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GCSE > History - Topic 1 Cold War > Flashcards

History - Topic 1 Cold War Flashcards

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1
Q

What was the Cold War?

A

A period of political tension and military rivalry between the USA and the USSR from 1947-1991, without direct warfare.

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2
Q

What is meant by the term ‘Iron Curtain’?

A

A term used by Winston Churchill to describe the division between the Communist East and the Capitalist West.

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3
Q

Define ‘Containment’

A

A US policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism.

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4
Q

What was the Truman Doctrine?

A

A US policy established in 1947 to provide economic and military aid to countries resisting communism.

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5
Q

Explain the Marshall Plan

A

A US initiative providing over $12 billion to Western Europe for rebuilding and economic recovery post-WW2 to prevent communism’s spread.

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6
Q

What is NATO?

A

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance formed in 1949 between the USA and its allies.

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7
Q

What was MAD?

A

Mutual Assured Destruction, the doctrine that if either side used nuclear weapons, both would be destroyed.

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8
Q

What was ‘Dentente’?

A

A period of improved relations between the USA and USSR in the 1970s.

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9
Q

What was the ‘Arms Race’?

A

A competition between the USA and USSR to build the most powerful military weapons, especially nuclear.

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10
Q

Who was Jospeph Stalin?

A

Leader of the USSR from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953, heavily involved in post-WW2 Cold War policies.

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11
Q

Who was Harry S. Truman?

A

US President from 1945-1953, known for initiating the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan.

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12
Q

Who was Nikita Khrushchev?

A

Leader of the USSR after Stalin, known for de-Stalinization and involvement in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

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13
Q

Who was John F. Kennedy?

A

US President from 1961-1963, who faced the Cuban Missile Crisis and supported the Space Race.

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14
Q

Who was Mikhail Gorbachev?

A

Last leader of the USSR, known for his policies of Glasnost and Perestroika, leading to the Cold War’s end.

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15
Q

Who was Winston Churchill?

A

British Prime Minister during WWII, coined the term ‘Iron Curtain’ in a speech in 1946.

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16
Q

Who was Fidel Castro?

A

Leader of Cuba during the Cold War, key figure in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

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17
Q

Who was Ronald Reagan?

A

US President from 1981-1989, known for his aggressive stance against the USSR and the Strategic Defense Initiative.

18
Q

What was the Berlin Blockade?

A

A Soviet attempt to block Allied access to West Berlin, leading to the Berlin Airlift by the Allies. It lasted from 1948-1949.

19
Q

What was the Berlin Airlift?

A

A operation where Western Allies flew supplies into West Berlin in response to the Soviet blockade. It lasted for 318 days.

20
Q

What was the Cuban Missile Crisis?

A

In 1962, a 13-day confrontation between the USA and USSR over Soviet missiles in Cuba, nearly leading to nuclear war.

21
Q

What was the Bay of Pigs?

A

A failed attempt by the US-backed Cuban exiles to overthrow Fidel Castro.

22
Q

What was the Space Race?

A

A Cold War competition between the USA and USSR to achieve significant milestones in space exploration.

23
Q

What was the Prague Spring?

A

In 198, a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia, crushed by a Soviet invasion.

24
Q

What happened at the Yalta Conference?

A

In 1945, a meeting between Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin to discuss post-WWII Europe’s reorganization.

25
Q

What was the purpose of the Potsdam Conference?

A

In 1945, a conference where the Allies discussed post-war reparations and borders, leading to increased tensions.

26
Q

What was the Vietnam War?

A

A conflict from 1955-1975 where North Vietnam (communist) fought South Vietnam (capitalist), with US and Soviet support on either side.

27
Q

What was the Warsaw Pact?

A

A military alliance of communist nations in response to NATO. In 1955.

28
Q

What is the significance of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty?

A

In 1969, it was an agreement to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and promote disarmament.

29
Q

What was SALT 1

A

In 1972, The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty was aimed at curbing the arms race between the USA and USSR.

30
Q

What was the INF Treaty?

A

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, eliminating certain types of nuclear weapons from Europe.

31
Q

Describe the Heldinki Accords

A

An agreement to improve relations between the Communist bloc and the West, including human rights provisions.

32
Q

What was the significance of the Steategic Defense Initiative?

A

A proposed missile defense system by Reagan, aimed at protecting the USA from Soviet attacks, nicknamed “Star Wars.”

33
Q

What was the Brezhnev Doctrine?

A

A policy stating the USSR’s right to intervene in any socialist country where socialism was threatened.

34
Q

Describe Glasnost

A

Gorbachev’s policy of openness, allowing more freedom of speech and transparency in the USSR.

35
Q

What is Perestrokia?

A

Gorbachev’s policy of economic restructuring in the USSR, aiming to incorporate some capitalist elements.

36
Q

Explain SALT 2

A

A follow-up treaty to SALT I that sought further reductions in nuclear weapons; it was not ratified but led to informal adherence.

37
Q

What led to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989?

A

Political changes in East Germany and the relaxation of Soviet control led to the fall of the wall, symbolizing the Cold War’s end.

38
Q

Describe the dissolution of the USSR in 1991

A

The USSR broke into 15 independent republics, marking the end of the Cold War.

39
Q

What was the Malta Summit in 1989?

A

A meeting between Bush and Gorbachev, marking the symbolic end of Cold War hostilities.

40
Q

What impact did economic issues have on the end of the Cold War?

A

The Soviet Union faced economic stagnation, which led to reforms and the eventual collapse of the communist system.

41
Q

What impact did economic issues have on the end of the Cold War?

A

The Soviet Union faced economic stagnation, which led to reforms and the eventual collapse of the communist system.

GCSE (16 decks)

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