Cold War: Key Concepts, Events, and Outcomes in Global Politics

Democracy

A political system where power is with the citizens, and they have basic human rights.

Capitalism

An economic system where people (not the gov) have control over their jobs/money. Has social classes (rich, middle, poor).

Communism

A political and economic system with a classless society. Do not have basic rights- ruled by a dictator.

Emerging Superpowers After WW2

US & USSR viewed as the 2 most powerful nations in the world.

A Divided Europe

Europe was eventually divided by the Iron Curtain: the imaginary barrier separating the East & West.

Motives of Joseph Stalin

Goal: Spread Communism throughout Europe.

The Cold War

A state of hostility between 2 nations (the US & USSR) without any physical violence.

Containment

The theory that you cannot get rid of communism where it already exists, but you can stop it from spreading.

The Truman Doctrine

An economic and military program designed by the US to help other nations that were under threat of being taken over by communism.

The Marshall Plan

1947- Massive economic package to rebuild Europe, created to help Western European countries recover from WW2.

Crisis in Germany

Germany was broken into 4 zones after WW2: US, Britain, France → W. Germany; USSR → E. Germany.

The Berlin Airlift

1948- Stalin wanted the US, Britain, and France out of Berlin; closed all roads & railways from bringing food/supplies to W. Berlin.

The Berlin Wall

1961- East Germany built a wall that separated East and West Germany to keep East Germans from fleeing.

Opposing Military Alliances

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): US & most of W. Europe; The Warsaw Pact: The USSR & most of E. Europe.

The Arms Race

The US and USSR competed with each other to develop more powerful nuclear weapons.

Slowing the Arms Race

By the 1960s, the possibility of nuclear war led to mutually assured destruction.

The Space Race

Competition between the US and USSR to explore space, major goal: put a man on the moon.

Cold War in Asia

Spread of Communism; China became communist in 1949, leading to the Domino Theory.

Korean War

N. Korean troops invade S. Korea; the US organizes troops to help S. Korea.

Vietnam War

Ho Chi Minh was determined to reunite the country under his communist rule; the US feared communism would spread.

Anti-War Movement

TV news programs showed Americans graphic pictures of the Vietnam War, increasing the anti-war movement.

Vietnam Reunited

The US left Vietnam in 1973.

Vietnamese captured Saigon

South Vietnam's capital

North Vietnam

Reunited the country under a very harsh rule

Afghanistan

Kept itself neutral between the US and USSR after WW2

Communism in Afghanistan

Afghanistan became communist in 1978

USSR invasion of Afghanistan

In order to stop a rebellion, the USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979

Soviet-Afghan War

USSR expected to stop the rebellion and withdraw but found themselves stuck

End of the Soviet-Afghan War

USSR lost support for the war due to casualties and money spent

USSR withdrawal agreement

In 1988, the USSR signed a document with the US and Afghanistan to withdraw troops

Fidel Castro

Communist dictator of Cuba who ruled from 1959-2008

US-Cuba relations post-communism

After Cuba turned communist, the US stopped trading with it

Cuban Missile Crisis

Crisis lasted 13 days due to fears of USSR missiles

Mikhail Gorbachev

Last leader of the USSR who came to power in 1985

Gorbachev's Glasnost

Means 'Openness', promoting more personal freedoms

Gorbachev's Perestroika

Means 'Restructuring', involving economic and political reforms

End of Communism in Eastern Europe

Soviet controlled countries started breaking away from the USSR

Berlin Wall

Taken down in 1989, symbolizing the end of the Cold War

USSR dissolution

USSR dissolved in 1991, marking the official end of the Cold War

Cold War

A period of political tension between the US and USSR from 1945 to 1991

Iron Curtain

Describes the division between communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe

Eastern Bloc

Communist countries in Eastern Europe controlled by the Soviet Union after WWII

Truman Doctrine

Promised economic and military aid to nations resisting communism

Marshall Plan

Provided billions of dollars in aid to rebuild Western Europe after WWII

Berlin Blockade

In 1948, the Soviet Union blocked all land routes into West Berlin

Berlin Airlift

Operation to fly food and supplies into West Berlin in response to the blockade

NATO

Military alliance formed in 1949 between the US, Canada, and Western European nations

Warsaw Pact

Military alliance created by the Soviet Union and its Eastern European allies in 1955

Arms Race

Competition between the US and USSR to build more powerful nuclear weapons

Space Race

Competition between the US and USSR for advancements in space exploration

M.A.D. (Mutually Assured Destruction)

The idea that if one side launched nuclear weapons, both sides would be destroyed

Detente

A period during the 1970s when tensions between the US and USSR temporarily eased

Domino Theory

Belief that if one country fell to communism, neighboring countries would follow

Proxy Wars

Conflicts where the US and USSR supported opposing sides without direct fighting

Viet Cong

Communist guerrilla fighters in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War

American Anti-War Movement

Many Americans protested U.S. involvement in Vietnam during the 1960s and 1970s

Vietnam Reunited under communist rule

After U.S. troops withdrew, North Vietnam defeated South Vietnam in 1975.

Glasnost

A policy introduced by Gorbachev that allowed greater openness, freedom of speech, and transparency in the Soviet Union.

Perestroika

Gorbachev's policy of restructuring the Soviet economy and government.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

In 1989, East Germany opened the Berlin Wall, allowing people to move freely between East and West Berlin.

Dissolution of the USSR

In 1991, the Soviet Union officially broke apart into independent nations.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

The US tried to overthrow Cuba's communist government in April 1961.

Kennedy's Announcement (October 22, 1962)

He announced a naval 'quarantine' around Cuba to prevent further Soviet offensive weapons from arriving.

Black Saturday (October 27)

Often called 'Black Saturday,' the most dangerous day of the crisis.

Khrushchev's Deal

Khrushchev offered a deal: remove USSR missiles if the US removes its Jupiter missiles from Turkey.

Kennedy and Dobrynin Agreement

Kennedy secretly agreed to remove US Jupiter missiles from Turkey in exchange for the removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba.

US and Soviet Reaction to Crisis End

Both sides publicly claimed victory after the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Soviet Atomic Bomb (1949)

Ended the US nuclear monopoly, shocking Americans and triggering a massive US buildup.

NATO Formation (1949)

A collective defense alliance of Western democracies against Soviet aggression.

Hydrogen Bomb (1952 US, 1953 USSR)

A thousand times more powerful than atomic bombs, escalating the stakes.

Warsaw Pact Formation (1955)

Soviet-led military alliance as a direct counter to NATO.

Arms Race (1950s-1980s)

Ongoing competition for nuclear superiority drove technological leaps.

U-2 Incident (1960)

An American spy plane was shot down over the USSR, canceling a summit.

SALT I (1972)

First major nuclear treaty limiting ICBMs and ABMs, marking détente.

ABM Treaty (1972)

Banned nationwide anti-ballistic missile systems, preserving 'mutual assured destruction'.

SDI ('Star Wars') (1983)

Reagan's proposed space-based missile defense.

INF Treaty (1987)

Eliminated all intermediate-range nuclear missiles.

START I (1991)

Deep cuts to long-range nuclear warheads as the Cold War ended.

Sputnik 1 (1957)

First artificial satellite; it shocked the US.

NASA Creation (1958)

US response to Sputnik: centralized American space efforts.

Space Race (1957-1975)

Cold War competition in space used as propaganda.

Yuri Gagarin Flight (1961)

First human in space; huge Soviet propaganda victory.

Alan Shepard Flight (1961)

First American in space; partially restored US pride.

John Glenn Orbit (1962)

First American to orbit Earth.

Spacewalk (Leonov) (1965)

First person to exit a spacecraft in space.

Apollo 8 (1968)

First humans to orbit the Moon.

Moon Landing (1969)

US wins the 'race to the Moon'; an enormous Cold War propaganda victory.

Apollo Program (1963-1972)

A series of US lunar missions, climaxing with the Moon landing.

Apollo-Soyuz Mission (1975)

First joint US-Soviet space mission; symbol of détente.

Challenger Explosion (1986)

The Space Shuttle disaster, killing 7, paused the US manned program.