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US History > Cold War > Flashcards

Cold War Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a Satellite State?

A

Independent nation under the control of a more powerful nation

Soviet Union

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2
Q

What was the Cold War?

A

Struggle in which the US and Soviet Union became rivals but never fought directly in military combat

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3
Q

What was the Iron Curtain?

A

Imaginary barrier separating Soviet-controlled countries and the free world

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4
Q

What was the Truman Doctrine?

A

President Truman’s policy to aid nation’s struggling against communism

Sent money to Greece and Turkey— they weren’t allowed to accept it by the USSR

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5
Q

What was Containment?

A

The U.S. policy that decided to contain the communist threat rather than declare war

Keep communism contained within its existing borders

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6
Q

What was the Marshall Plan?

A

U.S. aid program to help Western Europe rebuild after WWII

Part of the Truman Doctrine

Provided food, fuel, and raw materials to help rebuild war-torn cities and towns.

Sent $13 billion to Western Europe

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7
Q

What was the Berlin Airlift?

A

Operation in which the United States and Britain broke the Soviet blockade of West Berlin

Blockade created in an attempt to capture West Berlin

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8
Q

What was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)?

A

Military alliance to counter Soviet expansion

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9
Q

What was the Warsaw Pact?

A

Rival military alliance formed by the Soviet Union and its Satellite States

Formed in response to the Berlin Airlift and NATO efforts within it

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10
Q

What were the postwar goals of the US/Britain and the USSR?

A

U.S./Britain: Strong, united Germany
Independence for nations of Eastern Europe

USSR:
Weak, divided Germany
Maintain Soviet control of Eastern Europe

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11
Q

What led to the Big Three alliance crumbling?

A

The Big Three met at Yalta and Stalin agreed to allow free elections in Eastern Europe, but none were ever held.

The Big Three met again in Potsdam and the U.S. and Britain asked Stalin to confirm his commitment on free elections, but Stalin refused

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12
Q

When did the Cold War begin?

A

When the Big Three crumbled at Potsdam in 1945

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13
Q

What major idea was the Cold War over?

A

The USSR were determined to spread communism to other lands

The US was determined to stop them
Priority became to contain communist expansion

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14
Q

What happened to Germany after WWII?

A

Germany was divided into four zones

West Germany: divided into zones controlled by the US, Britain, and France

East Germany: Soviet zone

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15
Q

How did West Berlin differ from the East?

A

West: prosperity, freedom

East: bleak, communism

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16
Q

Who was Jiang Jieshi?

A

Nationalist leader in China

Supported by US

17
Q

Who was Mao Zedong?

A

Communist leader in China

Supported by Soviet Union

18
Q

What was the 38th Parallel?

A

Dividing line between North and South Korea

19
Q

Who was Douglas MacArthur?

A

WWII hero who commanded American troops in South Korea

20
Q

What is a limited war?

A

War fought to achieve only specific goals

21
Q

What was the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)?

A

Defensive alliance aimed at preventing the spread of communism in Southeast Asia

22
Q

How did Jiang’s government fall?

A

Nationalist generals were reluctant to fight
Corruption was rampant

Mao built support by promising food to the starving population

Jiang fled to Taiwan in 1949

Mao took control: People’s Republic of China

23
Q

What happened in June 1950?

A

North Korean troops armed with Soviet equipment crossed the 38th parallel and attacked South Korea
Took over much of the peninsula

24
Q

How did South Korea respond to the invasion?

A

US and other UN countries arrived to help South Korean forces

Halted retreat near Pusan

MacArthur advised a counterattack
Surprise landing at Inchon helped UN forces push back North Korea to the Chinese border

25
Q

What happened after MacArthur’s counterattack/North Korean retreat?

A

China sent 300,000 troops across the border into North Korea and attacked US and South Korean positions

UN troops were forced to retreat
Retreat to the 37th Parallel

26
Q

What were the differing opinions on dealing with Korea and what ended up happening?

A

MacArthur: favored invading China to win a total victory

Truman: limited war to help stabilize South Korea

UN forces secured their positions back at the 38th Parallel
Stalemate began: ceasefire, still active today

27
Q

What were the lasting effects of the Korean War on the US?

A

Military spending increased
Military commitments increased worldwide
SEATO contained communism in Asia
Future presidents sent the military into combat without Congressional approval

28
Q

What was the Arms Race?

A

Race in which countries compete to build more powerful weapons

Soviet Union tested an atomic bomb— Truman ordered the development of the first Hydrogen bomb 1,000x more powerful,
The next year, USSR made their own

29
Q

What was Mutually Assured Destruction?

A

Policy in which the US and the Soviet Union hoped to deter nuclear war by building up enough weapons to destroy each other

30
Q

Who was John Foster Dulles?

A

Diplomat and Secretary of State under President Eisenhower

Helped to stockpile nuclear weapons

31
Q

What was Massive Retaliation?

A

Policy of threatening to use massive force in response to aggression

32
Q

What was Brinkmanship?

A

Belief that only by going to the brink of war could the US prevent war

33
Q

Who was Nikita Khrushchev?

A

Leader of the Soviet Union after Stalin’s death

34
Q

What does it mean to Nationalize?

A

To place under government control

35
Q

What was the Suez crisis?

A

Crisis in which Britain and France attempted to seize control of the Suez control from Egypt

36
Q

What was the Eisenhower Doctrine?

A

President Eisenhower’s policy that stated the US would use force to help nations threatened by communism

37
Q

What was the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)?

A

American intelligence-gathering organization

38
Q

What was the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)?

A

American organization that coordinates the space-related efforts of scientists and the military

US History (17 decks)

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