Cold war Flashcards
what is capitalism
an economic system in which private individuals and corporations control the means of production and use them to earn profits.
what is communism
an economic and political system based on a one-party government and state ownership of property
what is containment
the blocking of another nation’s attempts to spread its influence.
what are satellite states?
a country that is dominated politically and economically by another nation
what is the iron curtain?
a phrase used by Winston Churchhill in 1946 to describe the imaginary line that separated communist countries in the Soviet bloc of Eastern Europe from the countries in Western Europe
what was the Truman doctrine?
a U.S policy, announced by President Truman in 1947 - providing economic and military aid to free nations threatened by internal or external opponents
who introduced the Truman Doctrine, and when?
President Truman in 1947
when was the phrase iron curtain first used and by who
1946 by Winson Churchhill
what is the Marshall plan?
a program proposed by Secretary State of George Marshall in 1947 - the U.S supplied economic aid to European nations to help them rebuild after ww1
when was the Marshall Plan introduced
1947
when did the Berlin airlift take place?
1948
what was the Berlin airlift?
a 327-day operation in which the U.S and British flew planes dropping food and supplies into west Berlin after the Soviets blockaded the city in 1948
what does NATO stand for
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
what is NATO
military alliance created in 1949 made up of 12 non-communist countries including the United States that support each other if attacked
when was NATO created
1949
what was the Warsaw Pact?
a military alliance formed in 1955 by the soviet union and its Eastern European satellites
when was the Warsaw Pact formed
1955
who was Fidel Castro
communist dictator of Cuba who came into power in 1959
who was John Kennedy
35th president of the United States
what was the bay of pigs
a failed operation in April 1961 to overthrow Castro and take over Cuba using Cuban exiles
when did the Bay of pigs occur
April 1961
what was the Cuban missile crisis?
a 13-day period in october 1962 when Soviet nuclear missiles were pointed at the united states of Cuba
when did the Cuban missiles crisis occur
October 1962
what was the Berlin Wall?
a concrete wall that separated East Berlin and West Berlin from 1961-1989, built by communist East German government to prevent its citzens from fleeing to the west
who was Joseph Stalin
a soviet leader following ww2, he died in the middle of the Korean War in 1953
who was harry truman
33rd president of the United States.
what was the Reagan doctrine?
the U.S supported freedom fighters who were trying to overthrow communist regimes
what was the Potsdam conference?
a meeting of allied leaders near Berlin to address issues about the post WW2 Europe
when was the Potsdam conference?
1945
what does SALT stand for
strategic arms limitation talks
what was the SALT?
a pact that served to freeze the numbers of long-range nuclear missiles for 5 years in 1972
this treaty between U.S, china, and soviet union served to slow the arms race that had been going on between these nations since ww2
when did SALT happen
1972
what does ICBM stand for
inter-continental ballistic missiles
what were ICBM’s
long-range nuclear missiles capable of being fired at targets on the other side of the globe
who was Nikita Khrushchev
a soviet leader from 1955-1964
he was responsible for putting missiles in Cuba
what was the domino theory?
the idea that if a nation falls under communist control, nearby nations will also fall under communist control
what were the united nations?
an internal organization formed after WW2 to promote international peace, security, and cooperation
what was the limited nuclear test ban treaty?
an agreement between US, soviet union, and Great Britain to end the testing of nuclear bombs in the atmosphere or underwater
tried to start tackling climate change, becoming a problem
what was the Yalta conference?
a 1945 meeting between the U.S president British prime minister, and a society leader to plan for ending the war and the post-war period
what was the space race?
the competition between the USSR and the USA regarding achievement in the field of space exploration
what was the Hungarian uprising
in 1956, a spontaneous nationwide revolt against the government of the Hungarian peoples republic and its soviet imposed policies. first major threat to soviet control since the USSR’s forces drove out the Nazis at the end of the cold war
when was the Yalta conference?
1945
when did the Cold War happen
1943 to 1991
what was Detente
the easing of strained relations, especially in political situations
what were the baltic states?
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania became part of the soviet union at the end of the war. they were treated as part of the USSR
nations were divided after ww2, explain east Germany
the part of Germany given to the USSR after the war. in 1949, free electrons were held and announced as a separate country from other zones. it became the communist German democratic republic.
why was there an iron curtain
it separated capitalism and communism between the East and west. Stalin wanted to keep Germany weak as it had already invaded the USSR twice already. he was trying to prevent Western influence from reaching the West, as it led to a refugee crisis. it brought countries that had been occupied by the Red Army at the end of the war under Soviet control. it was eventually known as a buffer zone
how did Stalin secure control of Eastern Europe?
any new governments were secure to be communists, they could gradually infiltrate key areas and assume complete control. they would use any means necessary to discredit and frighten opponents
how did the marshall plan work
it was an attempt to rebuild European economies. it offered grants of 13 billion dollars. The Marshall Plan controlled how Marshall aid would be spent, it promoted capitalism
how was Germany governed after the war?
it was split into 4 zones between the USSR, USA, Britain, and France
what was the Berlin blockade?
Stalin ordered that all traffic between West Germany and West Berlin should be stopped. he closed all roads, railways, and canals. he then tried to starve the inhabitants to drive away allies
who was in NATO?
USA, Great Britain, France, Denmark, Canada, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Iceland, Norway, Italy, Portugal
