Cold War Flashcards
What is a Satellite State?
Independent nation under the control of a more powerful nation
Soviet Union
What was the Cold War?
Struggle in which the US and Soviet Union became rivals but never fought directly in military combat
What was the Iron Curtain?
Imaginary barrier separating Soviet-controlled countries and the free world
What was the Truman Doctrine?
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
What was Containment?
The U.S. policy that decided to contain the communist threat rather than declare war
Keep communism contained within its existing borders
What was the Marshall Plan?
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
What was the Berlin Airlift?
Operation in which the United States and Britain broke the Soviet blockade of West Berlin
Blockade created in an attempt to capture West Berlin
What was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)?
Military alliance to counter Soviet expansion
What was the Warsaw Pact?
Rival military alliance formed by the Soviet Union and its Satellite States
Formed in response to the Berlin Airlift and NATO efforts within it
What were the postwar goals of the US/Britain and the USSR?
U.S./Britain: Strong, united Germany
Independence for nations of Eastern Europe
USSR:
Weak, divided Germany
Maintain Soviet control of Eastern Europe
What led to the Big Three alliance crumbling?
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
When did the Cold War begin?
When the Big Three crumbled at Potsdam in 1945
What major idea was the Cold War over?
The USSR were determined to spread communism to other lands
The US was determined to stop them
Priority became to contain communist expansion
What happened to Germany after WWII?
Germany was divided into four zones
West Germany: divided into zones controlled by the US, Britain, and France
East Germany: Soviet zone
How did West Berlin differ from the East?
West: prosperity, freedom
East: bleak, communism
Who was Jiang Jieshi?
Nationalist leader in China
Supported by US
Who was Mao Zedong?
Communist leader in China
Supported by Soviet Union
What was the 38th Parallel?
Dividing line between North and South Korea
Who was Douglas MacArthur?
WWII hero who commanded American troops in South Korea
What is a limited war?
War fought to achieve only specific goals
What was the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)?
Defensive alliance aimed at preventing the spread of communism in Southeast Asia
How did Jiang’s government fall?
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
What happened in June 1950?
North Korean troops armed with Soviet equipment crossed the 38th parallel and attacked South Korea
Took over much of the peninsula
How did South Korea respond to the invasion?
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
What happened after MacArthur’s counterattack/North Korean retreat?
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
What were the differing opinions on dealing with Korea and what ended up happening?
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
What were the lasting effects of the Korean War on the US?
Military spending increased
Military commitments increased worldwide
SEATO contained communism in Asia
Future presidents sent the military into combat without Congressional approval
What was the Arms Race?
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
What was Mutually Assured Destruction?
Policy in which the US and the Soviet Union hoped to deter nuclear war by building up enough weapons to destroy each other
Who was John Foster Dulles?
Diplomat and Secretary of State under President Eisenhower
Helped to stockpile nuclear weapons
What was Massive Retaliation?
Policy of threatening to use massive force in response to aggression
What was Brinkmanship?
Belief that only by going to the brink of war could the US prevent war
Who was Nikita Khrushchev?
Leader of the Soviet Union after Stalin’s death
What does it mean to Nationalize?
To place under government control
What was the Suez crisis?
Crisis in which Britain and France attempted to seize control of the Suez control from Egypt
What was the Eisenhower Doctrine?
President Eisenhower’s policy that stated the US would use force to help nations threatened by communism
What was the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)?
American intelligence-gathering organization
What was the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)?
American organization that coordinates the space-related efforts of scientists and the military
