Cold War/Collapse of Soviet Union Flashcards
What is the definition of the Cold War?
a time from 1945-1991 where the U.S. and Soviet Union “fought” economically and politically.
What were the causes of the Cold War?
COMMUNISM V DEMOCRACY, rigged elections, arms race
What was the Truman Doctrine?
containment-stop the spread of communism
What was the Marshall Plan?
economic aid provided by the U.S. gov’t to struggling economies in Europe after WWII to help them from falling to communism
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization, created as a military alliance in case war broke out, U.S. & allies
Warsaw Pact
Soviet Union’s military alliance created in response to NATO
What does non-alignment mean?
foreign policy during the Cold War where a country did not take a side
What did Churchill mean by the “iron curtain”?
division of Europe between communist countries and non-communist countries
Why was the Berlin wall built in 1961?
keep East Berliners from fleeing to West Berlin
Where were the Proxy Wars of the Cold War?
Berlin, Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, Afghanistan
What was the Space Race?
competition between the U.S. and Soviet Union to achieve milestones in space
What was the arms race?
competition to have the best weapons
Which group led the Cambodian genocide? What was targeted?
Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot, intellectuals, upper classes
What were Gorbachev’s two policies?
glasnost (freedom of speech) and perestroika (including elements of capitalism)
What did Gorbachev’s policies lead to?
collapse of the Soviet Union
