Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Cold War 1944-90 > Cold War Spreads Far East 1949-54 > Flashcards

Cold War Spreads Far East 1949-54 Flashcards

1
Q

Mao establishes People’s Republic of China (communists take over China) in

A

1949

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

1) Why did the communists win in China?

A
  • Nationalists = corrupt & out of touch with needs of the majority of Chinese people
  • Communists had gained a reputation for addressing the needs of the bulk of the population - raised production, and given peasants control over their land
  • Impact of WWII = weakened Nationalists’ hold - Japanese invasion has been geared towards taking control of the coastal areas of China (Nationalist)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

In America, the Communist takeover of China was seen as

A
  • evidence of Stalin’s work in spreading world communism

- the result of the failure of the US to send enough support to the Nationalists

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

China now communist, US government became more concerned about other possible victims of communist aggression - soon realised in

A

Korea

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

2)Korean peninsula had been temporarily divided at the end of WWII, but attempts to secure unification peacefully had failed due to deep divisions between

A

political groups in the north and south of Korea

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Communist forces of North Korea invaded capitalist South in

A

1950

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

US politicians viewed North invasions of South as further evidence of

A

Stalin’s attempts to spread communism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Bordering both China and the USSR, North Korea was considered to be under the direction of both

A

Beijing and Moscow

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

US intervened in the Korean War in force, under the supervision of the

A

UN

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Although Stalin avoided direct involvement in the war, Communist China sent substantial military aid to

A

North Korea

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

3) Vietnam had been part of French Indochina, until it had been seized by the Japanese during WWII. After 1945, French tried to regain control over its former colonies. US strongly opposed to imperialism and had been very critical of the overseas empires ruled by European powers. As a result - in Vietnam, the forces of nationalism and communism were combined by the Vietminh, led by the communist Ho Chi Minh, geographically positioned south of China, it was well placed to

A

receive assistance from Mao’s communists after 1949

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

4) The missile gap - Faced with a threat from world communism directed by Stalin and Mao, the USA tried to rely on a measure of security gained through

A

superiority in military weaponry

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

4-(Missile gap) - 1945-49, the USA was the only nuclear power, this security was shattered in Aug 1949 when the Soviet Union announced it had developed an atomic bomb. This was much quicker than the west had thought

A

possible

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

4-(Missile gap) 1952 - USA developed the hydrogen bomb, but the USSR was able, partly with the help of information gained through its spy networks to

A

produce its own less than a year later

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

4-(Missile gap) USSR development of H bomb led to concerns in the US government that the USSR would

A

match and overtake the West in its nuclear and conventional military capability

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

4-(Missile gap) China’s fall to communism focused the minds of the US government on how best to meet the threat posed by

A

world communism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

5- Red Scare and McCarthyism - McCarthyism: the wave of anti-communist feeling that spread through the US in the early 1950s. It is sometimes referred to as the

A

Red Scare

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

5 - Red Scare and McCarthyism - the anti-communist hysteria was used by Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy to revive his political career. 1950 - accused many who worked for the government of being

A

communists and therefore disloyal to the US

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

5 - RS and McC - anti-communist views remained embedded in US society and they were to play a part in adding to the pressure for hardening the stance of

A

US foreign policy against communism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

5-RS and McC - the movement was aimed to remove communist sympathisers from all

A

sections of American life - including members of Truman’s government who were seen as soft on communism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Evidence to the Americans of forces of communism encroaching into Asia :

A
  • People’s Republic of China
  • Korean war
  • Spreading of communism into Indochina after 1945
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Events of this period were to prompt a more aggressive response from US, showed (by their Korean War response) that they were willing to take

A

military action against what they perceived as the spread of communism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Spread of communism in the Far East was only in part due to the strengths of communism, the takeover of China by the communists had its roots in:

A

nationalist sentiment aimed at overthrowing foreigners who had exploited their country

24
Q

The conflicts in Korea and Indochina were in essence civil wars in which nationalism had played a significant part.
In Korea it was a conflict over the direction of a reunified country that would reclaim its independence after WWII.
In indochina it was a nationalist response to the

A

old colonial power

25
Q

The rise of communist groups was aided by the unique circumstances prevailing at that time.
Europe - end of WWII =
Korea - defeat of Japan & the subsequent occupation by the wartime allies had left the future of the country =
Vietnam - power vacuum was further complicated by the French attempt to restore old-style European imperialism to the region, an attempt that seemed =

A

POWER VACUUM IN FAR EAST

UNCERTAIN

UNLIKELY TO SUCCEED

26
Q

Sino-society treaty of friendship, alliance and mutual assistance established in

A

1950

27
Q

NSC-68 was released

A

1950

28
Q

NSC-68 revealed:

A
  • the impact of American insecurities on policy
  • bipolar
  • rollback - communism needed to be confronted and pushed back
29
Q

NSC-68: How the US saw the world:

A
  • Bipolar
  • USSR aiming at world domination
  • US had slashed military expenditure since 1945 creating an imbalance with the USSR
30
Q

NSC-68: How the US would respond to the Soviet threat:

A
  • US responsible to provide an alternative political and economic model to that of communism
  • US should be prepared to engage in limited wars in order to resist communism and advance US aims
  • USSR must be handled forcefully and negotiation was only possible from position of US strength
  • US should increase military spending and develop a hydrogen bomb to regain the initiative in the arms race
  • US power should be used to contain and ‘roll back’ communism
31
Q

Korean War lasted:

A

1950-53

32
Q

Long-term causes of Korean War:

A
  • Korea divided into North (USSR) and South (USA) after defeat of Japan
  • Impossible agreement between USSR and USA, Korea remained divided
33
Q

Medium-term causes of Korean War:

A
  • 1949, South Korean government of Syngman Rhee appeared extremely vulnerable
  • Unpopular with South Korean people
  • Relied heavily on support of US troops
  • 1949- US and USSR agreed to withdraw their troops
  • Kim Il-Sung (NK) believed SK could be easily overthrown
34
Q

Short-term causes of Korean War:

A
  • 1950, US refused to give aid and military assistance to SK
  • Convinced Kim Il-Sung that the US would not stop a communist invasion of SK
  • Kim Il-Sung persuaded Stalin to agree to a NK invasion of SK
35
Q

US reaction: American politicians, Kim Il-Sung’s invasion of SK was evidence of

A

communist desire for world domination

36
Q

Truman responded by appealing to the UN, he hoped that a UN force would have

A

more authority than a purely US force because it represented the international community, not just the USA

37
Q

(KW) UN forces led by

A

staunchly anti-communist American General Douglas MacArthur

38
Q

1) [KW] Early september 1950: SK forces had been pushed back to

A

Pusan and seemed unlikely to hold out for much longer

39
Q

2) [KW] 15 Sept, under the leadership of General MacArthur, American marines landed at Inchon. During Operation Chromite, 261 ships landed UN troops almost unopposed. This relieved the pressure on Pusan and within days, the SK were able to push NK’s army back towards the

A

38th parallel

40
Q

[KW] The failure of Stalin to aid NK or send them large amounts of military supplies, provided Truman with confidence that the war could be limited to the

A

peninsula

41
Q

3) [KW] By early sept 1950, the South had been saved from NK’s forces, the original aims of the intervention had been

A

achieved

42
Q

4) [KW] 30 september 1950, SK forces crossed the 38th parallel and entered the north. The US government now talked about a ‘thrust north’, MacArthur had began a rapid advance northwards capturing the capital of the North,

A

Pyongyang in October

43
Q

[KW] Truman’s decision to authorise the invasion of the North marked a shift from the policy of containment towards one of attempting to

A

roll back communism from the Korean peninsula

44
Q

5) [KW] November UN forces under MacArthur had marched onwards towards the Yalu River (Korea’s border with China)The chinese became increasingly concerned and decided to

A

send troops and supplies into NK

45
Q

6) November 1950, China entered the Korean War, fighting for NK because…

A

Mao feared that the UN would invade China if they successfully defeated NK.

46
Q

7) Combined force of People’s volunteers (China) and NK, (350,000) communist troops pushed the UN back to the

A

38th parallel

47
Q

China’s involvement in KW and the resulting 350,000 communist troops led to panic in Washington as Truman contemplated America’s next move. MacArthur recommended using atomic bombs along the border to cut off supplies from China. Truman’s more cautious approach led to

A

MacArthur’s dismissal in April 1951

48
Q

8) [KW] China’s intervention also led to change in tactics for US - rather than roll back communism, the priority of the US at the beginning of 1951 was to drive the communist armies north of the

A

38th parallel

49
Q

Nature of US military involvement = crucial for the South

US provided

A

6 million soldiers
Firepower of tanks and artillery
Air cover (Use of napalm bombs to devastate much of NK was so effective)

50
Q

9) [KW] MacArthur was replaced by General Ridgway - stalemate continued, until july 1953:

A

Armistice finally agreed

51
Q

What countries signed the KW armistice?

A

China, NK, USA

52
Q

US hydrogen bomb =

A

1952

53
Q

Eisenhower = president:

A

1952

54
Q

Eisenhower proposed ‘atoms for peace’ in

A

1953

55
Q

Eisenhower’s ‘atoms for peace’ speech proposed:

A

using nuclear weapons technology to peaceful ends

56
Q

Stalin died in 1953

A

1953

57
Q

USSR developed lithium bomb in

A

1953

Cold War 1944-90 (4 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions