Origins of the Cold War Flashcards
Containment
Taking measures to prevent any extension of communist rule to other countries
Truman Doctrine
Keeps Soviet Influence from spreading in GREECE and TURKEY
Sent monetary support to Greece and Turkey
Used to be supported by Britain, but British couldn’t afford it after the war
Marshall Plan
16 countries in Western Europe received aid from the United States
People in refugee camps
How was the Marshall Plan an example of containment?
Communist party lost its appeal to voters in Western Europe
Berlin Airlift
Stalin blockaded West Berlin in without food
US delivered food supplies, fuel, and medicine
Importance of the Berlin Airlift?
West Berlin survives
People realize American prestige
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Org)
NATO members pledged to support each other
West Europe scared of Soviets
RESEARCH NATO MORE. THIS IS SHITTY
How is NATO an example of containment?
NATO members pledge to be against the USSR and help the USA
Chinese Civil War
Nationalists and Communists are fighting in China
US favored Nationalists
USSR favored communists
Who won in the Chinese Civil War?
The communists
SEATO
Need information on this*
Stronger information on all containment notes
Suez Crisis-Eisenhower Doctrine
Soviet Unions prestige in the Middle East is rising because of Egypt
Eisenhower declares that the US would defend Middle East against any communist attack
Financial aid and use of military force would be used to contain communism in the Middle East
What starts the Soviet and United States tensions
At Potsdam, Truman doesn’t inform the Soviet Union about the nuclear weapon testing
Soviet Union not holding free elections
Why is it called the cold war
The USA and USSR never directly fought with eachother
Why did the Soviets and Americans want to avoid a “hot” war?
World annihilation due to nuclear bomb
Proxy war definition
Using 3rd countries in order to not directly fight eachother
Examples of Proxy war
Chinese civil war
Greek civil war
Korean war
Vietnam
Ethiopia
USSR occupation of Afghan
Why did the Soviets fear the West?
Allied support for White Russians
Marxism’s theoretical opposition to capitalism
US had atomic bombs and was willing to use them
Why did the United States fear the USSR?
Strong communist parties in France and Italy
Local communists won popular support by resisting the Nazis
WWI showed that economic problems could create the potential for a revolution
WWII left Europe in ruins (rationing and labor strikes)
Source of the US mistrust of the USSR
Soviets aggresive takeover of Eastern Europe
Denying people democratic freedom
Violation of agreements made at Yalta
Bipolarism
idea that you have to pick a side
Soviets or Americans (Communism or Capitalism)
Cold War Paradigm
1st World
USA and our allies
2nd World
USSR
Blocked Eastern Europe countries
China
3rd World
Countries that wanted to stay neutral
New countries (poor, now called developing)
Causes of the Cold War: Global Conditions
USA trying to sell more and build there economy
Cause of the Cold War: Ideology
Marx proposed that communism can only function once there has been a revolution overthrowing capitalism
Cause of the Cold War: National Security Systems
USSR setting up a buffer zone from invasion
USA is dominant military in the world (building peacetime army)
Soviet Bloc or Satellite
the communist nations closely allied with the Soviet Union
Countries in the Soviet Bloc
Bulgaria
Cuba
Eastern Germany
Hungary
Poland
Which country was hard for the Soviet Union to control?
Yugoslavia
They had a ruthless and independent leader
Conditions within the Soviet Bloc
Elections, but no free elections
Trade incredibly limited
Soviet military in control or threatening to invade
Iron Curtain
Separation of Eastern and Western Europe
What was Churchill talking about with the Iron Curtain?
There was no physical fences and borders put in place yet when Churchill made his historic speech referencing the Iron Curtain
Who was important in the US’s foreign policy towards Soviets?
Kennan
Kennan was a diplomat who wrong the Long Telegram to Truman after he spent extensive time in Russia
3 Popular US Beliefs of the Soviet Union
1) Soviets want to dominate entire world
2) Communism was monolithic (large and powerful)
3) Domino Theroy
Domino theory
Concerned if one country fell, they would all fall
What is the new US foreign policy to deal with hostility towards the Soviets?
Containment
Containment
Stopping the spread of communism at all costs
United States trying to help countries, but not really
US places dictators in charge of countries as long as they were non-communists
Shah in Iran
National Security Act
Merged all political control of forces in DOD
Set up CIA
Created National Security Council
Increased budget
National Security Council
Gave expert advice directly to President on all matters affecting national defense and security
Created by the National Security act
What was built out of the National Security Act?
The pentagon
Brinkmanship
US would be ready to go to the brink of war with the Communists
believing that the Communists only understood force and power
Massive Retaliation
Each superpower had enough H-bombs to destroy the other side if attacked
Arms Race
Cut back army and navy to expand air force
Buildup of conventional and nuclear weapons
What led to the creation of the H-bomb?
The arms race
How did army change due to creation of H-bomb?
More focus on air force
What two additions did Eisenhower make to the policy of containment?
Brinkmanship
Massive retaliation
Central Intelligence Agency
Created to gather information abroad
Carry out covert operations
Overthrow governments unfriendly to the US
West Germany
Admitted into the UN
Allowed to build up its army to 500,000
Desalinization
Stalin dies
Closed Gulags
Apologized
Criticized stalin for killing loyal Soviets
Who replaced Stalin?
Nikita Khrushchev
What did Destalinization lead to?
Allow Soviet Bloc countries some independence
Led to a series of crises in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Poland
Need to still have communist leaders
Revolt in Hungary
Students and workers demonstrated in the streets of Budapest
Result of Revolt in Hungary?
Soviets crushed the Hungarian “freedom fighters” in a few days
What were Hungarian revolters demanding?
Greater freedom
What did the UN create Israel out of?
Piece of land known as Palestine Mandate
What is Israel classified as at first?
Nation-state
What two groups had to share the Palestine Mandate?
Palestinians and Israel
Why did the UN decide to create Israel?
Compensation for horrors of the Holocaust
Wanted to give European Jews a place of their own (the promised land)
How did the Suez Crisis start?
Abdel Nasser tried to play the US and Soviets against each other when seeking financial support to build a dam on the Nile
Who is Abdel Nasser?
Egyptian leader involved with the Suez Crisis
What angered Nasser and what was his response?
Americans refused to give aid for the dam
Nasser decides to use the British own Suez Canal and sink ships in the canal for aid
Attacks and American reaction to Suez Crisis
UK, France, and Israel attacked Egypt and Soviets threatened to intervene
Eisenhower supported UN resolution for a ceasefire and the removal of troops which the governments accepted
Outcome of the Suez Crisis
Egypt kept control of the Suez Canal
Eisenhower Doctrine created
Cuban Revolution
Revolution started to overthrow the current dictator who was supported by the US
Results of the Cuban Revolution
Fidel Castro gains powers
He becomes an ally of Soviets and established Communism
Communism only 90 miles off the coast of Florida
Significant about Korean War in terms of race
First time our military fights as integrated army
Phase 1 of Korea
North Korea crosses 38th parallel and attacks South Korea
Troops pushed to Pusan perimeter
Monolithic assumption that it is the result of USSR
Phase 2 of Korea
MacArthur becomes UN forces general
Amphibious attack at Inchon
China sends threat that we need to pull back
Phase 3 of Korea
China officially attacks
Forces pushed all the way back to Seoul and all ground was lost
Phase 4 of Korea
Stalemate back and forth
1952 election made Eisenhower go to Korea and assess (alludes to nuclear weapon being an option)
Where is an armistice signed for Korea?
Panmunjom
What are the provisions of the Korean armistice?
Korea divided at 38th
DMZ set up
US promises to defend South Korea if it is ever attacked again
What result did Korean war have in international relations?
Badly damaged foreign relations with Communist China
Diplomatic standoff that would last for years
What happens to MacArthur?
He is fired by Truman because he wants to invade China and says “there is no substitute for victory”
Who was communist Chinese leader
Mao
Who was the Chinese Nationalist leader and to where did he escape?
Chiang Kai-shek
Taiwan
How did China become a communist country?
Civil War broke out between the nationalists and the communists
Ultimately Mao won
