The Cold War Flashcards
What is the Cold War?
Name given to the relationship between USA and the Soviet Union after WW2, dominating the politics of the world
What were the two nations superpowers?
USA- a capitalist heading a Western Bloc of countries
Soviet Union- communist heading an Eastern Bloc of countries
Where was the conflict between these two superpowers?
centred in Europe but extended to Asia Pacific Region
The cold war dominated international affairs for decades and what major crisis occurred?
The Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War and the Berlin Wall Blockade,
What was the most terrifying issue?
Fear of growth in weapons of mass destruction.
Each side accused each other of warlike intentions that they both began to stand large armies in ready for war. The world lived in fear that it would soon turn into a full scale warfare, with powerful nuclear weapon on both sides
Why was the cold war conflicts and tensions so dangerous?
both superpowers were locked in an Arms Race, with each determined to become the dominant power bloc in the world. Each raced to build massive stockpiles of weapons (enough to destroy the earth). Each was also set on winning the space race - being first to gain control of realms beyond the earth, both for reasons of propaganda and for strategic advantage.
what did the British PM, Winston Churchill, describe the Soviet control of the Eastern Bloc as being like?
“Iron Curtain” around countries such as Poland, Rumania, Albania, Bulgaria, HUngary, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and East Germany.
Why had they been allies in the war?
They had a common enemy, Germany. They actually deeply distrusted each other.
What did the United States believe in?
democracy, private ownership of resources and free-market capitalism.
what did the Soviet Unions believe in?
one party government, state owned resources, state tun economy.
why were they at cold war?
while there were many causes, at the centre of this war was the battle of ideologies.
what happened in 1949 that provoked an enormous reaction to the capitalist nations of the world?
the success of the communist party in winning control of China. Capitalists worst fears of a Communist world revolution seemed to be coming true.
What was the domino theory?
If one nation fell under communist domination, its neighbours would fall like a line of dominos. In Australia, the fear of ‘yellow peril’ from the north was replaced with an even greater fear of the Soviet Union’s red flag sweeping a ‘red tide’ across the world.
why was it a COLD war?
no actual fighting, more threats than action
What are proxy wars?
A war instigated by a major power which does not itself become involved
