The Cold War Overview Flashcards
What was the Cold War?
The Cold War was an ideological struggle between the USA (and its allies) and the USSR (and its allies), lasting from 1945 to the early 1990s, focused on the conflict between Capitalism and Communism. It did not involve direct military combat between the USA and USSR but was fought through proxy wars, espionage, and an arms race.
Why was the Cold War referred to as a “Cold” War?
It was called a “Cold” War because it never escalated into direct military conflict between the USA and the USSR, despite the high tensions and proxy wars.
What were the main ideological differences between the USA and the USSR?
The USA promoted Capitalism, with private ownership, free markets, and individual freedoms. The USSR promoted Communism, with state ownership of resources, collective control, and no private enterprise.
What were the Soviet Satellite States?
The Soviet Satellite States were countries in Eastern Europe (e.g., Poland, Hungary, Romania) that were under Soviet influence or control, with communist governments aligned with the USSR.
What was Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech about?
Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech in 1946 warned of the division between Communist-controlled Eastern Europe and Capitalist Western Europe, where an “Iron Curtain” symbolized the political and ideological separation.
What were the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences?
The Yalta (Feb 1945) and Potsdam (July 1945) Conferences were meetings of the Allied powers (USA, UK, USSR) to discuss the post-war settlement, including the division of Germany, reparations, and the political future of Eastern Europe.
What was the Truman Doctrine?
The Truman Doctrine (1947) was a policy where the USA pledged to support countries resisting communist influence or external pressures, particularly in Greece and Turkey, with economic and military aid.
What was the Marshall Plan?
The Marshall Plan (1948) was a US initiative to provide over $13 billion in economic aid to Western Europe to help rebuild after WWII and prevent the spread of Communism.
How did the USSR respond to the Marshall Plan?
The USSR set up COMINFORM to unify Communist parties in Europe and the COMECON (Molotov Plan) to offer economic assistance to Soviet satellite states, but these plans were far less successful than the Marshall Plan.
What was the Berlin Blockade?
The Berlin Blockade (June 1948) was when the USSR blocked all land and water routes into West Berlin, attempting to force the Western powers out of the city. This led to the Berlin Airlift, where the Allies supplied West Berlin by air.
What was the Berlin Airlift?
The Berlin Airlift was the Allied response to the Berlin Blockade, where over 300,000 flights brought supplies (food, fuel, medicine) into West Berlin from 1948-1949, ultimately forcing the USSR to lift the blockade.
What was the significance of the Berlin Wall?
The Berlin Wall, built in 1961, was a symbol of the Cold War, separating East and West Berlin to stop the “brain drain” of East Germans fleeing to the West. It became a symbol of the division between Communism and Capitalism.
What was NATO?
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was a military alliance formed in 1949 between the USA and Western European nations to defend against the Soviet threat. An attack on one member was considered an attack on all.
What was the Warsaw Pact?
The Warsaw Pact (1955) was the Soviet response to NATO, a military alliance among the USSR and its Eastern European satellite states, aimed at countering NATO’s influence and controlling Communist countries.
What was the Brezhnev Doctrine?
The Brezhnev Doctrine (1968) stated that the USSR had the right to intervene militarily in any socialist country if Communist rule was threatened, as seen in the invasions of Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968).
