History 10 Unit 1: Cold War

When was the cold war?

1945-1991

Kitchen Debate (1959)

A debate between Nixon and Khrushchev on the abilities of their ideology to provide for its citizens.

Capitalism

A form of economy with free trade and advancements through privatization

Communism

A form of government in which a single ruling party owns and controls all production and distribution of goods, and in which no private ownership is allowed

Client State

A nation dependent on the support of the US

Satellite State

A nation dependent on the support of the USSR

NGO

A non-governmental organization

Perestroika

A policy initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev that involved restructuring of the social and economic status quo in communist Russia towards a market based economy and society.

Superpower

A term describing the US and the USSR because of their superior military abilities

"Paper Tiger"

A term used by China to mock the US because they had weaponry that is far superior to the Vietcong army, but they wouldn't use it which led to them having major losses in Vietnam.

Proxy Wars

A war waged between dependent, client states of larger, more powerful states that do not become directly involved in the fighting.

Examples of a Proxy War

Afganistan, Vietnam, and Korea

Cuban Missile Crisis

After US and Cuba had a falling out, Cuba turned to the USSR for aid. With economic aid they also received nukes. Once CIA found nukes on Cuba a 12 day standoff occurred between US and USSR before the UN helped broker a deal in which the USSR would remove nukes, but the US couldn't invade Cuba and they had to remove their nukes from Turkey. The US kept an ongoing embargo on Cuba to current day.

Third World

Although it is now referring to the economical status of a country, the term third world refers to independent nations in neither the US or the USSR sphere of influence.

Cold War

An ideological struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union that was conducted between 1946 and 1991.

Joseph Stalin

Bolshevik revolutionary, head of the Soviet Communists after 1924, and dictator of the Soviet Union from 1928 to 1953. He led the Soviet Union with an iron fist, using Five-Year Plans to increase industrial production and terror to crush opposition

Boris Yeltsin

Boris Yeltsin was the first president of Russia. He led the disastrous switch to capitalism which allowed the 22 Russian oligarchs to take control. He gained office after stopping a possible communist coup in Russia.

Why are democracy and capitalism compatible?

Capitalism is economical, and democracy is political which they are both different pillars of G-SPICE

Containment

Containment was a policy of the Truman administration of trying to contain communism to the USSR by offering economic and military aid to developing countries.

When did USSR collapse?

December 25, 1991

What is decolonization? How does it relate to the Cold War?

Decolonization was the process of colonies gaining independence from their parent nation. It relates to the cold war because as they gained independence, they became a battleground for communism and capitalism as spheres of influence clash.

What two issues confronted the world in the years after WW2?

Decolonization, Cold War

Non-Aligned Nations

Developing countries that announced their neutrality in the Cold War.

Neocolonialism

Economic dominance of a weaker country by a more powerful one, while maintaining the legal independence of the weaker state.

Military Industrial Complex

Eisenhower first coined this phrase when he warned American against it in his last State of the Union Address. He feared that the combined lobbying efforts of the armed services and industries that contracted with the military would lead to excessive Congressional spending.

What is the appeal of superpowers to other nations?

Financial backings, Protected by their nuclear arsenal

Sputnik (1957)

First man-made satellite put into orbit by the USSR. This caused fear in the US that the Soviets had passed them by in science & technology and the arms race.

Mikhail Gorbachev

Head of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. His liberalization effort improved relations with the West, but he lost power after his reforms led to the collapse of Communist governments in eastern Europe. Created Perestroika and Glasnost.

Bandung Conference (1955)

Held in Bandung, Indonesia; third world countries met to discuss the future of the third world. In the conference they outlined goals of the increase of human rights (education, health care) and global disarmament/denuclearization.

Two Responses to the Cold War

NGO's (Non-Governmental Organizations) & Arms Race

Nikita Krushchev (1894-1971)

Nikita Khrushchev led the "de-stalinization" process which included increasing the freedom of speech, abolishing gulags, and freeing political prisoners. He also tried to modify the original plan for communism by ramping up the production of consumer goods to catch up with the US standard quality of life.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an Alliance system where an attack on one from the USSR is an attack on all.

Pax Americana

Pax Americana means "American peace" in Latin. This term describes the relative tranquility within the sphere of influence immediately after WW2.

Brezhnev Doctrine

Policy proclaimed in 1968 and declaring that the Soviet Union had the right to intervene in any Socialist country whenever it determined there was a need.

De-Stallinization

Releasing Political Prisoners, allowing publication of previously prohibited material, and moderating Stalin's plans for industrialization in favor of producing consumer goods.

Gulag

Russian prison camp for political prisoners

(Frank) Sinatra Doctrine

The "My Way" Doctrine allowing USSR states to leave the soviet union on the conditions that they left according to Gorbachev's rules. They left without concern of Gorbachev's conditions without any violent conflict.

Domino Effect

The Domino Effect was the fear that if one nation turned communist, the surrounding nations would soon follow.

Why was the Marshal plan necessary?

The Marshall Plan allowed the US to expand their sphere of influence in Europe

Marshall Plan (1947)

The Marshall Plan was a system for Europe to recover by investing 12 billion dollars into the collapsed European infrastructures. The Marshall plan.

Truman Doctrine (1947)

The Truman doctrine offered help to developing countries by offering aid economically and militarily led by President Truman.

USSR's war in Afganistan

The USSR equivalence of the Vietnam war, the Afghanistan war held the Soviet Union dry as they stuck their heels in the mud and fought off the Taliban in the name of communism.`

Warsaw Pact

The USSR version of NATO, the Warsaw pact is a pact between the communist nation to be allies through the cold war.

Soft Power

The ability to attract and co-opt, rather than by coercion; comes from Culture, Values, or Policies

Define/Explain Cold War? Why was it "cold"?

The cold war is a war between the USSR and the US without any fighting between the two countries

Iron Curtain

The divide of the USSR sphere of influence and the US sphere of influence that occurred in Europe

De-Stalinization

The liberalization of the post-Stalin Soviet Union led by reformer Nikita Khrushchev.

United Nations

The most prominent NGO, the UN was tasked with keeping the peace and helping the global community.

Decolonization

The period in time in which colonies gained independence from their colonizers

McCarthyism

The term associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy who led the search for communists in America during the early 1950s through his leadership in the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Sphere of Influence

The territory in which a country can influence economically and militarily.

What was the mission of the US and the USSR?

To establish a capitalistic democracy; to establish communism through Comintern

3 US Efforts to halt the March of communism

Truman Doctrine, Marshal Plan, and NATO

Hard Power

Using force or giving money as a means of persuasion

Order of Most Prevalent Russian Leaders

Vladimir Ilich Lenin (1917-1922) Joseph Stalin (1922- 1953) Nikita Khrushchev (1953 - 1964) Leonid Brezhnev (1964 - 1982) Mikhail Gorbachev (1985 - 1991)

Two Major Alliances and participants

Warsaw pact and Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), Nato: US, Canada, Western Europe Warsaw pact: USSR, Eastern Europe

Glasnost

a policy of the Soviet government allowing freer discussion of social problems and freedom of religion.