The Cold War Flashcards
1
Q
What is the literal definition of the Cold War?
A
A struggle over political differences carried on by means short of military action or war
2
Q
Essentially what was the Cold War?
A
Struggle to see if the political ideas of democracy or communism would rule the world
3
Q
During WWII, the USA and Soviet Union were uneasy allies! (Distrust grew) - Why? (2)
A
- Soviet/German non aggression pact (USA felt betrayed)
- Allies delay in attacking Europe (D-Day) - USSR felt betrayed
4
Q
who met at the Yalta Conference (3)
A
Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt
5
Q
Why did the 3 leaders meet at the Yalta Conference?
A
met to create a post-war peace!
6
Q
what 2 things were decided at the Yalta Conference?
A
- Agreed to divide Germany into four zones occupied by the French, British, USA and the Soviet Union
- Stalin promised to give Eastern European countries free elections after the war
7
Q
What was established at the San Francisco Conference?
A
The United Nations was established!
8
Q
What city was the UN established?
A
New York City
9
Q
What was the UN?
A
international peace keeping organization - replaced the League of Nations
10
Q
Make up of the UN: (2 groups)
A
- General Assembly (all countries allowed to be members)
- Security Council (5 permanent members - USA, China, Great Britain, France, Soviet Union, and 6 rotating members) they had the real power1 (Veto)
11
Q
What was the major postwar goal of the Soviet Union?
A
Major goal of the Soviet Union was to shield itself from another invasion from the west
12
Q
What did the Soviet Union want to use as a buffer/shield, or “wall of protection”
A
Wanted to use Eastern Europe as that shield or buffer
13
Q
What 2 things were decided at the Potsdam Conference?
A
- Stalin said he was not going to allow free elections in Eastern Europe
- Stalin declared that communism and democracy could not exist in the same world (The Cold War began!!!!)
14
Q
What started the cold war?
A
Stalin declared that communism and democracy could not exist in the same world at the Potsdam Conference
15
Q
Who gave their zones back to Germany as promised, and who didn’t?
A
USA, Britain, and France did
Soviet Union did not
16
Q
What 2 German states were established by the end of 1948?
A
- Federal Republic of Germany - West Germany
- German democratic Republic - East Germany
17
Q
Was the Federal Republic of Germany democratic or Communist?
A
Democratic
18
Q
Was the German Democratic Republic democratic or Communist?
A
Communist
19
Q
Winston Churchill’s term that came to represent the division between communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe
A
“Iron Curtain”
20
Q
US foreign policy
A
Containment
21
Q
The US gave aid ($) and support to any country in the Middle East that resisted and rejected Communism
A
The Truman Doctrine
22
Q
What 2 countries received aid under the Truman Doctrine?
A
Turkey and Greece
23
Q
assistance (aid) program to rebuild Western Europe after the war (12.5 billion dollars)
A
Marshall Plan
24
Q
What was the only requirement to receive aid under the Marshall plan?
A
the only requirement was to stay away from communism
25
Who was the Marshall plan named after?
Named after secretary of state George Marshall.
26
What country and what region was offered help under the Marshall Plan but refused to stay away from communism?
the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe
27
What did the Soviets do after they demanded Berlin?
Set up a blockade around West Berlin
28
Nickname for west (democratic) Berlin?
Island of Democracy
29
Result of the Soviets setting up a blockade around West Berlin?
Western Berlin faced starvation
30
For the next 11 months, the Americans and British airlifted food and supplies into the people of West Berlin
Berlin Airlift
31
What resulted from the Berlin Airlift?
Finally the Soviets gave up and lifted the blockade
32
First conflict in the Cold War
Berlin Airlift
33
Two rival military alliances formed during the Cold War:
- Nato
- Warsaw Pact
34
What does NATO stand for?
Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
35
What countries and what region led NATO? (2 countries, 1 region)
led by the USA, Canada and Western Europe
36
What country and what region led the Warsaw Pact?
Warsaw Pact led by the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe
37
During the Cold War there was always a threat of what?
Nuclear War
38
What kind of bombs were developed that were thousands of times more powerful than A-Bombs (atomic)
H-Bombs (hydrogen)
39
willingness to go to the bring, or edge of war
"Brinkmanship"
40
What did "Brinkmanship" create?
created huge tension between the two superpowers.
41
build-up of nuclear weapons
Arms Race
42
Why a space race?
wanted to launch weapons from space
43
The 9 main events of the space race in the Cold War in order:
1. 1957 - Soviets created the first ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile)
2. 1957 - Soviets launched Sputnik - the first unmanned satellite in space
3. 1957 - Soviets launch a dog into space - First living thing!
4. 1958 - USA launches Explorer I - first communication satellite
5. 1960 - Launched the first spy planes
6. 1961 (early) - Soviets launched Yuri Gagarin - First man into space
7. 1961 (later) - US launches Allen Sheppard into space
8. 1962 - US launch John Glenn - First to orbit the Earth
9. 1969 - USA - Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin - First to step on the moon
44
Who created the first ICBM
Soviets
45
Sputnik and who launched it
The first unmanned satellite in space - Soviets
46
first living thing in space and who launched it
soviets launched a dog
47
First communication satellite in space and who launched it
USA launched Explorer I
48
First man in space and who launched him?
Yuri Gagarin - Soviet
49
First US man in space
Allen Sheppard
50
First to orbit the Earth and who launched him
US launch John Glenn
51
First to step on the moon (2) and who launched them
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin
52
Fear that the communists had infiltrated spies into the US government
Red Scare/Red Hunt
53
Why did hundreds of thousands of East Berliners flee to the West! (young, talented)
Escape communism
54
What did the Soviet Union do to keep people in East Berlin?
built up a wall overnight
55
What did the Berlin wall divide?
East and West Berlin
56
How long was the berlin wall?
over 100 miles
57
Who led the Communist take over of Cuba?
Fidel Castro
58
Pres. John F. Kennedy gave approval for an overthrow of the communist government in Cuba
Bay of Pigs Invasion
59
Who trained Cuban exiles for the Bay of Pigs Invasion
the CIA
60
Did the Bay of Pigs Invasion work?
Failed miserably
61
Who did Cuba turn to for protection after the Bay of Pigs Invasion?
Cuba turned to the Soviet Union for protection
62
Nikita Khrushchev (Soviet leader) placed several nuclear missiles in Cuba - all pointed towards the USA
Cuban Missile Crisis
63
Soviet leader responsible for the Cuban Missile Crisis:
Nikita Khrushchev
64
How did Kennedy respond to the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Demanded they be removed
65
What did the USA do to Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
USA set up a blockade of the island
66
For how long was the US on the brink of nuclear war with the communists during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
13 days
67
Which country backed off during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Soviet Union
68
The closest we came to Nuclear war?
The Cuban Missile Crisis
69
Who assassinated Kennedy.
Lee Harvey Oswald
70
Ended the Cold War (2 events)
1. Fall of the Berlin Wall - 1989
2. Fall of the Soviet Union - 1990
71
Prior to WWII the Chinese were in the middle of what? And what were the 2 sides?
a bitter Civil war - the communist forces vs democratic forces
72
Why was the bitter civil war in China between communist and democratic forces put on hold?
WWII - worked together to fight common enemy: Japan
73
Nationalist (democratic) forces were led by who during the Civil War in China?
Jian Jieshi
74
Communist forces were led by who during the Civil War in China?
Mao Zedong
75
What advantage did the communists have in the communist revolution in China? (2)
The communist forces were much better trained and had the support of the peasant population
76
Why did the peasant population of China support the communists?
They were promised free land
77
Who won the communist revolution in china?
Communists
78
Where did the Nationalists flee to after losing the communist revolution in China?
they settled on the Island of Formosa
79
What is the Island of Formosa called today?
Taiwan
80
Communist China brutally took over what region?
Tibet
81
the spiritual and political leader of China
Dalai Lama
82
what happened to the Dalai Lama?
Forced into exile
83
Mao Zedong's Attempt to Modernize the country of China
"The Great Leap Forward"
84
What 2 things happened first during "The Great Leap Forward?"
- The state/Mao seized all land from landlords and started state controlled collective farms called communes
- Most peasants were taken off the farms and forced to work in factory production
85
State controlled collective farms created by Mao Zedong
Communes
86
Result of "The Great Leap Forward"
Famines killed over 30 million people
87
Goal of the Chinese cultural Revolution
Goal was to establish a society of peasants and workers in which all were equal
88
What was thought of as dangerous during the Chinese Cultural Revolution?
The life of the mind - intellectuals, artists, educated
89
What was emphasized during the Chinese Cultural Revolution?
the hands - hard work
90
What happened to the schools during the Chinese Cultural Revolution?
All were closed
91
What was to be purged during the Chinese Cultural revolution?
The Four Olds
92
What were the Four Olds?
1. Old thoughts
2. Old culture
3. Old customs
4. Old habits
93
former high school and college students who formed military units to enforce the Chinese Cultural revolution?
Red Guards
94
How did 5.8 million people die in the Chinese Cultural Revolution?
from persecution
95
How did the Chinese Cultural Revolution end
with the death of Mao Zedong
96
Why was Korea divided into North and South after WWII?
USA occupied the south and introduced democracy
The Soviet Union occupied the north and forced communism on the people
97
What line is Korea divided along?
38th parallel
98
What type of zone was the 38th parallel?
DMZ - Demilitarized zone
99
What started the Korean War?
the US pulled troops out of South Korea so the North Koreans invaded South Korea - captured most of the South
100
What part of South Korea did the North Koreans not capture after the US pulled the troops out of South Korea?
all but the Pusan Peninsula!
101
Who did South Korea ask for help after North Korea captured all of South Korea but the Pusan Peninsula?
the UN
102
How did the UN respond to South Korea's request for help after being almost entirely captured by North korea?
The UN forces (15 nations) are is sent to stop the invasion - drive north out of south - invade north
103
Who led the UN forces?
led by US Gen. Douglas McArthur
104
What happened after the UN forces came to help South Korea and invade North Korea that made the UN forces to be outnumbered?
Chinese joined the North Korean forces
105
After the Chinese joined the North Korean forces, McArthur asked who what?
McArthur asked President Harry Truman to authorize the use of an atomic weapon! (nuclear attack)
106
How did the Korean War end?
in a draw
107
Why did the korean war end?
Truman said no to McArthur's request to authorize the use of an atomic weapon
108
What resulted from the Korean War? (2)
4 million died, Korea is still divided today
109
During Imperialism, France controlled all of
Indochina
110
What did Indochina consist of? (3)
Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia
111
who led the communist revolt against the French (French Indochina War)
Ho Chi Minh
112
What happened to the communists and Ho Chi Minh in their revolt in the French Indochina War?
The revolt was crushed and he had to flee into exile
113
What happened to Vietnam in 1941 during WWII
Japan seized and took over Vietnam
114
What did Ho Chi Minh do after Japan took after Vietnam during WWII
During the war Ho Chi Minh fought to drive out the Japanese
115
What did Ho Chi Minh form after WWII?
After the war he formed the Viet Minh Independence League
116
What was the goal of the Viet Minh Independence League?
(goal was to get independence from France)
117
What kind of warfare did the Viet Minh use against the French?
guerilla
118
Did the french or the Viet Minh win their war for vietnam?
The Viet Minh - communist
119
Why did the Viet Minh winning Vietnam from the French concern the USA?
Pres. Dwight Eisenhower believed in the Domino Theory
120
What was the Domino Theory?
The fear that the rest of Southeast Asia would fall like dominoes to the communists like Vietnam
121
What did the USA convince the UN to do with Vietnam?
Divide into North and South
122
What did the US help South Vietnam do?
set up a democratic government
123
Who led the South Vietnamese democratic government?
led by Ngo Dinh Diem
124
What was the problem with Ngo Dinh Diem being the leader for South Vietnam?
He ruled as a brutal dictator - people hated him
125
Who led the opposition to Diem and who did they have for support?
Vietcong (communist guerillas) - backed by the peasants, they attempted to take over South Vietnam
126
What caused the Gulf of Tonkin incident and what was the result?
- Congress authorizes President Lyndon Johnson to send in troops!
- Vietnam War begins
127
What 2 major problems did the US face in the Vietnam war?
1. Fighting a guerilla war in unfamiliar territory
2. The South Vietnamese government was very unpopular
128
U.S. tactics to win the Vietnam war
"Search and Destroy"
129
What was the problem with with the US tactic "Search and Destroy?"
Problem was that they could not find the enemy
130
Why couldn't the US find the enemy during the Vietnam war?
The Vietnamese set up underground tunnels
131
Why couldn't the US find the enemy during the Vietnam war?
The Vietnamese set up underground tunnels
132
What was the name for the bombing campaign the Americans used in the Vietnam War?
Operation Rolling Thunder
133
Result of Operation Rolling Thunder
Created more peasant opposition
134
Why did operation Rolling Thunder Create more peasant opposition
Huge peasant casualties
135
What made it so that the Vietnam war eventually became extremely unpopular in the USA
First televised war in the USA
136
Youth driven “counterculture” sprang up - Opposed the war
Hippies - Flower children
137
The hippie slogan:
"Make Love Not War"
138
What did the Hippies lead
an Anti-war and anti-government movement
139
Who led the Hippies?
Led mostly by college students
140
What happened to Hippies at Kent State University?
4 students killed by the National Guard
141
Doves
anti-war - young people
142
Hawks
pro-war - adults
143
What plan was Nixon pressured into during the Vietnam War?
President Richard Nixon pressured into a new plan called Vietnamization
144
What was the Vietnamization plan?
gradual pull out of US troops - replaced by South Vietnamese
145
in what agreement did the Communists promised to give the south vietnam free elections
Paris Accords
146
Did the Communists keep their promise in the Paris Accords?
No
147
Who won the Vietnam War?
South Vietnam fell to the communists - Communist country today
148
Results of the Vietnam War: (3)
58,000 US troops died
2 million Vietnamese died
Only war in US history that we lost
149
What happened in Cambodia? (2)
- Taken over by the communists t
- Killed over 1.5 million people
150
What was the communist take over of Cambodia called?
Khmer Rouge
151
Who led Khmer Rouge?
led by Pol Pot
