Cold War Flashcards
United Nations
An organization of independent states formed after WWII whose goal was maintaining peace & cooperation in the international community.
Yalta Conference
Meeting between Churchill (England), Roosevelt (USA) & Stalin (Russia) where they made agreements to end WWII.
Iron Curtain
A political barrier that isolated the peoples of Russia after WWII, restricting their ability to travel outside the region.
Containment
US strategy of keeping Communism within its existing boundaries & preventing further expansion.
Truman Doctrine
President Truman’s policy (1947) of trying to contain the spread of Communism.
Marshall Plan
Massive aid package offered by the US to Europe to help countries rebuild after WWII.
Cuban Missile Crisis
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).
Cold War
A state of tension between US & Russia that rarely led to any direct armed conflict.
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization; a military alliance between several Northern Atlantic nations to safeguard them from perceived threat of Soviet Union & Communism.
Warsaw Pact
An alliance between the Soviet Union and other Eastern European nations. This was in response to the NATO.
Brinkmanship
The policy of pushing a dangerous situation to the brink of disaster in order to convince another to your demands.
Arms Race
A competition between two or more parties to have the best armed forces (USA & Russia)
Space Race
A competition between two or more parties to have the best space programs (USA & Russia)
Khrushchev
Leader of Russia during Cuban Missile Crisis - under him Russians enjoyed greater freedom of speech, but he was still a cold ruler.
Kennedy
President of the US during Cuban Missile Crisis 1962.
Gorbachev
Leader of Russia from 1985 & introduced Perestoika & Glasnost
Perestroika
“Restructuring” in Russian;a Soviet policy of democratic & free-market reforms introduced by Gorbachev in the late 1980’s.
Glasnost
“Openess” in Russian; a Soviet policy of greater freedom of expression introduced by Gorbachev in the late 1980’s
Mao Zedong
Leader of the Chinese Communist Party.
Great Leap Forward
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).
Cultural Revolution
A Chinese Communist program in the late 1960’s to purge China of non-revolutionary tendencies that caused economic & social damage.
Hundred Flowers Campaign
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.
Nationalists vs. Communists
Sides of the Chinese Civil War
Nationalists = lost
Communists = won (Mao)
Red Guards
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.
Commune
Large collectivized farms, used in China, but failed.
Korean War
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).
38th Parallel
After WWII, the latitude on a map which Korea was temporarily divided between North (Communist) & South (Non-Communist).
Vietnam War
War between North & South Vietnam 1960’s
Domino Theory
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.
Vietcong
Communist rebels in South Vietnam who sought to overthrow South Vietnam’s government, received assistance from North Vietnam.
Vietnamization
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
Berlin Wall
The Wall that separated East (Communist) & West (Democratic) Berlin after WWII.
Stages of Vietnam War (by president)
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
Ngo Dinh Diem
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.
Ho Chi Minh
Vietnamese communist who fought & won conflicts with the Japanese & the French.
What was the purpose in forming the United Nations?
Maintaining peace & cooperation in the international community.
What was the goal of the Marshall Plan?
To help counties in Europe rebuild after WWII
What were the goals of NATO and the Warsaw Pact?
To protect ally countries from the spread of Communism (NATO) or Democracy (Warsaw Pact)
What was the Soviet Bloc?
The “Bloc” of Soviet’s allies under the Warsaw Pact (mostly Eastern European countries).
How did the U.S. policy of brinkmanship contribute to the arms race?
It kept everyone in a constant fear so we kept building more nuclear missiles. & so did Russia.
What actions did the Nationalists take after WWII?
They gained support & fought and lost a civil war attempt against the Communists to rule China. Fled to Taiwan & ruled as a dictatorship.
What circumstances prevented Mao’s Great Leap Forward from bringing economic prosperity to China?
It produced low quality goods & removed individual incentives for farming by the use of communes.
What role did the United States play in the Korean War?
The fought on the side of the South Korea’s to keep their country non-Communist & develop into a capitalist market economy.
How did Vietnam become divided?
After France was defeated, it broke into two parts- North = Communist & South = Non-Communist (17th parallel).
Who did the Americans support in the Vietnam and Korean War?
Vietnam = South Vietnam (non-communist)
Korean War = South Korea (non-communist)
What role did the policy of containment play in the involvement of the United States in wars in Korean and Vietnam?
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.
How was the Cuban Missile Crisis resolved?
Russian removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba.
What changes did Alexander Dubcek seek to make in Czechoslovakia in 1968, and what happened?
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.
What other rebellions in the Soviet Bloc were put down by the Soviets?
Poland & Hungary
Why was the policy of brinkmanship replaced?
To reduce the threat of nuclear war.
Why did Americans use the Truman Doctrine?
To keep Communism from spreading across the world.
Who did the superpowers support in the Chinese civil war?
Russia = Communists USA = Nationalists
What were the results of Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution?
Terrible - factories closed & the economy slowed.
What effect did the Korean War have on Korea’s land and its people?
The South Korean’s became a capitalist “westernized” nation, while the North Korean’s became more isolated & communist.
What difficulties did the U.S. Army face fighting the war in Vietnam?
Climate, Vietcong & guerrilla warfare (hiding& attacking) - not being able to tell who the enemy was.
How would you describe the breakup of the Soviet Union? Peaceful? Violent? Explain.
Mainly peaceful - compared to past attempts of Bloc nations wanting to be more free (Czech, Poland, Hungary).
What was Nixon’s plan for “peace with honor” in Vietnam?
To end the war with dignity for the USA troops - agreed to a cease fire then removed the troops.
