The Cold War, 1945 - 1991 Flashcards
Who were the two ‘superpowers’?
USA and USSR
Compare the two ‘superpowers’
USA ~President ~Democracy ~Capitalist economic system ~Freedom of speech and press etc
USSR ~Dictator ~Communist Dictatorship ~Communist economic system ~No personal freedoms
The USA and USSR were p____ o______ , politically and economically
polar opposites
The USA thought USSR was trying to ________ and the USSR thought the USA was trying to ______. Therefore, both sides _______ each other
The USA thought USSR was trying to spread communism and the USSR thought the USA was trying to destroy communism. Therefore, both sides distrusted each other
After WWII, how was Germany split up?
○Germany was split into 4 zones -> British, French, American and Russian
○Berlin was also slit into 4 sections -> Br, Fr, Us, Ussr
What problems were going to arise as a result of splitting Germany up into zones?
○The Russians wouldn’t want the British, French and US to interfere in their zones
○Also, Britain, France and USA installed democracy and capitalism in their zones and sectors of Berlin, while Stalin installed communism in his zone (east Germany) and sector (east Berlin)
○Br/Fr/US merged their 3 zones into 1 and called it West Germany. They introduced a new and strong currency and eventually West Germany prospered while East Germany lagged behind
In which European countries did Stalin installed Communist Governments after WWII?
Poland, Czechoslovakia,Yugoslavia, Hungary, Albania and Bulgaria
What was the “iron curtain”?
After WWII, Churchill noted that an “iron curtain” had split Europe between Capitalist/Democratic West and the Communist East
What policy was USA following after WWII?
Containment - not allowing communism to spread
Stalin wanted to take control of all of Berlin after WWII. So what did he do?
He decided to blockade Berlin by cutting off all routes to Berlin. This meant the British, French and USA couldn’t access their sector
What was the Berlin Airlift?
As a result of the Berlin Blockade, the US and Britain decided to airlift supplies into West Berlin
When did the Berlin Blockade end?
Stalin did not shoot down any planes during the Berlin Airlift and he eventually lifted the blockade in May 1949
What were the results of the Berlin Blockade?
1) It seemed as if the division of Germany would be permanent
2) NATO was set up
3) The Warsaw Pact was set up
What was NATO?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was set up to oppose communism by force
Why was the Warsaw Pact set up?
The Warsaw Pact was set up by the Communist States to protect communism
Who occupied Korea after Japan was defeated in WWII?
The Red Army occupied North Korea and the US Army occupied South Korea
After WWII, North Korea became ______ and South Korea was ______
After WWII, North Korea became Communist and South Korea was democratic
After WWII, N Korea was led by _________ and S Korea was led by _______
After WWII, N Korea was led by Kim Il Sung and S Korea was led by Syngman Rhee
When did N Korea invade S Korea?
June 1950
What did the UN do as a result of N Korea invading S Korea?
The landed in S Korea at Inchon to begin repelling the N Korean forces. The Un forces, under the control of General Mac Arthur, pushed the N Korean Army back into N Korea
What mistake did Mac Arthur make when defending S Korea?
He advanced too far into N Korea, causing China to get involved
For how long did fighting continue in the Korean War?
Until they signed a ceasefire in 1953
What were the results of the Korean War?
1) 4 million died
2) America now had a new enemy - Communist China
3) The UN proved to be more efficient than the LON
4) Relations between N + S Korea are still poor today
Who ruled Cuba up to 1956?
General Batista
Who overthrew Batista?
Fidel Castro
After the US stopped trading with Cuba, who did Castro look to? What was the outcome of this?
Castro turned to the USSR. In return for the USSR’s agreement to buy Cuban products, Khrushchev convinced Castro to allow the USSR to store nuclear missiles in Cuba
What did an American U2 spy plane do in 1962?
Took photos that proved Cubans were building a missile site
Why was President Kennedy deeply concerned about the Russian missiles in Cuba?
Because missiles fired from Cuba could potentially destroy most American cities
What did Kennedy do to stop Russia bringing missiles into Cuba?
He opted for a naval blockade, which meant a line of US ships was set up to prevent Russia entering Cuba
How close were America and Russia to a nuclear war?
Russian ships came ‘eyeball to eyeball’ with Russian ships. Nuclear war seemed likely but in the last moment Khrushchev called his ships back. War was averted
What were the results of the Cuban Missile Crises?
1) A ‘hotline’ was set up between the White House and the Kremlin
2) The USA and USSR agreed to limit the amount of nuclear weapons they had
3) Both countries made an effort to ‘thaw’ the Cold War. Mikhail Gorbachev made great efforts to do this. He ended communism in Russia between 1989 and 1991
