Cold War & Search For World Peace Flashcards
Describe the events of the Yalta and Potsdam Conference.
It was agreed that Germany and Berlin would be divided into 4 zones, and each zone would be administered by one of the allies.
Describe the Truman Doctrine.
-A policy of containment, that sought to keep communism within the USSR and China, and prevent it from spreading to other nations.
-This ultimately meant that the USA moved away from its policy of isolationism.
Describe the Marshall Plan
The USA would provide aid to any countries that risked falling into the hands of communism. Countries that received this aid include Türkiye, Greece and West Berlin.
When was the Berlin Blockade?
1948-1949
What did Stalin do in the Berlin Blockade?
-Didn’t want a reunited Germany, so created a blockade stopping road, rail and canal traffic to starve allies out of West Berlin.
What did Truman do in response to the Berlin Blockade?
-Airlifted supplies to West Berlin, as Stalin couldn’t shoot the planes, or else he’d risk war.
-He brought over an average of 4,000 tonnes of supplies each day
-The airlift lasted 10 months
What were the consequences of the Berlin Blockade?
The East/West rivalry increased. Tensions rose.
What years were the NATO and Warsaw Pact signed?
NATO = 1949, Warsaw = 1955
What was in the NATO treaty?
It united Western European countries with America, and any attack on any country in NATO was considered an attack against all of them.
What was in the Warsaw Pact?
A counter to NATO, was a pact between 8 nations in the USSR. The Eastern equivalent of the NATO treaty.
What year was the Berlin Crisis?
1961
Describe what happened in the Berlin Crisis.
-There was an increased amount of refugees leaving East Germany to go to West Germany.
-Khrushchev’s solution to this was to build the Berlin Wall.
-At Checkpoint Charlie, an 18 hour standoff between Russian and American tanks took place. Ultimately, Kennedy backed down.
What year was the Cuban Missile Crisis?
1962
Describe the events that led up to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
-In 1959, there was a revolution in Cuba, and Fidel Castro became the new leader.
-Castro closed all US business in Cuba, so the USA refused to buy Cuba’s biggest export, sugar.
-The USSR offered to buy the sugar instead, and the relationship between the two nations improved.
-JFK authorised the Bay of Pigs invasion, which failed and drew Cuba closer to the USSR.
-Khrushchev was worried about US nuclear bases in Turkey and Italy, so began to install ballistic missiles in Cuba.
How many days did the Cuban Missile Crisis last?
13.
Describe the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
-JFK imposed a naval blockade to stop the USSR missiles from reaching Cuba.
-Khrushchev told JFK that the USSR would force its way through the blockade and was prepared to use nuclear weapons in war.
-Khrushchev said he would remove his missiles from Cuba if the USA removed missiles from Türkiye and didn’t invade Cuba. This deal was agreed.
What were the consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis?
-A hotline between the Kremlin and the White House was built
-A Partial Test Ban Treaty was signed, which made both nations agree to stop testing nuclear missiles.
What led up to the Vietnam war?
-USA was worried about Domino theory, fearing if Vietnam fell to communism, so would all of South East Asia.
-North Vietnam was communist, and the South Vietnamese leader, Ngo Dinh Diem was assassinated in 1963.
-In the Gulf of Tonkin, US destroyer Maddox was attacked by North Vietnamese boats. This was deemed an appropriate excuse for direct military involvement in destroying communism in North Vietnam.
What was Operation Rolling Thunder in the Vietnam war?
An aerial bombardment campaign. Agent Orange and Napalm was dropped on North Vietnamese villages, trying to destroy supply routes and the jungle
