Cold War Flashcards
1
Q
What was capitalism?
A
A more free government and lifestyle, showing that if you work hard, you will get a good job and earn good money
2
Q
What was communism?
A
Where everyone has an equal standard of life, but is a repetitive and depressing lifestyle
3
Q
What were some events in WW2 that may have led to the cold war?
A
The common enemy being eliminated
Western allies delayed D-day ( causing germany to firther damage the USSR )
4
Q
What is meant by a cold war?
A
A state of political hostility between countries characterized by threats, propaganda, and other measures
short of open warfare
5
Q
What were the two sides to the cold war?
A
USA VS USSR
6
Q
What were the things agreed at tehran?
A
The USA and Britain would open a second front by launching an attack on Germany in Western Europe
Stalin would declare war against Japan and supply Soviet troops to help the USA with the war against Japan but only once the war in europe was over
The big three agreed to split germany into 4 parts
7
Q
What were the disagreements at tehran?
A
Roosevelt saw britain colonising as more of a threat than the USSR
Stalin was suspicious that the western allies had delayed the second front to weaken the USSR
8
Q
What agreements were made at yalta?
A
Germany split into 4 zones. 20 million dollars payed in repercussions
United nations formed
Stalin would join war with japan once germany were defeated
Borders of poland were returned. Would have free elections
9
Q
What happened at potsdam?
A
Berlin would be split into 4 zones
Truman thought the amount of money germany had to pay was harsh
Truman objected to the control the soviets had over countries
Truman didnt want the polish borders to be given to the soviets
10
Q
Who wrote the long telegram?
A
George kennan
11
Q
What was in the long telegram?
A
Was said that stalin wanted to destroy capitalism and advised the us government to act tough
Caused the policy of containment to stop communism spreading
12
Q
Who wrote the novikov telegram?
A
Nikolai Novikov
13
Q
What was said in the Novikov telegram?
A
Usa might want to use their military to dominate the world
Since FDR’s death the usa no longer wanted to cooperate with the USSR
Made USSR get as much protection in eastern europe as possible
14
Q
What was the a-bomb?
A
The atom bomb
15
Q
What were some reasons to why the usa dropped the atom bomb on hiroshima and nagasaki?
A
To save more lives of more allied soldiers
To get revenge on japan
The show the world ( especially the USSR ) how powerful they were
They had to test it
16
Q
What was the marshall plan?
A
An American initiative to aid Western Europe, in which the united states gave 13 billion dollars
17
Q
What was the Truman Doctrine?
A
American foreign policy created to counter Soviet geopolitical expansion during the cold war
18
Q
What was Cominform?
A
International communist organization that advocated world communism
19
Q
What was comecon?
A
Economic organisation from 1949 1991, under the leadership of the Soviet Union.
20
Q
When was the berlin blockade?
A
1948-49
21
Q
What was the FRG?
A
Federal Republic of Germany ( west germany or the allies side of Germany )
1949
22
Q
What was the GDR?
A
German democratic republic ( east germany ) operated by the soviets
1949
23
Q
What was NATO?
A
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
The military alliance formed by the western allies
1949
24
Q
What was the Warsaw Pact?
A
The military alliance formed by the USSR containing the satelite states that the USSR operated
1955
25
What were the 2 blocs?
The eastern bloc ( USSR and their allies ( the warsaw pact ))
The western bloc ( US and their allies ( Nato ))
26
What was the arms race?
The race between the USSR and the US in trying to get the most amount of weapons and the most powerful weapons before the other ( usually nuclear weapons or bombs )
27
Conventional weapons
' Normal weapons ' - any weapon that is not nuclear, chemical or biological
28
MAD - mutually assured destruction
A military strategy, ensuring no state can use nuclear weapons without risk of being nuked themselves
29
Deterrent
A force that prevents something from happening
30
When did Stalin die?
1953
31
Who took over from Stalin when he died?
Nikita Khrushchev
32
Who took over from Truman?
Dwight Eisenhower
33
When was the Hungarian uprising?
1956
34
Why did the Hungarian uprising happen?
Because Nagy ( hungarian leader ) decided to pull out of the Warsaw Pact
35
What was Khrushchev's response to Nagy pulling out of the Warsaw Pact?
He didn't like this, and sent over 1000 Tanks into budapest but the hungarian troops put up a fight.
36
What was controversial about the hungarians asking for support?
The US rejected their request, mainly because they werent part of NATO
37
How many hungarians were killed?
Up to 20,000
38
Who replaced Nagy?
A man named Janos Kadar
39
What did Kadar promise Nagy?
That he and his followers would have a safe passage out of the embassy where they had hidden but when they left the soviets kidnapped them.
2 years later Nagy was executed.
40
Why did the berlin refugee crisis happen?
Because people living in the soviet zone were not happy with how they were living
41
What was the berlin ultimatum?
Khrushchev giving the western powers 6 months to agree to demilitarize and withdraw from berlin and make it a free city
42
What was the problem with this plan?
The USA, Britain and France would not leave unless if they were forced
43
Khrushchev threatened to hand over control of transport to the east berlin government. Why was this smart?
Because it would force the western powers to talk to the east german authorities and so force them to acknowledge east germany was a legitimate country
44
What happened at the geneva conference of 1959?
Both sides put proposals forward for how to manage berlin, but no agreements were made.
Eisenhower invited Khrushchev to the US for further talks.
Relations were neutral
45
What happened at the Camp David conference of 1959?
Eisenhower and Khrushchev met face to face for the first time.
No agreements were made about Berlin but the soviets agreed to withdraw from the berlin ultimatum.
Khrushchev didnt get what he wanted but relations remained neutral
46
What happened at the Paris conference in 1960?
The soviets shot down a us u2 spy plane.
The americans claimed it was a weather plan but the pilot admitted to being a spy.
Eisenhower was embarrased and didnt appologise and Khrushchev walked out of the conference.
Relations were made much worse
47
What happened in the Viena conference of 1961?
John F Kennedy was the new president and wanted to increase the US military and tried to resolve difficulties with the USSR.
Khrushchev believed that Kennedy was inexperienced and wanted to take advantage of him, but Kennedy didnt want to appear weak and so no decisions were made.
Relations were strained as Khrushchev didnt get what he wanted
48
What happened after the Vienna summit?
The refugee crisis worsened, and just in one day, 40000 east germans crossed to the west
49
Why was the berlin wall put up?
Because the refugee crisis was getting too out of hand and everyone from the east was leaving
50
How did putting up the wall make the soviets look?
It made them look weak, as they cant keep their own people in their own part of berlin
51
What were some consequences of the berlin wall?
Families and friends were divided for years on end
Over 130 people were killed trying to escape
52
How long was the berlin wall?
165 km
53
What type of things did it have in its defence system?
Barbed wire
Land mines
A watch tower
A death strip
Armed guards
54
When was the Ich bin ein berliner speech and who made it?
1963, John F Kennedy
55
When was the berlin wall put up?
It was being built from 1961 to 1969
56
Who was the leader of Cuba at the time?
Fidel Castro
57
How did Castro become leader?
Held a coup and overthrew the pro American government
58
What made there be tension between america and cuba?
Castro not wanting to trade with America or let them help him lead
59
What 3 times grew tension between Cuba and America?
The American government reluctantly recognised the new government, but refused to provide economic aid unless Cuba followed guidelines set out by the International Monetary Fund.
In May 1959, the Cuban government took over all land in Cuba owned by foreign nationals. It paid compensation to previous owners, but the US government refused to recognise the scheme. Castro took the land anyway.
Castro had already begun appointing communists to his government when, in February 1960, he made an agreement with the Soviet Union. Khrushchev agreed to buy Cuban sugar and provide economic aid.
There was also a secret clause saying that Cuba would receive arms from the Soviet Union.
60
What happened at the bay of pigs?
President Kennedy (who took over from Eisenhower in 1961) did not want a Communist ally so close to American territory. He therefore gave his support to a plan agreed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Eisenhower before he was elected.
The CIA suggested that a group of Cuban exiles could be trained to launch an invasion and overthrow Castro. Sending Cuban exiles would make the attack look like a Cuban counter-revolution, so the USA could claim not to have been involved.
On 17 April 1961, an invasion force of around 1,400 Cuban exiles landed at the 'Bay of Pigs' in Cuba.
61
Why did the US fail at the bay of pigs?
The volunteers had little military experience.
The USA wanted to present the attack as a Cuban effort to get rid of Castro.
Castro's government found out about the invasion plans.
The USA and the exile army wrongly assumed that most Cubans would support them.
62
What were the effects of the bay of pigs on international relations?
It made the US look weak as it was an embarrassment for them
US and USSR relations worsened as Castro and Khrushchev were close
This made the relations between Cuba and the USSR much stronger
63
Why did the Cuban missile crisis start?
An American U-2 fighter plane flew over Cuba and took pictures of what looked like USSR missiles in Cuba.
These missiles were easily in range of most of the US
64
Why did Khrushchev decide to put missiles in Cuba?
In Europe, NATO had missiles based in Turkey, just a short distance from the Soviet Union.
This would restore his authority from his failure of the Berlin wall
He put them there for self defence of Cuba
65
What did Kennedy do when the USSR ships were going to Cuba?
He created a blockade with ships and the USSR ships turned around
66
When was the cuban missile crisis?
1962
67
How long did the cuban missile crisis last?
13 days
68
16th october
Kennedy saw the photos of the missiles in cuba, and called the first EXCOMM meeting ( these were held every day over the 13 day period )
69
22nd october
Kennedy sets up a naval blockade to stop USSR ships getting to cuba. He calls this a " quarantine " instead of a " blockade " to prevent further altercations
70
24th october
Kennedy made a televised statement confirming the blockade of cuba
Khrushchev responded to Kennedy's message with a statement that the U.S. “blockade” was an “act of aggression” and that Soviet ships bound for Cuba would be ordered to proceed.
71
26 october
Kennedy told his advisors it appeared that only a U.S. attack on Cuba would remove the missiles
72
27 october
Khrushchev sent a message out to ask for the missiles to be removed from Turkey.
On the same day, a U.S. U–2 reconnaissance jet was shot down over Cuba.
73
28 october
Khrushchev issued a public statement that Soviet missiles would be dismantled and removed from Cuba
74
Who were " the hawks "
The American people in the cold war demanding military action
75
What was the secret agreement that happened on 28 october?
Kennedy's brother, Robert had met the Soviet ambassador in Washington the day before and agreed to remove missiles.
76
What were the consequences of the cuban missile crisis?
A direct communications line was set up ( hotline )
The test ban treaty
The outer space treaty
The Nuclear non proliferation treaty
77
What was the direct communications line / hotline?
A more efficient way of the US and USSR communicating with each other. It was much better than sending letters to each other
78
What was the test ban treaty?
The three states agreed to prohibit the testing of nuclear weapons in outer Space, underwater or in the atmosphere.
79
What was the outer space treaty?
The USA and Soviet Union agreed not to use Space for military purposes.
The treaty specifically ruled out putting nuclear weapons into orbit.
80
What was the Nuclear non proliferation treaty?
Was signed to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.
Countries that signed up to the treaty agreed not to share their nuclear technology with other countries.
81
What were the restrictions in the Czech republic in 1968?
There was no freedom of speech and radio, newspapers and television were censored.
82
Who was the new Czech leader in 1968?
Alexander Dubcek
83
What did Dubcek believe?
He thought citizens should be able to enjoy life, express their views in public and speak out against Communist Party decisions they did not like, without fear of being punished by the government.
84
What were Dubcek's reforms?
- Censorship was relaxed and criticism of government actions was allowed
• Trade unions were given wider powers and government control of industry was reduced.
• More power was given to the Czech regional governments.
• Trade with the West was increased.
• Czech people were given greater freedom to travel abroad.
• The idea of having multi-party elections was discussed, though Dubcek and other Communist leaders emphasised that this would not happen for many years.
85
Who replaced Khrushchev?
Leonid Brezhnev
86
What was Brezhnev's reaction to Dubcek's reforms / the Prague spring?
He was not happy with many of Dubcek's reforms, and was urging Dubcek not to endanger communism with his reforms
He also ordered Warsaw Pact troops to carry out manoeuvres in Czechoslovakia to threaten Dubcek.
87
What did Brezhnev eventually do?
On 20 August 1968, 500,000 Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia and ended the 'Prague Spring. There was little opposition to the invasion.
88
What happened to Dubcek after the invasion?
Dubcek was arrested, sent to Moscow and ordered to reverse his reforms.
Then in 1969 he was dismissed from office and replaced by Gustav Husak.
89
What was the Brezhnev doctrine?
If a country tried to alter their government or make reforms, then warsaw pact troops could be used to prevent this.
This also meant that no eastern bloc country could reject communism or leave the warsaw pact.
90
What is a detente?
A period of peace between two groups that were previously at war, or hostile to each other.
91
Why did the USSR and USA want a detente?
The US were struggling financially and militarily because of the Vietnam War
There was lots of sexist and racist segregation in the US
The Soviets were struggling economically and wanted to cut spending on weapons and put the money towards living standard
Both countries wanted better relationships with each other
92
What were the agreements made in SALT-1?
The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty stated that ABMs were allowed at only two sites. Each site should have a maximum of 100 missiles.
The Interim Treaty placed restrictions on the number of ICBMs and SLBMS each country could have.
The Basic Principles Agreement laid down rules for the conduct of nuclear warfare (such as banning the placing of warheads on the seabed) and set out steps for avoiding a nuclear war.
93
What were the weaknesses of SALT-1?
Nuclear war was still a massive possibility and threat
The treaty didn't cover the recent technological developments
94
What were the 3 baskets of the Helsinki accords?
European borders
International co-operation
Human rights
95
European borders Helsinki accords agreement
Borders are inviolable, they cannot be altered by force.
All boundaries of countries were accepted
96
International co-operation Helsinki accords agreement
We will continue to work for closer relations between Western and Soviet-controlled countries. This will include trade agreements, technology exchanges and a joint Space mission.
97
Human rights Helsinki accords agreements
We wil respect human rights and individual freedoms such as free speech, religion, and free movement across Europe.
98
What agreements would SALT-2 have consisted of?
restrictions on missile launchers and strategic bombers
a ban on testing or deploying new types of ICBM.
99
What were the signs that detente was starting to fade?
The Americans couldn't trust the Soviets
In November 1979, Islamic militants captured the American embassy in Tehran (capital of Iran). American diplomats and their families were publicly humiliated and more than 60 of them held hostage for 444 days. Many angry Americans wanted to see an end to détente and for America to restore its position as a powerful nation that took strong
measures against anyone threatening its interests.
President Carter's advisors were telling him to take a stronger stance on the Soviets
100
What ended detente?
Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, bringing the period of détente to an end.
101
Why did the Soviets invade Afghanistan?
The Iranian leader was toppled by a pro muslim government
The Soviets wanted to use Afghanistan as a buffer zone to stop Islamic beliefs spreading
102
What was the American reaction to the invasion of Afghanistan?
They believed that this was an example of the Soviets trying to spread communism
President Carter withdrew from SALT-2
103
What was the Carter Doctrine?
That if needed, the Americans would repel by force against the Soviets
104
What was the impact of the invasion of Afghanistan on relations?
Led to the official end of detente
A new American leader, Ronald Reagan would become president, who was much more firm on communism
105
What was known as the second Cold War?
The period after the end of detente
106
Olympics Moscow 1980 boycott
US boycotted this olympics, and so did 60 other nations.
This stopped the USSR trying to spread communism and was a very bad look for them
Some athletes didn't want to participate, so some events were very low quality
107
108
US olympics 1984 boycott
The Soviets boycotted this time, with only 15 other nations doing the same, compared to America's 60
This was a very bad look for the Soviets, showing that the US had more supporters than the USSR
109
What were Reagan's policies about communism?
Reagan's mind-set was made clear in a speech to a Christian group in 1983, in which he described the Soviet Union as an 'evil empire' and said that the USA represented the forces of 'good.
Reagan persuaded the US Congress to boost America's armed forces by increasing spending on arms. In 1982, 13% more was spent, with a further 8% in 1983 and 1984.
New weapons such as Trident submarines and Stealth bombers were developed.
He announced the 'Reagan Doctrine: the USA would not only support anti-communist governments, but also anti-communist groups trying to overthrow communist governments. In line with this doctrine, support was given to insurgent groups in Central American countries including El Salvador and Nicaragua.
110
What was Reagan's Strategic Defence Initiative?
This was where satellites with lasers would be sent out into orbit and shoot USSR missiles.
This was of course not true and was still years from being ready
In Moscow, the news of the development was a complete shock. The Soviet Union had devoted huge resources to catching up with American missile technology. Now their missiles would be redundant and a new system was needed.
111
Why was the strategic defence initiative a problem for the USSR?
They had spent all of their money catching the US in the arms race, and now their missiles had been made redundant
Their economy wasn't strong enough to keep up with the US
112
What was the problem with USSR'S leaders?
They tried to keep the leaders so that they were alive in the Russian revolution, meaning they were all old
This led to them dying within a few years of leading
113
What were the problems Gorbachev had to face?
Their economy was low due to mass spending on the arms race
There was low standards of living and a lack of human rights
114
What were some policies under Gorbachev's new thinking?
• Gorbachev proposed that the Soviet state and economy should be reformed to include some of the practices that made capitalism successful. This was called perestroika
• There should also be more openness and less corruption in government. People should not need to fear the state or fear expressing their opinions. This policy of glasnost would allow opposition to the government and give the people a better understanding of how the country was run.
• The Brezhnev Doctrine, which had dominated the Soviet Union's relations with its satellite states and the West since the time of the 'Prague Spring', would now be dropped. The Soviet Union would no longer get involved in the domestic affairs of other communist countries.
• The Soviet Union would reduce spending on arms and defence and withdraw from Afghanistan.
115
Peresroika
Russian for 'reconstruction. It was used in the Gorbachev era to describe his programme for reorganising and restructuring the Soviet state.
116
Glastnost
Russian for'openness' or 'transparency'. In the 1980s and 1990s, it was used to describe Gorbachev's new, more open,
attitude to government and foreign relations.
117
What was the American's response to Gorbachev's new thinking?
Because of what Gorbachev wanted, this gave Reagan an opportunity to end the Cold war whilst ending communism
118
Geneva summit 1985
Gorbachev and Reagan met for the first time.
No formal agreements but Reagan and Gorbachev established a good working relationship, and a mutual desire to improve relations between their countries.
119
Reykjavik summit 1986
Gorbachev proposed phasing out nuclear weapons if the Americans gave up their SDI program.
Both leaders knew that the Americans could not agree to give up SDI. Once again, the meeting broke up with no formal agreement but an improvement in relations.
120
Washington summit 1987
Gorbachev had now accepted that the Americans were not going to scrap SDI, and that his country's best interests lay in agreements on disarmament, reducing spending on weapons and better relations with the West.
This was the first US-Soviet summit to lead to the signing of a formal treaty - the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty. The treaty said that both countries would abolish all land-based missiles with a range of 500-5,500 km.
121
Moscow summit 1988
In this summit, some complex detail related to the INF treaty was resolved. Later in the year, Gorbachev travelled to the USA, where he made a speech at the United Nations announcing a reduction in Warsaw Pact troops and that Soviet forces would leave Afghanistan.
122
Malta summit 1989
At Malta, Gorbachev met with the new American president, George Bush.
No new agreements were made, but both the USA and the Soviet Union saw this meeting as marking the end of the Cold War.
123
What happened as a result of Gorbachev ending the Brezhnev doctrine?
Over 10 nations left the USSR and were now individual countries, despite the fact that Gorbachev said the people pf these countries would have more freedom and a better standard of living
124
What was the significance of the fall of the Berlin wall?
On a personal level, for many citizens of East and West Germany, the fall of the Berlin Wall meant they could be reunited with relatives and friends who they had not seen for almost 30 years.
This was the final symbol for the end of the Cold war
125
What was the significance of the end of the Warsaw Pact?
Because of all of the countries leaving the Warsaw pact, it had to be collapsed, as there was barely anyone left in it.
Now europe had been reunited as they were no longer any separation between the east and the west
126
127
What was the significance for the end of the Cold war?
Satellite states gained independence for the first time in decades
Gorbachev fell from power which then led to the break up of the soviet union
