UNIT 8 - Cold War and Decolonization Flashcards
(36 cards)
Who were the Big Three during WWII?
Great Britain, US, and the USSR
What was the Tehran Conference?
- occurred in Iran in 1943
- Allies agreed that the USSR would focus on freeing Eastern Europe while Britain and the US would concentrate on Western Europe
What was the Yalta Conference?
- The Big Three focused on plans for reconstructing Eastern Europe and defeating Japan
- Franklin Roosevelt wanted free democratic elections in Eastern Europe and wanted the USSR to join the war against Japan
- Stalin demanded influence over Eastern Europe
What was the Potsdam Conference?
- in Germany 1945
- Harry Truman (US)
- Churchill was replaced by Clement Atlee (Britain)
- Truman insisted on free elections in Eastern Europe, but by then the USSR troops had occupied the region
Who were the worst hit by WWII?
The USSR, Poland, and Germany
- destroyed factories, roads, bridges, and other structures needed for industry
Which country suffered the least after WWII?
The United States
What was the Marshall Plan?
A U.S.-led initiative to provide financial aid to Western Europe following WWII. Its primary goals were to rebuild war-torn economies, remove trade barriers, and promote European integration, preventing the spread of communism
What were the causes of the Cold War?
- WWII allies differ on the future of Eastern Europe
- Stalin favored a weak and divided Germany, but the US and Britain wanted a powerful and united Germany
- Stalin refused to promise free elections for Eastern European countries under USSR control. Truman is certain that Stalin plans world invasion
- Western powers fear Soviet expansion
What was the effect of the Cold War?
- Truman Doctrine
- US provides economic aid to Greece and Turkey to fight communism
- US adopts a containment policy
- Marshall Plan
- USSR blockades West Berlin
- US and Western Europe form NATO; USSR and its satellite states form the Warsaw Pact
What is the Truman Doctrine?
Pledges US aid to countries under pressure against communism
What is the US containment policy?
A policy to keep communism from moving beyond existing borders
What are the USSR’s satellite states?
Eastern European nations formally independent but heavily influenced and controlled by the USSR (buffer zone against the West)
EX: Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, East Germany, Romania
What is NATO?
A military alliance formed by the US, Canada, and several Western European nations to counter the threat of Soviet expansion and the spread of communism (collective defense system where an attack on one member would be considered an attack on all)
What was the Warsaw Pact?
A military alliance formed in 1955 by the USSR and several Eastern European communist states in response to the formation of NATO (collective defense system where an attack on one member would be considered an attack on all)
What are Proxy Wars?
a conflict where 2 major powers support opposing sides in a regional conflict without directly engaging in military action against each other
Give examples of proxy wars and their outcomes:
- Korean War (1950-1953): The US and UN supported South Korea, while China and the USSR supported North Korea. No clear victor, but remained divided
- Vietnam War (1955-1975): The US and allies supported South Vietnam, while the USSR and allies supported communist North Vietnam. Resulted in Communist North Vietnam victory and the reunification of Vietnam
- Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan (1979-1989): The US and China supported the Afghan Mujadeen against Soviet forces. Weakened the Soviet Union, ultimately contributing to its collapse
What is an arms race?
a competition between nations for superiority in the development and accumulation of weapons
EX: US and USSR during Cold War
What two groups began fighting for control of China in 1927?
The Communists and Nationalists
What was the Chinese Civil War and its outcomes?
A military conflict that lasted from 1945-1949 between the Nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek against the Communists led by Mao Zedong. Resulted in the Communists’ victory, leading to the establishment of the People’s Republic of China
What was the Great Leap Forward?
- land reform
- peasant lands were organized into large agricultural communities where the state held the land (those who protested were killed or sent to reeducation camps)
- aimed to increase industrial and agricultural outputs by using mass mobilization
What happened in Latin America in terms of land reform?
- leaders saw the concentration of land ownership as a barrier to progress (considered land reform)
- in Venezuela, the government redistributed 5 million acres of land
Why was India partitioned in 1947?
- religious tensions between the Hindu majority and Muslim minority
- Muslims wanted their own state (Pakistan)
- Britain was weakened by WWII and faced pressure to withdraw from India due to financial constraints
Was decolonization in Ghana violent or nonviolent?
Nonviolent; Britain agreed to negotiate independence
How did decolonization in Algeria look like?
The French colony endured a lot of violence before becoming independent. Many Algerians, driven by nationalism, campaigned for independence after WWI. In 1958, French President Charles de Gaulle planned the steps through which Algeria would gain independence
