Early Cold War Flashcards
1
Q
George Kennan
A
- US diplomat in the USSR after the war
- Wrote the “Long Telegram”(1946) and the essay “The Sources of Soviet Conduct”
- First to sound alarm of Soviet being problem for the US
- Prevailing Opinion @ time: Soviets good
- In essay, proposed “containment” of communism strategy
2
Q
Truman Doctrine:
A
- Strategy:
- Give military aid and increase military in Europe
1. Economic aid and rebuilding Europe
2. Supported “containment” (Greece and Turkey) - Included the 1947 National Security Act and the
- Marshall Plan
- Soviet Response: Cominform
3
Q
Marshall Plan:
A
- 13 billion to Europe
- provided markets for American goods, created reliable trading partners, and supported the development of stable democratic governments in Western Europe
- Successes: industrial production, development, self-sustaining economic growth
- Failures: caused inflation
4
Q
National Security Act:
A
- Spread US military bases internationally
- Created National Security Council and CIA
- Unified armed forces and created separate departments
- Defence Department(War + Navy)= Oversee nation’s military and direct line of command for military
5
Q
Berlin Blockade:
A
- Blockade by the Soviets of Eastern Berlin from land transport of resources
- Worried about Western Berliners emigrating there
- Led to Berlin Airlift→ Berlin Wall after Soviets opened up land transportation
6
Q
Czech Coup 1948:
A
- Elections allowed by USSR→ Communists winning 38% → Communist control of the essential organs of Czechoslovakia government
- After 2 years, became unpopular b/c represented the worst parts of the USSR→ Stalin calling for delay in elections → Comm. coup by “popular demand”
7
Q
NSC-68:
A
- Secret report by NSC
- Cold War= Good vs Evil
- Wanted military buildup rather than demobilization
- Agro USA
8
Q
Korean War
A
- 1950 - 1953
- Initially Jap Colony until war end → divided in North(USSR) and South(US)
- Kim il Sung invaded w/ Stalin support
- South supported by UN(90% US)
- Back and forth → landing back @ 38th parallel
- McArthur fired for too agro(wanted to nuke China)→ decreased Truman popularity
- Korea was a Japanese colony as it was divided into north (soviet backed) and south (U.S. backed). Kim il Sung had the advantage and met with Stalin and the invasion world well. The South was supported by the UN (90% U.S. troops).
9
Q
Containment
A
- Containment was a geopolitical foreign policy by the United States during the Cold War to prevent the spread of communism
- Stop USSR and communism from spreading to prevent Domino Theory
10
Q
Domino Theory
A
- US officials belief that if one state fell[to comm], the others near would be at risk→world falling to comm
- Risk to US national security and foreign policy
11
Q
The “New Look”
A
- Eisenhower’s answer to reduce US budget while not being soft on communism
- Focus on airforce and nukes(22k nukes)
- More CIA covert operations
- leads to USSR to do the same
12
Q
MAD
A
- Mutually Assured Destruction
- Created when Soviets nuclearized
- Relied on both parties being rational
- Requires the U.S. to be as equally or more armed than the soviet union
13
Q
Nikita Khrushchev:
A
- Soviet Premier after Stalin
- Allowed for Stalin criticism + interested in some autonomy for satellite states + created the soviet version of “new look” policies
- Had increased focus on the 3W and taking advantage of decolonization
14
Q
The Dulles Brothers:
A
High Power lawyers in Eisenhower administration
On the Council on Foreign Relations
Believed in “liberation” not containment[more aggressive]
Sec of State (John Foster) and CIA director(Allen)
Buisness interests destroyed Guatemala
14
Q
The Dulles Brothers:
A
High Power lawyers in Eisenhower administration
On the Council on Foreign Relations
Believed in “liberation” not containment[more aggressive]
Sec of State (John Foster) and CIA director(Allen)
Buisness interests destroyed Guatemala
