Flashcards: Cold War Superpower Rivalry — 24 cards

Cold War — definition?

Tense rivalry between US and USSR without direct war.

Superpower — role?

Major influence in military, political, economic areas.

Iron Curtain — meaning?

Dividing line between Eastern and Western Europe.

Containment — purpose?

Stop spread of communism globally.

Truman Doctrine — policy?

Support nations resisting communism.

Marshall Plan — aim?

Rebuild Western Europe economically.

NATO — formation?

1949 Western alliance for collective defense.

Warsaw Pact — response?

Soviet-led alliance of Eastern Europe.

Berlin Blockade — event?

Soviets blocked West Berlin access in 1948.

Berlin Airlift — action?

Allies supplied West Berlin by air.

Berlin Wall — purpose?

Stop East Germans fleeing to West.

NATO vs Warsaw Pact — difference?

Opposing military alliances of West and East.

Korean War — start?

1950 North Korea invaded South Korea.

Domino Theory — belief?

One Communist country falling leads to others.

Guerrilla warfare — tactic?

Surprise attacks by smaller, irregular forces.

Arms race — competition?

Build-up of nuclear weapons between superpowers.

Brinkmanship — strategy?

Pushing dangerous situations to the edge of war.

Sputnik — significance?

First Soviet satellite, sparked Space Race.

Space Race — purpose?

Superpowers competed for space exploration milestones.

Cuban Missile Crisis — event?

1962 US-Soviet nuclear standoff in Cuba.

Kennedy’s response — action?

Blockade and negotiations to remove missiles.

Détente — meaning?

Period of eased Cold War tensions.

SALT talks — goal?

Limit nuclear weapons production.

Nixon–Brezhnev — significance?

High-level diplomacy improving US–USSR relations.