All flashcards
Flashcard 1: What event marked the start of the Space Race?
Answer: The launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1957. First artificial satellite demonstrated Soviet technological superiority and shocked America.
Flashcard 2: Which US President initiated the policy of containment?
Answer: Harry S. Truman. Announced the doctrine in 1947 to Congress requesting aid for Greece and Turkey.
Flashcard 3: What was the significance of the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Answer: It brought the US and Soviet Union close to nuclear war. Thirteen-day standoff in 1962 was the closest the world came to nuclear war.
Flashcard 4: Identify the leader of the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Answer: Nikita Khrushchev. Soviet Premier who placed missiles in Cuba and negotiated their removal.
Flashcard 5: What was the Cold War?
Answer: A geopolitical tension between the US and Soviet Union after WWII. Defined by nuclear arms race and proxy wars without direct military confrontation.
Flashcard 6: Identify the main ideological conflict in the Cold War.
Answer: Capitalism vs. Communism. Two opposing economic and political systems that shaped global alliances.
Flashcard 7: What was the Iron Curtain?
Answer: A metaphorical division between Eastern and Western Europe. Churchill's term describing Soviet control over Eastern European satellite states.
Flashcard 8: What was the Truman Doctrine?
Answer: A US policy to contain the spread of communism. Established to support free nations against communist expansion and Soviet pressure.
Flashcard 9: When was the Berlin Wall built?
Answer:
- Constructed overnight to stop East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin.
Flashcard 10: Define the term 'detente'.
Answer: Easing of tensions between the US and Soviet Union in the 1970s. Period of reduced hostility marked by arms control agreements and diplomatic dialogue.
Flashcard 11: What was the Marshall Plan?
Answer: An American initiative to aid Western Europe's economic recovery. Provided $13 billion to rebuild Western Europe and counter Soviet influence.
Flashcard 12: Which two alliances were formed during the Cold War?
Answer: NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Opposing military alliances representing Western and Eastern bloc nations respectively.
Flashcard 13: What event marked the start of the Space Race?
Answer: The launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1957. First artificial satellite demonstrated Soviet technological superiority and shocked America.
Flashcard 14: What was the primary goal of the policy of containment?
Answer: To prevent the spread of communism. Core US strategy to limit communist expansion without direct military confrontation.
Flashcard 15: Which doctrine justified US intervention in Latin America during the Cold War?
Answer: The Monroe Doctrine. 19th-century policy extended to justify intervention against communist influence.
Flashcard 16: What was 'Mutually Assured Destruction' (MAD)?
Answer: A doctrine of deterrence during the nuclear arms race. Both superpowers held enough weapons to destroy each other completely.
Flashcard 17: What was the purpose of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)?
Answer: To develop missile defense systems against nuclear attacks. Reagan's 'Star Wars' program aimed to intercept incoming nuclear missiles.
Flashcard 18: What event symbolized the end of the Cold War?
Answer: The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. USSR's breakup into independent republics ended bipolar world order.
Flashcard 19: What was the Domino Theory?
Answer: The belief that communism would spread to neighboring countries. Theory that communist victory in one nation would trigger regional spread.
Flashcard 20: What was the primary purpose of the United Nations during the Cold War?
Answer: To prevent conflicts and promote peace. International forum for dialogue though often paralyzed by superpower vetoes.
Flashcard 21: What was the Non-Aligned Movement?
Answer: A group of states not formally aligned with any major power bloc. Led by countries like India and Egypt, sought independence from bloc politics.
Flashcard 22: What was the Korean War's relation to the Cold War?
Answer: A proxy war between communist and capitalist forces. First major Cold War conflict testing containment policy in divided Korea.
Flashcard 23: What was the significance of the Vietnam War in the Cold War?
Answer: A major conflict symbolizing US efforts to prevent communism. Costly American defeat that weakened public support for containment strategy.
Flashcard 24: Identify the main effect of the nuclear arms race.
Answer: Increased global tension and fear of nuclear conflict. Created climate of mutual suspicion and massive military spending.
Flashcard 25: What was the purpose of the SALT agreements?
Answer: To limit the number of nuclear weapons held by the superpowers. Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties sought to control nuclear weapon stockpiles.
Flashcard 26: What does 'glasnost' mean?
Answer: Openness. Policy allowing greater freedom of information and public discussion.
Flashcard 27: What does 'perestroika' mean?
Answer: Restructuring. Economic and political reforms to modernize the Soviet system.
Flashcard 28: What was the Brezhnev Doctrine?
Answer: Soviet policy to intervene in support of communism. Justified 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia to preserve communist rule.
Flashcard 29: What was the significance of the U-2 incident?
Answer: Heightened Cold War tensions due to a US spy plane capture. 1960 downing of Francis Gary Powers' spy plane ended summit diplomacy.
Flashcard 30: What was the purpose of the Berlin Airlift?
Answer: To supply West Berlin amidst a Soviet blockade. Massive operation delivering supplies by air for 11 months in 1948-49.