Cold War in the 1950s

Who liberated Korea in 1945 and at what conference was it decided?

1) USA and USSR

2) The Potsdam Conference in 1945

Why did Stalin agree to free Korea?

To get concessions in Eastern Europe

Where did the two sides of Korea meet?

At the 38th Parallel

Who did the USSR pick to rule North Korea?

Kim Il Sung (abbreviated to Kim)

Who did the USA pick to rule South Korea?

Syngman Rhee (abbreviated to Rhee)

How did the USA enforce Rhee’s authority?

A national police

What is the quote about America by Robert Makin regarding the USA’s method of authority in other countries?

“The Americans go for a man rather than a movement.”

Why was South Korea struggling economically (give 2 reasons):

• Effects of WW2

• Mismanagement by the US occupying forces

How many Koreans died in border skirmishes from 1948-50?

100,000

What organisation did the USA set up to oversee Korean independence and when was it established?

• The United Nations Temporary Commission On Korea (UNTCOK)

• 1947

Why were elections in Korea only held in the South?

Because Stalin refused to allow UNTCOK to enter the North because Rhee’s supporters were not disqualified from elections

When was Rhee elected President and what did this entail (2 things)?

• 1948

• Republic of Korea (ROK) was formally declared

• The split between North and South became more final

What island rebelled against Rhee and how many lives were lost in the conflict?

• Cheju

• 60,000

How did Rhee deal with ‘subversive activities’?

By creating the new National Security Act

How many countries had men fighting in the Korean War?

24

When was America’s Defensive Perimeter Strategy defined?

January 1950

Who developed the Defensive Perimeter Strategy?

Dean Acheson

What country was the main priority of the USA according to the Defensive Perimeter Strategy?

Japan

What country was omitted from the Defensive Perimeter Strategy?

Korea

What happened on 25^th of June, 1950?

North Korea invaded without warning, sending 130,000 men into South Korea

Where did the communists aim for after the invasion and how long did it take them to overtake it?

1) Seoul

2) 3 days

What were the US able to do because the West believed that this would be a dangerous advancement of communism?

They were able to convince the UN to defend South Korea

How many nations sent men and who was in command?

1) 21 Nations
2) The USA

Where were the troops forced into, and how big was this space?

1) The Pusan Perimeter

2) 50mi²

Who was in charge of US troops?

General Douglas MacArthur

What partially justified the USA’s actions in Vietnam?

SEATO

When was SEATO created?

1954

What was SEATO and what did it stand for?

• Collective defence treaty (like NATO)

• South East Asia Treaty Organisation

What triggered the creation of SEATO?

The Sino-Soviet alliance (made in 1950, strengthened in 1953)

Why couldn’t Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia join SEATO?

Because of the Geneva Accords in 1954

What treaty recognised the sovereignty of the FRG and when and where was it signed?

• General Treaty

• 1952 in Bonn

Who signed the General Treaty of 1952 and what did it do?

• Britain, USA, France

• Recognised the sovereignty of the FRG and ended the occupation

When was the Warsaw Pact created?

1955

What was the Warsaw Pact?

A collective defence treaty (like NATO and SEATO)

What triggered the creation of the Warsaw Pact?

The admission of the FRG to NATO

Who were the 8 members of the Warsaw Pact?

• Albania (left in 1968)

• Bulgaria

• Czechoslovakia

• GDR

• Hungary 

• Poland

• Romania

• USSR

When was Eisenhower’s term as President and what political party did he belong to?

• 1953-61

• Republican

When was Khrushchev the General Secretary of the USSR?

1953-1964

Who was Secretary of State under Eisenhower and when did he resign?

• John Foster Dulles

• 1959

What were 3 policies under Eisenhower and Dulles?

• Brinkmanship

• Massive retaliation

• The New Look Policy

When was Khrushchev’s ‘Secret Speech’?

1956

What was Khrushchev’s main policy?

De-stalinisation

What was Khrishchev’s more liberal stance on terror and supression of the arts called?

The ‘Khrushchev Thaw’

What brought peaceful coexistence to an end?

The U-2 spy plane incident in 1960 at the Paris Peace Conference

What was the dividing line in Korea?

The 38th Parallel

When did the USSR test the atomic bomb?

1949

What did the USA set up to deploy its nuclear arsenal and when?

• SAC - Strategic Air Command

• 1948

When did the USA test the Hydrogen bomb (H-bomb) and how much more powerful was this bomb to the one that was dropped on Japan?

1,500 times more powerful

When did the USSR successfully test ICBMs?

1947

When did the USA successfully test ICBMs?

1948

What were the USSR and the USA’s aims in the Space Race (name 2)?

• To prove their ideology was more advanced, using missile technology for peaceful means

• It was believed that the first nation to put a satellite into orbit would have an advantage in the arms race

Who won the space race and what with?

The USSR won the space race with the launch of Sputnik I

Who was the first animal in space and when was she launched?

• Laika the dog

• 1957

Who was the first human in space and when?

• Yuri Gagarin

• 1968

When was NASA set up?

1958

Who first coined the term ‘peaceful coexistence’ and when?

• Malenkov, Soviet Premier

• 1952

When was the Austrian State Treaty?

May 1955

When was the Geneva Summit?

September 1955

What was the Geneva Summit?

When did Khrushchev visit Camp David?

1959

When was the Paris Summit?

1960

Who started implementing a policy of peaceful coexistence and what event allowed for this?

• Khrushchev

• Stalin’s death

When did Khrushchev announce his policy of peaceful coexistence?

February, 1956

Name 3 reasons why Khrushchev pursued peaceful coexistence:

• Communist states would be able to focus on internal improvements and progress rather than war

• He believed that peaceful coexistence was the only alternative to the “most devastating war in history.”

• Soviet power would be consolidated through meeting and countering the growing power of the US

What European country has the potential to become a dividing factor between east and west and what did it become known as?

• Austria

• “Europe’s Korea”

When did the USSR start showing signs of wanting to negotiate over Austria

By 1955

When was the Austrian State Treaty agreed upon?

May 1955

What 2 things did the Austrian State Treaty decide?

• All occupying forces would withdraw

• Austria would be a neutral state

What 2 other states was the USSR willing to accept as neutral states outside the Soviet sphere of influence?

• Yugoslavia

• Finland

Name ? factors of peaceful coexistance:

• Austrian State Treaty 1955

• The decision to resume summit diplomacy

What did Western powers do soon after the Austrian State Treaty?

Withdraw all occupying forces from West Germany