History Cold War Flashcards
What was the Truman Doctrine (1947)?
: U.S. policy to provide economic and military aid to countries resisting communism, starting with Greece and Turkey.
Why was it called the “Cold” War?
Because it never escalated into direct military conflict between the U.S. and USSR.
What was the Marshall Plan (1948)?
A U.S. program to help rebuild European economies after WWII to prevent the spread of communism.
What was the Berlin Airlift (1948-1949)?
A U.S.-led operation to supply West Berlin with food and fuel after the USSR blockaded the city.
What was NATO (1949)?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance of Western countries against the Soviet threat
What was the Warsaw Pact (1955)?
A military alliance of the Soviet Union and its satellite states in response to NATO.
What was the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
A 13-day confrontation over Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war.
What was the Vietnam War (1955-1975)
A: A conflict in which the U.S. supported South Vietnam against the communist North, leading to U.S. withdrawal and North Vietnam’s victory
What was the Cold War
A period of political, military, and ideological tension between the United States and the Soviet Union from 1947 to 1991.
What was the Space Race
A competition between the U.S. and USSR to achieve space exploration milestones, including the Moon landing (1969).
What led to the end of the Cold War?
: The fall of the Berlin Wall (1989), the collapse of communist governments in Eastern Europe, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union (1991).
What is containment?
A: A U.S. strategy to prevent the spread of communism worldwide.
What is the Iron Curtain
A term coined by Winston Churchill describing the division between communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe.
What was MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction)?
The idea that nuclear war would lead to total destruction for both the U.S. and USSR, deterring direct conflict.
Who was Mikhail Gorbachev
The last leader of the Soviet Union, known for policies like glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring), which helped end the Cold War.
