Key Events
What was the purpose of the Marshall Plan?
To offer economic assistance to rebuild the infrastructure of postwar Europe.
Who introduced the policy of containment in 1947?
George Kennan
What was the main goal of the U.S. policy of containment?
To prevent the spread of communism.
What was the outcome of the Korean War?
It ended at the 38th Parallel, essentially where it began.
What is a satellite nation?
A country under the influence of a more powerful nation, such as the Soviet Union’s control over Eastern Europe.
What started the Korean War?
North Korea invaded South Korea.
What did Winston Churchill mean by the “Iron Curtain”?
A division between Western Europe and Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe
What was the purpose of the Truman Doctrine?
To provide political, military, and economic assistance to democratic nations threatened by authoritarian forces.
What was the Red Scare?
A period of intense fear of communist influence in the U.S., leading to McCarthyism.
What was the Iron Curtain?
A symbolic and physical divide between Western Europe and the Soviet-controlled Eastern Bloc.
What was the Bay of Pigs invasion? (was it successful?)
A failed CIA-backed invasion of Cuba to overthrow Fidel Castro.)
Who was the U.S. president during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
John F. Kennedy
What was the Warsaw Pact?
A military alliance of Eastern European countries under Soviet control.
What was the Domino Theory?
The idea that if one country fell to communism, its neighbors would too.
What is a Banana Republic?
A politically unstable country dependent on exporting a single product, often manipulated by foreign powers.
What was the Cuban Missile Crisis?
A tense 13-day confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles in Cuba.
What did Soviet Ambassador Nikolai Novikov claim about U.S. foreign policy?
That the U.S. aimed for world dominance through its economic and political influence.
According to JFK, what was the U.S. goal in the Space Race?
To land a man on the moon before the decade ended.
What did the U.S. agree to do in exchange for the Soviet Union removing missiles from Cuba?
Remove U.S. missiles from Turkey
What best describes capitalism?
An economic system where private individuals own businesses and compete in a free market.
What did the launch of Sputnik in 1957 signify?
The launch of Sputnik began the Space Race
Who was the leader of the Soviet Union during the early Cold War years?
Joseph Stalin
What was the primary purpose of the CIA as established by the National Security Act of 1947?
To coordinate intelligence activities and collect national security information.
How was the Cold War primarily fought?
Through political, economic, and propaganda competition, with limited direct military action.
What best describes communism?
A system where the government controls all property and resources, aiming for equal distribution of wealth.