cold war

Why did USA and USSR have a clash in ideologys

• USA: Capitalism (private ownership) + Democracy. Goal: Containment (stopping the spread of communism).

• USSR: Communism (state ownership) + Totalitarianism. Goal: Spread communism and create a "buffer zone" of friendly nations in Eastern Europe.

What is the Iron Curtain?

The Iron Curtain: A term coined by Winston Churchill to describe the political division between Western Europe and Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe.

What was the Truman Doctrine?

Truman Doctrine (1947): The US promised economic and military aid to any country fighting off a communist takeover (specifically started with Greece and Turkey).

What was the Marshall Plan?

Marshall Plan: The US gave billions of dollars to rebuild Western Europe so those countries wouldn't turn to communism out of desperation.

What was the Berlin airlift?

Berlin Airlift (1948): Stalin blocked all roads into West Berlin to starve it out. The US and UK flew supplies in around the clock for 11 months until Stalin backed down.

What were the main alliances?

• NATO (1949): Western democratic military alliance (US, Canada, Western Europe).

• Warsaw Pact (1955): The Soviet counter-alliance of communist nations.

Give basic details about the Korean war.

Korean War (1950–1953): Communist North invaded Democratic South. The US/UN backed the South; China/USSR backed the North. Ended in a stalemate at the 38th Parallel.

Give basic information about the Vietnam war.

Vietnam War (1955–1975): Communist North vs. Democratic South. The US got deeply involved to stop the Domino Theory (the idea that if one country fell to communism, its neighbors would too). The US eventually withdrew, and Vietnam became entirely communist.

What was the Berlin wall?

Berlin Wall (1961): Built by East Germany to stop its citizens from fleeing into democratic West Berlin. It became the ultimate physical symbol of the Cold War.

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962): The closest the world ever came to nuclear war. The USSR put nuclear missiles in Cuba (90 miles from Florida). President John F. Kennedy blockaded Cuba, and after 13 tense days, Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles if the US promised not to invade Cuba.