Chapter 15 Flashcards
SALT?
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
agreement between US and USSR to limit the number of nuclear weapons held by each side
one agreement limited ABMS (anti-ballistic missiles)
why were ABMS (anti-ballistic missiles) a particular threat
They were a particular threat bc giving one side some protection against the other, encourages the protected side to attack
what is “Star Wars” and who launched it?
missile defense against nuclear attack
launched by Reagan
START
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
between US and USSR
detente
relaxation of tensions
US wanted to restrain USSR thru diplomacy vs. military
Détente ended when USSR invaded Afghanistan
arms race timeline
SALT
detente
Star Wars
START
Cuba timeline
Fidel Castro
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Cuban missile crisis
JFK imposed naval blockade to prevent USSR shipments
agreement reached
Fidel Castro?
organized Cuban Revolution vs. dictator
won and transformed the country:
- Sought help from USSR
- Nationalized businesses and gov-controlled the land
- Restricted political freedom
Bay of Pigs Invasion
launched by JFK
- He wanted to bring down next door communist regime
- Castro’s forces captured the invaders
- US imposed a trade embargo on Cuba
Khrushchev
after Stalin
- He publicly denounced Stalin
- Maintained Communist Party’s control
- Closed prison camps and eased censorship
- Wanted “peaceful coexistence” w West
Brezhnev
after Khruschev
Sakharov
Soviet scientist who spoke out for civil liberties under Brezhnev silenced him
Solzhenitsyn
Soviet soldier in WWII wrote to a friend criticizing USSR and was sentenced to prison camp
Released under Krushchev and took up writing, but his books were banned
HUAC
House Un-American Activities Committee
- tried to weed out communist sympathizers
- Made up of members from the House of Reps
- Sought to expose communist sympathizers in Hollywood in particular
Where was Sunbelt and why is it important?
S. and SW. of US
a lot of suburbanization during this era, but particularly to this area bc:
- More jobs than in industrialized north
- Warmer climate
- AC was available and irrigation in states like AZ
How did oil cause a recession?
Political crisis in Middle East led to decreased oil exports, causing oil prices to soar worldwide
Higher prices for oil left businesses and consumers w less to spend on other products
Caused a serious recession & series of recessions and yrs of renewed prosperity
Americans became aware of their dependence on imported oil and global economic forces
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
US Supreme Court ruling declared segregated schools as unconstitutional
US gov role in econ under diff. presidents?
JFK and Johnson:
- expanded social programs
Reagan:
- cut back taxes
- ended some social programs
- reduced gov regulation of the economy
- increased military spending
- Increased military spending + tax cuts = increase in national budget deficit
Why W. Germany have econ boom?
Marshall Plan + other programs helped
Konrad Adenaur [W. Germany’s chancellor] guided the rebuilding
Since old factories had been destroyed, Germany built highly productive industrial base
How did WWII affect European colonial empires?
they had to give in to demands for independence bc they couldn’t afford the colonies
Welfare State
country with a market economy, but with increased gov responsibility for the social and economic needs of its ppl
brought high taxes and greater gov regulation of private enterprise
Conservatives, who favored free markets and limited role of gov, condemned this
Result of European welfare states?
- British voters turned to Conservative Party, which denounced welfare state as costly and inefficient
- Conservatives were led by Margaret Thatcher
- Thatcher’s gov reduced social welfare programs and returned gov owned industries to private control
Other European countries moved to limit social welfare and to privatize gov-owned businesses due to high costs
European Coal and Steel Community
- free trade in coal and steel among member states
- W. Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Italy
- Spurred economic growth across W. Europe and led to further regional cooperation
European Community
- free trade among member nations for all products
- Made of same nations as European Coal and Steel Community
- Later expanded to include Britain + other European countries
Japan after WWII
Gen. MacArthur + new constitution
US occupation ends, but close ties
LDP dominated gov
economic boom
US-Japan ties after WWII
US military forces maintained bases in Japan and protected Japan w nuclear weapons
LDP
Liberal Democratic Party
coalition of factions that compete for gov positions in Japan
why did Japan experience econ boom?
- Japan became a successful exporter and placed tariffs on imports, resulting in a trade surplus
- US pushed Japan to open more imports, but still trade surplus
- Japan had to rebuild from scratch, so they built more modern and efficient factories that outproduced those in the West
- Bc of US military protection, Japan spent less on military and invested more in economy
Why did communists win in China?
Mao won support of peasants, while Nationalists lost popularity w them
- Communists redistributed land and ended oppression by landlords
- Nationalist policies led to economic hardship
- Many ppl resented corruption in Nationalist gov and gov reliance on support from W.ern imperialist powers - hoped Communists would end foreign domination
Great Leap Forward and why did it fail?
urged ppl to increase farm and industrial output in China
backyard industries turned out useless goods
Commune system cut food output by removing motivation for farmers and families
Bad weather
Cultural Revolution in China?
- goal was to purge China of bourgeois tendencies
- Mao urged youth to experience revolution firsthand
- Teens formed bands of Red Guards
- Followed teachings in little red book [Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong]
- Attacked those they considered bourgeois
- Caused economy to slow and civil war to loom, so Mao had to restore order with the army
Why did US recognize communist party of China?
initially, US supported Nationalist’s gov and refused communist gov
US wanted to isolate USSR between NATO and hostile China by supporting communist party’s claim to power
Korea War
- After WWII, USSR and US split Korea temporarily along the 38th parallel
- USSR backed communist dictator Kim Il Sung
- US backed noncommunist dictator Syngman Rhee
- N. overran S., so UN sent help
- UN stopped N. advance at Pusan Perimeter
- UN caused N. surrender and pushed them back up to Yalu River
- Mao sent Chinese troops to help N. and pushed S. back to ~38th parallel
- Both sides signed an armistice and nearly two million N. and S. Korean troops remained on either side of the demilitarized zone
Similarities between the Germanys and the Koreas
Capitalist market economy vs. communist command economy
- Capitalist portion had economic boom + rising standards of living
- Communist portion had economic stagnation and decline
US gave economic + military support to S. and USSR backed N.
Differences between the Germanys and the Koreas
S. was governed by a series of dictators and military rulers
N. had a single dictator thruout the Cold War
Why did N. Korea not recover?
Kim’s emphasis on self-reliance kept N. Korea isolated and poor
N. Korea stuck to hard-line communism, unlike USSR and China
Gov built a personality cult around Kim
First Indochina War
- France wanted to take Vietnam back after WWII
- Ho Chi Minh led other guerillas to fight back
- French loss at battle of Dienbienphu convinced French to leave Vietnam
Vietnam Divide + pros and cons
Ho Chi Minh ruled communist N. (USSR support)
Ngo Dinh Diem ruled noncommunist S. (US support)
Why support Ho Chi Minh
- National hero
- S. Vietnamese gov was backed by foreign gov
- Ngo was a dictator + brutal tactics against opponents
Why support Ngo Dinh Diem
- Ho’s communist rule alienated some Vietnamese
Domino theory
the view that communist victory in S. Vietnam would noncommunist govs in Indochina to fall to communism
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and why was it passed?
authorized the President to do wtvr to prevent further aggression in Indochina
- S. Vietnam conducted raids on N. Vietnam in Gulf of Tonkin
- N. Vietnam attacked Maddox [US Navy destroyer] bc they mistakenly thought the ship had helped with the raids
- Sailors on Maddox falsely thought they’d been attacked again
- Johnson reported the attacks w/out S. Vietnam raids and doubts about the second attack
The Tet Offensive?
Guerilla forces came out and suddenly attacked on Tet, the Vietnamese New Year
Communists lost many troops and couldn’t hold any cities against US
Marked a turning point in public opinion in the US
Paris Peace Accord in 1973 and which US president negotiated it?
US agreed to withdraw its troops from Vietnam
N. Vietnam agreed not to send more troops into the S.
Nixon
Why was recovery in Vietnam slow?
Lack of resources
US-led embargo
Cambodian genocide
US bombed N. Vietnamese supply routes in Cambodia and briefly invaded Cambodia
Khmer Rouge [Cambodian communist guerillas] gained traction
Pol Pot [Khmer Rouge dictator] drove ppl from cities to work in the fields to destroy all W.ern influences
Vietnamese invasion drove back Khmer Rouge
Vietnam imposed an authoritarian gov in Cambodia
why did USSR command economy stagnate?
Gov poured resources into science and technology
collectivization led to agricultural failure
Central economic planning led to inefficiency and waste as they didn’t know what the ppl needed
Afghanistan timeline + impact on USSR
USSR-backed Afghan gov tried to modernize the nation
Afghan landlords + Muslim conservatives took arms against the gov and USSR troops came in
US gov started smuggling weapons to the mujahedin
Struggle in Afghanistan caused a morale crisis in USSR, like what Vietnam did to US
Mikhail Gorbachev reforms
after Brezhnev
- Signed arms control treaties w US
- Pulled out of Afghanistan
- Called for glasnos
- Called for perestroika
glasnost
openness
ended censorship and encouraged ppl to discuss USSR problems openly
perestroika
restructuring the gov and economy
Reduced size of bureaucracy
Supported limited private enterprise
Made factory managers instead of central planners responsible for economic decisions
Allowed farmers to sell produce on the free market
Solidarity?
polish labor union
led by Lech Walesa
later, it was legalized and Walesa became president of poland
why did Czechoslovakia split?
Czechs and Slovaks lived separately
Czechs dominated gov
When communists lost control, some Slovaks called for independence
peacefully separated into Czech Republic and Slovakia
why econ boom in China?
Leaders of the Ppl’s Republic of China accelerated capitalist compromises outlined by Deng Xiaoping
