The Cold War

Question 0

It was at this meeting that leaders from the United States (Truman), Great Britain (Attlee) and the Soviet Union (Stalin) agreed to divide Germany into four different zones. It was also the meeting at which Truman was told of the successful test of America’s Atomic Bomb.

Answer 0

The Potsdam Conference (Summer of 1945)

Question 1

Define ‘Cold War’

Answer 1

The conflict (or hostile rivalry) between the United States and the Soviet Union from 1945 until 1991. This was not an actual military conflict. It was political, diplomatic, economic and strategic competition between the two nations.

Question 2

What was the Truman Doctrine?

Answer 2

A policy announced by President Harry Truman in 1947, stating that the US would provide military and economic aid to nations threatened by subversion or invasion. It was created to assist Greece and Turkey, which were threatened with a communist takeover.

Question 3

This program was designed to help Europe, severely damaged during World War II, rebuild. Under this program the US gave around $13 Billion in aid to the countries of Western Europe, between 1948 and 1952.

Answer 3

The Marshall Plan

Question 4

What was the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 4

A blockade of West Berlin by the Soviet Union in June of 1948. The Soviet Union denied access to West Berlin by Road, Railway or Canal. In response, Truman and our allies began the Berlin Airlift to deliver supplies to the people in West Berlin, under our influence and occupation.

Question 5

What does NATO stand for and for what purpose was it created?

Answer 5

NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It was formed in 1949 by those capitalist, democratic countries as a COLLECTIVE SECURITY alliance. An attack against one member of NATO would be considered an attack against all members of NATO. The Soviet Union responded in 1955 by forming the Warsaw Pact.

Question 6

This Soviet-led organization was created in response to the 1949 creation of the collective security alliance called NATO. It fell apart upon the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Answer 6

The Warsaw Pact

Question 7

This line divided the Korean Peninsula, creating the communist north and the capitalist south. This is still the border between North and South Korea today.

Answer 7

The 38th Parallel

Question 8

This conflict, lasting from 1950 until 1953 was a United Nations police action. It began when the communist section of Korea in the north invaded the south. It ended in a stalemate and the original borders were restored at the 38th parallel.

Answer 8

The Korean War

Question 9

This general was fired by Harry Truman, largely over a disagreement surrounding how large or how limited the Korean conflict should be. Exercising his power as Commander-in-Chief, President Truman fired him in April of 1951.

Answer 9

General Douglas MacArthur

Question 10

Winston Churchill traveled to Fulton, Missouri in 1946 and gave a speech in which he declared an “_______ _______” had descended across the continent or Europe.

Answer 10

“Iron Curtain”

Question 11

What did Winston Churchill mean by the “iron curtain?”

Answer 11

The series of fortified borders separating Western Europe from Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe.

Question 12

What did HUAC stand for and what did it do?

Answer 12

HUAC = House Un-American Activities Committee. This committee was established in the House of Representatives and held hearings, examined witnesses and issued reports that called people out for being communists or supporting communist organizations. It most famously went after the Hollywood Ten - a group of actors, producers, and directors who refused to testify before it.

Question 13

This policy was adopted by the US and other Western democracies after WWII to prevent the further expansion of communism and the Soviet Union. This became the basis for American foreign policy from 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991.

Answer 13

Containment

Question 14

These three major Cold War events occurred in 1949. Two of these events were considered major setbacks or losses for the USA in the Cold War.

Answer 14

1) Formation of NATO
2) Soviet Union developed their own Atomic Bomb
3) China fell to communism under the leadership of Mao Zedong.

Question 15

This was the belief in the 1950s and 1960s, that the fall of one nation to communism would lead to the fall of neighboring nations. Ultimately, this idea or belief was partly responsible for the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

Answer 15

The Domino Theory (Domino Effect)

Question 16

Which man won the Presidential Election of 1952, campaigning on the promise to end the war in Korea, which he did in 1953?

Answer 16

Dwight D. Eisenhower, who will be President from 1953 until early 1961.

Question 17

What was the Berlin Airlift of 1948 and 1949?

Answer 17

A response to the 1948 blockade set up by the Soviets around the city of Berlin. The United States, Great Britain, and France flew food, medicine, coal and other necessities to the 2 million people of Berlin. The blockade was withdrawn (ended) in 1949 and was considered a loss for the Soviet Union.

Question 18

Who were the Rosenbergs?

Answer 18

A married couple named Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who were accused of spying on the United States for the USSR and helping steal secrets from the US to help the Soviet Union build their own atomic bomb. They were arrested, convicted and executed for their actions. Later, evidence would prove that Julius did play a part in this incident, but the evidence is less clear about the role played by his wife, Ethel.

Question 19

Explain what is meant by the Arms Race.

Answer 19

The arms race was an ongoing competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to develop more weapons than the other side and to have those weapons be ‘bigger and badder’ than the weapons of the other side. In the end, both sides will spend a lot of time and resources developing thousands upon thousands of Atomic, Hydrogen and other Nuclear bombs and the missiles to deliver those bombs.

Question 20

President Eisenhower, in response to instability in the Middle East, promised that the US would intervene in the Middle East on behalf of any country threatened by a communist takeover. This applied the idea of containment to the Middle East. This is called the __________ __________.

Answer 20

Eisenhower Doctrine

Question 21

What was Sputnik and why was it important?

Answer 21

Sputnik was the first man-made satellite to be launched into space and to orbit earth. This was a victory for the Soviet Union and made the United States feel like it was falling behind the Soviet Union in math, science, and technological ability.

Question 22

How did the United States respond to the Soviet launch of Sputnik?

Answer 22

The US created NASA (National Aeronautic and Space Administration) and put more resources and focus on education in math, science, and technology. This really began the Space Race.

Question 23

What happened in Cuba in 1959 that would shape many of the Cold War events in the years that followed?

Answer 23

Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries overthrew the government of Batista in Cuba, and declared Cuba was a communist country. Castro allowed the Cuban government to take over the sugar industry and seize American assets in the country. This will begin a 50 year period of tension between Cuba and the United States.

Question 24

What was the Bay of Pigs Invasion?

Answer 24

A failed attempt by US-backed Cuban exiles to overthrow Castro and his government in Cuba and reclaim Cuba as a NON-communist country. This invasion FAILED and was an embarrassment to the United States. Kennedy took responsibility and gained trust among the American people. However, this pushed Cuba closer to the Soviet Union and helped lead to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Question 25

How did the Cuban Missile Crisis begin?

Answer 25

A US plane flying over Cuba took aerial photographs of Soviet Missiles being erected in Cuba. The US, under John F. Kennedy, demanded that the Soviet Union withdraw those missiles. It refused.

Question 26

Explain the Federal Employee Loyalty Program begun under the Truman Administration.

Answer 26

This allowed the FBI to screen Federal Government employees for signs of political disloyalty. It also allowed the Attorney General to create an “enemies list” of organizations that were considered a threat to America, the members of which were singled out for scrutiny. This lead to people getting fired and resigning their jobs.

Question 27

What tactic did John F. Kennedy use to keep more Soviet missiles from making their way onto the island of Cuba?

Answer 27

Kennedy ordered a blockade or “quarantine” of the island of Cuba. The US navy blocked Soviet ships headed for Cuba from delivering their cargo (missiles).

Question 28

How was the Cuban Missile Crisis resolved?

Answer 28

The Soviet Union agreed to withdraw their missiles from Cuba. The US agreed to withdraw its missiles from Turkey. A “hot line” telephone line was installed to keep an open line of communication between the two countries.

Question 29

What is meant by the phrase “Detente”?

Answer 29

Detente is a French word that means “lessening of tensions.” In the late 1960s and during the 1970s, the US practiced a policy of Detente. The relationship between the US and the Soviet Union improved as the tensions decreased. Think NIXON when you see or hear Detente.

Question 30

What event symbolized the end of the Cold War?

Answer 30

The fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany in 1989.

Question 31

What event meant the actual end of the Cold War?

Answer 31

The fall of the Soviet Union (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) in 1991. The USSR ceased to exist.

Question 32

Who was Joseph McCarthy?

Answer 32

McCarthy was a US Senator from Wisconsin. He gave a speech saying he had a list of more than 200 communists working in the US government, thus beginning a “communist witch hunt” within the US. This is part of the RED SCARE here at home.

Question 33

What happened to Senator McCarthy?

Answer 33

He was discovered as a political hack who was making up rumors and allegations about people, without evidence. The US Senate will “Censure” (or express formal, severe disapproval of) his actions after the famous 1954 hearings.

Question 34

What is meant by the phrase “Red Scare?”

Answer 34

The Red Scare refers to fears about the danger of communist invasion or subversion within the US, especially after WWII.
Red Scare tactics were used by Senator Joseph McCarthy and others for political purposes.

Question 35

Who were the Hollywood Ten?

Answer 35

The Hollywood Ten were a group of Hollywood actors, directors, producers, etc. who refused to testify in front of HUAC and were charged with contempt of Congress, arrested, convicted and put in jail. They were also blacklisted.

Question 36

What was “blacklisting”?

Answer 36

Blacklisting was a way to “punish” suspected communists or communist sympathizers. If your name was put on a blacklist, that could mean the end of your career as you could not find a job.

Question 37

Who was Alger Hiss?

Answer 37

Alger Hiss was a government official working at the State Department. He was accused of being a spy for the Soviet Union. Although he denied it, he was later charged with perjury (lying about it under oath) and sent to prison. The evidence on whether he was actually a spy is still NOT conclusive.

Question 38

Define McCarthyism

Answer 38

McCarthyism refers to the practice of making extreme, wreckless and baseless charges against someone WITHOUT evidence. This is named after Senator Joseph McCarthy from the Red Scare after WWII.