Cold War Flashcards
(35 cards)
What was the primary ideological conflict during the Cold War?
The primary ideological conflict was between capitalism, led by the United States, and communism, led by the Soviet Union.
What did Gorbachev’s glasnost show for?
dissidents like Bukharin during Stalin’s time were declared innocent, there was freedom of press in Pravda allowing dissent of the govt, important political moments were televised, anti govt literature and films were released, freedom in news reporting so that public opinion could be mobilized for the improvement of the working of the govt.
Gorbachev’s policies were?
Glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring of the party, economy, govt)
Which event is often cited as the start of the Cold War?
The Iron Curtain speech by Winston Churchill in 1946.
What doctrine did the United States adopt to counter Soviet expansion?
The Truman Doctrine.
Immediate cause for the Cold war?
Communist takeover of the coalition state of Czechoslovakia. When the communists were losing ground and being blamed for the economic crisis, they staged a coup and overthrew the coalition govt, killed Masaryk and Benes resigned making it a fully communist state and completing the iron curtain.
Which two countries were involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis?
The United States and the Soviet Union.
Multiple Choice: What was the main goal of the Berlin Blockade? A) To promote democracy B) To force the Allies out of Berlin C) To establish trade routes
B) To force the Allies out of Berlin
What was the significance of the Warsaw Pact?
It was a military alliance of communist countries in Eastern Europe, established in response to NATO.
What caused the Cold War?
- Ideological Differences (private capitalism & collectively owned centrally planned communism)
- Stalin’s foreign policies (occupying german land)
- British and American hostility
What was the main purpose of NATO?
To provide collective defense against aggression, particularly from the Soviet Union.
Economy during Gorbachev ?
small scale pvt enterprises were allowed like family businesses, car repaid shops, clothing shops etc. which aimed to provide competition for slow state resources and provide alternate jobs due to computerization
Fill in the blank: The _____ was a military standoff in 1962 that brought the world close to nuclear war.
Cuban Missile Crisis
What was the primary goal of the U.S. policy of containment?
To prevent the spread of communism beyond its existing borders.
Which event marked the end of the Cold War?
The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Which two countries were divided by the Iron Curtain?
East Germany and West Germany.
Russian response to the ERP?
Russia responded to the ERP with the Communist Information Bureau which aimed to strengthen the bond between the Communist satellites (industrialized, centralized, collectivized) who were encouraged to trade among themselves exclusively, Yugoslavia expelled. Molotov Plan was the financial aid and Council of Mutual Economic Assistance coordinated their economic policies.
Truman Doctrine ?
Truman announced that USA would aid free people resisting subjugation from armed minorities or outside pressures. Greece received a massive supply of arms and Turkey received aid of about 60million dollars. All to contain communism.
Marshall Plan?
George Marshall’s European Recovery Programme involved offering aid to countries battling with poverty, hunger, desperation. Western Europe had suffered a heavy blow with these issues. Although the humanitarian plan aimed to provide lucrative markets for American exports, it was more about reducing probability of communism growing in a flourishing economy.
Why did Russians detest the Marshall Plan?
Rather than seeing it as an opportunity, Russia saw this as dollar imperialism and was infuriated that wetern powers were interfering their sphere of influence in east europe. No eastern european state was allowed to take advantage of it.
Who attended the Yalta Conference?
Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill
Clauses of the Yalta Conference of 1945?
- UN to replace LON
- Germany to be divided into British, Russian and American zones. Same to Austria
- Free elections to be allowed in East Europe
- Russia’s agreement to fight against Japan for Sakhalin Islands and part of Manchuria.
What was the purpose of the Berlin Wall?
To prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin.
Multiple Choice: The term ‘Détente’ refers to: A) Increased tension B) Easing of relations C) Military escalation
B) Easing of relations
