APUSH Cold War

Cold War

After World War II, the long period of intense rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Truman Doctrine

President Truman's policy of giving American aid to nations threatened by communist expansion.

Berlin Wall

A wall built by the communist East German government in 1961 to seal off East Berlin from West Berlin.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

An alliance formed in 1949 by the United States and Western European nations to fight Soviet aggression.

Warsaw Pact

Military alliance established in 1955 of the Soviet Union and other communist states in Europe.

38th Parallel

The dividing line between South and North Korea.

Douglas MacArthur

A general who Truman chose to command a force that was sent to Korea to attack after North Korea attacked Southern Korea.

Joseph McCarthy

The senator of Wisconsin; he charged 205 State Department employees, and accused them of being communist party members, but they were never proven. Eventually he came across as a bully, and his popularity plunged.

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Citizens of the United States who were sentenced to death because they passed atomic bomb secrets to the Soviets.

Nikita Khrushchev

Soviet Union leader in 1959 who had gained power a few years after Stalin died in 1953.

Fidel Castro

The person who led a revolution that set up a communist state in Cuba.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Major Cold War confrontation in 1962 --\> Soviets building missile bases on Cuba, atomic missiles could reach US within minutes.

Arms Race

A competition for supremacy in nuclear weapons (between United States and Soviet Union)

Sputnik

The world's first artificial satellite launched by the Soviet Union.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Government agency that directs the American space program.

Lyndon B. Johnson

President who had to decide whether to commit more forces to the struggle in Vietnam. He didn't think it was worth fighting for, and he didn't think they could get out. However, he sent more and more people into Vietnam causing the longest, most unpopular war in American history.

Vietcong

Vietnamese guerillas who opposed the noncommunist government of South Vietnam.

Guerillas

Fighters who used hit and run attacks.

Ho Chi Minh Trail

A system of supply routes from the North, which ran through southern North Vietnam, through Cambodia, and into southern South Vietnam.

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks Agreement

Treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union to limit the number of nuclear warheads and missiles.

Ronald Reagan

He took office in 1981 with the belief that the Soviet Union was the focus of evil in the world. He had a tough anticommunist stand, and he wanted to deal with the Soviets from a position of strength, so he persuaded the Congress to increase military spending by more than $100 billion during his first five years in office.

Star Wars

President Reagan's proposed weapons system to destroy Soviet missiles from space.

Mikhail Gorbachev

A new Soviet leader who rose to power. He believed that only major reforms would let the Soviet system survive. He backed the glasnost, which would lead citizens to find solutions to pressing economic and social problems.

Glasnost

Policy in the Soviet Union of speaking openly about problems.

Summit Meeting

The conference between the highest-ranking officials of different nations.

Kennedy's Compromise with Khrushchev

Soviet missiles will be removed from Cuba if the US does not invade Cuba.

What did Kennan compare the Soviet Union to?

a wound up toy car (couldn't be stopped until it hit an unstoppable force)

How long did the Cold War last?

50 years

What parts of the world fought against each other in the Cold War?

East (Soviet Union and allies) vs. West (U.S. and allies)

Did the Soviet Union and the U.S. clash directly in battle?

NO

Why did the U.S distrust the Soviet Union?

1) Disliked communism and its rejection of religion and private property ownership; 2) Angered by Soviet efforts to overthrow noncommunist governments; 3) Soviets boasted of destroying free enterprise systems throughout the world

Why did the Soviets distrust the U.S. (rest of the West)?

1) The U.S., being the most powerful nation, would try to attack the Soviet Union; 2) They would rebuild Germany to challenge the Soviet Union

What promise did the Soviet Union break following WWII?

the promise to hold free elections in Eastern European nations

Why did the Soviets break their promise?

Because they feared that by allowing European nations to elect their own type of leadership, the new governments would be anti-Soviet and would oppose them (causing challenges for the Soviet Union)

Satellite Nation

a nation that is dominated politically and economically by a more powerful nation

Which Eastern European country was not a satellite nation?

Yugoslavia

Who was backed in satellite nations?

Dictators (citizens who protested were imprisoned or killed)

Iron Curtain

a metaphoric wall dividing the democratic nations of the West from the communist nations of the East

Which locations did the Iron Curtain start and end at?

Stettin (Baltic) to Trieste (Adriatic)

Who coined the term Iron Curtain?

Winston Churchill

What was Truman's policy known as?

Containment

Containment

the Cold War Policy of keeping communism within its already existing borders and not allowing communism to spread further

Which two specific countries were helped by the Truman Doctrine?

Greece and Turkey

What was the reasoning behind the Truman Doctrine?

nations looked up towards the U.S. for support in fighting for freedom and if the U.S. failed to provide help and democratic encouragement, the nations would continue with communism and endanger the world

Marshall Plan

Congress' plan to spend lots of money to rebuild Europe to reduce the treat of communist revolutions in Western Europe

What was the crisis in Berlin?

three of four zones in Berlin (American, British, and French) wanted to reunite their zones but the Soviet zone opposed this because Germany would then be strong and might pose a threat towards the Soviet Union

What did the Soviet Union do about the Berlin crisis?

They blockaded West Berlin from the rest of the world

What did Truman do about helping out West Berlin?

Berlin Airlift (would not trigger war but would provide aid and supplies to West Berliners)

Berlin Airlift

hundreds of American and British planes carried tons of food, oil, and supplies to the 2 million West Berliners everyday (lasted for a year until Stalin decided to lift the blockade because it wasn't working)

What happened to West Germany that made many Eastern Germans want to escape their homes to flee to the west?

West Germany became prosperous thanks to the help of the U.S.; communism in the East was making many East Germans poor so they wanted to flee to the West to prosper too

What was NATO's goal?

to defend Western Europe against any Soviet threat

United Nations

a new world organization with 51 nations who were members from the start; they all agreed to bring disputes before the body for peaceful settlement

What has the UN been successful in?

fighting hunger, disease, and improving education; providing supplies to victims of famine, war, and other disasters

What were shocks faced in 1949?

1) Soviet Union also developed and successfully tested an atomic bomb (U.S. lost its advantage); 2) China turned communist once Mao Zedong took over (communism spread in 1/4 of the world)

What happened to Korea after WWII?

the U.S. and the Soviet Union split Korea between themselves after they defeated Japan (because it was a Japanese colony)

Why did Korea stay divided?

Soviet Union supported a communist government in the North; the U.S. supported a democratic government in the South

What happened in Korea in June 1950?

North Korea invaded South Korea in a surprise attack and took over Seoul (the capital)

How did Truman respond to the invasion of South Korea?

UN agreed with him to send troops to the South to fight the North Korean forces; would be led by Douglas MacArthur

After first starting off at a bad start, what finally pushed North Koreans out of South Korea?

MacArthur's troops landed at Inchon (right behind the 38th parallel) and North Korean troops were caught by surprise and forced to retreat back to their territory

Why were MacArthur's troops pushed back into South Korea after they tried to invade North Korea?

China entered the war and their troops overwhelmed the troops of the UN and U.S.

What did MacArthur want to do that Truman fired him for?

MacArthur wanted to invade China and attack them too but Truman felt that attacking China would lead to another world war which he did not want

Who took over President after Truman?

Eisenhower

What happened in Korea after Eisenhower became president?

North Korea and South Korea formed an armistice to redrew the border near the 38th parallel and have a demilitarized zone along that border

Demilitarized zone

an area with no military forces

Did the Korea war change much?

No- Korea remained divided even after the war and communism remained in North Korea

What did the Korean War increase worry about in the U.S.?

communism in the U.S.

What happened with jobs during the communist scare during the Korean War period?

Many employees (especially gov't employees) were questioned and forced to resign if suspected

McCarthy Era

Joseph McCarthy (a senator) started a scare that there were 205 State Department employees who were communist members; got a lot of people in businesses questioned and fired

What ended the McCarthy era?

he claimed that there were communist members in the U.S. Army; people viewed him as a bully

Who became Soviet leader after Stalin died?

Nikita Khrushchev

What is Khrushchev's famous incident?

he banged his shoe on the table at a UN conference

What did Khrushchev's incident symbolize?

Cold War was turning global (U.S. and Soviet Union were now competing for support and influence upon different nations and also upon the UN)

What did the Soviet Union do as colonies fought for independence?

The Soviet Union supported communist rebel groups

What happened with many African nations who struggled with civil wars?

The U.S. backed one side and the Soviet Union backed another side (turning local conflicts into international crises)

Superpowers

nations with enough military, political, and economic strength to influence events worldwide

What happened in Cuba in 1959?

Fidel Castro set up a communist government in Cuba

What did Castro's government do?

took over private companies (including many American companies); many higher and middle class citizens fled to the U.S.

Who supported Cuba?

Soviet Union

How far was Cuba from the U.S.?

NOT FAR (90 miles from Florida)

Who was President during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

John F. Kennedy

Bay of Pigs Invasion

Kennedy's plan to round up Cuban exiles to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro at the Bay of Pigs

Exile

people who are forced to leave their own country

Bay of Pigs Invasion successful or not?

No\-- Castro quickly captured all the exiles and jailed up the invaders

What did the Bay of Pigs Invasion cause for the U.S.?

major shame and embarrassment; strengthened Castro in Cuba

What did the Bay of Pigs Invasion cause the Soviet Union to do?

Aid Cuba in more weapons

What did Kennedy learn in 1962?

Soviets were secretly building missile bases on Cuba

What would happen if missile bases were completed?

atomic missiles could reach the U.S. in minutes

What did Kennedy do about the Cuban Missile crisis?

He got American warships to stop all Soviet ships carrying missiles

Was Kennedy's plan successful?

Yes, Soviet ships turned back and Soviet agreed to compromise

What was the compromise between the Soviet Union and the U.S. after the Cuban missile crisis?

The Soviets would remove all missiles in Cuba as long as the U.S. agreed not to invade Cuba

Did the U.S. get involved in Latin America during the Cold War?

YES (tried to contain communism)

Alliance for Progress

Latin American countries did more reforms to improve the lives of their people; in return the U.S. helped by contributing aid to building schools, hospitals, improve farming and sanitation services

Peace Corps

American volunteers worked in developing countries as teachers, engineers, and technical advisers

OAS

Organization of American States; promoted economic progress in the Americas by investing in transportation and industry

How did the U.S. help Latin Americans fight communism?

helped train their armies and pressed gov't to make reforms; supported military dictators over communism

What happened in Nicaragua?

Sadinistas overthrew a dictatorship gov't and set up socialism; U.S. supported contras to oppose the Sadinistas to prevent Nicaragua from becoming another Cuba

What was the U.S.'s fear after the launching of Sputnik?

that if the Soviet Union had enough technology to launch a satellite far enough, then they'd be able to launch atomic weapons at the U.S.

Who became President after Kennedy?

Lyndon B. Johnson

What happened with the Vietnam War during Johnson's term?

More troops were sent in and the fighting in Vietnam increased

Why was there fighting in Vietnam?

Vietnam was divided with North Vietnam being supported by communist Soviet Union; South Vietnam was supported by the U.S. noncommunist policies