Cold War and 1950s Flashcards
1
Q
Cold War
A
- A conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union in which neither nation directly confronted the other on the battlefield
2
Q
United Nations
A
- Hopes for world peace were high at the end of the war
- Even though the UN was intended to promote peace, it soon became an arena in which the two superpowers competed
- Both the United States and the Soviet Union used the UN as a forum to spread their influence over others
3
Q
Arms Race
A
- US learned that the U.S.S.R. had developed a nuclear bomb
- From then on, “fear of the bomb” would dictate life in America as well as diplomatic relations
- Both countries continued building more and bigger bombs
4
Q
Duck and Cover
A
- What kids were taught to do in case of a bomb
5
Q
Formation of NATO
A
- The tension that resulted from the Berlin airlift convinced Western powers that they needed to form a peacetime alliance against the Soviet threat
- NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was established
- Participating nations pledged that an attack on one was an attack on all
- The Soviet Union and its allies responded by forming the Warsaw Pact
6
Q
Containment
A
Official policy goal of the US government during the Cold War to stop the spread of Communism by surrounding “it” with democratic allies
7
Q
Domino Theory
A
The idea that, should one country turn to communism, this will spread to surrounding countries and dominate the globe
8
Q
The Truman Doctrine
A
- Pledged support of U.S. to countries that were in danger of takeover by communist countries
- Gave $400 million in economic and military aid to Greece and Turkey
9
Q
The Marshall Plan
A
- Called for nations of Europe (including communist countries) to draw up a program for economic recovery from the war
- The U.S. would then support the plan with financial aid (This action would both improve the European economy as well as reward the U.S. with strong trading partners)
- Ultimately gave $17 billion over 4 years to 16 western European nations
10
Q
The Korean War (why involved, policies, outcome)
A
- Korea split into two countries at Potsdam
- Tensions between two sides
- Kim Il-sung asks permission to unite country
- Stalin agrees but refuses to help
- Truman wanted to get involved but feared Soviet retaliation
- Still, if unchecked it could give the perception that we would allow this action to continue
- Like Hitler and appeasement
- US full force when found out Stalin was not getting involved
- China invaded in 1950
- No progress from 1951 to 1953
11
Q
Joseph McCarthy
A
- Anti-Communist activist, senator, republican from Wisconsin
- Charged that Communists were taking over the government
- Taking advantage of people’s concerns about communism, he made one unsupported accusation after another
- 57, 81, and 205 Communists in the State Department
12
Q
McCarthyism
A
- Attacks on suspected Communists in the early 1950s
- The unfair tactic of accusing people of disloyalty without providing evidence
13
Q
Levitt town (criticisms)
A
- Mass-produced, affordable housing for veterans returning from WWII
14
Q
Suburbs (pros and cons)
A
- CONS:
- Cookie-cutter uniformity
- Pressure to conform
- Housing restrictions
- Close-knit communities
- Overly-involved neighbors
- Repression of individualism
- Perpetuation of gender stereotypes
- Racially homogenous (excluded African-Americans)
- Restrictive covenants
-
PROS:
- Total living
15
Q
Nuclear family
A
- Mom, dad, 2-3 children
- The general makeup of most of the families in the US during the Cold War
16
Q
Baby boom
A
- 1946-1964 (dramatic increase in birth rate)
- Birth rate had fallen during the Depression
- Rise and fall in the birthrate rise during the baby boom years
17
Q
Betty Friedman and The Feminine Mystique
A
- Friedan set out to disprove the common notion that education had ill prepared women for their role as women
- Sent a survey to her fellow Smith graduates
- Raised more questions than it answered for her…Friedan began to question whether it was the education that was wrong or the role
- Male publisher keep turning down her articles
- Published her own book, good feedback from women
- Had to say “no” to the old way before you could begin to find the new “yes” you need
- “Is this all?”
18
Q
Why was the Cold War called the cold war? Who were the two biggest countries involved?
A
- Neither the Soviet Union nor the United States officially declared war on each other
- However, both sides clearly struggled to prevent the other from spreading its economic and political systems around the globe
19
Q
The Soviet Vision
A
- Communism predicted that through a process of class struggle, the workers of the world would eventually triumph
- When this happened, everyone would join hands and sing, as well as then split the resources of the land equally
- Because the Soviets had suffered such significant losses in the war (20 million), they were determined to rebuild on their own terms
20
Q
How did the arms race affect military budget?
A
- In response to arms race, the National Security Council spelled out American policy in a document entitled NSC-68.
- Document stated that the U.S. should triple to quadruple its defense budget (from $13 billion to $50 billion annually) in order to meet the security needs of the time
21
Q
The American Vision
A
- The U.S. fought in WWII to protect its version of the American Dream
- The U.S. hoped to share with the world the essential elements of democratic life: liberty, equality, and representative government
- The U.S. also sought to protect its economic interests by ensuring a worldwide market for its products (free trade)
22
Q
What was “the super” and why did so many scientists not want to help develop it?
H bomb
A
- 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb
- Truman authorized H-bomb program
23
Q
What happened to Germany after WWII? Why was the issue of Berlin such a complicated and potentially hostile situation?
A
- Tension then rose when, in an attempt to rebuild Germany’s economy and stop rampant inflation, the 3 western sectors of Germany changed its currency to the Deutsch Mark
- The Soviets had not agreed to the currency reform and in response, they blockaded all ground and water routes to West Berlin
- Truman did not want to risk starting a war with the Soviet Union by forcing open the trade routes, nor did he want to give up West Berlin to the Soviets
- So he started the Berlin Airlift – moved supplies into West Berlin by plane (went for a year+)
- Success for the US – publicly humiliated the Soviets and served to win the hearts of the residents of W. Berlin
- By the time the Soviet blockade was ended, the Marshall Plan had succeeded in strengthening capitalist nations in Western Europe
24
Q
What politics did our government put into place in order to fight communism and prevent it from spreading?
A
- The Truman Doctrine (1947)
- The Marshall Plan (1948)
25
Q
How did the US government try to keep people calm and downplay the fear of the bomb?
A
- Deliberately played down the destructiveness of the bomb to make people feel safer
- Made people feel like they could survive an atomic blast if they were protected
- Duck and Cover film
26
Q
What did many Americans do in order to prepare for a possible nuclear attack?
A
- They built bomb shelters
27
Q
Communism (pure vs reality)
A
- PURE
- No government
- Requires working class to overthrow government run by rich
- No religion
- No police or military
- Life necessities are free! (education, health care, housing, etc.)
- People work for society, not personal gain
- No classes (rich, poor, etc.)
- Everyone has a job
- REALITY
- Totalitarian government
- Government controls all industry
- Military plays a powerful/threatening role in government and lives of people
- Many of life’s necessities are either free or low cost (food, education, health care, etc.)
- Freedoms are greatly restricted
- People work for the government and country
- Government run by dictator
28
Q
Why did our society fear/hate (pure) communism so much?
A
- Fear of giving rise to a dictator – someone telling you exactly what to do
- If you are communist, you can’t be American
- Communist – associated with Russia
- Communism – spread
29
Q
What did Levit do and how did he revolutionize the building industry? Why was this so important at the start of the 19050s?
A
- Applied techniques used in barracks construction in WWII
- Introduced mass production techniques to postwar building industry
- Bought pre-cut and pre-assembled materials
- Standardized parts
- Tightly controlled suppliers of goods & services (vertical integration)
- Workforce with highly specialized skills
- Workers moved from site to site doing their specific targeted tasks
- Painter whose entire job was to paint window sills
- Moved workers from house to house – avoided the necessity of craft workers and unions
- Built affordable houses in weeks as opposed to months
- Simple model - house could be expanded upwards & outwards (unfinished attic), no basement (concrete foundation)
- All houses were equal in size and amenities, strict rules
30
Q
How did the US economy change in terms of types of jobs most Americans had? How did unions help blue collar workers in the 1950s?
A
- Before the war, most Americans worked in blue collar jobs (manual labor, hourly wage)
- After the war, new machines performed jobs that used to be done by people
- By 1956, majority of all American workers held white collar jobs (office job)
- Wages and working conditions improved in 1940s & 1950s for blue collar workers
- Labor unions cont. through WWII and 1950s
- Win gains like guaranteedcost-of-living increases
31
Q
What was society’s view of women in the 1950s and what were some expectations? How did women like Betty Friedman try to push back against these expectations?
A
- Pressure to conform to pre-war gender patterns
- Women felt torn between desire to work and societal expectations for women to stay home
- A woman’s job was to “influence man and boy” in her “humble role of housewife” and mother
- Expected to be the perfect housewife, mother, and wife
- Women, like children, “should be seen and not heard”
*
32
Q
Why did the Cold War start? (x)
A
- Ever since Russia adopted a communist government after the Russian Revolution, the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union was fragile
- At the war’s end, there were disputes about the futures of Germany and Poland
- Germany was partitioned into four zones (one American, one French, one British, and one Soviet).
- Poland’s new government would loosely be controlled by the Soviets
- Composition of the United Nations rendered the Soviets outnumbered
- Stalin was angry that Truman did not tell him about the A-Bomb (worked with Britain but did not tell Soviets until bomb completed)
- The two sides had totally different visions for the postwar world
33
Q
Ever since Russia adopted a communist government after the Russian Revolution, the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union was fragile: (x)
A
- After the Russian Revolution, the U.S. refused to extend formal diplomatic relations to the new communist nation until 1933
- US was angered when Soviets signed a non-aggression pact with Germany in 1939 (on the same side when Hitler broke the pact)
- Stalin was angered when the U.S. first entered the war and went to North Africa to help the British, instead of helping out the Soviets on the western front
34
Q
Issue of Poland
A
- Truman insisted that the new Polish gov’t have representatives sympathetic to Western interests
- Stalin insisted that because Poland was so close to the Soviet Union, the Soviets must be allowed to have a strong influence there
- Stalin wanted to protect the security of his own nation (by ensuring that Poland remained under Soviet influence)
35
Q
Division of Germany
A
- Problems right after Potsdam
- Truman refused to allow the Soviets to use Germany’s industrial plants in Western Germany (most of the nation’s industry was located in the west, the non-Soviet sector)
- Concerned with the deteriorating economic situation in the western zones, the U.S. pumped aid through the Marshall Plan in to Western Germany which got economic recovery underway
- The Russians mad about Marshall Plan situation, they felt it was just a way for the US to buy friends in Western Europe
36
Q
The Berlin Wall (and cause)
A
- The Soviets resisted the reunification efforts of the West out of fear of a reunited Germany which could potentially invade the Soviet Union again
- Soviets formed a separate government in E. Germany: German Democratic Republic
- The W. was united as the Federal Republic of Germany
- Constant stream of E. Germans fleeing to W. Germany strained E-W relations in the 1950s
- The Soviets sealed the borders btw E. and W. Germany in 1952 but people cont. to flee from E. to W. Berlin
- Wall surrounded all of W. Berlin cutting it off from the rest of E. Germany
- Remained intact until Nov. 9, 1989
37
Q
Chinese Civil War
A
- Between the Nationalist and Communist Party
- Resulted in a victory for the Communists under Mao Zedong
- The “loss of China” was very disappointing, and would lead to future efforts to prevent more Asian nations from falling to communism
38
Q
After China entered the war
A
- The president authorized use of nuclear weapons (were not used)
- War ended with a truce in 1953 (borders set)
- Little gained and North Korea remains US enemy
