Unit 8 Flashcards
Tehran Conference
Directed which power of the Big Three would gain power and focus on the recovery of after war situations.
The US and Western countries got Western Europe, while Russia gained some Polish Territory and was responsible of Eastern Europe.
Yalta Conference
The US wanted free elections all over Europe, to which Russia wanted the opposite dominion. They had a vague agreement that Russia would aid the US against the Japan War, with slight performances of free elections.
Potsdam Conference
A follow up session to the Yalta Conference. The US under Truman still wanted free elections, to which Russia refused, which began the Cold War.
Rise of US and USSR as Major Powers
The Eastern European area was damaged in the World Wars, while the US was untouched, allowing it to grow their economy, government, and developments and rise as a superpower. The Russians in competition began creating similar developments, starting a race.
Ideological Battle
Fought between the US and the USSR through propaganda, an arms race, espionage, and proxy wars.
Iron Curtain
A metophorical term that refers to the ideological divide between the US and the Soviets. The US was democratic, had individual rights, and capitalists, while the USSR was communist and dictatorial.
Satellite States
Smaller states that were influenced and controlled economically and politically by a greater power, often depending on them too.
Military-Industrial Complex
The partnering of the government and the military arms producers
USSR in Eastern Europe
They influenced all the countries in Eastern Europe to turn to communism, and economically benefited from them.
Containment Policy
The US believed they needed to stop the spread of communism, which was coined by their diplomat George Kennan.
Truman Doctrine
It was established by the US to provide military aid to the countries that were threatened by communism (ex. Greece and Turkey)
World Revolution
The Soviets belief and end goal that communism would develop and take power of all global governmental and political systems.
Marshall Plan
A plan that was created to give economic support to countries threatened by communism, based on the US’ belief that the more economically stable a country is, the less prone they are to communism.
COMECON
It was the Russian version of the Marshall Plan, and ended up having a less great effect, and narrower scope.
Mutual-Assured Destruction
Both the USSR and the US were competing in technology, and when they both developed intercontinental ballistic missiles, they knew both powers would be destroyed, which was MAD. They instead fought in indirect conflict through technological battle, and increasing military forces.
United Nations
Was formed by the US, the UK, the USSR, and the Nationalist minority China, which was in response to the failure of NATO to suppress conflicts.
Proxy War
When smaller countries fight at the influence of two or more other rival powers, in this case, often influence from US and the USSR
Dividing Germany
Germany was eventually split into 4, with the Soviets in the East, and Western countries in the West. This was also how the capital Berlin was divided.
Soviet Blockades
The Soviets blockaded Western Germany, so that the Western countries couldn’t interact with West Germany, but they were embarrassed after the airlift. They built the Berlin Wall to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Germany.
Berlin Airlift
The US and Western countries supplied supplies via aircraft that provided support to the people blocked by the Soviet blockade of West Germany.
NATO
Was an alliance between western countries that promised support for each others’ allies during war, which was created after the Soviets began to set up communist governments in Eastern European countries.
Warsaw Pact
The Soviet Union creates the Warsaw Pact in response to NATO, to unify the USSR-influenced Eastern European peoples under one army.
Albania and Yugoslavia
Albania rejected the Warsaw Pact because they were more aligned with China, and Yugoslavia wanted independence from the Soviets.
CENTO and SEATO
These were similar to NATO, but were created between outside countries. SEATO was made of Southeast Asian countries, and CENTO was made of Middle-Eastern countries.
Korean War
- Korea was divided in the North (Communist) and the South (Not) after WW2
- The war began when Korea wanted to unify so they invaded
- The UN supported South Korea and the US gave support, while the Soviet Union could only send supplies
- The US was winning, until Communist China came in, which pushed the border back to where it was, causing the war to end in a stalemate
North and South Vietnam
North Vietnam was communist, and invaded South Vietnam to reunify them, but the US supported South Vietnam’s unpopular Ngo Dinh Diem, who was Catholic suppressing Buddhists. The US then withdrew, and North Vietnam won.
Viet Cong
They were the forces who supported North Vietnam, but lived in South Vietnam.
