Cold War Flashcards
international organization formed in 1945 to promote peace, security, and cooperation
United Nations
the ideological barrier that divided east and west Europe during the cold war
“Iron Curtain”
the US policy of attempting to restrict soviet power by preventing the spread of communism
Containment
The US plan to promote economic recovery in Europe after WWII
Marshall plan
Support from the US for countries seeking to resist communist influence
Truman Doctrine
Stalin declared and blockade on West Berlin. this prevented all supplies brought in by land from getting to the city
Berlin blockade
A massive effort to fly food and other essential goods into Berlin. The plan was successful and Stalin eventually lifted the blockade
Berlin Airlift
the half of Germany under US/NATO control, also known as West Germany
Federal Republic of Germany
the half of Germany under Soviet control, also known as East Germany
German Democratic Republic
A mutual defense pact formed by western nations in 1949, included the United States, Canada, and western European nations
NATO
Pact formed in 1955 by Soviet Union for self-defense, consisted of eastern European nations
Warsaw Pact
powerful nuclear device developed in the early 1950s
Hydrogen Bomb
long-range missiles which could carry nuclear warheads to targets a continent away. Abbreviated as ICBM
Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile
the first artificial satellite to orbit earth
Sputnik
leader of the communists in china eventually won the election
Mao Zedong
communist government of china, founded in 1949 by Mao Zedong
People’s Republic of China
Mao Zedong started it in 1953 to modernize the country and increase industrial production. It was successful
Five Year Plan
Announced in 1958, it set higher targets for both agriculture and industry. Farming suffered and food production fell sharply. By 1961 some 30 million died of starvation, the biggest famine in human history
Great Leap Forward
student group who were empowered to attack people who were considered anti-revolutionary
Red Guard
Stalin’s successor after his death in 1953
Nikita Khrushchev
a period of revolutionary upheaval and political persecution in china from 1966 to 1976
Cultural revolution
What was similar or different about the United Nations and the earlier League of Nations?
they both wanted to instill peace and safety in the whole world but The United nations wanted to fight the evil and the League of Nations wanted to not fight at all and instead just talk things out, but after WWII the United Nations knew that talking it out didn’t always work
Explain how both Russia and the US felt their actions were “defensive” in nature
the US was on the lookout for any countries seeming to be attempting to do what Germany did in WWII so when they saw how the soviet union was taking control of other countries they thought it was the bad guy, the Soviet Union thought that Germany needed to be stomped out because of its roles in both wars and that doing so was ultimately the best course of action
Compare the Truman Doctrine to the earlier Monroe Doctrine. What was similar/different?
both wanted to protect countries from political intervention but the Truman was protecting other countries from communism while the Monroe doctrine was protecting from political intervention in general
How did Chinese communism differ from Soviet Communism?
Chinese communism was a lot newer and at first had some good but ended up bad. Soviet communism was older and just pretty terrible all around
war from 1950-1983, between communist & Soviet-supported North Korea and non-communist & US-supported South Korea, Started when north attacked south
Korean war
the war between north and south Vietnam from the early 50s to 1975
Vietnam War
communist insurgents in South Vietnam
Viet Kong
the belief that if Vietnam fell to communists, the rest of Asia would fall like dominoes
Domino theory
What happened in Guatemala in 1953?
President at the time, Arbenz, began a land reform and took unused land from an American fruit company and gave it to poor peasants.
Where was there a revolution led by Fidel Castro that overthrew Batista?
Cuba - became Soviet ally
US supported dictator of Cuba
Batista
led revolution against Batista, became leader of Cuba and was a communist ally
Castro
where US tried to invade Cuba but failed
Bay of Pigs
Soviet installed missiles in Cuba prepared to shoot at US and eventually took them down in exchange for US not invading Cuba. Nearly started nuclear war
Cuban missile crisis
What happened in chile in 1937?
the US helped overthrow a democratically elected socialist government
What happened in Nicaragua with the Sandinistas?
Leftist rebels, known as the sandinistas toppled a US-backed dictatorship in 1979. The Sandinistas’ ties to Cuba and neighboring El Salvador soon sparked conflict with the US
What happened in Egypt in 1956?
Nationalist leader, Nasser, seized the Suez canal. In response, France, britain, and Israel invaded and took the canal. The US feared Soviet intervention and coriced the allies to withdown It then increased its own presence.
gained power in Egypt in the early 1950s and was aided by the Soviet Union
Abdel Nasser
a key waterway operated by France and Great Britain
Suez Canal
What happened in Iran in 1951?
Iranian parliament seized a British oil company, the new government also agcepted Soviet aid and forced the shah to flee the country
Leader of Iran
Mossedeg
A secret political, economic, or military operation sponsored by a government and designed to support a foreign policy objective.
Covert Action
In October 1956, Hungarians mounted a revolt against their government and its Soviet backers. When the uprising was stopped some 20,000 died.
Hungarian Uprising
In 1968, the Warsaw Pact nations invaded Czechoslovakia to crush another reform movement
Czechoslovakia Uprising
The easing of Cold War tensions and hostility between Fast and West during the 1970s
Detente
The policy of building weapons so deadly that no other nation will dare attack
Deterrence
Called SALT, negotiated between Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev in 1972. It limited the number of nuclear weapons each side could possess
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
what happened with Nixon in China?
Nixon reached out to China in order to ease tensions in east Asia but he also hoped to pit China and the USSR against each other
Communists seized power in Afghanistan in 1978. Civil war broke out. The Soviet Union sent in troops and the US imposed tough sanctions in response
Afghan War
Soviet leader who came to power in 1985, was a dynamic reformer who determined to change the Soviet system for the better
Mikhail Gorbachev
Meant “restructuring” was intended to make the soviet economy more efficient and productive.
Perestoika
Meant “openness” and encouraged citizens to voice new ideas and suggest ways to improve society.
Glasnost
When was the fall of the Berlin wall?
On November 9th, 1989
On January 9, 1964, a riot erupted in the Panama canal zone, which was controlled by the US, the riots reflected resentment for the US’s presence in Panama
Panama Canal Zone Riots
poor, less developed nations which lay outside of the two great blocs of east and west
Third world
Independent third world nations that tried to remain neutral in the cold war
Non-Aligned Nations
Prime Minister of India at the time, main leader of the nonaligned movement
Nehru
President of Egypt who also played a big role in the nonaligned movement
Nasser
A dominating influence of one country or group over another
Hegemony
Created after WWII to help stabilize national economies and the world financial system.
World Bank
IMF, same purpose as World Bank
International Monetary Fund
Large companies based in one country but with operations in other parts of the world
Multinational Corporations
What happened with the United Fruit Company?
In Guatemala, Arbenz took land from the rich and gave it to the poor but the problem was that much land belonged to the United Fruit Company which was US-owned
Dictator of Cuba whose harsh rule inspired strong opposition among Cuban radicals
Batista
A young lawyer who formed a small guerrilla army to overthrow Batista, eventually they forced Batista to flee the country
Castro
a government order that restricts trade with another nation
Embargo
What happened with Allende / Pinochet?
Allende was elected in Chile and began taking actions that the US feared would lead the country to Communism, he was killed in a Coup d’etat. Pinochet was the dictator for the next 17 years in which he tortured and killed thousands who opposed him
The communist movement in Cambodia that took power in 1975 and tried to purge all capitalism from the country
Khmer Rouge
the system of racial separation in South Africa designed to fully segregate
Apartheid
ANC, formed in 1912 to promote black rights and had strong apposition to apartheid
African national congress
Leader of ANC, imprisoned in 1964
Mandela
Explain Cold War Interventions/Issues in Guatemala
When the president at the time Jacobo Arbenz Guzman began land reforms by taking land from the rich and giving it to the poor, the US accused him of being “soft” on communism. They then launched a covert action to remove him from office. They were successful.
Explain Cold War Interventions/Issues in Cuba
after the Spanish-American war, the island remained under US control. Batista was a US supported dictator for 25 years before Castro forced him to flee the country. But eventually, the country became communist.
Explain Cold War Interventions/Issues in Chile
Allende started nationalizing industries and the US worried that it was turning to communism. President Nixon ordered a covert action to take down the Chilean government, indirectly it was successful.
Explain Cold War Interventions/Issues in Cambodia and Laos
In the former French colony of Indochina,- Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos - several million people died in wars and other violent conflicts. The cold war was a major factor, but the rest lay in longer history of imperialism and colonial rule, the two were also involved in the Vietnam war.
Explain Cold War Interventions/Issues in Nigeria
It gained independence from Britain in 1960. the political system broke down in 1966 when a group of army officers overthrew the government, rioting erupted and thousands were killed.
Explain Cold War Interventions/Issues in South Africa
After the end of colonial rule, it stayed under the control of its white minority. Laws were passed denying nights to blacks, Asians, and mixed-race people. Apartheid was instituted and the ANC resisted. Eventually, Mandela became the first black president
