Chpt. 24, The Postwar World

Question 1

Yalta

Answer 1

in February 1945, the leaders of the US, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union met here, a resort city on the Black Sea, where they agreed on postwar settlements; Germany would be divided into zones of occupation, and would make reparation payments to the USSR; additionally, Stalin pledged to conduct free elections in East Europe

Question 2

United Nations

Answer 2

in April 1945, another peace initiative was undertaken when the US, the USSR, and 48 other countries drafted a charter for this organization; to be headquartered in New York, it was organized to protect it’s members against aggression and future wars

Question 3

General Assembly

Answer 3

a large body in the United Nations in which each member can vote on a wide range of issues

Question 4

Security Council

Answer 4

an 11-member body in the UN that possesses actual power to settle disputes; today the number of Security Council members has been expanded to 15, five of whom are permanent: Great Britain, China, the US, France, and the USSR; each nation could veto any decision, preventing any nations from voting as a bloc

Question 5

Soviet satellite nations

Answer 5

nations around the USSR, such as in East Europe, that the USSR dominated politically and bent towards their will

Question 6

Potsdam Conference

Answer 6

it was here, in July 1945, that President Truman and Prime Minister Churchill met with Stalin in an attempt to persuade him to abandon his policy toward the Soviet satellite countries; Stalin refused to comply

Question 7

iron curtain

Answer 7

the phrase that Winston Churchill used to describe the isolation of Eastern Europe, which was increasingly divided and isolated from the mostly democratic Western Europe due to the domination of the USSR

Question 8

containment

Answer 8

the US response to the Soviets’ desire to spread communism; this policy consisted in forging alliances to assist vulnerable countries in resisting the spread of communism, and using military force or the threat of military force whenever necessary

Question 9

Truman Doctrine

Answer 9

in 1947, as part of the containment policy, President Truman issued a statement requesting support for the struggles of Greece and Turkey against communist encroachment upon their territories; his position became known as this

Question 10

Marshall Plan

Answer 10

a plan proposed by US Secretary of State George Marshall and passed by Congress in 1948; it provided the opportunity for European nations to apply for economic aid to rebuilt after the war; it allotted $12.5 billion to rebuild Western Europe, and was a spectacular success (in inflation adjusted dollars, that’s around $120 billion)

Question 11

East and West Germany

Answer 11

Eastern Germany was controlled by the Soviets and as such became communist, taking the title “German Democratic Republic” while Western Germany became the Federal Republic of Germany

Question 12

Berlin Airlift

Answer 12

the Soviets responded to the building of West Germany by blockading all traffic into the western portion of Berlin; this was established by the Allies to bring food and supplies into West Berlin; it lasted almost 11 months until the Soviet Union, recognizing it’s failure, lifted the blockade in May 1949

Question 13

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

Answer 13

in 1949, the nations of Western Europe joined the US and Canada to form a defensive military alliance known as this, which was dedicated to curb the spread of communism, and was designed to enhance the US policy of containment

Question 14

Warsaw Pact

Answer 14

an alliance among members nations of the Soviet Union as well as Soviet satellite nations, which was established in 1955 to promote Soviet communism and fight back against NATO

Question 15

H-bomb (hydrogen bomb)

Answer 15

a thermonuclear weapon produced from nuclear fusion which was first tested by the US in November 1952 and was many times were powerful than an atomic bomb; within nine months, the Soviets also possessed thermonuclear power

Question 16

brinksmanship

Answer 16

a policy of willingness to defend national interests, even to the point of war; both the US and the USSR began stockpiling huge collections of nuclear bombs

Question 17

Sputnik 1

Answer 17

this was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957; it was the first unmanned satellite; in January 1958, the US would successfully launch it’s own satellite

Question 18

ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile)

Answer 18

the type of rocket that was used to launch Sputnik 1, this was also developed by the US around that time period; it had implications for warfare as well, because such a thing could easily be directed and turned into a weapon

Question 19

Francis Gary Powers

Answer 19

the pilot of an American U-2 spy plane who was shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960, greatly increasing Soviet-American tensions; it led to the cancellation of a meeting between President Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev to discuss the arms buildup of both nations

Question 20

China during WW2

Answer 20

WW2 had produced vast devastation in Chinese cities, and during the war the Nationalists and communists had temporarily put aside their differences in order to fight the Japanese; nonetheless, when the US sent the Nationalists at least $1.5 billion in aid to fight the Japanese, Jiang Jieshi used the aid to prepare for civil war

Question 21

Chinese civil war

Answer 21

after WW2, the Communists and Nationalists resumed their struggle for power in China; at first, the Nationalists outnumbered the Communists in troop number; as time went on, the Nationalists, who did little to pledge the future support of the Chinese peasantry, began experiencing massive desertions of their soldiers to the side of Mao

Question 22

Mao’s victory

Answer 22

by October 1949, Mao, who had promised land reform to the peasants, won control of China, renaming it the People’s Republic of China; in 1950, the Chinese and Soviets signed a friendship pact, sparking new fears of Communism around the globe

Question 23

Republic of China, aka Taiwan (named Formosa by Portuguese explorers)

Answer 23

Jiang Jeishi and his followers fled here when Mao had his victory; here, Jiang continued to receive US support

Question 24

Dalai Lama

Answer 24

in 1950 and 1951, after promising self-rule to the Tibetans, the Chinese strengthened their hold over the area; this person was the religious leader of the Buddhist Tibetans who was prompted to flee to India in 1959 by further Chinese control

Question 25

Great Leap Forward

Answer 25

in 1958, Mao, wanting to compete with the industrial production of developed nations, launched this program, which established comes, managed industry and businesses collectively, eliminated private possessions, established communal housing, and set production quotas; a series of poor harvests, inefficient planning, and system failure contributed to the disaster of this program, which was discontinued in 1961

Question 26

communes

Answer 26

large collective farms

Question 27

Sino-Soviet rift

Answer 27

in 1960, differences between China and the USSR over leadership in the Communist world led the Soviets to end economic aid to China and to a split between the two Communists giants, known as this

Question 28

Red Guards

Answer 28

after the failure of the Great Leap Forward and the Sino-Soviet rift, Mao’s role in government was reduced and other Chinese Communists stepped in who allowed the Chinese to own their own houses and small parcels of lands, as well as to profit from the sale of farm produce; in reaction to these capitalist principles, Mao created this in 1966; it was an organization of high school and college students whose purpose was to continue the Communist Revolution

Question 29

Cultural Revolution

Answer 29

a campaign led by the Red Guards wit the goal of setting up a society of equal workers; because any intellectual or artistic pursuit was deemed a threat, the Red Guard closed schools and universities; people who resisted were jailed, killed, or sent to labor camps

Question 30

Zhou Enlai

Answer 30

a critic of Mao Zedong who was forced into exile

Question 31

Deng Xiaoping

Answer 31

a critic of Mao Zedong who was imprisoned, but who eventually gained control of the radicals and brought the Cultural Revolution to an end after Mao’s death in 1976

Question 32

North Korean invasion

Answer 32

in 949, most of the American and Soviet troops had been withdrawn from North Korea, though the Soviets were supporting them financially; on June 25, 1950, the North Koreans crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea, and South Korea petitioned the US for help

Question 33

Korean invasion and the UN Security Council

Answer 33

because China was at the time boycotting the UN Security Council for other reasons, it was free to vote to support South Korea with an international force, which it did; the force was led by Dwight D. Eisenhower

Question 34

Korean War

Answer 34

in October 1950, the Chinese entered the conflict in an attempt to turn back US troops approaching UN forces back beyond the 38th parallel; in July 1953, North Korea and the UN forces signed a ceasefire agreement that set the border between North and South Korea near the 38th parallel; a demilitarized zone was established on either side of the truce line

Question 35

Kim Il Sung

Answer 35

the dictator of North Korea who encouraged heavy industry, set up collective farms, and strengthened the military

Question 36

Kim Jong Il

Answer 36

the son of Kim Il Song who came to power in 1994 while the country was grappling with serious economic problems and food shortages

Question 37

Kim Jong Un

Answer 37

the son of Kim Jong Il, he took power on his father’s death in 2011

Question 38

domino theory

Answer 38

a theory proposed by President Eisenhower which stated that the fall of one Southeast Asian nation to communism would lead to the fall of neighboring countries; as a result of this, the US began providing financial aid and advisors to Vietnam in 1955, formerly part of the French colony of Indochina

Question 39

French Indochina (Vietnam)

Answer 39

a region that would eventually become Vietnam where communist influence went back to the period between the world wars, where independence movements had began to stir in the 1930s

Question 40

Ho Chi Minh

Answer 40

a young nationalist in Vietnam who sought aid from the Communists and led several revolts against the French; after the French imposed a death sentence upon him, he fled Vietnam

Question 41

Vietminh (League for the Independence of Vietnam)

Answer 41

an organization founded by Ho Chi Minh in 1941; after they defeated the Japanese in 1945, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam; in 1946, the French tried to regain their colony and war ensued

Question 42

Dien Bien Phu

Answer 42

a battle in 1954 between the Vietminh and the French where the French were dealt a major defeat; after this, the surrendered to Ho Chi Minh

Question 43

Geneva Conference

Answer 43

a meeting held in 1954 in which Vietnam was divided at the 17th parallel; the Communists would rule the north, while the US and France would set up a Communist government under Ngo Dinh Diem in the south

Question 44

after Geneva

Answer 44

Ho Chi Minh’s land redistribution program garnered popular support in the north, while Diem’s dictatorial rule made him unpopular in the south; realizing that an election would likely place Ho Chi Minh in power over the whole country, the South Vietnamese government, with US support, disregarded the Geneva agreements and abandoned plans for an election; in 1963 a group of South Vietnamese generals backed by the US staged a coup in which they assassinated Diem

Question 45

Vietcong

Answer 45

the unpopularity of Diem’s government led to the formation of these Communist guerrillas in South Vietnam

Question 46

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Answer 46

in August 1964, after President Johnson claimed that US ships were attacked, the US Congress passed this, which authorized the president to send troops into Vietnam; at the end of 1965, US soldiers were fighting in Vietnam, and American planes had begun to bomb North Vietnam; at the same time, the USSR and Soviet Union were sending troops and weapons to the Vietcong

Question 47

Vietnamization

Answer 47

the unpopularity of the Vietnam conflict in the US caused President Richard Nixon to begin a policy known as this; the plan called for gradual withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam while at the same time increasing the combat responsibilities of the South Vietnamese; in 1973, the last US forces left Vietnam; the North Vietnamese capitalized on the weakness of the South Vietnamese and overran the country in 1975

Question 48

Khmer Rouge

Answer 48

Cambodia continued to suffer after the Vietnamese conflict; in 1975, these Communists set up a government in Cambodia

Question 49

Pol Pot

Answer 49

the leader of the government that was set up in Cambodia; his effort to transform Cambodia into a Communist society led his followers to slaughter 2 million people; in 1978, the Vietnamese overthrew the Khmer Rouge and dominated Cambodia until 1989; although This man died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge continues to participate in the coalition government of Cambodia

Question 50

First, Second, and Third World

Answer 50

this phraseology developed during the Cold War; the First World consisted of countries allied under NATO, and the Second World those allied under the Warsaw Pact; the Third World consisted of developing nations that did not have an allegiance, but whom the First and Second World attempted to coerce into their respective camps through domination

today, with the fall of the USSR, the Second World is less defined, while the Third World has become a general term used to describe any developing nation

Question 51

effects of the US vs. USSR struggle on the Third World

Answer 51

Third World nations were still in their formative stages, and looked for good models for their governments and economies; both the US and the USSR would vie for that role, sometimes instigating revolutionary wars; the US provided military and educational programs, and set volunteer workers such as the Peace Corps; the USSR offered technical and military assistance; some nations, such as India and Indonesia, remained nonaligned, independent of both the US and the Soviet Union

Question 52

Fulgencio Batista

Answer 52

after World War 2, the United States supported the leadership of this Cuban dictator, who was overthrown by Fidel Castro in January 1959; while Fidel at first made improvements in the economy, healthcare, and conditions for women, he later showed himself to be a dictator who cancelled elections, imposed censorship, and imprisoned or executed his opponents; he then nationalized the economy and seized American-owned sugar refineries

Question 53

Bay of Pigs invasion

Answer 53

in April 1961, the US backed an invasion by anti-Castro Cuban exiles who had been trained by the CIA in Florida; midway in the operation, the US under Kennedy decided not to provide air support for the operation, and the invaders were easily countered by Castro’s forces; overall, this operation resulted in major embarrassment and a loss of prestige for the US under President John F. Kennedy

Question 54

Cuban Missile Crisis

Answer 54

in 1962, Soviet Premier Khruschev began to secrety construct missile sites in Cuba; when their presence was noted by American U-2 planes, Kennedy and Khruschev faced a showdown; after Kennedy imposed a blockade of Cuba to prevent the installation of more missiles, people around the world worried that a nuclear war would ensue, but Khruschev eventually agreed to remove the missiles in return for a US pledge not to invade Cuba

Question 55

Cuban relationship with the Soviets

Answer 55

after the missile crisis, Cuba depended upon Soviet support; it showed it’s appreciation by sending 50,000 soldiers to fight against colonialism in Angola in the 1970s; when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, aid to Cuba ended, dealing a severe blow to the Cuban economy

Question 56

US in Nicaragua

Answer 56

in 1933, the US began supporting the dictatorship of Nicaraguan Anastasio Somoza and his family; in 1979, these Communist rebels overthrew the dictatorship of Somoza’s son

Question 57

Daniel Ortega

Answer 57

at first, both the USSR and the US gave assistance to this Sandinista leader

Question 58

Contras

Answer 58

when the US discovered that the Sandinistas had assisted socialist rebels in El Salvador, the US backed these Nicaraguan anti-Communist rebels, supporting them with both legal and illegal funds supplied by the administration of Ronald Reagan; in 1990, the Nicaraguan civil war ended when President Ortega agreed to hold free elections

Question 59

Violeta Chamorro

Answer 59

a politician who defeated Daniel Ortega in the 1990 elections and ruled until the 1997 election of Jose (accent aigu) Lacayo

Question 60

Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi

Answer 60

in Iran, this shah allied himself with Western governments and oil companies; in 1953, the US supported the shah during a revolt in which he was nearly deposed; the sha westernized Iran, but at the same time maintained secret police and did little to alleviate the poverty of millions of his people

Question 61

ayatollahs

Answer 61

conservative Islamic leaders who opposed Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi when he de-emphasized the role of Islam in political affairs

Question 62

Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini

Answer 62

in 1978, riots erupted throughout Iran, causing the shah to flee the country in 1979; when that occurred, this exiled conservative leader returned to Iran; banning Western influences, he restored traditional Islamic values and law

Question 63

captured Americans

Answer 63

when the US allowed the deposed shah to enter its borders for medical treatment in 1979, Iranians retaliated by seizing the US embassy in Tehran and taking 69 hostages; 55 remained in captivity until their release in 1981

Question 64

Saddam Hussein

Answer 64

in 1980, Khomeini, from the Shia sect of Islam, became embroiled in a war with this leader of Iraq, who was a Sunni; this leader’s military machine was taking advantage of the internal turmoil in Iran to gain a quick victory; during the war, in an effort to gain the release of it’s hostages, the US secretly sold firearms to Iran; by 1988 the Iran-Iraq war ended as a result of a UN negotiated ceasefire

Question 65

Soviets in Afghanistan

Answer 65

in 1979, when the Communist government of Afghanistan was on the verge of collapse from a Muslim revolt, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan; the US responded by placing an embargo on grain shipments to the Soviet Union and by boycotting the 1980 summer Olympic games in Moscow; the US, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia also equipped and trained the Afghan rebels; after a 10-year occupation, the Soviet forces withdrew

Question 66

destalinization

Answer 66

when Stalin died in March 1953 and Nikita Khruschev became the new USSR leader, he announced this policy, which was a denunciation of the brutal policies of Stalin and an attempt to rid the country of the memory of his rule

Question 67

Imre Nagy

Answer 67

in October 1956, Hungarians overthrew their Soviet-dominated government; this more liberal Hungarian Communist formed a new government that provided free elections; in response, in November 1956, Soviet tanks rolled into Hungary and overpowered the Hungarians; pro-Soviet leaders were again installed in Hungary, and Nagy was executed

Question 68

Leonid Brezhnev

Answer 68

because of the Cuban missile crisis, Khruschev lost favor with the Communist party leaders, and in 1964, was removed from power; this man, his successor, clamped down on basic human rights and upon those who opposed him

Question 69

Alexander Dubcek

Answer 69

this man was the Czech leader who in 1968 relaxed censorship laws; as a result, the Warsaw Pact nations invaded Czechoslovakia, demonstrating once again that the Soviet Union felt it right to intervene if the satellites failed to uphold communist principles

Question 70

détente

Answer 70

a policy adopted by the US after withdrawal from Vietnam that replaced the policy of brinksmanship; this policy stressed a cooling of Cold War tensions in order to avoid nuclear war

Question 71

Richard Nixon

Answer 71

the president under whom détente began; it was manifested in his state visit to the People’s Republic of china in 1972; later that same year, he paid a state visit to the Soviet Union, during which he and Brezhnev signed the SALT 1 (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) Treaty; the five-year pact limited each country to its 1972 levels of intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles

Question 72

Helsinki Accords

Answer 72

in 1973, 35 nations, including the US and the USSR, signed this, which was a promise to practice détente; they also dealt with the freedom of movement as well as the freedom to publish and share information, and called for cooperation in humanitarian endeavors

Question 73

the end of détente

Answer 73

President Gerald Ford continued the policy of détente, as did President Carter, the when Carter signed the SALT 2 Treaty, it was not agreed to by Congress; the policy of detent eroded further when President Ronald Reagan took office in 1981

Question 74

SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative)

Answer 74

in 1983, Reagan initiated this program to protect the US against incoming enemy missiles; the program, nicknamed “Star Wars,” was never activated, but remained a threat to Communist nations