fighting. Some causes include the rise of dangerous nuclear weaponry and ideological difference between capitalism and communism.
What were Stalin’s satellite states?
fter WWII, the allied powers agreed to allow free elections in Eastern European nations. However, after the deal was made, Stalin refused to permit these elections and kept those countries as ‘satellite states’. They were a strategic move on Stalin’s part as they could be used more or less as a buffer zone to protect the Soviet Union from attack.
What does an ‘Iron Curtain’ mean?
A phrase by Churchill, who called the Soviet Union an ‘Iron Curtain’ because they were like an impenetrable wall separating themselves from the rest of the world.
What did containment mean?
To allow communism to remain wherever it already is but not allow it to spread to other nations.
What was the Truman Doctrine (1947)?
Funding sent to Greece and Turkey so that they could resist a communist takeover.
What was the Marshall Plan (1948)?
Funding sent to Western Europe to help them rebuild their nations as they were destroyed after WWII. The economic aid brought people out of poverty and would end any communist takeover.
What was the Berlin Airlift (1948 - 1949)?
A program by Truman who flew in supplies needed to Eastern European residents through an airlift. This was needed as the USSR blocked Berlin - an event known as the Berlin Blockade - from any access to Western countries.
What was NATO (1949)?
An organization of several countries to collectively protect themselves against Soviet communism.
What was the Warsaw Pact (1955)?
A response to NATO with the USSR and its satellite states.
What was the arms race?
The competition between the US and USSR to have the most advanced nuclear weaponry.
What was the Space Race
A competition of sorts between the Soviet Union and the United States to have the best spaceflight technology.
What was the Korean War (1950 - 1953)? What were its effects?
The Korean War was a proxy war during the Cold War, in which communist North Korea supported by the USSR invaded capitalist South Korea supported by the US. By the end, the war was considered a tie as not much land was lost or gained by either side. For the US, this was considered a win as communism was contained.
What was the (second) Red Scare (1947 - 1950s)?
A rise of accusations of communist infiltration in the government, Hollywood, etc.
What was HUAC?
Investigated disloyalty among citizens, especially during the second red scare in which many believed there was communist infiltration.
Who was Joseph McCarthy?
A senator who claimed that he had a list of 205 Americans who had been working with the Communist Party and began McCarthyism which means to accuse someone of being a communist.
What was Levittown?
Created by William Levitt, a neighborhood of houses that look almost identical, were affordable and in the suburbs. This became a symbol of the American Dream as many middle class families began buying houses.
What was social conformity?
The idea that everyone dressed the same, had the same things, acted the same etc
What was the significance of the Interstate Highway System?
This system accelerated the migration to suburbs, as more people began wanting to live outside of the city and would commute from the suburbs to the city for work. It also allowed for more people in the North to move to the sunbelt states (south) as many were tired of the cold winters. It also fostered the growth of car ownership.
