WWII Impact On USSR USA Flashcards
(25 cards)
Q1: What is the ideological foundation of American liberalism?
A: Rooted in John Locke’s ideas—emphasizing individual liberty, private property, rule of law, and limited government. It values gradual progress, free markets, and democratic institutions.
Q2: How did American liberalism evolve in foreign policy?
A: It adopted a missionary tone—believing that spreading democracy and capitalism abroad was a moral duty, equating American influence with liberty and progress.
Q3: How did racial hierarchy contradict American liberalism?
A: While promoting freedom, it justified westward expansion, slavery, and the denial of self-government to non-Western peoples as a “civilizing mission.”
Q4: What are the core beliefs of Soviet Marxist-Leninist ideology?
A: History is driven by class struggle. Capitalism is exploitative and leads inevitably to crisis and war. Revolution, not reform, is necessary to establish a classless society.
Q5: How did the USSR view Western democracy?
A: As a façade—a tool of bourgeois rule. Political rights were considered illusions that preserved capitalism.
Q6: Why were both ideologies incompatible with peaceful coexistence?
A: Both were universalist and messianic: each believed its system should eventually dominate globally and saw the other as a threat to historical progress.
Q7: How did WWII affect the American economy?
A: It ended the Great Depression. GNP nearly doubled, industrial output soared, and unemployment disappeared due to wartime mobilization.
Q8: How did WWII elevate the USA’s global status?
A: The U.S. emerged militarily, economically, and technologically dominant, with the atomic bomb and intact infrastructure.
Q9: How did WWII reinforce American ideology?
A: Victory affirmed the superiority of democracy and capitalism, reinforcing the belief in America’s global leadership mission.
Q10: What did the USA fear about the postwar world?
A: That communism would spread and undermine freedom globally, especially in war-torn or unstable regions.
Q11: How severe were Soviet losses in WWII?
A: Over 25 million dead and massive destruction of land, industry, and population centers.
Q12: How did WWII affect Soviet ideology?
A: It strengthened Stalin’s belief in Marxism-Leninism, showing (in his view) that socialism had defeated fascism and was superior to capitalism.
Q13: Why did the USSR seek control of Eastern Europe after the war?
A: To create a buffer zone against future invasions and spread socialism.
Q14: How did Soviet tactics shift during and after WWII?
A: The USSR dissolved the Comintern in 1943 and temporarily emphasized national unity over world revolution—but reverted to ideological conflict after 1945.
Q15: What was the significance of Stalin’s 1946 speech?
A: He claimed capitalism caused war and urged Soviet strength—both economically and militarily—as preparation for future conflict.
Q16: What was George Kennan’s “Long Telegram”?
A: A 1946 document warning that the USSR was ideologically opposed to the West and would expand unless contained through strong resistance.
Q18: What did Novikov’s telegram claim about U.S. intentions?
A: That the USA aimed at world domination through military bases and capitalist expansion, driven by monopoly capitalism.
Q19: Why was the Cold War “cold”?
A: Despite hostility, both sides avoided direct war due to nuclear weapons and the desire to avoid a repeat of WWII’s devastation.
Q21: How did the U.S. promote its model during the Cold War?
A: Through containment, the Marshall Plan, NATO, and support for anti-communist regimes—even if undemocratic.
Q22: How did the USSR promote communism globally?
A: By backing revolutionary movements, installing socialist governments in Eastern Europe, and offering aid to anti-colonial regimes.
Q20: What does it mean that the Cold War became a “global ideological conflict”?
A: The superpowers competed for influence worldwide—through proxy wars, economic aid, and alliances—not just in Europe, but in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Q24: What is meant by “empires of invitation vs. imposition”?
A: The U.S. often gained allies by invitation (e.g. Western Europe), while the USSR imposed control (e.g. Eastern Europe)—though this distinction blurred in the Third World.
Q17: What did Churchill mean by the “Iron Curtain”?
A: A metaphor for the division of Europe into Western democracies and Eastern communist states. He called for unity against Soviet expansion.
Q20: What does it mean that the Cold War became a “global ideological conflict”?
A: The superpowers competed for influence worldwide—through proxy wars, economic aid, and alliances—not just in Europe, but in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
