My Awesome Cold War Review Flashcards
Redrawing of political boundaries (division of Germany, who controlled what)
At the end of WWII, the allies claimed their part of Germany. Britain, United States, and France = West Germany. Soviet Union = East Germany. The Soviet Union had since moved to communism, and East Germany was the same. A political (not physical) divide stood between the two and often prevented people from going across.
-East Germany was the German Democratic Republic & communist controlled (state chooses).
-West Germany was the Federal Republic of Germany & was capitalist/democracy (people choose).
-Berlin was too important to be given to one country, so it too was given to the communists and capitalists, and divided into East (Soviet Union) and West Berlin (Britain, France, U.S) respectively. (see: Berlin Airlifts) The Berlin wall was created to enclose west Berlin and prevent western ideas from spreading to East Germany.
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was Winston Churchill’s idea. It was an invisible divide between East (communist) and West (non-communist) Europe. Stalin spread communism after WWII to: Albania, Bulgaria, Czechosolvakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania, Poland This would “contain” communism. (see: containment)
Tensions leading to the Cold War (general relations between the U.S. and USSR)
-There were foreign issues with the Soviet Union. Iran (U.S overthrew a government and put a democratic one). Guatemala (gave money to help them fight against communism. Suez Canal.
-Communism vs. Democracy: The U.S saw the Soviet Union as a threat to their way of life especially after the Soviet Union gained control of Eastern Europe. The Soviet Union saw the U.S as a threat to their way of life especially after the U.S’ development of the atomic bomb.
-Soviet Union felt they had won WWII and the U.S was taking the credit. They felt they had sacrificed more (way more deaths for Soviets). They also wanted to gain land in Eastern Europe to regain expenses from the war.
U-2 Incident
The United States and the USSR began to calm down and started to communicate with each other just like old times. The United States sent a spy plane over the USSR and it was shot down. Issues with the two countries got even worse and peace was sort of out of the question.
Formation of the United Nations
The League of Nations was weak after WWII (partly due to the U.S not joining). The United Nations was created to replace it in October 1945. There were 51 nations (including the U.S). Currently, there are 193 members with equal votes. It had a military (= more influence) which was used in the Korean War to combat North Korea.
Geneva Convention
At the Geneva convention, leaders of the countries of WWII got together and talked out rules for warfare, in 1949. They talked about:
-Treatment of wounded/sick
-Treatment of maritime wounded/sick
-Treatment of POW
-Protect anyone not fighting in a war (civilians, aid workers, etc)
Marshall Plan
An American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide economic assistance ($13.3 billion) to Western Europe to restore the economy after the end of WWII.
NATO/Warsaw Pact
These two alliances worked in an “attack one attack all” sort of way, so countries wouldn’t be as fearful of an invasion. NATO was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It was created in 1949 by the U.S, Canada, and 10 western European countries. It provided collective security against the Soviet Union. NATO still exists. It supported democracy. The Warsaw Pact was a collective defense treaty established by the Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries. It was created in 1955 as a response to NATO. The pact dissolved in 1991. It supported communism. It no longer exists today.
Arms Race
A competition between the U.S and the Soviet Union for the superiority in the development and accumulation of weapons. 1949: Soviets build the atomic bomb (stolen info via use of spies). 1952: U.S develops the H-bomb. 1955: Soviets develop the H-bomb.
Space Race
A Cold War competition between the U.S and Soviet Union to develop aerospace capabilities, including artificial satellites, unmanned space probes, and human spaceflight. Space - the final frontier (who can do the coolest stuff first). The Soviet Union created Sputnik, the first artificial satellite. At first countries focused on satellite spying and missiles in space but transferred to the firsts.
Compare and contrast the different governments/ideologies (capitalism v communism)
Capitalism (U.S) is an economic system (goes with democracy) based on private ownership of property and personal rights. Private property (unless they fail to pay taxes). Representatives and people vote on taxes. Taxes on inheritance (death tax). Maintain property in prison as long as bills are paid. FCC monitors radio/tv while the FAA monitors air travel. Free education with no bias. The harder you work - the more money you get. The U.S wanted to stop communism because it does nothing to help their government. Many feared a civil war in America.
Communism (Soviet Union - until 1990, China, North Korea, Eastern European countries) is an economic and political system based on government/state ownership of property. It’s usually controlled by a single person or group in power. The state owns property and it can be lost at any time. Heavy taxes are decided by the government. No inheritance at all - the state gets it. If imprisoned, property is confiscated. The state controls all communication and transportation. Free education with regulations (test scores, political connections, ect.). The Soviet Union saw the U.S as a threat to their way of life, especially after the U.S’ development of the atomic bomb.
Berlin Airlift
A 1940s military operation that supplied West Berlin (Allied-controlled area of Germany) with supplies by air after the Soviet Union blocked the city. Organized patterns. Military planes flew over West Berlin and dropped supply crates. The USSR then stopped their blockade as it was useless.
Korean War
The Korean war was a direct result of WWII, where the country that controlled the territory (north/south Korea) created the new government. Korea was split at the 38th Parallel. North Korea was supported by the Soviet Union and later China (leader was Mao Zhong). South Korea was backed by the United States and other troops sent by the United Nations. The war began in June 1950 when North Korean forces (approved by Stalin) crossed the border (38th Parallel). At the beginning of the war, North Korea seemed to be winning. American forces, led by Macarthur, deployed a counter attack that pushed all the way to the border of China. In response, in November 1950, Chinese soldiers entered North Korea. This was significant because North Korea was supported by another communist country, and China became a larger threat to America. General Macarthur was general for the U.S and got fired for publicly criticizing President Truman. The war ended through truce talks, compromises, and threats (about nukes) from U.S President Eisenhower. However, there was no official peace treaty and the war ended in a stalemate, as no country was able to acquire more land. From there after, North and South Korea remain separated and the border is heavily guarded.
Brinkmanship
Eisenhower’s new policy instead of containment (containment wasn’t working anymore). The U.S would go to the brink of war to fight communism.
Domino Theory
A Cold War policy that suggested a communist government in a one nation would quickly lead to communist takeovers in neighboring states, each falling like a row of dominos. (The U.S thought that Soviet expansion would continue and spread throughout the world).
