Origins of the Cold War

Flashcards about the Origins of the Cold War, covering key events, figures, and concepts.

What two countries were the main adversaries during the Cold War?

The United States (USA) and the Soviet Union (USSR)

What are the political and economic ideologies associated with the USA during the Cold War?

Political: Democracy; Economic: Capitalism

What are the political and economic ideologies associated with the USSR during the Cold War?

Political: Communism; Economic: Socialism

When did the Cold War take place?

From 1945 until the breakup of the USSR in 1991

What does the term 'Cold War' mean?

The two superpowers (US vs USSR) are in an indirect war where they never directly fought each other.

Define 'proxy war' in the context of the Cold War.

Indirect wars between the US and USSR, such as the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

What events increased the tension between the US and the USSR?

The US was upset that Stalin was an ally of Hitler before WW2 and kept the atomic bomb a secret. Stalin was upset that capitalists countries would eventually try to destroy communism.

What were the former Allied Powers that occupied Germany after WWII?

The U.S., Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union

What were the 'satellite' communist governments installed by Stalin in Eastern Europe?

Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia, and East Germany

What was the significance of Churchill's 'Iron Curtain' speech?

It symbolized the division of Europe into democratic Western Europe and communist Eastern Europe.

What was the 'containment policy'?

The US policy to prevent the spread of communism by diplomatic, economic, and military force.

What was the Truman Doctrine?

Pledged the U.S. to fight communism worldwide, starting with aid to Greece and Turkey.

What were the goals of the Marshall Plan?

Economic aid to all European nations rebuilding their economies to weaken the appeal of Communism, and to create new markets for trade.

What happened to Germany after WWII?

It was divided into zones controlled by the U.S., Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union, later becoming West Germany and East Germany.

What was the Berlin Blockade?

The Soviet Union blocked access to West Berlin.

How did the US respond to the Berlin Blockade?

Truman sent cargo planes to drop food, supplies, and medicine to West Berlin.

What was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)?

A military alliance including the USA, France, Great Britain, and West Germany, based on capitalism and democracy.

What was the Warsaw Pact?

A military alliance of pro-Soviet countries controlled by the USSR, based on communism.

When did China become a Communist country?

1949, under the control of Mao Zedong

Who fought in the Korean War?

The United States and South Korea vs. the Soviet Union, China, and North Korea.

What was the end result of the Korean War?

An armistice signed in 1953, leaving Korea divided into two separate countries.

What was the 'Arms Race'?

A competition between the US and USSR to develop more powerful weapons, beginning with the Soviet Union testing its first atomic bomb in 1949.

What is 'Mutually Assured Destruction' (MAD)?

The concept that a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two opposing sides would effectively result in the destruction of both the attacker and the defender.

What is 'Brinkmanship'?

The practice of pushing dangerous events to the brink of disaster in order to achieve the most advantageous outcome.