Cold War Flashcards
What was the Berlin Wall?
- the physical symbol of the Iron Curtain
- iron curtain was a symbolic term for political division of Europe
What is containment?
american foreign policy started by Truman to block + prevent the spread of Communism through aid to countries
What was the NSC-68 report?
- soviet union detonated its 1st nuclear weapon
- SO, it called for a military buildup of forces in the US (so spend more money on military)
Describe Senator Joseph McCarthy:
- republican senator from Wisconsin
- mounted a campaign against communism
- interrogated government employees, entertainment industry, educators, union activists
Describe Roy Cohn:
- McCarthy’s right hand man
- instrumental in the conviction + execution of the Rosenbergs
- died from AIDS
- G. David Schine was his lover
What is the Central Intelligence Agency?
- AKA The Company or The Agency
- established by Truman
- a covert operation about national security
- George Herbert Walker Busg was the director
When did the Cuban Missile Crisis begin?
October 14, 1962
What was the Cuban Missile Crisis?
- missile bases were being constructed in Cuba
- Khrushchev began deploying nuclear missiles to Cuba
- Kennedy ordered a naval blockade
- then on October 28, 1962, Kennedy promised to remove all missiles from Turkey pointed toward Russia. Krush promised not to install missiles in Cuba
Who was Fidel Castro?
- allied with Khrush
- leader of Cuba
What were the Jupiter Missiles?
the missiles Kennedy removed from Turkey that pointed toward Russia
Describe Ethel + Julius Rosenberg:
- ammerican communists accused of passing info to the USSR regarding the atomic bomb
- electrocuted for espionage on June 18, 1953
Describe J. Edgar Hoover:
- directer of the FBI
- one of the most powerful men in American history
- kept surveillance on everyone
When was NATO established?
1949
What is NATO?
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- group of 32 countries from Europe and North America to protect each other
What was the Warsaw Pact?
- AKA Treaty of Friendship
- defense treaty among Soviet Union and 7 other Easter European countries
- signed May 14, 1944
Name the Warsaw Pact countries:
- Albania
- Bulgaria
- Czech
- Hungary
- East Germany
- Romania
- Poland
What was the Marshall Plan?
- AKA European Recovery Program named for Secretary of State George Marshall
- gave American aid to all European nations that need it for hunger, poverty, etc.
- $12.5 billion of US aid to Western + Eastern Europe, and USSR BUT WAS REJECTED!
What is NACA?
- National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
- created March 3, 1915
- studied non-military activities in space
- on January 31, 1958 the first American satellite went up called Explorer 1
What is NASA?
- National Aeronautics + Space Administration
- made on July 29, 1958 by Eisenhower
- had an annual budget of 100 million with 3 research labs and 2 test facilities
What was the Apollo Program?
- On July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong + Buzz Aldrin were the 1st men on the moon
- after 5 more missions, there were 6 more flights and 12 more men on the moon
Describe Sputnik 2:
- Soviets sent Laika (a dog) to space on November 3, 1957
Describe Sputnik 5:
- Soviets send 2 dogs, Belka and Strelka to space on August 19, 1960
Who was Yuri Gagarin?
- 1st cosmonaut or sailor of the universe on April 12, 1961
- traveled on Vostok 1 which orbited earth for 108 mins
What was the Sputnik Crisis?
congress perceived it as a threat to national security when Soviets launched the world’s first satellite
