1. cold war a struggle over political differences between the united states (democracy and...
TRANSCRIPT
1. Cold War• A struggle over political
differences between the United States
(Democracy and Capitalism) and the
Soviet Union (Communism and
Socialism) in which both countries lived on the
brink of nuclear war until the collapse of the Soviet
Union in 1993.
2. Korean Conflict (War)• This conflict was fought from
1950 – 1953 in a country being armed by Soviet Union who urged the population to
adopt communism. President Truman sited the “Domino Theory” sending troops to help. After three years of
bitter fighting, the struggle ended in a stalemate.
3. Vietnam Conflict (War)• This conflict was fought from 1955 – 1975. It was the longest and bloodiest Cold War conflict.
The U.S. intervened in this country to help stop the spread
of communism into Vietnam. The conflict met with bitter
protest in the U.S. & the conflict ended in a cease-fire agreement. It was a crushing & embarrassing
defeat for the United States.
4. Cuban Missile Crisis• This was the most dangerous
Cold War dispute between the United States and the Soviet Union. In 1962 the S.U. allied themselves with the Cuban communist dictator, Fidel Castro, and placed atomic missiles pointed strait at the U.S. in Cuba. Soviet Premier Khrushchev refused to remove the missiles, so President Kennedy ordered a naval blockade of Cuba to stop any supplies from going in or out. After 13 tense days, the Soviets backed off and dismantled the missiles.
5. Bay of Pigs• On April 17, 1961, 1,500 CIA trained Cuban exiles & American troops landed at the Bay of Pigs in southern Cuba with the intent
of capturing & removing Fidel Castro from power. Wanting to
keep the mission low-key, President Kennedy called off air support without the knowledge
of the commanders on the ground. Poorly planned, within days, Cuban forces crushed the
invasion & captured the survivors.
6. Embargo• An order, usually
proclaimed by a president or the government of a
country, to prohibit trade with another
country. • Ex: After Cuba allowed the Soviet
Union to place missiles trained on the U.S., President Kennedy placed an embargo on their country which lasted for several years.
8. Universal Declaration of Human
Rights• Eleanor Roosevelt was the first
woman to represent a country when she was sent to represent the United States at the newly
created United Nations following WWII. Eleanor played a vital role in expanding the rights of people
all around the world when she was given the position of
“Chairman” over a committee that would write this important U.N. document still cited today.
9. G.I. Bill of Rights• As soldiers returned home
following WWII, the government began discussing
ways to help them. First known as the servicemen’s
Readjustment Act of 1944, this bill offered money for college
or job training, low or no interest loans to buy homes or
businesses, and unemployment benefits to
military veterans.
11. Communism• An economic system in
which all goods are owned jointly; in the Soviet
Union, this developed into a government in which all social and economic policy decisions were made by a single party. Free speech
was not allowed.
12. Containment Theory (of
Communism)• The policy or process of preventing the expansion of a hostile power (mainly communism).
• The US wanted to stop the Soviet Union’s expansion through limited military and non-military means in areas of the world that were of strategic importance to the US. This policy caused the United States to become involved in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts.
13. Blockade• To cut off an area or country
by means of troops or warships to stop supplies or
people from coming in or going out; to close off a
country’s ports. • Ex: In order to enforce the
embargo the U.S. placed on Cuba, for allowing Soviet missiles to be placed in their country, the U.S. created one of these with our navy ships.
14. North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO)• On April 1949, the U.S., Canada,
and 10 Western European Nations signed a pact establishing this pact
of member nations. Stating an armed attack against one (of
member nations) shall be considered an attack on all. To
defend against a possible Soviet invasion of Western Europe, these countries created a large military
force.
15. Warsaw Pact
• This organization was established in 1955 by mutual
defense treaties (mostly in response to the formation of NATO). The Soviet Union controlled a
military force under this agreement and pledged to aid communist nations. With the creation of this organization, Europe was divided into two
armed “camps.”
16. Berlin Wall• After WWII, Germany was partitioned into
zones which were occupied in the West by democratic and capitalist nations and in the East by the communist Soviet Union. Berlin was also
partitioned into like zones. • In the years following, a steady flow of people
fled from East Germany to West Germany hoping to escape Soviet oppression. However,
on August 13, 1949, East Germany’s government closed the border between East & West by
building a wall of concrete blocks and barbed wire around the capital.
• Soviets posted armed guards along the wall to stop East Germans from fleeing to the West and
cut off communication and trade between to the Eastern portion of the German capital.
17. Iron Curtain• The symbolic
metaphor given to describe the
political and military barrier that isolated
Soviet controlled countries of Eastern Europe from the rest
of the world following WWII.
18. United Nations
• On June 26, 1945 in San Francisco, California 50
Nations, including Soviet Union, signed a charter
creating this organization. It was hoped this
organization would settle disputes between nations and prevent future wars
through negotiations and by use of “peace keeping”
forces.
19. George Marshall
• The United States instituted this man’s plan, The Marshall
Plan, after WWII. It provided for massive
financial aid to rebuild European economies and
prevent the spread of communism.
20. Eleanor Roosevelt
• Her life reflected her commitment to public service in our country and throughout the
world. Married to FDR, she became known as the First Lady
of the World. She served a delegate to the United Nations
and kept on with her humanitarian work; always
fighting racial injustice, women’s equality, and working
tirelessly for social reform.