Cold War Flashcards
Karl Marx (When and why important?)
Co-wrote the communist manifesto, served as a basis for “Marxism”, in the 19th century.
Vladimir Lenin (When and why important?)
First leader of the soviet russia from 1917-1924, and leader of the soviet union from 1922-1924. (Influential bad guy).
Joseph Stalin (When and why important?)
Leader of the soviet union from 1924-1953, very bad guy, responsible for 8-20 million russian deaths.
Totalitarianism
A system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state.
Communism
A political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.
Iron Curtain
A military and political border that kept communist countries in the east controlled by the Soviet Union. Built to keep in not to keep out.
Truman Doctrine/Containment
The US fighting in small country wars to keep communism from spreading, worked until Vietnam. (Containment of Communism).
The Marshall Plan
America boosted European economies to stop the spread of communism.
Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek (Who won the Civil War?)
The communists won the civil war and reformed China, Nationalists lost.
Joe McCarthy and McCarthyism
McCarthy was an American politician, McCarthyism was making false or unsupported accusations against people for suspected anarchism, communism, or socialism.
Edward R. Murrow
Father of broadcast journalism, exposed McCarthy for his unethical trials.
Ike (Who?)
Nickname for Dwight D. Eisenhower, served as the 34th president from 1953 to 1961
“Military-industrial complex”
A country’s military establishment and those industries producing arms or other military materials, regarded as a powerful vested interest.
Nikita Khrushchev
Served after Stalin from 1953 to 1964. Sputnik and the Cuban Missile Crisis happened while he was in office. Also implemented De-Stalinization
Arms Race
The USA and USSR both increased spending on military weapons, increasing tension, and nuclear threat.
Fidel Castro
1959 to 2008 leader of Cuba. In charge during Cuban Missile Crisis. He was a Marxist-Leninist.
Bay of Pigs invasion
Failed US military landing in Cuba during the missile crisis.
“New Frontier”
JFK’s program.
LBJ
36th president from 1963 to 1969. Sworn in after JFK assassination. Civil-rights act, cold war, Vietnam war. (President at the beginning of Vietnam).
“Great Society”
LBJ’s program.
Know that one homework sheet on the ten cold war events, and the notes we took in class.
Know that one homework sheet on the ten cold war events, and the notes we took in class.
Nixon
President at the end of the Vietnam War.
The 6 countries East of the Iron Curtain:
Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria.
Totalitarianism vs. Communism
Totalitarianism controlled every aspect of society (political philosophy).
Communism had total control of the economy (economic philosophy).
The three flaws of Communism:
- Incentive, people didn’t have incentive to work.
- Knowledge, how could one dictator know the answer to every problem?
- Calculation (Price System), How could one dictator know how to run a whole country’s economy?
Know the ten events of the Cold War in order, their years, and why they’re important.
- Berlin Airlift - ‘48-‘49
It was the first US victory over the USSR - USSR Detonated First A-bomb - ‘49
Created tension between US and USSR - Korean War - ‘50-‘53
First success of the Truman Doctrine - Sputnik - ‘57
USSR taking the lead in the space race - Building Berlin Wall - ‘61
Kept East Germans in, created a prison - Cuban Missile Crisis - ‘62
Closest the US got to nuclear war/destruction - Vietnam War - ‘65-‘73
The first time America lost - First Moon Landing - ‘69
Unifying moment, space race victory - Nixon Visits China - ‘72
The First president to visit Communist China - Fall of The Berlin Wall - ‘89
“End of the Cold War”
