Cold war Flashcards
What was the potsdam treaty?
To disarm and demilitarize Germany, to divide Germany into the four allied groups (France, Britain, USA, and Soviet Union)
What caused the berlin airlift?
A blockade put in place by East Germany in hopes of cutting off all supplies and resources to West Germany, forcing them to turn to communism in order to get supplies needed for survival. US successfully provided enough supplies for the airlift for West Germany to remain a democracy
Why was the Berlin wall put in place?
To prevent east Germans from seeing the technological advancements West Germany was making, and to (literally) contain communism from entering West Germany
Who did Mao Zedong replace?
Sun Yatsen and Chiang Kai-shek
How Did Mao gain popularity?
By participating in the Long March and being very charasmatic and friendly
Why was Kaishek unpopular with the poor?
Because communism was more appealing to the poor because they would be equal. Kaishek was not communist.
Why did the great leap forward fail?
55 million people died from famine, and the people produced poor quality steel due to poor training
What was the long march?
A march across China to prove that communism was strong and heroic.
What does NATO stand for
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
What parallel divided North and South Korea
38th parallel
What is a DMZ
De militarization zone
How did chinese communism differ from soviet communism
Differing views on the role of peasents- China thought that peasents were the major driving force behind the communist revolution, Soviets thought that a “revolutionary elite” was the driving force behind the communist revolution.
In what ways was Mao and china a “wildcard”?
Through their attack of Taiwan and Tibet, Mao showed that China was not afraid of potential Global Consequences and was unconcerned with international relationships
Who was the leader of Tibet? Why did Mao overthrow him?
The leader of Tibet was Dalai Lama. Mao overthrew him because
- he wanted to "unify" china, and Tibet was previously part of it - he wanted China to be atheist, and Tibet was budhist
What was Mao’s second plan following the great leap forward called?
The cultural revolution lead by China’s youtyh
How did the Cultural revolution turn into a cult of personality?
Mao was seen as a higher power and godlike figure
Who was the Cuban Leader during the Cuban Missle Crisis?
Fidel Castro
How many days did the Cuban Missle Crisis last?
13 days
What was the failed assasination attempt of the Cuban leader called
The Bay of Pigs
Why did Kennedy call the blockade of Cuba a quarantine
Establishing an actual Blockade would be considered an act of war, and we were trying to avoid war at all costs
What is an ICBM
An inter continental balistic missle
Who were the three last leaders of the USSR?
Kruschev, Breznev, and Gorbachev
What was the 1st satelite in space called? Who launched it?
Sputnik, launched by the USSR
What was the 1st American satelite in space called?
Vanguard
What does NASA stand for
National Aeronautic Space Administration
Who was the first soviet to orbit earth
Yuri Gargarin
Who was the first American to orbit earth?
John Glenn
Who was on the Apollo 11
Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins
Who was the first leader of Russia following the fall of the USSR
Borris Yeltsin
What are three things that contributed to the fall of the soviet union
What were Glasnost and Perestroika?
Glasnost was an openness policy and perestroika was a policy to restructure the economic and politcal system.
Who was the North Vietnamese Leader?
Ho Chi Min
Who was the South Vietnamese leader(s)?
Diem
What is the domino theory
The idea that if one country were to fall to communism, the surrounding countries would do the same
Who created the term the Iron Curtain
Winston Churchill
What is a quagmire? How does it relate to the Vietnam war?
A slippery bog. Relates to V war because the longer they stayed the harder it was to get out
What is the name of the Afghanistan rebel army backed by the U.S? Whom did they eventually turn in to?
The Mujahadeen, who eventually turned into the Taliban
What was the vietnamese communist rebel army refered to as?
The Vietcong
What happened in Tienmenn Square?
Why was the cold war called the cold war?
Who was Chiang Kai-Shek
What was the soviet “version” of NATO known as?
The Warsaw Pact
What are three occasions in which the soviet union put down revolts in Eastern Europe?
1953 protests in east germany, hungary’s attempt to end one party rule and withdraw from the Warsaw Pact, and “prague spring”
What are three characteristics of China’s cultural revolution?
The red book of Mao’s quotes, red scarfs
Who was the first American in space?
Alan Shepard
What was the Gulf of Tonkin incident?
US warships were supposedly attacked on two seperate accounts in the Gulf of Tonkin
What was the gulf of tonkin resolution?
President Johnson authorized the deployment of troops and militia to Vietnam
What was the Tet Offensive? What is Tet?
Tet is the vietnamese new year. The tet offensive refers to a suprise attack from North Vietnam on South vietnam. This led to the American Public’s view to change, as we saw the losses we were actually facing
What is a command economy
An economy where everything is controlled by the government. For example, in 1956 when Hungary tried to leave the USSR, Kruschev was angry and sent tanks.
What are some economic issues that led to the fall of the USSR?
Collectivization was failing due to non localized decision making, most goods in the USSR were inferior to western goods, there was little incentive for innovation due to everybody being paid the same, the government was too big and slow to make decisions, and the USSR people began to grow envious of Western goods
What was Gorbachev’s solution to these economic issues
He would decline the cold war to help the soviet economy gain more trade, signed an arms treaty (SALT) with the united states, pulled troops out of Afghanistan, and started Glasnost and Perestroika.
What are some characteristics of Glasnost
Ended government censorship and encouraged free speech
What are some characteristics of perestroika
Shrunk the size of the government, allowed for limited private enterprises, allowed for local factories and farmers to make their own decisions
How did the war with Japan solidify Mao’s rule
America had sent weapons and aid allowing Mao to win, and it ended the 30 year civil war in China because America had recognized Mao was China’s leader
Who is Douglas MacArthur
Former American War General, leader of UN when they pushed back north korea
What was Sun Yatsen’s main goal
To unify and reunite China. He turned to the soviets for support
What is a proxy war
A war fought between two countries without the countries actually fighting. “Our money, their blood”
What was the name of the long range missiles developed in WWII and what were they used for?
V-1 and V-2 missiles, used to attack England over the England Channell
What did Chiang Kaisehk do to modernize China
- unified currency systems
- expanded education and medicine
- built hospitals
What was the era of Detente and why did it end
A time of peace (1972-1979) between US and USSR where treaties were being signed to prevent war. This ended when USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979.
What was the northern campaign
campaign that Chaing Kaishek started, and he eventually conquered and unified china and became dictator
What was the US’s first successful satelite called?
The explorer 1
What was Indochina?
The term the french used to refer to Vietnam as during their rule
What were the ships involved in the Gulf of Tonkin incident called?
USS Maddox and USS Turner
Why did Gorbachev’s ideas fail?
They were rapid and although people were happy, others disliked fast paced change. Also since it allowed for freedom of speech, there were many protests
What was the hundreds flower campaign
Mao encouraged Chinese people to offer their opinion and suggestions as to how the government and communism should lead China
Summarize the cold war in one sentence
A state of tension regarding socioeconomic ideologies between countries with no fighting. (USSR and USA never directly fought)
What was the Ho Chih Min Trail used for
a military supply route running from North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia to South Vietnam
