Cold War to Hot War Flashcards

NATO

A collective defense alliance formed by the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republics in 1955 during the Cold War

1953 German Protest

A large-scale, popular uprising in East Germany (GDR) on June 17, 1953, triggered by increased work quotas and worsened living conditions, which grew into demands for free elections and German reunification.

Berlin Wall

Constructed in 1961 by East Germany, was a heavily guarded barrier that separated East and West Berlin and symbolized the Cold War's division between communist and democratic blocs, until its fall on November 9, 1989.

Checkpoint Charlie

The name given by the Allies to the most famous crossing point of the Berlin Wall between East and West Berlin during the Cold War, operating from 1961 until 1989

Karl Marx (1818–1883) - Philosopher and economist whose ideas about capitalism and class struggle laid the foundation for modern socialism and communism. Co-authored The Communist Manifesto, calling for the working class to rise against capitalist societies.

Friedrich Engels (1820–1895) - German philosopher and social scientist who collaborated with Marx on The Communist Manifesto. Focused on working-class conditions and advocated for revolutionary socialism.

Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924) - Russian revolutionary leader who led the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 and founded the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, establishing communist governance in Russia.

Joseph Stalin (1878–1952) - Soviet leader who succeeded Lenin. Consolidated power and led the USSR through industrialization, collectivization, and World War II, marked by totalitarian control and purges.

Nikita Khrushchev (1894–1971) - Soviet premier who led during the Cold War; known for de-Stalinization, space race advances, and promoting peaceful coexistence with the West.

Leonid Brezhnev (1906–1982) - Soviet leader from 1964–1982. Oversaw reassertion of authoritarian control but improved relations with the West through détente in the 1970s.

Mikhail Gorbachev (1932–2022) - Final Soviet leader; introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) reforms that aimed to modernize the USSR but ultimately led to its collapse.

Leon Trotsky (1879–1940) - Marxist revolutionary and key figure in the Russian Revolution. Opposed Stalin’s rule and was exiled and assassinated in Mexico.

Władysław Gomułka (1905–1982) - Polish communist leader who sought limited autonomy from the Soviet Union and introduced moderate reforms during the post-Stalin era.

Béla Kun (1886–1938) - Hungarian communist who led a short-lived Soviet Republic in Hungary (1919). Executed during Stalin’s purges for ideological “deviation.”

Nicolae Ceaușescu (1918–1989) - Communist dictator of Romania (1965–1989). Initially independent from Moscow, his regime became repressive and economically disastrous; overthrown and executed in 1989.

Imre Nagy (1896–1958) - Hungarian prime minister who supported reforms and independence during the 1956 Revolution; executed after Soviet invasion, later recognized as a hero.

János Kádár (1912–1989) - Hungarian leader who replaced Nagy after 1956. Initially harsh, later implemented “Goulash Communism” moderate reforms and relative prosperity.

Alexander Dubček (1921–1992) - Czechoslovak leader of the 1968 Prague Spring, advocating “socialism with a human face.” Ousted after Soviet invasion.

Josip Tito (1892–1980) - Yugoslav leader who resisted Nazi occupation and ruled postwar Yugoslavia independently from the Soviet Union, creating a unique socialist path.

Boris Yeltsin (1931–2007) - First president of the Russian Federation (1991–1999). Oversaw transition from communism to a market economy, marked by political and economic instability.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) - Military alliance formed in 1949 by the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe to counter Soviet expansion during the Cold War.

The Warsaw Pact (1955) - Military alliance of the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc nations formed to counter NATO during the Cold War.

1953 German Protest - Uprising in East Germany (June 17, 1953) against increased work quotas and poor conditions; violently suppressed by Soviet troops.

Berlin Wall (1961–1989) - Barrier built by East Germany to prevent citizens from fleeing to West Berlin; symbol of the Cold War division until its fall in 1989.

Annexation of the Baltics (1940) - USSR occupied and absorbed Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania following the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact.

Baltic Resistance to Annexation - Guerrilla fighters (“Forest Brothers”) and underground movements resisted Soviet rule until the 1950s and again before 1991 independence.

Imposition of Communism in Eastern Europe - After WWII, USSR established communist regimes in Eastern Europe via occupation, purges, and rigged elections.

Resistance to Communism in Poland, Hungary, GDR - Poland: Solidarity movement. Hungary: 1956 revolt. GDR: 1953 uprising and later protests before reunification.

Berlin Crisis and Airlift (1948–1949) - Soviet blockade of West Berlin led to an Allied airlift supplying the city for almost a year until the blockade was lifted.

1953 GDR Protest Results - Uprising brutally suppressed by Soviet tanks; hundreds killed; strengthened East German government control.

Romanian Totalitarianism - Under Ceaușescu: secret police (Securitate), propaganda, economic decline, and a cult of personality.

Establishment of NATO (1949) - Western alliance for collective defense against Soviet aggression; cornerstone of Western Cold War policy.

Iron Curtain Speech (1946) - Winston Churchill warned that an “iron curtain” had fallen across Europe, dividing democratic and communist states.

The Berlin Wall Rise and Fall - Built in 1961 to stop emigration from East to West Berlin; fell in 1989 amid protests and Soviet collapse.