The Cold War (Test Six) - Modern World History

Why did the US and President Truman abandon the policy of isolationism?

Wars were coming closer to North America, general fear of communism, long-range weapons, didn't work for the past few decades (i.e. WWI and WWII)

What was Potsdam?

Postwar treaty where the big three met (US, Russia, UK)

What was the famous quote about the Truman Doctrine?

"I believe that it must be the policy of the US to support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures"

What was the US policy towards communism?

Containment; limiting the spread of communism as much as possible

Why was the world very polarized after WWII?

Because of poor and working class struggles in many countries, many were open to communist ideas. The US strongly opposed communism. The two socio economic ideas caused lots of polarization. Both the US (under the Marshall Plan) and the USSR supported nations trying to get them to be capitalist or communist, respectively.

Why did the allies decide to help Germany recover instead of giving them all the blame after WWII?

Because the allies were trying to learn from history, and they wanted to keep Germany away from radical communist ideas. Additionally, they wanted to be able to maintain stability in Europe and watch over Germany, which served as a buffer between the West and the USSR.

What led to the decision to divide up Germany?

The USSR wanted land and industry from Germany, unlike the allies, so they decide it would be a better solution to split up the country into West Germany (democratic) and East Germany (communist)

What 4 countries held quarters of Germany?

Britain, France, US, Russia/USSR

Why did the allies offer the Marshall Plan to West Berlin?

To keep W. Berlin free

What was the first conflict of the Cold War?

The Berlin Blockade and Airlift

What made the Berlin Airlift?

Because Stalin blockaded all trades in and out of West Berlin. The allies wanted to keep West Berlin afloat, so they organized around the clock airdrops. The allies win this conflict

When was NATO formed?

1949

What is NATO and what does it stand for?

Military alliance of Western countries, North Atlantic Treaty Organization

What was the Warsaw Pact, when was it made?

1955, the USSR's military alliance of mostly Eastern European nations

Was West Berlin successful and prosperous?

Yes, it had a strong capitalistic economy

Why did the USSR build the Berlin Wall?

Because too many East Berliners were leaving, it was a bad look of the USSR, so they walled off West Berlin

What country controlled Korea from WWI-end of WWII?

Japan

What happened to Korean land at the end of WWII?

The US and the USSR divided up Korean land at the 38th parallel. The USSR got N. Korea and the US got S. Korea

Did Korea like the separation?

No, they wanted to be unified.

When was the first fighting of the Korean war?

June 1950 when N. Korea launched a surprise attack on S. Korea

How did the UN respond to the initial attack on S. Korea by N. Korea?

The UN condemned the attack and sent a military force to push back

How was the UN sending a military force differ from the League of Nations?

The league of nations did not have a military force that it was able to use, whereas the UN does

Where were the UN troops in Korea from?

Mostly from South Korea or the US

Who led the UN army?

American General Douglas McArthur

How did the UN army initially perform in Korea?

It pushed back into North Korean territory, it was very successful

Did the US president at the time, Truman, support the military actions of McArthur?

No, the two butted heads

What nations supported the North Korean army?

China and the USSR helped with weapons (the USSR did not send troops)

What was the ultimate resolution to the Korean war?

There was stalemate, so the two sides agreed to set up a DMZ (demilitarized zone) at the 38th parallel, which is still there today

What are the political situations in North and South Korea today?

South Korea is democratic, capitalist, and a US ally, whereas North Korea is communist, dictatorial, and has few allies

What was China's role in WWI?

They helped the allies by seizing control of German colonies in East Asia

Who was the first leader of China in the postwar period?

Sun Yat-Sen, the leader of Guomindang (People's National Party)

What was the west's role in China shortly after WWI?

The refused to support Sun Yat-Sen and its government

What was the USSR's role in China shortly after WWI?

Gave monetary and weapons support

What did Sun Yat-Sen accomplish after WWI?

He was able to conquer and unify much of China, but died of cancer before he could accomplish his goal

What leader took over after Sun Yat-Sen's death?

Chiang Kai-shek

Describe what Chiang Kai-shek did while he ruled China

Started the Northern Campaign to conquer and unify the rest of China, established the National Party Government, and essentially became dictator of China

What class supported Kai-Shek?

The bourgeoisie supported him, but he was unpopular with the poor

How did communism become popular in China?

Ideas of communism spread widely throughout the lower/peasant class

What did Kai-Shek do to Chinese communists?

He solidified his power by turning on the USSR and ordering the massacre of all Chinese communists

Where did many of the remaining communists take refuge?

Hunan Province in Central China

What is another reason the National Party lost a lot of popular support?

He was very focused on communism and not focused enough on the Japanese genocide occuring in Manchuria

What was the Long March?

In 1934, communists in Hunan fled and marched across China to avoid execution while they were chased by Kai-Shek's army.

How many people marched and survived? How far did they go?

Started as 90,000 people, but after a year only 20,000 people could complete the journey due to fatigue, sickness, and enemy attacks

How did the Long March help communism spread?

Communists could spread their revolutionary message across China

When did Mao Zedong rise to fame?

During the march, when he emerged as a popular leader

What was Zedong's army called?

The Red Army or "People's Liberation Army" that wore red

Who did China fight with in WWII?

They fought against Japan with the allies (specifically the USSR)

Why did Kai-Shek leave power?

His party lost the people's support, so after a bloody civil war against Mao, him and his government fled to Taiwan. His fleeing made China an officially communist nation.

What was the name of Mao's political party?

Chinese Communist Party

What did Mao do in 1950?

Conquered Tibet to expand resources and territory, very bloody with many Tibetans killed, some consider it genocide. The Dalai Lama was forced to flee in 1959

Why did the UN or USA not help Tibet

They didn't want to push China towards the USSR, and because Tibet was relatively poor and small so we didn't really care

Why did the USSR not want China to invade Taiwan?

Because it could spark a big war and make the Cold War a Hot War.

What was the nature of the relationship between the USSR and China?

Although the USSR initially supported China, there started to be more disagreements between the two nations, and increased tensions. By 1960, Chinese aid and relations were cut off by the USSR

When was the Great Leap Forward? What was it?

From 1958-1960, the program was created with the purpose of fast-forwarding the Industrial Revolution so it could be on the same level as the Western Powers

What were the "communes" that Mao set up?

Made to increase farm and factory production under state control, an example of collectivization. Large communities that were made up of thousands of acres

Were the communes successful?

No, the workers were not specialized so the goods produced were low quality and useless

What were the negative effects of the Great Leap Forward?

Because fewer people were working on farming, and due to difficult weather conditions, not enough food was available. There was a mass famine. About 55 million people died.

What happened to Mao after the failure of the great leap forward?

Due to propaganda, he remained very popular

What did the CCP and Mao threaten critics of the regime with?

Prison and death

When was the cultural revolution?

1966-1969

What was the goal of the cultural revolution?

To get rid of all capitalistic, feudal, bourgeoisie tendencies

What was the role of the youth in the cultural revolution?

Mao urged the youth of China to experience and participate in the revolution first hand like his generation had. The youth carried the "Little Red Book" of Mao's quotes

What happened to people who didn't take part in the revolution?

They were killed

What did Mao do during the Cultural Revolution?

Persecuted or killed Bourgeoisie, forced skilled workers to do manual labor, closed schools and factories, burned literature and books

What did Stalin think of the Truman Doctrine?

He called it encirclement of communism by the capitalist world

What was the name of the US promoted regional alliance in Asia?

SEATO, or Southeast-Asia Treaty Organization

Why did the US make military bases all over the world?

The US had many military alliances and in them was the right to set up American military bases.

What did many Americans call the PRC?

Red China

Why did the US rethink its policy towards China as the Cold War continued?

It realized that there were strategic advantages to improved relations following its split with the USSR. The US thought if it could "play the China card" it could isolate the Soviets, because Nato was to its West and China was to its East.

When did the US and China first establish formal diplomatic relations?

1979

Why did China back N. Korea in the Korean War?

Following US success, the S. Korean border was so close to China that Mao feared an American invasion

Name the leader of N. Korea during the Cold War

Kim Il Sung

Name the leader of S. Vietnam in the 1950s

Ngo Dinh Diem

Why were Vietnamese elections meant to reunite Vietnam get postponed?

The US thought that Diem might lose the election, and Vietnam would fall to the communists

What was Domino Theory?

If one country falls to communism, the other countries surrounding it would soon become communist as well

When was Diem killed, why?

His government was corrupt and he had little popular support, he was killed by South Viet military leaders, and the US

What was the Viet Cong?

Communist rebels trying to defeat South Vietnam's government, supported by communist N. Viet leader Ho Chi Minh

What was the Gulf of Tonkin incident?

In August 1964, A US warship, USS Maddox, and USS Turner Joy in the Gulf of Tonkin reported attacks by N. Viet torpedo boats. Pres LBJ used the attacks to win congressional approval for the Gulf of Tonkin resolution

What was the Gulf of Tonkin resolution?

Congressional authorization for the president to take all necessary measures to prevent further N. Vietnamese aggression.

Was the Gulf of Tonkin incident real?

No one knows to this day, people speculate that the US might have fabricated it because there was no proof of damage to the ships

What did the US first do to pressure Ho to abandon the Vietnam war?

Airstrikes

How many troops were serving in Vietnam in 1969?

Over 500,000

What countries supported North Vietnam?

The USSR and China

What was the Tet Offensive?

Series of attacks from the communist forces/Viet Cong in January 1968 on Southern Vietnamese cities.

Why was the Tet Offensive a surprise?

It happened during Tet, the Vietnamese New Year

Why did the Tet Offensive matter in the US?

It turned American opinion against US involvement in Vietnam, the population no longer felt the war was winnable. Shook public confidence in the war and its leaders

Did the US lose the Vietnam war?

The US does not say it lost, but the real answer is unclear

What happened after the US withdrew from Vietnam?

2 years later, the North Vietnamese captured Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, and it was then renamed Ho Chi Minh City in honor of the leader. The nation was reunited under communism.

When did the USSR invade Afghanistan?

1979

Why did the USSR invade Afghanistan?

To help the communist government that had seized power a year earlier

Did the people of Afghanistan like the communist government?

No, many people were anti-communist

Name the force that opposed the USSR in Afghanistan

The Mujahideen, Muslim guerilla fighters

Did the Soviets succeed in fighting against the Mujahideen?

No, they only controlled the cities, not the countryside

What did the US do during the Afghanistan War?

They supported the Mujahideen

How did Fidel Castro come to power?

He built rebel Guerilla forces in the 1950s and took power of the government. He was helped by Che Guerera

What country supported Castro?

The USSR, because Castro was communist

When did Castro stage a coup and take power?

1959, with arms provided by the USSR. Called the Cuban Revolution

What and when was the Bay of Pigs?

USA/CIA secret plot to overthrow Castro. CIA trained ex-Cuban exiles to invade Cuba in 1961, but the plot failed

Why did the US use ex-Cubans to do the Bay of Pigs?

So they could feign innocence

What is the US trade embargo on Cuba?

Still exists today. Prohibits traveling to Cuba, and preventing trade so that Cuba would fail and the people would overthrow the communist gov.