Cold War Flashcards

1
Q

Cold War?

A

Intense rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States, that lasted for 50 years. They competed for power around the world.

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2
Q

Why did the U.S. and Britain distrust the Soviet Union?

A

They disliked the communist rejection of religion and private property.

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3
Q

What did the Soviet Union want to overthrow?

A

Overthrow noncommunist governments.

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4
Q

Why did the Soviet Union distrust the U.S.?

A

They feared that the U.S. would use its military power to attack the Soviet Union

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5
Q

What did Soviet Armies do before WWII?

A

Drove back German forces into Germany

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6
Q

What did Stalin promise, but then later broke?

A

Hold free elections as soon as possible in Eastern Europe nations.

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7
Q

Satellite Nation?

A

One that is dominated politically and economically by a more powerful nation

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8
Q

What was in each satellite nation and what happened to protesting citizens?

A

In each satellite nation, the Soviets backed harsh dictators. Citizens who protested were imprisoned or killed.

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9
Q

Containment?

A

Keep Soviet influence contained within existing boundaries

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10
Q

What did President Truman ask Congress for?

A

$400 million in military and economic aid for Greece and Turkey

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11
Q

What was Greece and Turkey able to do, with the help of the U.S.?

A

Hold of communist threats

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12
Q

Truman Doctrine?

A

Program to encourage nations to resist communist expansion

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13
Q

What did WWII leave Europe like?

A

Left Europe’s homes, roads, and factories in ruins.

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14
Q

Who was George Marshall, what did he do, and what did he see?

A

Secretary of State George Marshall toured Europe, he saw millions of homeless, hungry refugees.

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15
Q

Marshall Plan?

A

Plan to help rebuild Europe. The plan provided more than $12 billion in aid to Western European countries. The plan helped reduce the threat of communist revolutions in Europe.

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16
Q

What did the Allies do to Germany after the war?

A

The Allies divided Germany into four zones

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17
Q

What were the four zones?

A

American, British, French, and Soviet troops each occupied a zone

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18
Q

When and what did U.S., Britain, and France want to do?

A

1948, they wanted to reunite the zones

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19
Q

What did Stalin feel about the plan and why did he feel this way?

A

Stalin opposed the plan because a reunited Germany would be a threat to the Soviet Union

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20
Q

What did Stalin do?

A

Closed all roads, railway lines, and river routes connecting Berlin with West Germany.

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21
Q

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)?

A

U.S. set up alliances with friendly nations to contain Soviet influence.

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22
Q

What was the goal of NATO?

A

To defend Western Europe against any Soviet threat.

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23
Q

Warsaw Pact?

A

Formed by the Soviet Union, the Soviets dominated their neighbors forcing them to follow its policies.

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24
Q

United Nations?

A

World organization established to provide peaceful resolutions to international conflicts.

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25
Q

What did each UN member have?

A

At the UN every member has a seat where problems can be discussed.

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26
Q

What di the U.S. and the Soviet Union agree on after WWII ended?

A

They agreed to a temporary division of Korea at the 38th parallel.

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27
Q

38th Parallel?

A

Line dividing North and South Korea.

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28
Q

What did U.S. support?

A

Supported South Korea, a noncommunist government

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29
Q

What did Soviet Union support?

A

The communist government of North Korea

30
Q

What did North Korean troops do and what happened?

A

Swept across the 38th parallel into South Korea. Within a few days North Korea occupied Seoul, South Korea

31
Q

What did President Truman ask the United Nations?

A

To send a military force to Korea.

32
Q

Who did Truman chose and what also happened?

A

Truman chose General Douglas MacArthur to lead, 16 other nations joined the action, 80% of the troops were American

33
Q

What did Fidel Castro do in 1959?

A

Led a revolution that set up s communist state in Cuba

34
Q

What did Castro’s government do?

A

Took over private companies, including many owned by American businesses, thousands of Cubans fled to the U.S.

35
Q

What did the Soviet Union supply Cuba with?

A

Large amounts of aid

36
Q

What did President John F. Kennedy do in 1961?

A

Approved a plan for Cuban exiles to overthrow Castro

37
Q

What happened after Kennedy’s approval of the plan?

A

A force of about 1200 Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs on Cuba’s south coast, Castro’s forces quickly rounded up and jailed the invaders.

38
Q

The Bay of Pigs?

A

Invasion that strengthened Castro in Cuba and embarrassed the U.S.

39
Q

What did the U.S learn in Oct. 1962?

A

The Soviets were secretly building Atomic missile bases in Cuba

40
Q

What did President Kennedy announce?

A

U.S warships would stop any Soviet ship heading toward Cuba

41
Q

What did the Soviet Union later agree on?

A

Move missiles from Cuba. In turn, the U.S promised not to invade the island

42
Q

Ho Chi Minh?

A

A Vietnamese nationalist and communist, had led the fight for independence. Ho’s army defeated the French in 1954

43
Q

What did the International peace conference do to Vietnam?

A

Divide it up into two countries

44
Q

What were the two new countries and who were they run by?

A

North Vietnam- Ho Chi Minh

South Vietnam- Ngo Dinh Diem

45
Q

What did many South Vietnamese think of Diem?

A

Thought that Diem favored wealthy landlords and was corrupt

46
Q

What happened as discontent grew?

A

Many peasants joined the Vietcong-guerrillas who opposed Diem

47
Q

What happened in time?

A

The Vietcong became communist and were supported by North Vietnam

48
Q

Domino theory?

A

U.S. believed if South Vietnam fell to communism, other countries in the region would follow- like a row of falling dominoes.

49
Q

What did President Eisenhower and Kennedy do?

A

Sent financial aid and military advisers to South Vietnam to help train the South Vietnamese army.

50
Q

What did Americans do for the first time?

A

Americans watched a war on television, they saw villages burned, children and old people caught in battle, and soldiers wounded or killed.

51
Q

Draft?

A

System of mandatory enlistment

52
Q

What did many young middle-class men do?

A

found ways to avoid the draft, such as attending college

53
Q

What happened by the mid 1960’s?

A

Many began to protest the war

54
Q

Hawks?

Doves?

A

1) Supported the war

2) Opposed the war

55
Q

Tet?

A

Vietnamese New Years holiday

56
Q

What did the Vietcong do in Jan. 1968?

A

Launched surprise attacks on cities throughout South Vietnam

57
Q

What were America and South Vietnamese forces able to do?

A

Push back the enemy

58
Q

What did the Tet Offensive show?

A

Even with a half a million American troops, no part of South Vietnam was safe

59
Q

What happened with President Johnson and Richard Nixon?

A

President Johnson did not seek reelection. That year, Richard Nixon was elected on a pledge to end the war.

60
Q

What did Nixon do?

A

Began to turn the war over to South Vietnam and withdrew American troops.

61
Q

What happened on Jan. 1973?

A

The two sides reached a cease-fire agreement

62
Q

What happened on April 1975?

A

Communist forces captured Saigon and renamed it Ho Chi Minh City

63
Q

What happened to Vietnam?

A

Became united under a communist government

64
Q

What did the Soviet Union do in 1957?

A

Launched Sputnik, worlds first artificial satellite.

65
Q

What was Americans concern?

A

If the Soviets had a rocket powerful enough to launch a satellite, could their tickets armed with atomic weapons reach the U.S.

66
Q

National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)?

A

Mission: to direct an American space program to compete with the Soviets

67
Q

Detente?

A

Policy to reduce tensions between two countries

68
Q

What does President Nixon do?

A

Visits the Soviet Union and China in an effort to reduce tensions

69
Q

How did Detente ease tensions?

A

Establishing more trade and other contracts between the superpowers

70
Q

SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks)?

A

Treaty to limit the number of nuclear warheads and missiles

71
Q

What increased between the U.S. and the Soviet Union?

A

Trade increased. Astronauts conducted a joint space mission