Cold War Study Guide
Key Question: What is the Cold War? / Examples:1. It is a state of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union without actual fighting that divided the world into two armed camps, triggering a rivalry over ideology and national security / a. Space Race
b. Arms Race (Nuclear Weapons)
2. It was the central organizing principle in foreign affairs for 40 years. / a. Began shortly after WWII and ended in 1989
3. The Soviet Union dominated Eastern European countries.
4. United States created a policy of containment to stop the spread of communism. / a. Domino Theory
5. Each side in the Cold War created a military alliance. / a. U.S., Canada, and Western Europe were members of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), to discourage attacks by Soviet Union.
b. Warsaw Pact was created in response. It included all Soviet-controlled nations
Key Question: What are the origins of the Cold War?
1. Differences in goals and ideologies between the United States and the Soviet Union (the two superpowers). The United States was democratic and capitalist; the Soviet Union was dictatorial and communist.
Key Question: What were the major conflicts and confrontations in the Post WWII Era? / How did it end?
South Korea and the United States resisted Chinese and North Korean aggression.
Details:
1. In 1950 the Korean Peninsula was divided between a Soviet-backed government in the north and an American-backed government in the south along the 38th parallel. Each half hoped to reunite the country under its own rule. China became a communist nation and allied itself with the Soviet Union. When China and the North Koreans invaded South Korea, The United States fought as a member of the United Nations. The conflict ended after 2.5 years. / a. The conflict ended in a stalemate.
The Cuban Missile Crisis: the Soviet Union placed missiles in Cuba
Details:
1. It was the closest that the world ever came to nuclear war (1962). Soviet missiles were only powerful enough to be launched against Europe but U.S. missiles were capable of striking the entire Soviet Union. By placing missiles in Cuba, the Soviets believed they would have the same missile power as that of the United States. When spy planes captured photos showing missiles being built, the United States placed a blockade around Cuba. / a. The Soviets removed the missiles in response to a U.S. blockade.
The United States intervened to stop the spread of communism in South Vietnam (1958).
Details:
1. This process was known as the Domino Theory. (Like the game of Dominoes, if one falls, it bumps into the next one which also falls…) North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam. The United States was convinced that if South Vietnam fell to communism, then so too would all of its neighbors.
2. Americans were divided over whether the United States should be involved militarily in Vietnam / a. The conflict ended (in 1973) with a cease-fire agreement in which U.S. troops withdrew. Two years later, the country united under communism.
b. Scenes from the war were shown
on the nightly news which had a
great impact on public opinion.
Key Question: What happened when communism collapsed in Europe?
1. The Soviet Union broke up into independent countries
2. The Berlin Wall was destroyed