Cold War Flashcards
Who were the two groups fighting in the cold war?
Soviet Union & US army
Definition of Cold War
A conflict through threat, pressure, propaganda and espionage
What are regarded as the proper weapons of the Cold War?
- Economic competition (money)
- The arms race (weapons + military prowess)
- Alliances amongst countries
- Conflict between smaller nations
What type of government did America view Russia as having during the Cold War?
An evil and brutal kind of government that was corrupted by communist ideas
What America think Russia would do?
Spread their communist ideas across powerful nations (w/ propaganda)
How did the Soviet Union perceive America during the Cold War?
Convinced that America and the capitalist world were their enemies
What characterises the relationship between America and the Soviet Union during CW?
Mutually fear and suspicion, both were worried that they may use military power to attack
What was the trigger for conflict between the countries?
Marked by differing ideologies
What was the Communist belief of Russia?
- Represents a superior socio-economic system
- Attempt to overthrow capitalist ‘threats’
- Needed strong state control over its citizens to ensure political and economy superiority
What was the American POV?
- Communism was a threat to democracy and fair voting
- Belief that if one country fell to communism, many would follow
- Use of high military ability
- Used high increase of propaganda to support democracy and capitalism
What is the key element of countries political self interest?
Security of the country
How do countries often enforce security in their country?
Military, economically and diplomatically
What does the US believe in?
DEMOCRACY = the rights and private property of individuals
What did the USSR believe in?
COMMUNIST = ideals of Karl Marx (marxism) opposing the private property and believing the state is more important than the individual
What was one main thing the US and USSR agreed on during the Cold War that made them cautious?
They both had large ownership over atomic nuclear weapons and thus both were aware that if one of them used it, both would be eradicated/destroyed (hence the cold war meaning as it was attempted peace and negotiating)
What was the no. 1 threat of the Cold War ?
The threat that one of the countries would use nuclear weapons on the other
What was the economic element of the Cold War?
As nuclear weapons were not in use, both countries used money to stock on nuclear weapons and pay off countries who they wanted on their side (in the case of their being another war)
What was the space race?
The space race was an economic competition to get to space faster. Both made it, with America making it to the moon (w/ some skepticism)
What was the role of media in the Cold War?
The US and USSR spent money to create propaganda regarding the oppositions political position. It was an attempt to paint ones own beliefs in a good light whilst painting the other poorly (evilly)
Which countries had become communist following Wk 2?
- Czechoslovakia
- Poland
- Hungary
- China
- Cuba
- North Korea
What’s the ‘iron curtain’?
Refers to the division between Western Europe (democratic/capitalism) and Eastern Europe (communist influence)
Following WW2, what happened to Germany?
Split in two; East Germany became another communist country whilst West Germany didn’t
How many zones was Germany split into following WW2? Who did they belong to?
East = Soviet Zone
West = British, French, American
What city in Germany was split again amongst the 4?
Berlin
What was the Truman Doctrine (March 1947) promising?
That America would support free people and would avoid persecution from outside pressures
Why was the Truman Doctrine developed?
Truman had been horrified by the policy of appeasement and was determined to stand up to the Soviets
What did the ‘Marshall Plan’ do?
Offered huge sums to enable the economy of Europe and rebuild following WW2; aim to reject the appeal of Communism
What did the Soviet Union prevent Eastern Europe from doing?
Receiving American Money
What was the ‘Berlin Blockage/Airlift’?
Attempt to starve West Berliners into submitting to the communists
What were both sides aware Berlin could be?
A trigger for general war between capitalists and communists countries
Why was the Marshall Plan put in place?
Following the war, many countries were in economic turmoil. The Marshall Plan (directed by State George Marshall) would provide food, machinery and other materials rebuilt Western Europe.
What was the post-reference from the western side regarding the Berlin Blockage?
Western Europe’s fear grew radically as they worried about the Soviet’s aggression
What was the space race?
Late 1950s: US & USSR competition as an attempt to get to outer space first (get to the moon 1st). Race for who had the best technological superiority
What was the trigger for the Cold War?
August 1955 when the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik (1st satellite)
Proxy Wars
The battles/feuds between smaller allied countries to avoid a larger scale war
Where did the US bomb to warn USSR of their power?
Hiroshima, Nagasaki
When did the Korean Proxy War occur?
1950 - 1953
What was the Korean proxy war?
China & North Korea (w/ Soviet aid) fought against the US & South
What perspectives did South Korea & North Korea have during Cold war?
SK = Capitalist (US allie)
NK = Communist (Soviet allie)
What occurred during the Korean Proxy war?
Korea was split into two (bottom: South Korea, top: North Korea)
What occurred June 25th 1950 in the Korean Proxy war?
North launched surprise invasion taking Seoul in 3 days
What was the UN response to the Korean war?
They created a grp made up of 16 countries that would help defend South Korea. The West helped push the North Koreans out and continue up into North Korea
When the UN intervened on the Korean War, what was China’s view?
They were fearful that the UN would just keep on going and thus try to attack into China
What happened towards the end of the Korean war?
The Chinese got involved and as such went to attack. As both sides were too worried to use nuclear weapons, they were at a stale mate, starting back in the same position as before
Who replaced Stalin?
Nikita Khrushchev
What was Khrushchev theory and method?
De-stalinsation = the removal of statues, towns would change names, he would allow greater freedom
What was a flaw of Khrushchev?
Started banning things he did not like and made it illegal to participate in things
What was a key method during the reign of Khrushchev & Isenhoward?
Espionage (spying) = attempt to discover secrets & weapons./ surveillance from the skies (photography of bases)
What was the ‘Warsaw Pact”?
Defence treaty established by the Soviet Union and seven Eastern Europe countries under the Soviet control
What are the seven Eastern countries apart of the Warsaw Pact (excluding USSR)?
- Albania
- Bulgaria
- Czechoslovakia
- East Germany
- Hungary
- Poland
- Romania
When was NATO established?
1949
What was the aim of NATO?
To protect people and territory of it’s members. As a result of fear against the Soviet oppression, NATO was intends to guarantee the freedom and security it’s members through political and military means.
How many nations were a part of NATO?
12 in 1949
Detente
A period within a war where two conflicting countries have peace for a given period of time
What was Truman’s strategy to the blockade created by the Soviets?
To fly resources and materials by plane into the western side of Berlin
What was the SALT agreement?
The US and USSR had agreed on the limit of nuclear missiles in their ownership. Decrease use of nuclear power across the nations
Order the presidents in Cold War?
1) Harry Truman
2) Dwight Eisenhower
3) John.F Kennedy
4) Lyndon Johnson
5) Richard Nixon
6) Gerald Ford
7) Jimmy Carter
8) Ronald Reagan
9) George Bush
Order the Russian presidents of the Cold War
1) Lenin
2) Stalin
3) Khrushchev
4) Brezhnev
5) Gorbachev
What was ping-pong diplomacy?
Tensions between China and America declined as a highly publised game of Table Tennis was made on air
What occurred to trigger the Vietnam war?
North & South split through communist and capitalism ideologies. The attack from the Vietcong (who participated in Guerrilla warfare) to persuade Southerners to convert
What was Gorbachev’s POV?
Who were the Vietcong?
A military grp that fought against South Vietnam using guerrilla warfare
What was America fearful about in relation to Vietnam? What did they do?
That is South Vietnam were to fall ‘victim’ to communist belief, that many other countries would follow suit (countries to which provided extensive resources).
Sent military armies from the US (through drafting) to fight against the North
What did the USSR and US agree on following the Vietnam war?
They would not directly inflict conflict but would utilise proxy wars to succeed
What was the Cuban Missile Crisis?
A nuclear threat that put the world on the brink of World War, whereby the USSR transported missiles to Cuba in order to be within space of bombing. America and USSR resolved this through the removal of both missiles
What were Easterner POV on Marshall Plan?
They were envious
Two sides of China that fought with one another?
Liberation of China and Republican
