Unit 8: Topic 3 - Cold War: Effects Flashcards
Cuban Missile Crisis
The US decided to oust Fidel Castro, a communist leader in Cuba. However, the Bay of Pigs invasion failed, and then the Soviets, under Nikita Khrushchev secretly sent nuclear missiles to Cuba. The threat of nuclear warheads, that could already hit US targets from Russia, only miles away from the US was extremely pressing. In 1962, the US sent spy planes to Cuba and discovered the threat of the missiles. However, the US had already done the same thing in Turkey, which shared a border with the Soviets. After the discovery, president JFK ordered a naval blockade of Cuba, which was basically a declaration of war. For 13 days, the world watched and waited for the nuclear missiles to launch, however, everyone backed down and no missiles were launched.
Korean War
A war arose after North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950 in an attempt to create a single unified state. The two countries were separated after WWII, and the Soviets occupied the North, whereas the US and allies occupied the South. The UN, mostly the US, came to help the South with troops and munitions. The Soviets did not send troops but sent guns and warheads to the North. Because of their participation, it was an indirect fight between the US and the Soviets or a proxy war. When the South and the UN pushed the North’s forces to China, China joined North Korea in fear of a US invasion. Afterwards, the South and the UN were pushed back to the starting point, the 38th parallel, and the war ended in a stalemate in 1953. Nothing changed except 3 million people died.
Vietnam War
Vietnam—a Southeast Asian nation that formed after the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954—divided into North and South Vietnam, the site of an important proxy war during the Cold War. The North and the South unified into one country after the U.S. withdrawal in 1973 and the communist victory in 1975.
proxy wars
Regional conflicts that typically involve tacit or hidden support from major powers who are antagonistic to one another but not openly at war; were particularly common during the Cold War era; sometimes directly involved the armed forces of major powers (e.g., the Vietnam War and the United States, and the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s).
38th Parallel
A popular name that was given to the latitude line at 38 degrees N. It was supposed to just be a temporary army boundary and division of Korea, but because of the Cold War, separate North and South Korean regimes were established.
Ho Chi Minh
Vietnamese nationalist leader who fought against the Japanese during the Axis occupation of French Indochina in World War II then fought the French after the war, then fought the American-supported regime in South Vietnam to create a unified communist Vietnam in 1975.
Kim Il Sung
The communist leader of North Korea after WWII split Korea into two. He decided to invade South Korea in 1950, and his intentions were misread and led to the Korean War.
Fidel Castro
The communist leader of Cuba from 1959-2008 who led the Cuban Revolution and liberated Cuba from Fulgencio Batista’s authoritarian rule.
Berlin Airlift
After WWII, Germany was occupied and split up by the US, the UK, and France in the West, and the USSR in the East. However, as the alliances ended, due to the Cold War, the Soviets blockaded Western Berlin from rail, road, and water access in 1948. This caused the Allies to airlift food and supplies into Berlin from air bases out in West Germany until 1949 when the Soviets lifted the blockade.
Bay of Pigs
A failed military landing operation on the Southwestern coast of Cuba, by Cuban exiles that the US funded and trained. It was started to overthrow Fidel Castro’s communist regime in Cuba but failed horribly as Eisenhower withheld air support for the troops in Cuba. The Bay of Pigs solidified Castro as a national hero and severed Cuba and the US’ once close bonds.
Angola
A former African colony of Portugal, where rival tribes were thrown together in a single state. During the Angolan Civil War, which started in 1975, these tribes grouped together to fight for independence against Portugal and won. However, after the conflict, tribes had to fight for control of the free state. The US and Soviets each picked a group to back and so did South Africa, which led to even more conflict in Angola.
Contra War
A proxy war in Nicaragua. The Sandinista National Liberation Front, a socialist group, seized power in Nicaragua. The US did not appreciate a socialist group in power and in 1981, backed a group of Contrast to overthrow the Sandinistas, who were supported by the Soviets. During the war, the Contras committed many human rights violations. The war ended in a ceasefire, but the Sandinistas were defeated in the next election.
communist bloc
The group of socialist or communist countries that were under the influence and support of the USSR, during the cold war. These countries were mainly in part in Eastern Europe, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. However, it included African and Latin American countries as well.
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)
A treaty organization that was based on NATO. Its members were the US, UK, New Zealand, Australia, Philippines, Thailand, and Pakistan. Their purpose was to stop the advancement of Soviet communism from spreading even further in the region. It was mostly limited due to internal conflicts. However, the US used the SEATO to get involved in Vietnam.
Central Treaty Organization (CENTO)
Also known as the METO (Middle East Treaty Organization), CENTO was a military alliance, based on NATO, formed during the Cold War. Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, and the UK joined to make this alliance in 1955. The US later joined because of Congressional disputes. The aim of the alliance was to prevent Soviet communism’s expansion into the Middle East by providing a blockade. It was disbanded in 1979 and was deemed a failure.
