Post-WWII World
What were the two superpowers that emerged after World War II?
(The United States & The Soviet Union)
What conference in 1945 established the framework for dividing Germany into occupation zones?
(The Yalta Conference)
What country became a Soviet satellite state after a rigged election in 1946?
(Poland)
What international organization was created in 1945 to promote global peace?
(The United Nations – UN)
In what year did Winston Churchill deliver his famous "Iron Curtain" speech?
(1946)
What was the main ideological conflict between the U.S. and USSR?
(Capitalism vs. Communism)
What four countries occupied Germany after WWII?
(The U.S., USSR, Britain, and France)
What was the term for Soviet-backed communist governments in Eastern Europe?
(Puppet states or satellite states)
What special power do the five permanent members of the UN Security Council have?
(Veto power over resolutions)
In what U.S. state did Churchill give the "Iron Curtain" speech?
(Missouri—Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri)
What wartime conference in 1943 laid the groundwork for the postwar world?
(The Tehran Conference)
What did Stalin agree to at Yalta regarding Eastern Europe but later failed to uphold?
(Free elections in Eastern Europe)
What Soviet military occupation led to the installation of communist regimes in Eastern Europe?
(The Red Army’s presence in Eastern Europe)
What were the five permanent members of the UN Security Council?
(The U.S., USSR, Britain, France, and China (Republic of China/Taiwan at the time))
What phrase did Churchill use to describe Soviet expansion in Europe?
(An "Iron Curtain" had descended across the continent.)
What event in August 1945 helped the U.S. demonstrate its power in the early Cold War?
(The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki)
What conference in mid-1945 revealed tensions between the U.S. and USSR over Eastern Europe?
(The Potsdam Conference)
What Eastern European country saw a communist coup in 1946, deepening Western fears?
(Czechoslovakia)
What event in Iran (1946) marked the first Cold War conflict between the U.S. and USSR?
(The Iran Crisis—Soviet troops refused to withdraw from Iran but left after U.S. pressure.)
How did Stalin react to Churchill’s speech?
(He condemned it, calling it a "call to war.")
What was the name of the Soviet-controlled zone of influence that emerged in Eastern Europe?
(The Eastern Bloc)
What change in leadership at Potsdam affected U.S.-Soviet relations?
(Harry Truman replaced Franklin D. Roosevelt & Clement Attlee replaced Winston Churchill)
How did Stalin justify the USSR’s control over Eastern Europe?
(He claimed it was necessary for Soviet security after the devastation of WWII.)
What did the U.S. fear would happen if the USSR blocked free trade in postwar Europe?
(Economic depression & communist expansion)
How did Churchill’s speech influence U.S. and Western policies toward the USSR?
(It solidified fears of Soviet expansion and set the stage for U.S. containment policy.)