Cold War Study Guide
Key Question: What is the Cold War?
Examples:
1. It is a state of tension between the United a. Space Race
States and the Soviet Union without actual
b. Arms Race (Nuclear Weapons)
fighting that divided the world into two
armed camps, triggering a rivalry over
ideology and national security
2. It was the central organizing principle in a. Began shortly after WWII and ended in 1989
foreign affairs for 40 years.
3. The Soviet Union dominated Eastern
European countries.
4. United States created a policy of
a. Domino Theory
containment to stop the spread of
communism. WHAT IS FOREIGN
POLICY?
5. Each side in the Cold War created a
a. U.S., Canada, and Western Europe were members of
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), to discourage
military alliance.
attacks by Soviet Union.
b. Warsaw Pact was created in response. It included all
Soviet-controlled nations
http://www.cs.utah.edu/~hatch/images/europe/berlin.buildwall.jpg
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?
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 Americanbacked 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.
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.
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
How did it end?
a. The conflict ended in a stalemate.
a. The Soviets removed the missiles in
response to a U.S. blockade.
a. The conflict ended (in 1973) with a ceasefire 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