Cold War Flashcards
Cold War?
Intense rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States, that lasted for 50 years. They competed for power around the world.
Why did the U.S. and Britain distrust the Soviet Union?
They disliked the communist rejection of religion and private property.
What did the Soviet Union want to overthrow?
Overthrow noncommunist governments.
Why did the Soviet Union distrust the U.S.?
They feared that the U.S. would use its military power to attack the Soviet Union
What did Soviet Armies do before WWII?
Drove back German forces into Germany
What did Stalin promise, but then later broke?
Hold free elections as soon as possible in Eastern Europe nations.
Satellite Nation?
One that is dominated politically and economically by a more powerful nation
What was in each satellite nation and what happened to protesting citizens?
In each satellite nation, the Soviets backed harsh dictators. Citizens who protested were imprisoned or killed.
Containment?
Keep Soviet influence contained within existing boundaries
What did President Truman ask Congress for?
$400 million in military and economic aid for Greece and Turkey
What was Greece and Turkey able to do, with the help of the U.S.?
Hold of communist threats
Truman Doctrine?
Program to encourage nations to resist communist expansion
What did WWII leave Europe like?
Left Europe’s homes, roads, and factories in ruins.
Who was George Marshall, what did he do, and what did he see?
Secretary of State George Marshall toured Europe, he saw millions of homeless, hungry refugees.
Marshall Plan?
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.
What did the Allies do to Germany after the war?
The Allies divided Germany into four zones
What were the four zones?
American, British, French, and Soviet troops each occupied a zone
When and what did U.S., Britain, and France want to do?
1948, they wanted to reunite the zones
What did Stalin feel about the plan and why did he feel this way?
Stalin opposed the plan because a reunited Germany would be a threat to the Soviet Union
What did Stalin do?
Closed all roads, railway lines, and river routes connecting Berlin with West Germany.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)?
U.S. set up alliances with friendly nations to contain Soviet influence.
What was the goal of NATO?
To defend Western Europe against any Soviet threat.
Warsaw Pact?
Formed by the Soviet Union, the Soviets dominated their neighbors forcing them to follow its policies.
United Nations?
World organization established to provide peaceful resolutions to international conflicts.
What did each UN member have?
At the UN every member has a seat where problems can be discussed.
What di the U.S. and the Soviet Union agree on after WWII ended?
They agreed to a temporary division of Korea at the 38th parallel.
38th Parallel?
Line dividing North and South Korea.
What did U.S. support?
Supported South Korea, a noncommunist government
What did Soviet Union support?
The communist government of North Korea
What did North Korean troops do and what happened?
Swept across the 38th parallel into South Korea. Within a few days North Korea occupied Seoul, South Korea
What did President Truman ask the United Nations?
To send a military force to Korea.
Who did Truman chose and what also happened?
Truman chose General Douglas MacArthur to lead, 16 other nations joined the action, 80% of the troops were American
What did Fidel Castro do in 1959?
Led a revolution that set up s communist state in Cuba
What did Castro’s government do?
Took over private companies, including many owned by American businesses, thousands of Cubans fled to the U.S.
What did the Soviet Union supply Cuba with?
Large amounts of aid
What did President John F. Kennedy do in 1961?
Approved a plan for Cuban exiles to overthrow Castro
What happened after Kennedy’s approval of the plan?
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.
The Bay of Pigs?
Invasion that strengthened Castro in Cuba and embarrassed the U.S.
What did the U.S learn in Oct. 1962?
The Soviets were secretly building Atomic missile bases in Cuba
What did President Kennedy announce?
U.S warships would stop any Soviet ship heading toward Cuba
What did the Soviet Union later agree on?
Move missiles from Cuba. In turn, the U.S promised not to invade the island
Ho Chi Minh?
A Vietnamese nationalist and communist, had led the fight for independence. Ho’s army defeated the French in 1954
What did the International peace conference do to Vietnam?
Divide it up into two countries
What were the two new countries and who were they run by?
North Vietnam- Ho Chi Minh
South Vietnam- Ngo Dinh Diem
What did many South Vietnamese think of Diem?
Thought that Diem favored wealthy landlords and was corrupt
What happened as discontent grew?
Many peasants joined the Vietcong-guerrillas who opposed Diem
What happened in time?
The Vietcong became communist and were supported by North Vietnam
Domino theory?
U.S. believed if South Vietnam fell to communism, other countries in the region would follow- like a row of falling dominoes.
What did President Eisenhower and Kennedy do?
Sent financial aid and military advisers to South Vietnam to help train the South Vietnamese army.
What did Americans do for the first time?
Americans watched a war on television, they saw villages burned, children and old people caught in battle, and soldiers wounded or killed.
Draft?
System of mandatory enlistment
What did many young middle-class men do?
found ways to avoid the draft, such as attending college
What happened by the mid 1960’s?
Many began to protest the war
Hawks?
Doves?
1) Supported the war
2) Opposed the war
Tet?
Vietnamese New Years holiday
What did the Vietcong do in Jan. 1968?
Launched surprise attacks on cities throughout South Vietnam
What were America and South Vietnamese forces able to do?
Push back the enemy
What did the Tet Offensive show?
Even with a half a million American troops, no part of South Vietnam was safe
What happened with President Johnson and Richard Nixon?
President Johnson did not seek reelection. That year, Richard Nixon was elected on a pledge to end the war.
What did Nixon do?
Began to turn the war over to South Vietnam and withdrew American troops.
What happened on Jan. 1973?
The two sides reached a cease-fire agreement
What happened on April 1975?
Communist forces captured Saigon and renamed it Ho Chi Minh City
What happened to Vietnam?
Became united under a communist government
What did the Soviet Union do in 1957?
Launched Sputnik, worlds first artificial satellite.
What was Americans concern?
If the Soviets had a rocket powerful enough to launch a satellite, could their tickets armed with atomic weapons reach the U.S.
National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)?
Mission: to direct an American space program to compete with the Soviets
Detente?
Policy to reduce tensions between two countries
What does President Nixon do?
Visits the Soviet Union and China in an effort to reduce tensions
How did Detente ease tensions?
Establishing more trade and other contracts between the superpowers
SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks)?
Treaty to limit the number of nuclear warheads and missiles
What increased between the U.S. and the Soviet Union?
Trade increased. Astronauts conducted a joint space mission
