Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

history > cold war > Flashcards

cold war Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
AP® U.S. History flashcards World History 101 flashcards European History 101 flashcards AP® European History flashcards AP® World History flashcards World History 102 flashcards U.S. History 101 flashcards U.S. History 102 flashcards
1
Q

iron curtain

A

A metaphorical divide between communist east and democratic west

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

NATO

A
  • North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • april 1949
  • meeting of 10 western european countries, US, and Canada
  • decided for countries to be united if attacked
  • shows shift in US help to europe from economic to military
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Warsaw Pact

A
  • background: soviets still want to unite berlin after the berlin blockade and airlift
  • cause: West germany became independent and democratic and joined NATO in 1949
  • warsaw pact (1955): eastern european countries (albania, hungary, etc) coming to together and agreeing to give each other military assistance if attacked
  • also agreed to have soviet troops in these eastern european countries
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

containment

A
  • President Truman’s plan to stop the plan of communism after WWII
  • the Marshall Plan and Truman Doctrine
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Harry Truman

A

president during Berlin Airlift, Marshall Plan, Truman Doctrine, Korean War (1945-1953)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Truman Doctrine

A
  • states that the US will intervene with military to help countries who have been attacked
  • part of containment (stop spread of communism)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Marshall Plan

A
  • created in 1947 by George Marshall (secretary of state)
  • US sent money to 16 European countries to rebuild cities, railroads, factories, electrical systems
  • as life improved, the appeal of communism decreased
  • considered a success by US and Europeans
    -part of containment (stop spread of communism)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Berlin Blockade

A
  • started in 1948
  • berlin was split up between Soviets (east) and Allies (west)
    -Soviets want to control all of berlin
  • stalin made railroads close & cut of electrical system to starve allies out of city
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Berlin Airlift

A
  • US and British airlifted supplies into west berlin during the Berlin Blockade
  • lasted 10 months
  • soviets wanted to avoid war, so they did not shoot down allied planes
  • Soviets gave up and gave resources back
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

red scare

A
  • fear of communism in the US
  • caused by US government (McCarthy) accusing citizens of spying for the Soviets
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Joseph McCarthy

A
  • US senator who accused citizens of spying for the Soviets
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)

A
  • 1961 - neither side will be able to win the arms race
  • US military policy
    • states that we should create enough weapons (missiles) to ensure victory if attacked
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

proxy war

A

a war when superpowers back countries without directly fighting
ex: korean war

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Korean War

A
  • 1950 - 1953
  • fought in proxy war
    • south - backed by US, capitalist
    • north - military advisors from soviet union, communist
      north korea pushes into south korea border ➡ south korea pushes border into china ➡ chinese (and maybe north korea) push borders back into almost original spot
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

38th parallel

A
  • divided North and South Korea before the Korean War
  • the US proposed the divide
  • Soviets = help communists in North Korea
  • US = help democratic government in South Korea
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Kim il-Sung

A
  • dictator of north korea from 1945- 1994
17
Q

Berlin Wall

A
  • built in 1961 to stop east germans from escaping to the west w/ armed guards
  • lasted 30 years
  • symbol of division in europe
  • stopped young people looking for a better life from escaping into west berlin (allied)
18
Q

Nikita Khrushchev

A
  • leader of the soviet union after stalin
  • sent and built nuclear bases and missiles in Cuba during the cuban missile crisis
19
Q

John F. Kennedy

A
  • US president during the Berlin Wall, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War
  • 1961-1963
20
Q

Fidel Castro

A
  • led the rebellion and overthrowing of the cuban government (1959)
  • become leader of communist cuba during the cuban missile crisis
21
Q

Cuban Missile Crisis

A
  • 1962
  • US military presence & control of natural resources in cuba since the spanish american war
  • Cuba changes to communism under Fidel Castro
  • cuban government receives aid from the soviets
  • nikita krushchev (leader of the soviet union) sent and built missiles to cuba that can easily hit the US (or any point in the western hemisphere)
  • US threatened to invade and remove missiles
  • CIA bay of pigs (failed)
  • after both groups of ships meet in the water, cuba agrees to remove the missiles and the US won’t invade and they will take out missiles bases in turkey
22
Q

Bay of Pigs

A
  • by made by the CIA during the cuban missile crisis
  • cuban escapees will go back to cuba and blend in as citizens
  • spread rebellion against communism and overthrow the cuban government
  • FAILED, escapees caught and captured
23
Q

Sputnik

A
  • October 4, 1957 - soviets launch successful satellite into space (Sputnik)
  • Sputnik II - second soviet space launch with a dog
  • shocked and embarrassed the US b/c we thought we had more advanced space technology
24
Q

Apollo 11

A
  • july 20, 1969
  • US gets first people on the moon with the Apollo space program
  • Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr
  • great source of pride for US
25
Q

Mao Zedong

A
  • leader of communist China starting in 1949
  • china = most populated country & communism popular
26
Q

space race

A
  • 1958 - 1969ish
  • included Sputnik one and two, Apollo 11
  • US created NASA after Sputnik
  • many US Space fails
    • President Kennedy has a mission to have a successful Space launch
27
Q

Vietnam War

A

CAUSE
- vietnam going to hold election in 1956 for leader after its independence from France
- election cancelled by US and Diem (democratic leder of South Vietnam

BEGINNING OF WAR
- south vietnam : controled by anti-communists
- have US support
- communist rebels (viet cong)
- backed by north vietnam

US INVOLVEMENT
- President Johnson decided that the US couldn’t let vietnam be communist ( domino theory)
- UN sends in troops to fight Viet Cong
- majority American
- 1965 - 180,000 US troops
- 1967 - 500,000 US troops

ENDING OF WAR
- Nixon got US troops out by 1972
- peace agreement made in 1973
- 1976 - vietnam has one communist government
- 1st time US looses a major war

28
Q

Ho Chi Minh

A
  • likely winner of the 1956 vietnam elections
  • communist
29
Q

domino theory

A
  • US uses it to justify their involvement in Vietnam
  • states that if vietnam becomes communist, then communism will quickly spread and take over all of Asia
30
Q

gulf of tonkin resolution

A
  • US military boat gets fired at by North Vietnam during the beginning of the Vietnam war
  • congress gave the US permission to send in more military into vietnam
31
Q

guerilla warfare

A
  • opposed to trench warfare (WWI)
  • smalls groups of soldiers
  • traps/land mines
  • used by the Viet Cong (communist rebels, opposed to the US) in the vietnam war
    • able to blend in with civilians
32
Q

agent orange

A
  • herbicide that kills plants (mostly foliage)
  • used by the US in the vietnam war to be able to see their enemy clearer
    • open up dense forest
  • dropped from planes
33
Q

napalm

A

think, jelly-like gasoline, highly flammable
- inside a bomb
- used to destroy/set fire to Viet Cong hideouts in vietnam war
- used by US

34
Q

glasnost

A
  • means ‘openness’
  • policy that increased freedom of press, speech, and religion
35
Q

perestroika

A
  • means ‘restructuring’
  • improve economy
36
Q

détente

A
  • relaxing of tensions and de-escalation at the end of the cold war

history (7 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions