Cold War Basics
What was the main rivalry during the Cold War?
The United States and the Soviet Union
Who was the leader of the Soviet Union during World War II and the early Cold War?
Joseph Stalin
What was the name of the wall that divided Germany?
Berlin Wall
What powerful weapons were both the U.S. and USSR building?
Nuclear Weapons
What fell in 1989 that signaled the end of the Cold War
Berlin Wall
What economic system did the United States support?
Who was the United States president during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
John F. Kennedy
What 1950s war involved communist North Korea and democratic South Korea?
Korean War
What was the competition between the U.S. and USSR to explore space called?
Space Race
What country broke apart in 1991, ending the Cold War?
Soviet Union
What system did the Soviet Union support?
Communism
Who was the first president of Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union
Boris Yeltsin
What crisis in 1962 nearly caused nuclear war?
Cuban Missile Crisis
What was the first satellite launched into space by the Soviet Union?
Sputnik
What was one major reason the Soviet Union collapsed?
Economic problems, expensive arms race, and demands for reform/independence
What was the “Iron Curtain”?
The division between communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe
Who was the communist leader of China after 1949?
Mao Zedong
What long war involved the United States trying to stop communism in Southeast Asia? Eventually the United States retreated from this war and the country turned completely communist.
Vietnam War
Why did the United States and Soviet Union compete in the Space Race?
To show which country had better technology, science, and power
What happened to the government of many Eastern European countries after the Cold War?
They became more democratic / ended communist governments
Why was it called the Cold War?
Because the U.S. and USSR never fought each other directly in a large war
Which U.S. president created the Peace Corps during the Cold War to promote American aid and influence around the world?
John F. Kennedy
What alliance of communist countries was led by the Soviet Union?
Warsaw Pact
What does “arms race” mean?
Competition to build more powerful weapons
What new country became the largest former Soviet republic after the USSR collapsed?
Russia