cold war Flashcards
1941
the usa and ussr ended up fighting on the same side of ww2 against the nazis
1945
WW2 ended, but the USA and the USSR fell out over plans for the future of the world.
1948/49
Between 1945 and 1948, tension between the Superpowers was building gradually.
1958
By this year, the uncertainty over the future of Berlin reached crisis point.
1961
Two major events in the Cold War happened in this year:
- The Bay of Pigs
- Building the Berlin Wall
superpowers
A country is a Superpower when it has military, political, economical and cultural influence over other countries in the world.
cold war
A Cold War is a war between two countries/sides when there is no direct fighting involved.
arms race
This was the name given to the race for better weapons that developed between the USA and the USSR from 1949 onwards.
satellite states
This is the name given to countries in Eastern Europe that had Communist governments after WW2.
economic aid
The USA and the USSR began using money to influence the political system of European countries after 1948.
1962
This was the year the Cold War came closest to being a real war: The Cuban Missile Crisis.
1970s
During the decade, both Superpowers, for selfish reasons tried to calm down tensions in the Cold War.
1980s
There was extreme tension between the Superpowers and the US President set out to try and win the Cold War.
1991
There was extreme tension between the Superpowers and the US President set out to try and win the Cold War.
the crisis over berlin
Berlin (and Germany) was divided into four zones at the end of WW2 by the Superpowers. Tension grew between the Superpowers over the long-term future of the city and the country.
the crisis over cuba
In 1961, the USA failed in an attempt to replace the country’s new Communist leader. A consequence of this, was the Cuba became closer allies with the USSR.
detente
Detente is a French word that literally means the “easing of tensions”. In the 1970s the USA and the USSR made a series of agreements that sought to ease tensions in their relationship.
ronald reagan
He was a particularly important and aggressive American President, who was elected in 1980 to “stand up” to the USSR.
mikhail gorbachev
The last leader of the USSR. He was very different and introduced small bits of capitalism to the USSR and made the government more open.
