The Cold War: flashcards, quiz and summary

Flashcards

1. 1Why was the rivalry called the 'Cold War'?

   Because the United States and the Soviet Union never fought each other directly. They competed through alliances, arms, space and proxy wars.

2. 2What was containment, and who shaped it?

   U.S. policy, shaped by diplomat George Kennan, to keep communism from spreading to new countries. It meant stopping the spread of communism, not overthrowing it where it already ruled.

3. 3How did the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan put containment into practice?

   The Truman Doctrine (1947) gave aid to Greece and Turkey and pledged help to nations resisting communist pressure. The Marshall Plan (1948) gave billions of dollars to rebuild Western Europe. The Soviets refused it and kept Eastern Europe out.

4. 4How were the Berlin Blockade and the division of Germany connected?

   In 1948 the Soviets cut land routes to West Berlin, and the Western Allies answered with the Berlin Airlift, which flew in food and fuel until the Soviets gave up in May 1949. That same year Germany was split into West Germany and East Germany.

5. 5What is mutually assured destruction (MAD), and why did it matter?

   It is the idea that nuclear war would destroy both sides, so neither superpower could win by starting one. It grew out of hydrogen bombs and long-range missiles and shaped the arms race.

6. 6What were NATO and the Warsaw Pact, and which came first?

   NATO (1949) was the Western military alliance in which an attack on one member is an attack on all. The Warsaw Pact (1955) was the Soviet bloc's alliance, formed after West Germany joined NATO. NATO came first.

7. 7How did the Cuban Missile Crisis start and end?

   In October 1962 U.S. spy planes found Soviet missiles in Cuba, and Kennedy ordered a naval quarantine. Khrushchev removed the missiles in return for a U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba, plus a secret deal to pull U.S. missiles from Turkey. A hotline followed in 1963.

8. 8Why did detente end in the late 1970s?

   The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 ended the easing of tensions between the superpowers.

9. 9How did Gorbachev's policies help bring the Cold War to an end?

   Glasnost meant openness and perestroika meant restructuring the economy. Gorbachev let Eastern European countries choose their own paths, which helped lead to the mostly peaceful revolutions of 1989 and the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989.

Practice quiz

Pick an answer to check it.

1. 1What does 'cold' in the name 'Cold War' refer to?

   1. The United States and the Soviet Union never fought each other directly
   2. Relations froze after the Yalta conference and never warmed
   3. Both sides agreed to stop all military spending in 1945
   4. The fighting took place mostly in Arctic regions
   Show the answer

   A. The United States and the Soviet Union never fought each other directly The superpowers competed through alliances, arms, space and proxy wars, but they never fought each other directly.

2. 2What was the Berlin Blockade?

   1. Western Allied bombing of East Berlin during the Potsdam talks, 1945
   2. East German construction of a wall to stop people fleeing west, 1961
   3. Soviet cutoff of land routes to West Berlin, answered by the Berlin Airlift, 1948 to 1949
   4. U.S. naval quarantine of Soviet ships near Cuba, 1962
   Show the answer

   C. Soviet cutoff of land routes to West Berlin, answered by the Berlin Airlift, 1948 to 1949 The Soviets cut land routes to West Berlin from 1948 to 1949, and the Berlin Airlift flew in supplies until the Soviets gave up. The Berlin Wall (1961) was a different event.

3. 3Which statement about NATO and the Warsaw Pact is correct?

   1. NATO was founded in 1955 after the Warsaw Pact was created in 1949
   2. The Warsaw Pact was founded in 1949, and NATO came later in 1955
   3. Both were created at the Yalta conference in 1945
   4. NATO was founded in 1949, and the Warsaw Pact came later in 1955
   Show the answer

   D. NATO was founded in 1949, and the Warsaw Pact came later in 1955 NATO (1949) came first. The Warsaw Pact (1955) was formed after West Germany joined NATO.

4. 4What did containment mean in U.S. policy?

   1. Dividing Germany into four occupation zones
   2. Stopping communism from spreading to new countries
   3. Building a wall around West Berlin
   4. Overthrowing communist governments that were already in power
   Show the answer

   B. Stopping communism from spreading to new countries Containment aimed to stop the spread of communism to new countries. It did not mean overthrowing communism where it already ruled.

5. 5How was the Cuban Missile Crisis resolved?

   1. Both sides signed the SALT I treaty in Havana
   2. Khrushchev removed the Soviet missiles after a U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba, plus a secret deal on U.S. missiles in Turkey
   3. The Soviets kept the missiles and the U.S. withdrew from Cuba entirely
   4. Kennedy invaded Cuba and forced the missiles out
   Show the answer

   B. Khrushchev removed the Soviet missiles after a U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba, plus a secret deal on U.S. missiles in Turkey Khrushchev removed the missiles in return for a U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba. The U.S. also secretly agreed to pull its missiles from Turkey.

6. 6Which event ended detente in the late 1970s?

   1. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989
   2. Nixon's visit to China in 1972
   3. The signing of the INF Treaty in 1987
   4. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979
   Show the answer

   D. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 Detente ended after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The other events are from different parts of the Cold War.

Test traps

What teachers like to test on this, and the mistakes students make.

• Mixing up the Berlin Blockade (1948 to 1949) with the Berlin Wall (1961 to 1989). These are different events, and students often put them in the wrong decade.
• Treating containment as rolling back communism. Containment meant stopping the spread of communism, not overthrowing governments already in power.
• Reversing NATO (1949) and the Warsaw Pact (1955). The Warsaw Pact came later and was formed after West Germany joined NATO.
• Saying the Cuban Missile Crisis ended only because Khrushchev backed down. The U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba and the secret deal on missiles in Turkey both matter.
• Giving one cause for the start or the end of the Cold War. Historians debate both, so essay answers should weigh several explanations.

Summary

• The Cold War was a rivalry between the capitalist, democratic United States and the communist, one-party Soviet Union that lasted from 1945 to 1991.
• The two superpowers never fought each other directly; they competed through alliances, weapons, space and proxy wars.
• Opposing ideologies, old mistrust and disputes over Germany and Eastern Europe at the 1945 conferences built the conflict.
• U.S. containment, shaped by George Kennan, aimed to stop communism from spreading, and it was carried out through the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan.
• The division of Germany and Berlin led to the Berlin Blockade, the founding of NATO (1949) and the Warsaw Pact (1955).
• Nuclear weapons produced mutually assured destruction, and the space race, from Sputnik to the Moon landing, added to the competition.
• Hot wars and crises, including Korea, the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam, tested the rivalry again and again.
• Detente in the 1970s eased tensions until the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 ended it.
• Gorbachev's reforms and the 1989 revolutions in Eastern Europe preceded the breakup of the USSR into 15 countries in December 1991.

Key terms

Containment

U.S. policy, shaped by diplomat George Kennan, of keeping communism from spreading to new countries.

Mutually assured destruction (MAD)

The idea that nuclear war would destroy both sides, so neither superpower could win by starting one.

Truman Doctrine

The 1947 policy of giving aid to Greece and Turkey and pledging help to nations resisting communist pressure.

Marshall Plan

The 1948 U.S. program of billions of dollars to rebuild Western Europe. The Soviets refused it and kept Eastern Europe out.

NATO

The 1949 Western military alliance in which an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all.

Warsaw Pact

The 1955 alliance of the Soviet bloc, formed after West Germany joined NATO.

Detente

The 1970s easing of Cold War tensions, marked by the SALT I arms limits and Nixon's visit to China, both in 1972. It ended after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

Glasnost and perestroika

Gorbachev's policies of openness (glasnost) and restructuring the economy (perestroika).

How to study it

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Questions