HISTORY - The Cold War Flashcards
What did the USSR brand the US and other capitalist nations as and what else did it claim!
- ‘Imperialist exploiters of the weak’
- that a new and brighter future depended on the success of communism as a means of sharing the wealth of the world equally among all people.
What did the USA and its allies claim to be representing?
The world of free-enterprise capitalism and multi-party democracy.
When and who coined the term “containment of communism”?
Postwar US ambassador to the USSR, George Kennan in an article evaluating Soviet foreign policy published in 1947.
What was Kennan’s main message in his article about the containment of communism?
- Soviet ideology taught them that the outside world was hostile (it was their duty to overthrow the political forces beyond their borders)
- if the USSR did anything that was the contrary, it should be taken as with malicious intent
- the US should contain the Russian expansive tendencies
- Soviets believe that socialism and capitalism can never peacefully coexist
What is the conventional view of how the Cold War started?
Western Allies had to take defensive action against naked aggression by the Soviets.
What are New Left revisionists?
American historians that re-examine and challenge the conventional view of how the Cold War started.
What are the two groups of New Left revisionists?
- those that blame the failure in American statesmanship when Truman took over after F. Roosevelt’s death
- those that believe the expansionist American capitalist system forced the war on the Soviet Union
What are 4 views of those that blame the Americans for the Cold War?
- US diplomatic policy was designed towards creating an alliance between America and Great Britain
- US leaders tried to force Soviets to accept this (nuclear and economic pressure)
- didn’t consider Soviet security needs
- forced Russia into acting in own defence
Why did Stalin want to establish the Iron Curtain?
He wanted to make sure Russia would not be invaded again as over 20 million Russians died.
- wanted a barrier of friendly countries
How did the Americans see the establishment of the Iron Curtain?
An attempted communist takeover of Europe.
What year did Eastern Europe come under the control of Stalin’s government?
1948.
What was a cause of fears in Western Europe of further communist inroads into Europe?
Presence of active communist parties in Western Europe.
What is the Truman Doctrine?
The policy of communist containment.
- communism would be checked in its existing borders
- not allowed to spread to other countries
What was Germany divided into after World War 2?
4 occupational zones - British, French, American and Russian. So was Berlin.
How did the Potsdam conference of 1945 influence the Cold War?
- Russia was going to enforce its own policies on Poland and the rest of Eastern Europe
- The previously felt need for Russian aid in the Pacific war disappeared with the introduction of nuclear weapons
How did the Yalta conference affect the Cold War?
- Russians controlled the governments in Eastern Europe and the people could not create democratic institutions of their own choice because they were denied free election.
- Western powers also broke agreement because were suspicious of the Russian expansionism
What was ‘The Marshall Plan’?
A program of economic aid introduced by Americans in 1947.
- in return for billions of dollars worth of aid the Americans would be allowed to build military bases in Europe
- these countries then buy American products and allow US investments in their borders.
Why was ‘The Marshall Plan’ first introduced?
Europeans and Americans feared that poverty and hardship faces by the people in Western Europe might push them into the arms of the communists.
Why did the Russians initially set up the Berlin Blockade?
- threat to Russians (it sat in the middle of East Germany)
- the blockade was meant to force the Americans, French and British to leave their zones
When was the Berlin Blockade?
June 1948.
How did the Russians set up the Berlin Blockade?
Cut all road, water and rail links between West Germany and Berlin.
How did the Americans counter the Berlin Blockade?
Airlifted massive quantities of essential supplies into West Berlin.
- formed a military alliance, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with Canada and other Western European countries
How long did the blockade continue for? How did it end?
318 days. The Russians lifted it.
What was the main agreement of NATO?
If one country in the agreement got attacked, all the other countries that also signed will help retaliate.
Who was Joseph McCarthy?
A US senator who alleged that the USSR had a conspiracy to get communists into key American positions.
How did Joseph McCarthy heighten the anti-communist anxiety?
Claimed there was 57 communists in the State department alone.
- led ‘witch hunts’ to find them from 1950 till 1954
Why were the Americans upset at China’s becoming communist?
- regarded China as their Eastern mainstay
- pumped $2 billion into China to support the nationalists
What were the Americans’ fears that led to the Korean War and how were they triggered?
- American spies reported that Stalin was using Cominform to help Communists win power in Asian countries
- US thought that the communist countries were acting together to spread communism
What is Cominform?
The powers of the collection of communist nations.
How had Korea been ruled after the Second World War?
Liberated from the Japanese by the Soviets and Americans.
- North Korea became communist
- South Korea was anti-communist
How did the Korean War erupt into fighting?
There was bitter hostility between the leaders of each half (Kim Il Sung and Syngman Rhee)
- 1950 became a war
- North Korea overwhelmed the south’s forces
How did the Americans get involved in the Korean War?
Truman immediately sent advisers, supplies and warships to the waters around Korea.
- asked the UN to condemn the actions of North Kotra and call them to withdraw their troops
- USSR would have vetoed but was boycotting UN
- UN agreed because relied on US economically
Why was Russia boycotting the UN?
Americans blocked China from the UN for becoming communist (regarded nationalists as true leaders).
What’s a major difference between the League of Nations and the UN?
LoN was more about diplomacy. The UN uses military power and thus is more powerful.
What happened once the UN entered the Korean War?
UN and South Korea advanced from Pusan. Drove North Koreans back.
- despite warnings from china, entered North Korea and has reached its border with china
How did the Chinese become involved in the Korean War?
- warned UN against advancing into North Korea
- 200,000 Chinese soldiers helped North Korea
- had soldiers strongly committed to communism, hated Americans
- had planes and tanks from USSR
- pushed back UN forces
Why was there conflict between Truman and MacArthur?
MacArthur wanted to carry on the way and invade China (maybe use nuclear). Truman and UN thought South Korea was enough and it was too risky with China.
- MacArthur ignored this, threatened China and was relieved by Truman
Why did Truman reject MacArthur’s aggressive policy?
Containment was the American policy. Would have involved the US in the wrong was, wrong place, wrong time and with the wrong enemy.
What were the views of those who supported MacArthur’s policy over Truman’s?
- Felt that containment was not enough
- thought Truman was weak for not going in for victory in Korea
- wanted US to take fight to the communists
What did JF Dulles (US Secretary of State) do in regards to the communist issue?
Set up a network of anti-communist alliances around the world.
How did the USSR see the network of anti-communist alliances by Dulles and what 2 actions did it take?
- having a more aggressive purpose
- accused US of trying to encircle communist world
- 1955: set up the Warsaw Pact between all Communist east European countries
What was Khrushchev’s attitudes when he first came into power?
- keen to ease tensions with the US
- talked about peaceful coexistence rather than war
- first Soviet leader to meet with Western leaders in 10 years
Why were some wary of Khrushchev despite his talks of peace?
- Red Army intervenes in Polish protests in 1956
- crushes Hungarian uprising of 1965
- built Berlin Wall
Was the Korean War ever close to becoming World War 3?
Yes - Stalin considered war with the USA, and asked if China would join him as together they would be “stronger than the West”.
- China agreed
- USA considered giving an ultimatum to USSR
What were the 3 ways that things changed in the 50s?
- arms race sped up
- spying became lucrative and dangerous
- space race became part of the competition
What happened during the Hungarian Uprising of 1956?
- When Stalin died, people thought that Khrushchev would be softer
- Hungarians rebelled
- hoped for political and economic freedom
- over 30 000 Hungarians died, losing
- outside would gave no help
What was the Berlin Wall?
A wall erected by the Russians that closed the border between east and west Germany.
- trapped the east Berliners
- keep them from leaving
How did Cuba begin affairs with the Soviets?
- Americans had an economic interest in Cuba (sugar)
- Castro wanted to nationalize companies owned by foreigners
- Americans boycotted Cuban products
- Cuba began trading with Soviets
How was the American/Cuban relationship soured?
The American-backed plan to overthrow Castro failed miserably (Bay of Pigs).
What triggered the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Photographs taken from a U2 American spy plane that showed Soviet missiles on Cuba.
What were the USA’s 5 options after learning of the missiles on Cuba?
A) do nothing B) nuclear strike on missiles C) conventional bombing of missiles D) invade Cuba E) naval blockade
How did the US deal with the news of the Soviet missiles on Cuba?
Chose to enforce a naval blockade.
- only let through ships not carrying ‘offensive weapons’
How was the Cuban Missile Crisis resolved?
After the blockade, Khrushchev sent 2 letters. 1st proposed a solution, 2nd pointed out the American hypocrisy.
- USA promised not to invade Cuba and lift it’s blockade
- USSR removed their missiles
Nuclear arms talks begun.
How did the Soviets engage with Cuba after the Bay of Pigs fiasco and how did the USA respond?
Arms flooded into Cuba
- supplied them with arms, missiles, equipment, training and technicians
- USA became very anxious (would the soviets give them nuclear?)
What are 5 possible reasons for putting the Soviet missiles on Cuba?
- bargain with the USA
- trap the USA
- test the USA
- get the upper hand in the arms race
- defend Cuba
What were the 5 events that caused the American people to be afraid and hate communism?
- introduction of Soviet nuclear weapons
- Chinese revolution
- Korean War
- soviet put down of democratic forces in Hungarian Uprising
- spy cases
What was the committee that ruled during the McCarthy, what decade was it established and what was its official job?
The House Committee on Un-American Activities in the 1950s.
- to investigate possible communist activities and conspiracies in America
Who was the leader of the House Committee of Un-American Activities?
Joseph McCarthy.
What were the witchhunts?
When Americans in all walks of life were being investigated for being a communist or a communist sympathizer.
What did the anti-communist organisations in Hollywood do?
Accused people who were supposedly communist and have evidence to the Committee.
When were people brought before the Committee during the McCarthy era, aside from being suspected of being a communist?
If they every criticized the government, had communist friends or expressed thoughts considered to be ‘un-American’ or undemocratic.
Who investigated possible communist sympathizers for the Committee?
The FBI.
How was the Committee against communism unfair in trials against the suspected?
Evidence was often made up and the people accused were denied the right to defend themselves.
What did McCarthy claim in 1950 about the state department? Was he right?
That there were 57 communists and 205 sympathizers in the state department.
- none were charged with treason or spying
Why were the witchhunts ironic?
People were afraid to speak their minds or criticize the government for fear of being labelled a communist.
- freedom of speech and the right to speak out was supposed to be American ideals
When was McCarthy finally challenged and why?
- He started an investigation into the US army and accused President Eisenhower of being soft on communism.
- his party turned against him and he left in 1954
What was the ‘reds under the bed’ mentality?
The hysteria and paranoid associated with the idea of there being communists in America.
