Unit 8: Cold War & Decolonization

Question 1

Three meetings after WWII between the Big Three:

Answer 1

Big Three discussed global order after WWII at:

Tehran Conference (1943)
Yalta Conference (1944)
Potsdam Conference (1945)

Question 2

Yalta Conference (1944)

Answer 2

US Franklin Roosevelt wanted free elections in Eastern Europe while Soviet Stalin wanted Eastern Europe under Soviet Union influence

Question 3

Potsdam Conference (1945)

Answer 3

US Truman wanted free elections in Eastern Europe but Soviet Stalin refused and had troops in Eastern Europe

Question 4

Historical Context for post-WWII

Answer 4

• WWII changed relationship between colony ad parent country with resistance
• Global superpowers US & Soviet Union emerged

Question 5

Why did the US and Soviet Union become global superpowers after WWII?

Answer 5

US - impacted little from WWII continuing growth
Soviet Union - Large Population + industrialization

☆ Rest of the world suffered from WWII, some fleeing to communism

Question 6

Cold War

Answer 6

40 year tension between US and Soviet Union without direct military fighting

Question 7

Historical Context for the Cold War

Answer 7

• Power struggle between US and Soviet Union led to Cold War
• Some new states didn’t want communism or capitalism, and promoted alternatives

Question 8

Differences between US & Soviet Union

Answer 8

→ US wanted capitalist/democratic world
→ Soviet Union wanted communism/authoritarian world

Question 9

How was the Cold War fought?

Answer 9

1) Economic dependence of other countries
2) Arms race
3) Space race

Question 10

How did Soviet Union make other countries economically dependent?

Answer 10

Developed Five Year Plans over countries of Eastern Europe called the Soviet Block. Soviet Block was made of Bulgaria, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, etc…

Question 11

How did United States make other countries economically dependent?

Answer 11

Developed Marshall plan to help Western Europe like by giving billions to help recover from WWII. Marshall Plan was part of Containment, to prevent the spread of communism.

Question 12

Why did US create the Marshall Plan?

Answer 12

To help recover Western Europe from WWII to prevent the spread of communism, because communism is spread in desperate economic conditions

Question 13

Containment

Answer 13

Policy of US to contain communism; inspired Marshall Plan and Truman Doctrine

Question 14

Trumane Doctrine

Answer 14

Promised aid to any country threatened by communism; example in Greece & Turkey

Question 15

Arms Race

Answer 15

Competition to create most destructive weapon like atomic bomb, hydrogen bomb, and intercontinental missile. Never used them because of Mutual Assured Destruction, both would lose.

Question 16

Space Race

Answer 16

Competition in space advancement

ex. Soviet Union put first satellite into space called Sputnik. US landed first man on moon called Apollo 11.

Question 17

Non-Aligned Movement

Answer 17

New African and Asian nations that wanted different political and economic systems than US and Soviet Union.
Important points:
Ghana - Won independence from Britain, and created Organization for African Unity

Sukarno (Indonesia) - First Indonesian president who led the Bandung Conference that created the Non-Aligned Movement

Question 18

What did both superpowers want to do?

Answer 18

Expand economy and politics ideas to the world

Question 19

Satellite Countries

Answer 19

Small states that were economically and politically dependent on the Soveit Union. Forced to only import Soviet goods and to export to the Soviet Union.

Question 20

Effects of the Cold War

Answer 20

• New military alliances
• Proxy Wars
• Buildup of Nuclear Weapons
• Split of Germany

Question 21

Split of Germany

Answer 21

Allies split Germany AND Berlin between Great Britain, France, United States, and Soviet Union:

1) The Western powers made there side free, but Soviets blockaded there side called the Berlin Blockade
2) Berlin Blockad forced Allies to fly supplies to East Berlin in the Berlin Airlift
3) Germany split into two states; West Germany became the Federal Republic of Germany, East Germany became the German Democratic Republic.
4) Millions fled from East Germany to West Germany making communism look bad, so Soviets built the Berlin Wall

Question 22

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

Answer 22

Because US kept nuclear weapons in Turkey, Soviets kept nuclear weapons to Cuba. Soviets were sending more nuclear weapons to Cuba, so US blockaded Cuba which caused high tensions between both countries and possibility Cuba starting nuclear war.

Result: Showed people nuclear weapons were a problem

Question 23

Antinuclear Weapon Movement

Answer 23

After Cuban Missile Crisis (1962), countries created agreements and the Hotline:
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - Prevented non-nuclear nations from developing nuclear weapons
Test-Ban Treaty - Banned nuclear testing above ground, underwater, and in space
Soviet-US Hotline - Telegraph line between Soviets & US to communicate

Question 24

New military alliances created

Answer 24

Western Europe nations created NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) in 1949, and Eastern Europe nations created Warsaw Pact in 1955.

NATO - Alliance of Western nations against the Soviets including the US, Great Britain, France, Canada, etc…

Warsaw Pact - Alliance of Eastern European nations & Soviet Union including Poland, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, etc…

SEATO - Prevent communism in Southeast Asia
CENTO - Prevent communism in the Middle East

Question 25

Proxy Wars

Answer 25

Small wars that became larger ones because US and USSR got involved (ex. Korean War, Vietnam War, Angolan Civil War, Contra War)

Question 26

Korean War

Answer 26

Context: Allies divided korea in North Korea that Soviets supported and South Korea that US supported.

In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea to create a single nation. Soviets and China gave North Korea war supplies, US gave South Korea soldiers. UN sided with South Korea, pushing North Korea to the China border, getting China involved in supporting North Korea.

Result: Ended in stalemate.

Question 27

Vietnam War

Answer 27

US supported South Vietnam against communist North Vietnam supported by Soviets. Trumane Doctrine provided military aid to South Vietnam during war, and President Lyndon Johnson sent more aid because his Domino Theory.

Question 28

Angolan Civil War

Answer 28

Context: Angola was Portugal colony that forced together rival groups.

When Angola gained independence from Portugal, both groups fought each other, with the US supporting one side and USSR supporting the other.

Question 29

Contra War

Answer 29

Sandinista National Liberation Front gained power of Nicaragua supported by the Soviet Union. US supported contras who tried to overthrow the Sandinistas.
Result: Ended in stalemate.

Question 30

Bay of Pigs Crisis

Answer 30

US invasion of Cuba lead by CIA to overthrow Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Worst US fail because CIA underestimated Cuba, and had bad execution.

Result: Cuba allied with Soviets

Question 31

Spread of Communism into China

Question 32

Communism in Iran

Question 33

Communism in Vietnam

Question 34

Communism in Ethiopia