8.01 The Roots of the Cold War Flashcards
What is a cold war and how does it differ from a normal war?
The USSR and America didn’t want to start a full-scale war like a World War 3 because the globe was already in shambles and trying to recover. Instead of a hot war, they competed with each other to things like being the first to the moon, or having the greatest nuclear arsenal, and they also engaged in proxy wars.
How is a communist government run in contrast to a capitalist system?
Capitalist system: Multiple-candidate elections, free media, people employed by government or by private companies, people live where they can afford it, government criticism is expected from media
Communist system: Elections w/ one candidate for each office, one-party, government controls media, everyone is employed by government, people live where the government tells them to, government-criticism is illegal.
How do America’s and the USSR’s foreign policies differ?
Russia wanted to keep themselves safe from invasion, while spreading communism to as many countries as they can.
Under the Truman Doctrine, America tried to keep communism under control, and they tried to make sure it didn’t spread to other nations.
Talk about some of the things the US and the USSR have competed over.
Space Race: Russia put all of these things like Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin into orbit, which intimidated America, because they didn’t know Russia had this kind of technological expertise. Because of this, the US started NASA, the Apollo program, and launched Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin onto the moon, beating Russia in the Space Race.
Arms Race: The USSR and America both competed to have the best military and the best arsenal of weapons. They both created hydrogen bombs, which would produce a bigger explosion than 2,500 atom bombs! If any of these nations launched the bombs, life on Earth would’ve been lost.
What is the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Cuba formed an alliance with the USSR, and the USSR shipped missiles to Cuba, which was just 90 miles from Florida! Kennedy stated that he would’ve sent the Navy to Cuba if Russia didn’t retrieve their missiles, which would’ve turned the Cold War into a full-scale heated war. Russia said that they would take back their missiles if America promised not to attack Cuba, so they agreed, and the matter was resolved.
