Cold War Flashcards
Who met at the Yalta Conference?
Stalin and Franklin Roosevelt. Or the US and USSR.
How was Europe split up at the Yalta Conference?
- The eastern half was to be controlled by the Soviets, and would become soviet controlled communist dictatorships.
- The western half would be controlled by the Americans, British and French and would become capitalist democracies.
In what ways was our experience in WWII different for the US and the USSR?
- After WWII the United States was the wealthiest and most powerful country and economy in the world. We started as a second rate power, and ended as a superpower.
- The USSR ended the war with most of the major cities totally destroyed, lost 25% of their population, and over a quarter of all factories were destroyed. This was the second time Germany had done this to them in 30 years.
What was the goal of the United States after WWII?
We wanted to united Europe and Germany and have them all be capitalist democracies that we could trade with. Wealthy countries don’t become communist.
What was the goal of the USSR after WWII?
The USSR wanted to ruin the Germans so they couldn’t’ attack every again. The Eastern European countries under their control would become soviet buffer states that would act as a shield against any future invasions.
What was containment?
The US policy to deal with Communism. Instead of trying to beat them, we just wouldn’t let them spread their ideas to new countries. We thought they would eventually collapse without friendly nations.
How did we “contain” the Soviets?
We gave a ton of money to countries that were in danger of becoming communist.
What was the purpose of the Marshall Plan?
It was to give countries that were close to a communist rebellion money so they could fix their economy, make their people happy, and not fall into communism.
What was the Berlin Airlift?
When the Soviets blocked off access to our part of Berlin, we responded by flying in all the supplies that were needed for survival. After one year, the Soviets reopened the road, and we had won the first real issue of the Cold War.
What is NATO?
North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This was an alliance of most of Western Europe and the United States that was formed to stand against the Soviet Union.
What was the Warsaw Pact?
This was the alliance against NATO. It included the Soviet Union and most of Eastern Europe.
What is Brinksmanship, and what is the problem with this idea?
This was the original US policy of responding to any Soviet threat with a nuclear attack. It doesn’t work, because there are a ton of issues that came up that were not serious enough to need a nuclear response.
Who started the Space Race first?
The Soviets launched the first satellite called Sputnik.
How did the Korean War start?
The North Koreans attacked the South first. They almost completely beat the South before being pushed almost completely out of their own country themselves.
What did President Truman fire Douglas MacArthur?
MacArthur wanted to use nuclear weapons against China and turn the Korean War into a war against communism in general. When Truman said no, MacArthur tried to get the public on his side and was fired.
