Cold War Origins & Early Tensions (1945–1955) Questions

What did the National Security Act of 1947 create?

It created the Department of Defense, the National Security Council, and the CIA.

What was the significance of the Pentagon?

It became the headquarters of the new Department of Defense.

What was the Marshall Plan?

A U.S. plan that gave billions of dollars to help Western Europe rebuild after WWII.

Who proposed the Marshall Plan?

George C. Marshall, the U.S. Secretary of State.

What did Stalin do about the Marshall Plan?

He rejected it and forced Soviet-bloc countries to refuse it too.

What were the zones of occupation in Germany?

The U.S., Britain, and France controlled the West; the Soviet Union controlled the East.

How was Berlin divided?

Berlin was split into sectors even though it was inside the Soviet zone.

What were the Nuremberg Trials?

Trials where Nazi leaders were judged for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Why did Stalin block Berlin in 1948?

He wanted the Allies out of West Berlin.

What was the Berlin Blockade?

The Soviet Union cut off land access to West Berlin for 321 days.

What was the Berlin Airlift?

A U.S. and Allied operation that flew food and supplies into West Berlin.

Who was Gail Halvorsen?

The “Candy Bomber,” a pilot who dropped candy to children in Berlin.

What was NATO?

A military alliance formed in 1949 between the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe.

What were West and East Germany called?

West Germany was the FRG and East Germany was the GDR.

What happened in 1949 in the Soviet Union?

The USSR successfully tested its first atomic bomb.

What started the arms race?

The U.S. and USSR competed to build stronger nuclear weapons.

What was the hydrogen bomb?

A much more powerful nuclear weapon developed during the arms race.

What did the USSR create in 1955?

The Warsaw Pact, a communist military alliance.

What happened in postwar Japan?

MacArthur helped rebuild Japan and turn it into a democracy.

What happened in Indochina after WWII?

France tried to retake Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh led an insurgency against them.

Why did Truman support France in Indochina?

He was worried about communism spreading, even though France was a colonial power.

What happened in the Chinese Civil War?

Communists led by Mao Zedong defeated Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists.

Where did the Nationalists flee?

They fled to Formosa, now called Taiwan.

What was the Korean War’s key boundary?

The 38th Parallel divided North and South Korea.

What did the GI Bill do?

It helped returning soldiers with education, housing, and jobs.

What was the baby boom?

A huge rise in births after WWII.

What was Strategic Air Command (SAC)?

A U.S. military command that handled nuclear bombers and long-range air power.

What was MAD?

Mutually Assured Destruction, the idea that both sides could be destroyed by nuclear war.

What was the Red Scare?

Fear that communists were inside the U.S. government and society.

What was HUAC?

A congressional committee that investigated suspected communist influence.

What was the Loyalty Review Board?

A program that checked federal workers for communist ties.

What was the National Security Act’s main Cold War purpose?

To strengthen U.S. defense and intelligence against communist threats.