Cold War History: Key Events, Policies, and Figures in U.S. and USSR

What is a cold war?

Icy relations between two groups; sometimes no diplomatic connection at all; no open warfare.

What were the foreign policy goals for the US after WWII?

Encouraging capitalism/democracy; united Germany (eventually) & independent eastern Europe.

What were the foreign policy goals for the USSR after WWII?

Encouraging communism; divided Germany & weak eastern Europe with Soviet influence.

What happened at the Potsdam Conference?

Stalin wanted to assert power in eastern Europe; UK and USA opposed this; Cold War begins.

What happened to Germany & Berlin after WWII?

Split between democratic west and communist east.

Who coined the term 'iron curtain' and what does it refer to?

Winston Churchill; it refers to the imaginary divide between the democratic western world and communist eastern world.

Who developed the U.S. policy of containment and what did it call for?

George F. Keenan; it called for a halt on the spread of communism through slow, steady, constant pressure.

What is the difference between the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan?

Truman Doctrine provided $$ to help countries defend against communism; Marshall Plan provided aid for post-war Europe to rebuild.

What were the causes & effects of the Berlin Crisis and Airlift?

USSR closed roads into Berlin; USA & Allies dropped supplies; blockade was ultimately ineffective.

What was NATO?

Promoting collective security in member nations (democracies).

What was the Warsaw Pact?

A communist alliance created in response to West Germany joining NATO.

What was the result of the Chinese Civil War?

Mao won; Nationalist government fled to Taiwan.

Why did the US not invade China?

Invading China would have been problematic; US wasn't prepared to fight in China or anger USSR.

What were the causes and results of the Korean War?

Northern forces invaded southern Korea; UN and US troops aided South Korea; Armistice signed in 1953.

What was the House Un-American Activities Committee?

Investigated Communist influence in various sectors; blacklisted those accused or convicted.

What happened to the Hollywood Ten?

They refused to cooperate with HUAC and were blacklisted.

How did the Alger Hiss and the Rosenbergs cases influence Americans?

They led many to question how deeply communists had infiltrated government.

Who was Joseph McCarthy and how did he fuel the Red Scare?

Senator who led investigations into government infiltration by communists; claimed to have evidence he did not possess.

How did the Red Scare infringe on civil rights of Americans?

Limited free speech & association; fear of repercussions stopped many from speaking out.

Why was conformity important during the Red Scare?

Conforming to norms was a way to test if someone was communist; differing opinions were suspect.

What was the arms race during the Cold War?

U.S. and USSR competed to be superior in weapons technology and nuclear weapons.

What was the Space Race?

Competition between U.S. and USSR in space exploration; started with Soviet launch of Sputnik and ended with U.S. moon landing.

How was Sputnik a wake-up call for America?

It showed that the US was lagging behind the Soviets in space technology.

What was Truman's Fair Deal?

More legislation similar to the New Deal; included health insurance, civil rights, and public housing.

How did the GI Bill aim to help veterans?

Provided education and loan opportunities for returning soldiers.

Why did support for Truman wane?

Due to his stance on civil rights, China becoming communist, and the Korean stalemate.

What efforts did President Truman make for advancing civil rights?

Desegregation of the military.

What is the 22nd Amendment?

No president can be elected more than twice.

What is Modern Republicanism under President Eisenhower?

Providing social programs while maintaining a balanced budget.

What is brinkmanship?

Using nuclear weapons as a deterrent to war.

What is mutually assured destruction?

The knowledge that if either the US or USSR used nuclear weapons, they could destroy all of civilization.

What are some examples of CIA intervention in foreign governments?

Guatemala, Iran, Cuba.

What was the Eisenhower Doctrine?

U.S. will provide aid to Middle Eastern countries to resist communist influence.

What was the significance of the Suez Crisis?

U.S. became the leading influencer in the Middle East.

What happened during the U-2 incident?

Soviets shot down a U.S. spy plane; US denied it was a spy plane.

Why didn't the U.S. get involved in the Hungarian Uprising?

Hungary was already under Soviet control as a satellite state.

What was Kennedy's 'flexible response' foreign policy?

Fund nuclear technology and other defense programs for comprehensive preparedness.

What happened during the Bay of Pigs Invasion?

CIA organized Cuban exiles to invade Cuba; it failed and embarrassed Kennedy.

What happened during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Soviet Union backed down; it was the closest the world came to nuclear war.

What was established to connect the Kremlin to the White House?

A hotline to prevent non-communication between the U.S. and USSR.

Why was the Berlin Wall built?

To prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin and to symbolize the divide of East and West during the Cold War.

How did the 1960 Presidential Debate impact voters?

Kennedy's image influenced voters; he used stage makeup and wore suitable colors.

What was Kennedy's domestic plan 'New Frontier' about?

A vision for progress in science, civil rights, and social improvements to lift Americans out of poverty.

What was the Peace Corps?

A program with volunteers assisting in developing nations.

What was the Alliance for Progress?

An initiative providing economic and technical assistance to Latin America in the 1960s.

What did Michael Harrington's book 'The Other America' reveal?

It described the working poor and the origins of poverty as environmental and familial factors.

What general information is known about the Kennedy assassination?

Kennedy was shot on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas; Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly acted alone.

What was the Warren Commission's conclusion about the Kennedy assassination?

It determined that Lee Harvey Oswald acted independently.

What was Johnson's Great Society plan?

A plan to eliminate poverty in America, including Medicare, Medicaid, and other social programs.

Who is Ho Chi Minh?

The communist leader of the Vietminh against the French and later North Vietnam against the U.S.

What is the domino theory?

The idea that if Vietnam becomes communist, other Southeast Asian nations will follow.

Who were the Vietcong?

Supporters of North Vietnam living in South Vietnam.

What was the Tonkin Gulf Resolution?

It allowed the President to take quick action in Vietnam without Congressional approval.

What was the U.S. plan to win the 'hearts and minds' of South Vietnamese?

To convince the Vietnamese to support the U.S., which ultimately did not work.

What inequalities were associated with the military draft system?

Disproportionate drafting of soldiers of color and wealthier individuals finding ways to avoid the draft.

What were college students protesting for during the Vietnam War?

They protested for more freedom of speech and against the war, as they were the ones being drafted.

What is the difference between doves and hawks?

Doves favored peaceful means to end the war, while hawks favored military involvement.

What is the credibility gap?

The disparity between what the Johnson Administration reported about the war and what Americans saw.

How did the media shape American perceptions of the Vietnam War?

Less censorship exposed the realities of war, contributing to growing antiwar sentiment.

What happened during the Tet Offensive?

A coordinated attack across South Vietnam that widened the credibility gap and increased antiwar sentiment.

What is Vietnamization?

Nixon's policy of gradually withdrawing U.S. troops and allowing South Vietnamese to fight their own battles.

Why was disenfranchisement key to Jim Crow laws?

It maintained white supremacy by denying voting rights to African Americans and other minorities.

Why were civil rights efforts compared to communism?

They threatened the status quo and were misinterpreted as anti-American.

How did African Americans use economic power in the Montgomery Bus Boycott?

By withholding bus fares, they pressured the city to integrate buses.

What is the purpose of civil disobedience?

To purposefully break unjust laws to draw attention to them.

How did Brown v. Board of Education impact segregation?

It declared that 'separate but equal' was unconstitutional, aiding in dismantling segregation.

What was the impact of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

It aimed to eliminate discrimination and promote civil rights.

What is the immediate and long-term impact of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

Jim Crow is over; prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin; rights of the 14th Amendment are given to Black Americans.

How did the Voting Rights Act correct discrimination in voting?

It banned literacy tests, provided federal oversight in areas with high non-white populations, and gave African Americans legal standing to challenge weak enforcement of voting rights laws.

What challenges did women in the Black Panther Party and the Civil Rights Movement face?

They dealt with both racism and sexism at the same time.

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1968 aim to correct?

It aimed to correct housing discrimination and the effects of redlining.

Why was the year 1968 tumultuous for the Civil Rights Movement?

DR King and RFK were assassinated, leading to a loss of momentum in the movement.

What did the Kerner Commission determine?

White racism and backlash caused most of the urban violence in the 1960s.

What is the difference between de facto and de jure segregation?

De facto is cultural segregation; de jure is segregation enforced by laws.

Why did Nixon establish the Nixon Doctrine?

To prevent the U.S. from becoming the 'world police' and to avoid excessive defense spending.

How did Nixon try to end American participation in the Vietnam War?

Through a policy called Vietnamization.

Why did Nixon want to open diplomatic relations with China?

To create economic opportunities and show the Soviet Union that the U.S. could engage with communist nations.

How did Nixon appeal to Southerners during the 1972 Election?

He gathered voters who were tired of civil rights movement events.

What is stagflation?

A situation of high unemployment and rising prices.

What evidence do we have of Nixon moving towards détente with the Soviet Union?

His visits to China and the USSR, and the signing of the SALT Treaty.

How important was the environment to President Nixon?

He established the EPA and signed the Endangered Species Act.

What two important developments for women occurred during the 1970s?

The Equal Rights Amendment and the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision.

What caused the oil crisis and how did it impact the U.S.?

OAPEC stopped exporting oil to countries supporting Israel, leading to dramatic increases in gasoline prices and shortages.

What was the purpose of the break-in at the Watergate Hotel in June of 1972?

Nixon's aides were trying to gather information on the Democratic Party's strategy for the 1972 election.

How did President Nixon obstruct justice during the Watergate investigations?

He did not provide his tape recordings and interfered with the FBI investigation.

What happened during the Saturday Night Massacre?

Nixon's Attorney General refused to fire the special prosecutor investigating Watergate, leading to resignations.

What did the US v. Nixon Supreme Court case establish?

The President is not above the law and must comply with Congressional subpoenas.

How did President Nixon's administration end?

He resigned before he was impeached.

What was the impact of Watergate on the perception of the federal government?

It made the government appear untrustworthy and corrupt.

Why did Ford pardon Nixon?

To help move the country forward after the Watergate ordeal.

What were the Camp David Accords?

A peace agreement between Israel and Egypt.

What happened with SALT II?

It was a proposal to limit the size of nuclear delivery systems but did not pass Congress.

What was the Iran Hostage Crisis?

American hostages were taken at the embassy in Iran and held for 444 days.

What were some core beliefs of the 'New Right'?

Shrink the federal government, cut corporate taxes, end gun control and affirmative action, promote traditional family values.

What was part of 'Reaganomics' and trickle-down theory?

Deep cuts in social program spending, supply-side economics, and tax cuts benefiting the wealthiest Americans.

What social concerns arose during the Reagan Administration?

AIDS crisis, abortion rights rollback, War on Drugs, and equal rights struggles.

What was the Iran-Contra Scandal?

Government officials funneled money from illegal weapons sales to Iran to support Nicaraguan Contras.

How did the Soviet Union collapse?

Satellite states defected, and the USSR lacked the resources to maintain control.

What happened at Tiananmen Square?

Student-led pro-democracy protests were met with military force, resulting in hundreds killed.

Why did President Bush launch Operation Desert Storm?

To liberate Kuwait from Iraq's invasion.