History - Topic 1 Cold War Flashcards
What was the Cold War?
A period of political tension and military rivalry between the USA and the USSR from 1947-1991, without direct warfare.
What is meant by the term ‘Iron Curtain’?
A term used by Winston Churchill to describe the division between the Communist East and the Capitalist West.
Define ‘Containment’
A US policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism.
What was the Truman Doctrine?
A US policy established in 1947 to provide economic and military aid to countries resisting communism.
Explain the Marshall Plan
A US initiative providing over $12 billion to Western Europe for rebuilding and economic recovery post-WW2 to prevent communism’s spread.
What is NATO?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance formed in 1949 between the USA and its allies.
What was MAD?
Mutual Assured Destruction, the doctrine that if either side used nuclear weapons, both would be destroyed.
What was ‘Dentente’?
A period of improved relations between the USA and USSR in the 1970s.
What was the ‘Arms Race’?
A competition between the USA and USSR to build the most powerful military weapons, especially nuclear.
Who was Jospeph Stalin?
Leader of the USSR from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953, heavily involved in post-WW2 Cold War policies.
Who was Harry S. Truman?
US President from 1945-1953, known for initiating the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan.
Who was Nikita Khrushchev?
Leader of the USSR after Stalin, known for de-Stalinization and involvement in the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Who was John F. Kennedy?
US President from 1961-1963, who faced the Cuban Missile Crisis and supported the Space Race.
Who was Mikhail Gorbachev?
Last leader of the USSR, known for his policies of Glasnost and Perestroika, leading to the Cold War’s end.
Who was Winston Churchill?
British Prime Minister during WWII, coined the term ‘Iron Curtain’ in a speech in 1946.
Who was Fidel Castro?
Leader of Cuba during the Cold War, key figure in the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Who was Ronald Reagan?
US President from 1981-1989, known for his aggressive stance against the USSR and the Strategic Defense Initiative.
What was the Berlin Blockade?
A Soviet attempt to block Allied access to West Berlin, leading to the Berlin Airlift by the Allies. It lasted from 1948-1949.
What was the Berlin Airlift?
A operation where Western Allies flew supplies into West Berlin in response to the Soviet blockade. It lasted for 318 days.
What was the Cuban Missile Crisis?
In 1962, a 13-day confrontation between the USA and USSR over Soviet missiles in Cuba, nearly leading to nuclear war.
What was the Bay of Pigs?
A failed attempt by the US-backed Cuban exiles to overthrow Fidel Castro.
What was the Space Race?
A Cold War competition between the USA and USSR to achieve significant milestones in space exploration.
What was the Prague Spring?
In 198, a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia, crushed by a Soviet invasion.
What happened at the Yalta Conference?
In 1945, a meeting between Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin to discuss post-WWII Europe’s reorganization.
