VCE History Unit 2 Area of Study 1: Cold War Practice Flashcards

Comprehensive practice question-and-answer flashcards covering all 24 lectures of VCE History Unit 2 Area of Study 1, detailing the origins, crises, proxy wars, détente, and eventual collapse of the Cold War order from 1945 to 1991.

How is the Cold War defined in the lecture notes?

A 'war' involving the USA and the USSR in which no direct (or 'hot') fighting actually occurred between the two countries, categorized by political hostility and military rivalry involving threats, propaganda, espionage, and alliances.

According to the lecture notes, what was the comparative ratio of US to Soviet military fatalities during World War II?

For every $1$ US soldier killed, $60$ Soviet soldiers were killed ($407{,}000$ US military deaths compared to $10\text{ million}$ Soviet military deaths).

What key agreements were reached by the 'Big Three' at the Yalta Conference in February 1945?

Unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, dividing Germany into Allied occupation zones, transferring territory from Poland to the USSR, free democratic elections in liberated Europe, German reparations (including forced labour), USSR entry into the Pacific War three months after Germany's surrender, the establishment of the United Nations, and war crimes trials for Nazis.

Which leadership changes occurred between the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences in 1945?

Roosevelt died on 12 April 1945 and was replaced by Harry Truman; UK Prime Minister Churchill lost the election and he was replaced by Clement Attlee

How many Germans were displaced by 1950 fleeing Soviet advances and post-war expulsions?

Over $11\text{ million}$ people, with approximately $15{,}000$ people per day being expelled from Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Romania.

What three primary rationales motivated the United States' decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan in August 1945?

1. To rapidly end the war and minimize casualties; 2. To justify the cost of the Manhattan Project ($\text{US}\$2\text{ billion}$); 3. To prevent the Soviet Union from occupying and gaining control of Japan.

What were the dates, bomb codenames, and immediate casualty counts for the atomic bombings of Japan?

On 6 August 1945, 'Little Boy' was dropped on Hiroshima, killing $80{,}000$ people instantly; on 9 August 1945, 'Fat Man' was dropped on Nagasaki, killing $75{,}000$ people instantly.

What three structural reforms were introduced in the 1947 Japanese Constitution under US occupation?

Emperor Hirohito was reduced to a figurehead with no political or military power, universal suffrage was granted to all Japanese citizens, and war was renounced as a means of settling international disputes.

Where and when did Winston Churchill popularize the phrase 'Iron Curtain'?

In his 'Sinews of Peace' speech on 5 March 1946, declaring: 'From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.'

What was the significance of George Kennan's 'Long Telegram' sent on 22 February 1946?

An 8,000-word telegram from Moscow that described Soviet hostility as rooted in historic Russian insecurity, forming the intellectual foundation of the US 'containment' doctrine.

What did Hungarian Communist Mátyás Rákosi mean by the term 'Salami Tactics'?

The gradual elimination of non-communist political opposition bit by bit to establish Soviet satellite states across Eastern Europe.

What foreign policy principle was declared in the Truman Doctrine on 12 March 1947?

The US commitment to support free peoples resisting subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures, initiated with $\$400\text{ million}$ in economic and military aid to Greece and Turkey.

What was the formal name and primary goal of the Marshall Plan proposed in June 1947?

The European Recovery Program (ERP); designed to rebuild European economies after World War II to diminish the appeal of communism, prevent economic collapse, and secure export markets for US industry.

Which country received the largest total allocation of Marshall Plan funds between 1948 and 1951?

The United Kingdom, receiving a total of $\$3{,}297\text{ million}$.

Which city's post-World War II four-power occupation sectors are illustrated in this diagram?

Berlin (divided into French, British, American, and Soviet sectors).

What precipitated the Berlin Blockade in June 1948, and how did the Western Allies respond?

Stalin severed rail, road, and canal links to West Berlin after the Western powers consolidated their zones and introduced the Deutschmark; the Western Allies responded with the Berlin Airlift until the blockade was lifted on 12 May 1949.

What two separate German states were created in 1949 as a consequence of the Berlin Blockade?

The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG / West Germany) on 23 May 1949, and the German Democratic Republic (GDR / East Germany) on 7 October 1949.

What core military mutual defense clause was established under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty in April 1949?

An armed attack against one member state in Europe or North America is considered an attack against all member states, authorizing the use of armed force if necessary.

Why did the Soviet Union establish the Warsaw Pact on 14 May 1955?

As a direct military counter-alliance to NATO following the admission and rearmament of West Germany.

What do the four letters in the historical source analysis framework 'COMA' stand for?

Content (visual and textual elements), Origin (author and date), Motivation (purpose and intended message), and Analysis (reliability, usefulness, and historical context).

What are the four primary historiographical perspectives regarding the origins of the Cold War?

Orthodox (Soviet aggression and expansionism caused the war), Revisionist (US aggressive capitalist diplomacy caused the war), Post-revisionist (both superpowers shared responsibility), and Circumstantial/Post-1991 (inevitable geopolitical friction resulting from post-war circumstances).

Which animated character is depicted in this 1951 US civil defense awareness campaign film promoting air raid drills for schoolchildren?

Bert the Turtle (from the educational film 'Duck and Cover').

What were three landmark achievements in the US-Soviet Space Race between 1957 and 1969?

Sputnik 1 (first artificial satellite launched by the USSR on 4 October 1957), Sputnik 2 (carrying Laika the dog on 3 November 1957), and Apollo 11 (first manned lunar landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on 21 July 1969).

Why was the Berlin Wall constructed on 13 August 1961, and what was its official East German name?

It was erected to halt the mass exodus of skilled workers and professionals fleeing to West Berlin; officially named 'Die Antifaschistische Schutzwall' ('Anti-fascist Protective Wall').

What was the Stasi, and how extensively did it monitor East German society?

The Ministry for State Security (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit), East Germany's secret police; it employed $100{,}000$ full-time staff, utilized up to $2\text{ million}$ informants, and maintained surveillance files on approximately $6\text{ million}$ citizens.

What occurred during the CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961?

$1{,}400$ CIA-trained Cuban exiles attempted to invade Cuba to overthrow Fidel Castro. The invasion failed catastrophically, resulting in $114$ deaths and $1{,}100$ prisoners

What was ExComm, and what options did it formulate upon the discovery of Soviet missiles in Cuba in October 1962?

The Executive Committee of the National Security Council; its options included doing nothing, diplomatic negotiation via the UN, trading Turkish Jupiter missiles, a naval blockade ('quarantine'), limited or full air strikes, and a full military invasion.

What were the public and secret terms of the agreement resolving the Cuban Missile Crisis on 28 October 1962?

Khrushchev publicly agreed to dismantle and remove Soviet nuclear missiles from Cuba in exchange for a public US pledge never to invade Cuba; privately, Attorney General Robert Kennedy agreed that the US would secretly remove its Jupiter missiles from Turkey within $4\text{ to }5\text{ months}$.

How do the lecture notes define a 'proxy war'?

A war where two states do not directly fight one another, but instead fight using proxies under their control.

How did the Korean War begin on 25 June 1950, and what international authorization sanctioned the US military response?

North Korean forces ($75{,}000$ troops) crossed the 38th parallel to invade South Korea; the UN Security Council passed Resolution 84, calling for member states to furnish assistance to repel the attack under a unified UN command.

Why did President Harry Truman dismiss General Douglas MacArthur in April 1951?

MacArthur publicly demanded expanding the war into China and advocated the use of atomic weapons, which directly defied Truman's policy of limited war and containment.

What were the human casualties and final political settlement of the Korean War?

Total deaths reached $3.5\text{ million}$ (including $2.5\text{ million}$ civilians, $400{,}000$ Chinese, $300{,}000$ North Korean, $137{,}000$ South Korean, and $36{,}500$ US troops); fighting ceased with the Korean Armistice Agreement on 27 July 1953 creating the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), leaving the two nations technically at war.

What was President Dwight D. Eisenhower's 'Domino Theory' articulated in April 1954?

The belief that if one Southeast Asian nation fell under communist control, neighboring nations (such as Burma, Thailand, Malaya, and Indonesia) would rapidly fall consecutively like a row of falling dominoes.

What political compromise was agreed upon at the 1954 Geneva Conference regarding Vietnam?

Vietnam was temporarily partitioned at the 17th parallel into North Vietnam (led by Ho Chi Minh) and South Vietnam (led by Ngo Dinh Diem), with nationwide democratic reunification elections scheduled for 1956 (which South Vietnam and the US cancelled).

What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed in August 1964?

A congressional resolution passed after alleged North Vietnamese attacks on the USS Maddox, authorizing President Lyndon B. Johnson to take 'all necessary steps, including the use of armed force' to defend South Vietnam.

Which subterranean guerrilla base network used by the Viet Cong near Saigon is represented in this architectural cross-section?

The Cu Chi Tunnel Network.

What was the military strategy of 'search and destroy' employed by US forces in Vietnam?

Moving civilians into fortified 'strategic hamlets', searching evacuated zones, killing anyone remaining (presumed to be Viet Cong guerrillas) to achieve a high 'body count', and burning crops and dwellings to deny enemy shelter.

What was the military outcome versus the psychological impact of the 1968 Tet Offensive?

While the surprise attack by $80{,}000$ Viet Cong troops was a decisive military defeat for the communists, it served as a massive psychological victory by shattering US public confidence and portraying the war as unwinnable.

What occurred during the My Lai Massacre of March 1968?

A company of US soldiers murdered between $347$ and $504$ unarmed Vietnamese civilians (primarily women, children, and elderly people) during a search-and-destroy mission in the village of My Lai.

What was Richard Nixon's policy of 'Vietnamisation' introduced in 1969?

Gradually withdrawing US combat troops while building up, equipping, and shifting the burden of combat operations to the South Vietnamese military (ARVN), while intensifying aerial bombing campaigns.

What treaties and diplomatic initiatives characterized the era of détente during the 1970s? (5)

Summit meetings between superpower leaders, 1967 Outer Space Treaty, 1972 Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I), 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, and 1975 Helsinki Accords

What event brought an end to détente in December 1979?

The Soviet military invasion of Afghanistan to prop up its client communist regime, which President Jimmy Carter denounced as the 'greatest threat to peace since WW2'.

What was President Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), announced in 1983?

A proposed space-based missile shield (nicknamed 'Star Wars') designed to shoot down incoming Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles, which forced the economically lagging USSR into an unaffordable technological arms race.

What four systemic problems confronted the USSR prior to Mikhail Gorbachev's accession in 1985?

1. Outdated technological development; 2. Widespread worker apathy; 3. Prolonged economic stagnation (with up to $30\%$ of government spending devoted to the military); 4. Ineffective, aging, and gerontocratic leadership.

What were Mikhail Gorbachev's three domestic reform initiatives?

Glasnost (openness, ending state censorship, and encouraging public debate), Perestroika (restructuring the economy by introducing market elements), and Demokratizatsiya (democratizing political institutions and elections).

What was the 'Sinatra Doctrine' in late-Soviet foreign policy?

Gorbachev's repudiation of the Brezhnev Doctrine, allowing Eastern European satellite states to determine their own internal political affairs ('doing it their way') without Soviet military intervention.

On what date was the Berlin Wall breached by East German citizens, and when was Germany officially reunified?

The Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989; Germany was officially reunified $11\text{ months}$ later on 3 October 1990.

On what date did Mikhail Gorbachev resign and formally declare the dissolution of the USSR?

25 December 1991.