UNIT 4 HISTORY 🌍

• Marshall Plan: U.S. gave money to help Europe rebuild after WWII. This helped stop the spread of communism.

• Truman Doctrine: U.S. promised to help countries fight against communism. This started the U.S. involvement in the Cold War.

• 38th Parallel / 17th Parallel: Lines that split Korea (38th) and Vietnam (17th) into North (communist) and South (non-communist).

• NATO: A group of Western countries (like the U.S. and UK) that agreed to protect each other against attack.

• Warsaw Pact: A group of communist countries led by the Soviet Union that promised to defend each other.

• Iron Curtain: A line dividing communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe. It showed the deep divide during the Cold War.

• Indian Independence Movement: India fought to be free from British rule. It became independent in 1947 and chose to stay neutral during the Cold War.

• Great Leap Forward: A plan by Mao in China to quickly grow farms and factories. It failed and caused a big famine.

• Cuban Missile Crisis: A dangerous moment in 1962 when the U.S. and Soviet Union almost went to nuclear war over missiles in Cuba.

• Genocide Convention (1948): An agreement by the United Nations to stop and punish genocide, inspired by the horrors of the Holocaust.

❓Essential Questions (Simple Answers)

1. What was the goal and effect of the Marshall Plan on European recovery after WWII?
   Goal: Help rebuild Europe’s economy.
   Effect: Europe recovered faster, and communism was less likely to spread.

2. How did the Truman Doctrine shape U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War?
   The U.S. began helping countries stop communism by giving money, weapons, and support. It made the U.S. more involved in world affairs.

3. What motivated U.S. involvement in Vietnam and the Soviet Union’s involvement in Afghanistan?
   Both countries wanted to stop the other from spreading their political system (U.S. = democracy; USSR = communism). It was about power and influence.

4. How were the 38th and 17th parallels used to divide Cold War territories in Asia?
   They were lines that split countries:

   • Korea at the 38th parallel

   • Vietnam at the 17th parallel
     One side was communist, the other was non-communist.

5. How did third world countries become involved in the Cold War?
   The U.S. and USSR both tried to get these poorer or newly independent countries on their side by offering help, money, or weapons.

6. What was the significance of the Iron Curtain in dividing Europe during the Cold War?
   It showed the sharp division between the democratic West and communist East. It wasn’t a real wall but a symbol of separation and conflict.

7. How did organizations like NATO and the Warsaw Pact reflect Cold War tensions?
   These alliances showed how divided the world was. Each side was getting ready to defend against the other in case of war.

8. What were the main goals of Mao’s Great Leap Forward, and how were they depicted?
   Mao wanted to make China stronger by growing food and building factories fast. It was shown as a success in propaganda, but it actually caused many deaths from hunger.

9. Why did newly independent countries like India adopt non-alignment during the Cold War?
   They didn’t want to take sides with either the U.S. or the Soviet Union. They wanted to stay neutral and make their own decisions.

10. How did the UN Genocide Convention reflect the international response to WWII atrocities?
    After the Holocaust, countries agreed to stop and punish any future genocides to protect human rights.