US HISTORY FINAL Flashcards
How long did the Vietnam War last
20 years 1955- 1975
How long did the Cold War last
45 years 1947-1991
What were the two main powers that were involved in most aspects of the Cold War?
USSR and USA
What economic system was used by the two powers?
Soviets: Communism
USA: Capitalism
What is Capitalism
The trade and industry are ran privately, the motive is to make a profit
What is Communism
Derived from Karl Marx, property and industry are controlled by the government, people work based off of their skills
Pros and Cons of Capitalism
Pros: economic freedom, economic growth, innovation, consumer choice
Cons: Class conflict between capital and labor, social inequalities, unemployment, market failure
Pros and Cons of Communism
Pros: Everyone gets equal chance, almost everyone is employed, competition doesn’t exist,
Cons: individual rights are restricted, government controls everything, limited income
What was the term for keeping communism
What was the thing keeping communism from spreading
Truman Doctrine
Define Mutually Assured Destruction
Both sides will be destroyed if the other acts on it
What did the United States propose in relation to nuclear stockpiles to the UN Atomic Energy Commission?
putting controls on the raw materials to make the bombs
What did Winston Churchill call the figurative veil of secrecy, not unlike a curtain made out of iron, cutting off Eastern Europe from the rest of the world?
the iron curtain
What was the US plan to fund European recovery called?
The Marshall Plan
What was the Soviet plan to provide economic aid to Eastern Europe called?
Molotov Plan
Define Deterrence
the action of discouraging an action or event through instilling doubt or fear of the consequences.
“nuclear missiles remain the main deterrence against possible aggression”
Define Brinkmanship
the art or practice of pursuing a dangerous policy to the limits of safety before stopping, especially in politics.
The way to reduce nuclear stockpiles
Strategic arms reduction treaties (START I and II)
Who was in charge of the 3 main powers in the Cuban missile crisis
USA: John F Kennedy
Cuba: Castro
USSR: Khrushchev
Where did the US have atomic weapons during the CMC
Italy and Turkey
How did the soviets try to help Cuba
They sent them missiles
How did the US respond to the CMC
Ordered Removal of missiles and created a naval blockade
Outcome of the CMC
The USSR removed the missiles and the US secretly took their bombs out of Turkey. They publicly agreed to the nuclear test ban treaty.
What parts of Korea did the Soviets and United States control?
Soviets in the north
US in south
