Cold War Quiz Study Guide

What is capitalism?

An economic and political system where private individuals and businesses own the means of production and operate for profit, with minimal government interference.

What are key features of capitalism?

Private property and free markets; Competition drives innovation and efficiency; Supply and demand determine prices; Profit motive incentivizes economic growth.

What is communism?

A political and economic system where the government owns all means of production and wealth is distributed equally among citizens.

What are key features of communism?

No private ownership; all property is owned by the state; Classless society; no social hierarchies; Government control of production and distribution; Aims for economic equality.

Who attended the Yalta Conference?

Franklin D. Roosevelt (USA), Winston Churchill (UK), Joseph Stalin (USSR).

What was a major agreement from the Yalta Conference?

Germany would be divided into four occupation zones (U.S., U.K., USSR, and France).

What was one of the main outcomes of the Potsdam Conference?

Truman demanded free elections in Eastern Europe, but Stalin refused.

What was an impact of the Potsdam Conference?

Increased mistrust between the U.S. and USSR and confirmed the division of Germany.

What is the goal of NATO?

Collective defense against the Soviet Union; 'An attack on one is an attack on all'.

What were the goals of the U.S. during the Cold War?

Spread democracy and capitalism; Contain communism; Strengthen Western Europe.

What is the significance of the Truman Doctrine?

Marked a shift from isolationism to active containment; supported nations resisting communism.

What was the purpose of the Marshall Plan?

An economic aid program to rebuild Western Europe to prevent the spread of communism.

What was the Berlin Blockade?

USSR blocked Western access to Berlin to force the Allies out from 1948 to 1949.

What does brinkmanship refer to in Cold War policy?

A policy of pushing dangerous conflicts to the edge of war to force an opponent to back down.

What is socialism?

An economic and political system where the means of production are owned and regulated by the community as a whole, aiming for collective welfare.

What are key features of socialism?

Government ownership of key industries; Redistribution of wealth to reduce inequality; Emphasis on social welfare and public services.

What is the Cold War?

A period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States and their respective allies from the end of World War II until the early 1990s.

What were some causes of the Cold War?

Ideological differences between capitalism and communism; Power struggles post-World War II; Nuclear arms race.

What was the significance of the Iron Curtain?

It symbolized the division between Western capitalist countries and Eastern communist countries in Europe.

What is the Warsaw Pact?

A military alliance established in 1955 between the USSR and Eastern Bloc countries to counter NATO.

What is Detente?

A period of easing tensions and improved relations between the US and the USSR during the 1970s.

What was the Cuban Missile Crisis?

A 1962 confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles in Cuba, bringing the two superpowers close to nuclear war.

What is the policy of containment?

A strategy adopted by the U.S. during the Cold War aimed at preventing the spread of communism beyond its existing borders.

What was the significance of the Berlin Wall?

It was a symbol of the Cold War division between East and West Berlin, erected in 1961 and fell in 1989, marking the end of the Cold War.