Unit 8- Cold war Transformation at home/abroad

Question 1

What was the “Cold War?” How was this war waged?

Answer 1

The Cold war is the growing conflict between the Communist Soviet Union and the U.S. resulted in a long struggle. Superpower competition was usually through diplomacy (through mostly talking) and not through actual conflict, but in several instances, the Cold War took the world dangerously close to nuclear War.

Question 2

How did the events right before and during WWII cause heightened distrust between the U.S. & the Soviet Union?

Answer 2

*Red Scare (1919) - Fearing immigrants and other people of being communists.
* Non Aggression Pact of 1939 - Stalin and Hitler agreeing to divide Eastern Europe;Communists could not be trusted according to the Americans
* The Soviet Union set up satellites as buffer states to avoid another invasion or disruption from the current spread of communism.

Question 3

How did the creation of satellite states in eastern Europe and the creation of occupation zones in Germany worsen tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union?

Answer 3

Soviet forces remained in occupation of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
Elections were held by the Soviets (as promised by Stalin at Yalta their leader) but the results were manipulated in favor of Communist candidates. Communist dictators, most of them being loyal to Moscow, came to power in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. Division of Germany. The takeover caused the U.S and British government to be scared of the soviets taking over.

Question 4

What is the significance of the phrase “the Iron Curtain?”

Answer 4

The iron curtain metaphor was later known for the division between the U.S. allies in Western Europe and Soviet allies of Eastern Europe.

Question 5

Define “containment.” What role did George F. Kennan play in the development of this policy?

Answer 5

Containment prevented the Soviet Union from expanding without starting a war. The role of George F. Kennan wrote an influential article saying that with the long-term, patient, containment of Russia’s expansive tendencies, the soviet union would eventually back off their plan to spread communism and live in peace along the other nations.

Question 6

“Truman Doctrine”

Answer 6

The U.S. was strengthening its military and preparing to fight and contain Russia’s communist ideas. They trusted each other less and hated each other’s social ideologies more.

Question 7

“Marshall Plan”

Answer 7

Scheme by the U.S. to aid European nations economically just to gain votes in western democracies over Russia to eliminate communism and keep capitalism.

Question 8

Creation of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)?

Answer 8

Military alliance for defending all members from outside attack. They had U.S. troops in Western Europe as a deterrent against a Soviet invasion. This caused Russia fears to increase and unnecessary arms race.

Question 9

brinkmanship

Answer 9

• Brinkmanship expressed the issue of Nuclear warfare in America, so Eisenhower believed That the goal was to avoid or back out of the war

Question 10

massive retaliation.

Answer 10

• Massive Retaliation was a policy that seemed like a policy for mutual annihilation (ditruction)

Question 11

Launching of Sputnik

Answer 11

The Soviet Union wanted to scare the U.S. So they sent 2 satellites to space, Sputnik I and II. This made the U.S. think they are becoming more powerful and everything then turned into a competition and made them practically rivals, therefore worsening their relationship.

Question 12

U-2 Incident

Answer 12

Russia shot down a U.S. spy plane and they later found out that the U.S. was using spy planes regularly to figure out information about them. Relationships worsened between the two countries.

Question 13

Cuban (communist) revolution

Answer 13

Fidel Castro, the Cuban dictator, nationalized American owned businesses and properties in Cuba, which caused Eisenhower to cut off U.S. trade with Cuba. Castro then sides with Russia and turns into a communist totalitarian state, which makes Eisenhower scared and build up defense to raid Cuba and overthrow Castro. This worsened relations.

Question 14

how did Eisenhower use covert action to influence developments in the Middle East?

Answer 14

Eisenhower used the CIA to help overthrow the government in Iran that had tried to nationalize the holding of foreign oil companies which made them grateful and caused Iran to provide the U.S. with cheap oil prices and mass purchasing of U.S. arms.

Question 15

What is the Eisenhower Doctrine?

Answer 15

Eisenhower Doctrine U.S. pledged military and economic aid to any Middle Eastern company that was at risk of being a communist nation.

Question 16

How did JFK try to combat the influence of communism in Cuba? Was he successful?

Answer 16

JFK tried to combat the influence of communism in Cuba as he approved a plan to use cuban exiles to overthrow Castro’s regime so the CIA trained a force of Cubans that would land in the Bay of Pigs in Cuba but they failed to set off a general uprising as they had planned. So their plan failed especially since Kennedy had rejected the idea of using U.S. forces to save the anti-Castro Cubans therefore leading to Castro using the failed invasion to get more aid from the Soviet Union and to strengthen his grip on power.

Question 17

What is the importance of the Berlin Wall?

Answer 17

its a symbol of the Cold War and the time where the purpose was to stop east germans to fleet to west germany and also kennedy trying to hide his embarrassment of the Bay of Pigs by traveling to berlin to assure its residents of U.S.support.

Question 18

Under Eisenhower, how did the U.S. try to influence the conflict in Vietnam? Who did we support? Why?

Answer 18

-The US supported the French in their war to maintain the colonial empire.
-Supported the colonial empire because we were blinded by our fear of communism.
-American troops called advisors had the role of advising the Army of the Republic of Vietnam

Question 18

What is the meaning of the phrase “domino theory?”

Answer 18

• A communist government in one nation would quickly lead to communist takeovers in neighboring states, each falling like a row of dominos.

Question 19

How did the U.S. initially attempt to support the “democratic” side of the conflict?

Answer 19

US began supporting the repressive, elitist regime of Ngo Dinh Diem (vietnam pres)as a bulwark against communism
* He was against communism

Question 20

Why was the Tet Offensive in 1968 an important turning point in the Vietnam War for American involvement?

Answer 20

• The fact that the North Vietnamese were able to mount such an offensive cast doubts on the claims that US victory was imminent

Question 20

How did the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1965 escalate the Vietnam War under LBJ? What is significant about this attack?

Answer 20

North Korean patrol boats attacked US warships in the Gulf of Tonkin
* Johnson asked Congress to authorize the President to “take all necessary measures to repel armed attack” in Vietnam, Congress accepted
* This significant thing… NONE OF THE WARSHIP ATTACKS HAPPENED!! But we actually went to war…

Question 21

What was the purpose of “Operation Rolling Thunder?” Why is it important?

Answer 21

Bombing campaign against North Korea
* Two marine battalions arrived at Danang airbase authorized to attack the enemy with no advising about it
* Johnson didn’t tell the american public that our troops had this authorization - part of a widening credibility gap

Question 22

Why was the combat in the Vietnam War so destructive and devastating?

Answer 22

There were more bombs dropped on North and South Vietnam than used in all of WW2
Chemicals like Agent orange
Napalm used to burn tress, homes, and people.
It was often difficult to tell enemy from civilian

Question 22

How did Nixon change American involvement in the war?

Answer 22

Draftees were young and disproportionately from the lower class enrollment
* Enrollment in college or grad school earned you a deferment

Question 23

What were the Pentagon Papers? Why are they important?

Answer 23

Classified documents that showed that the government had been misleading the public about the war for years
* Congress eventually responded by passing the War Powers Act

Question 24

How did Nixon’s “new” plan for American involvement in the conflict have a profound impact on Vietnam and Cambodia?

Answer 24

“Vietnamization” - Gradually withdrawing American troops and leaving the fighting to the Vietnamese
* Sent American troops into Cambodia to cut off the Ho Chi Minh trail, a supply line that connected north to south
* This destabilized Cambodia and helped Khmer Rouge to come to power, forcing almost all Cambodians into communes and massacring ⅓ of the countries population

Question 25

What is the War Powers Act (1973)? Why is it important?

Answer 25

• War Powers Act limited president’s ability to send troops overseas without their approval - didn’t work out well

Question 26

Why do most historians say America lost the war?

Answer 26

Because we didn’t understand the Vietnamese and we didn’t understand why they were fighting - they weren’t fighting for communism, but for Vietnam
* This misunderstanding combined with the government’s dishonesty lost Americans trust for their government leaders

Question 27

What does the phrase “detente” mean?

Answer 27

A deliberate reduction of Cold War tensions.

Question 28

How did Nixon create detente with China & the USSR?

Answer 28

• Traveled to Beijing to meet with Mao and his visit initiated diplomatic exchanges that ultimately led to the U.S. recognition of the communist govt.
• Used his new relationship with china to pressure the Soviets to agree to a treaty limiting anti ballistic missiles.

Question 29

How did OPEC ‘punish’ the U.S. for its support of Israel during the Yom Kippur War?

Answer 29

The Arab members of OPEC placed an embargo on oil sold to Israel’s supporters. The embargo then caused a worldwide oil shortage and long lines at gas stations in the United States.

Question 30

What are the Camp David Accords? Why are they so significant?

Answer 30

President Carter negotiated a peace settlement between Egypt and Israel, they are so significant because as a result Egypt became the first Arab nation to recognize the nation of Israel and in return Israel withdrew its troops from te Sinai territory taken from Egypt in the Six-Day war of 1967.

Question 31

What was a CAUSE of the Iranian hostage crisis?

Answer 31

A cause of the Iranian hostage crisis was that anti-American sentiment in Iran being strong since the United States helped overthrow the country’s democratically elected leader and installed a dictatorial government under a leader called shah.

Question 32

What was an EFFECT of the Iranian hostage crisis?

Answer 32

once Shah left and the ayatollah and fundamentalist were in power the Iranian oil exports stopped causing the second worldwide oil shortage of the decade and another round of increased prices. When the U.S allowed the Shah into the county for medical treatment, Iranian militants seized the U.S. embassy in Teheran and held more than 50 Ams staff as prisoners/hostages. Carter then approved a rescue plan that had to be aborted because of the breakdown of the helicopters over the Iranian desert therefore Carter’s unsuccessful attempt of freeing the hostages was symbolized as a failed presidency.