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World History > Cold War > Flashcards

Cold War Flashcards

1
Q

United Nations

A

An organization of independent states formed after WWII whose goal was maintaining peace & cooperation in the international community.

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2
Q

Yalta Conference

A

Meeting between Churchill (England), Roosevelt (USA) & Stalin (Russia) where they made agreements to end WWII.

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3
Q

Iron Curtain

A

A political barrier that isolated the peoples of Russia after WWII, restricting their ability to travel outside the region.

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4
Q

Containment

A

US strategy of keeping Communism within its existing boundaries & preventing further expansion.

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5
Q

Truman Doctrine

A

President Truman’s policy (1947) of trying to contain the spread of Communism.

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6
Q

Marshall Plan

A

Massive aid package offered by the US to Europe to help countries rebuild after WWII.

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7
Q

Cuban Missile Crisis

A

1962 - US (Kennedy) discovered Russia (Khrushchev) sent nuclear weapons to Cuba & aimed at USA. Kennedy demanded they remove them. (one week of tension, Russia finally took them away).

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8
Q

Cold War

A

A state of tension between US & Russia that rarely led to any direct armed conflict.

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9
Q

NATO

A

North Atlantic Treaty Organization; a military alliance between several Northern Atlantic nations to safeguard them from perceived threat of Soviet Union & Communism.

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10
Q

Warsaw Pact

A

An alliance between the Soviet Union and other Eastern European nations. This was in response to the NATO.

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11
Q

Brinkmanship

A

The policy of pushing a dangerous situation to the brink of disaster in order to convince another to your demands.

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12
Q

Arms Race

A

A competition between two or more parties to have the best armed forces (USA & Russia)

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13
Q

Space Race

A

A competition between two or more parties to have the best space programs (USA & Russia)

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14
Q

Khrushchev

A

Leader of Russia during Cuban Missile Crisis - under him Russians enjoyed greater freedom of speech, but he was still a cold ruler.

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15
Q

Kennedy

A

President of the US during Cuban Missile Crisis 1962.

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16
Q

Gorbachev

A

Leader of Russia from 1985 & introduced Perestoika & Glasnost

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17
Q

Perestroika

A

“Restructuring” in Russian;a Soviet policy of democratic & free-market reforms introduced by Gorbachev in the late 1980’s.

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18
Q

Glasnost

A

“Openess” in Russian; a Soviet policy of greater freedom of expression introduced by Gorbachev in the late 1980’s

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19
Q

Mao Zedong

A

Leader of the Chinese Communist Party.

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20
Q

Great Leap Forward

A

A Chinese Communist program from 1958-1960 to boost farm and industrial output that failed miserably (partly due to the use of communes - which removed incentives for individuals).

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21
Q

Cultural Revolution

A

A Chinese Communist program in the late 1960’s to purge China of non-revolutionary tendencies that caused economic & social damage.

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22
Q

Hundred Flowers Campaign

A

Chinese campaign (Mao) to lift the restrictions on free speech & offer people the opportunity to express their views,but when people started to criticize Communism the campaign was quickly ended & “free-thinkers” were executed.

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23
Q

Nationalists vs. Communists

A

Sides of the Chinese Civil War
Nationalists = lost
Communists = won (Mao)

24
Q

Red Guards

A

The youths who led Mao’s Cultural Revolution. Wore red arm bands and carried his book. Terrorized Chinese citizens and determined who went to camps.

25
Q

Commune

A

Large collectivized farms, used in China, but failed.

26
Q

Korean War

A

1950’s North Korea attacked South Korea in an effort to reunite back into one country. North Korea (Communist) & South Korea (United Nations, mostly USA).

27
Q

38th Parallel

A

After WWII, the latitude on a map which Korea was temporarily divided between North (Communist) & South (Non-Communist).

28
Q

Vietnam War

A

War between North & South Vietnam 1960’s

29
Q

Domino Theory

A

In Vietnam War - the belief that a communist victory in South Vietnam would cause non-communist governments across Southeast Asia to fall to communism like dominoes.

30
Q

Vietcong

A

Communist rebels in South Vietnam who sought to overthrow South Vietnam’s government, received assistance from North Vietnam.

31
Q

Vietnamization

A

President Richard Nixons strategy for ending U.S involvement in the vietnam war, involving a gradual withdrawl of American troops and replacement of them with South Vietnamese forces

32
Q

Berlin Wall

A

The Wall that separated East (Communist) & West (Democratic) Berlin after WWII.

33
Q

Stages of Vietnam War (by president)

A

Eisenhower - Vietnam War Began - helped South Vietnam create a new government.
Kennedy - sent aid to Vietnam but no troops
Lyndon B. Johnson - sent the first troops to Vietnam
Nixon - pulled the troops out of Vietnam to end the war

34
Q

Ngo Dinh Diem

A

Leader in South Vietnam (non-communist) - his repressive regime caused the Communist Viet Cong to thrive in the South and required increasing American military aid to stop a Communist takeover.

35
Q

Ho Chi Minh

A

Vietnamese communist who fought & won conflicts with the Japanese & the French.

36
Q

What was the purpose in forming the United Nations?

A

Maintaining peace & cooperation in the international community.

37
Q

What was the goal of the Marshall Plan?

A

To help counties in Europe rebuild after WWII

38
Q

What were the goals of NATO and the Warsaw Pact?

A

To protect ally countries from the spread of Communism (NATO) or Democracy (Warsaw Pact)

39
Q

What was the Soviet Bloc?

A

The “Bloc” of Soviet’s allies under the Warsaw Pact (mostly Eastern European countries).

40
Q

How did the U.S. policy of brinkmanship contribute to the arms race?

A

It kept everyone in a constant fear so we kept building more nuclear missiles. & so did Russia.

41
Q

What actions did the Nationalists take after WWII?

A

They gained support & fought and lost a civil war attempt against the Communists to rule China. Fled to Taiwan & ruled as a dictatorship.

42
Q

What circumstances prevented Mao’s Great Leap Forward from bringing economic prosperity to China?

A

It produced low quality goods & removed individual incentives for farming by the use of communes.

43
Q

What role did the United States play in the Korean War?

A

The fought on the side of the South Korea’s to keep their country non-Communist & develop into a capitalist market economy.

44
Q

How did Vietnam become divided?

A

After France was defeated, it broke into two parts- North = Communist & South = Non-Communist (17th parallel).

45
Q

Who did the Americans support in the Vietnam and Korean War?

A

Vietnam = South Vietnam (non-communist)

Korean War = South Korea (non-communist)

46
Q

What role did the policy of containment play in the involvement of the United States in wars in Korean and Vietnam?

A

The policy of containment drew us into both wars - our policy was to NOT let Communism spread, so we felt we had to get involved.

47
Q

How was the Cuban Missile Crisis resolved?

A

Russian removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba.

48
Q

What changes did Alexander Dubcek seek to make in Czechoslovakia in 1968, and what happened?

A

He introduced greater freedom of expression “Prague Spring”. The soviets feared that democracy would be introduced, so it launched a massive attack against Czechoslovakia & it put an end to those freedoms.

49
Q

What other rebellions in the Soviet Bloc were put down by the Soviets?

A

Poland & Hungary

50
Q

Why was the policy of brinkmanship replaced?

A

To reduce the threat of nuclear war.

51
Q

Why did Americans use the Truman Doctrine?

A

To keep Communism from spreading across the world.

52
Q

Who did the superpowers support in the Chinese civil war?

A 
Russia = Communists
USA = Nationalists
53
Q

What were the results of Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution?

A

Terrible - factories closed & the economy slowed.

54
Q

What effect did the Korean War have on Korea’s land and its people?

A

The South Korean’s became a capitalist “westernized” nation, while the North Korean’s became more isolated & communist.

55
Q

What difficulties did the U.S. Army face fighting the war in Vietnam?

A

Climate, Vietcong & guerrilla warfare (hiding& attacking) - not being able to tell who the enemy was.

56
Q

How would you describe the breakup of the Soviet Union? Peaceful? Violent? Explain.

A

Mainly peaceful - compared to past attempts of Bloc nations wanting to be more free (Czech, Poland, Hungary).

57
Q

What was Nixon’s plan for “peace with honor” in Vietnam?

A

To end the war with dignity for the USA troops - agreed to a cease fire then removed the troops.

World History (4 decks)

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