Question 1

Identify the following terms.
-Winston Churchill's "iron curtain"

Accepted Answer

The term "iron curtain" was popularized by Winston Churchill, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, during a speech he gave on March 5, 1946, at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. In this speech, Churchill referred to the "iron curtain" to describe the political, military, and ideological barrier that had descended across Europe following the end of World War II, separating the Soviet-controlled Eastern Bloc from the Western countries.

Churchill's use of the phrase "iron curtain" symbolized the division between the Communist nations of Eastern Europe, which were under the influence or control of the Soviet Union, and the democratic nations of Western Europe. The "iron curtain" represented not just a physical demarcation but also the stark contrast in the way of life, governance, and international relations between the East and West during the Cold War era.

The speech is considered one of the opening volleys announcing the beginning of the Cold War. Churchill's "iron curtain" speech was a call to the Western world to recognize the threat posed by the Soviet Union and to prepare for the geopolitical tension that would characterize the next several decades. It also underscored the need for unity among Western allies to counter the spread of communism and Soviet influence.

Question 2

Did the fear of nuclear annihilation and the incredible cost of the United States' military buildup of the 1980s help to make the Cold War too ghastly to contemplate and,simultaneously,too expensive for either side to continue? Give evidence in support of your answer.

Accepted Answer

Yes, the fear of nuclear annihilation and the incredible cost of the United States' military buildup of the 1980s did help to make the Cold War too ghastly to contemplate and too expensive for either side to continue.

One piece of evidence to support this is the fact that both the United States and the Soviet Union were spending exorbitant amounts of money on their military budgets during this time. The United States, in particular, was heavily investing in its military, with President Ronald Reagan's administration increasing defense spending significantly. This led to a massive arms race between the two superpowers, with both sides constantly trying to outdo each other in terms of military capabilities.

Additionally, the fear of nuclear annihilation was a very real and pressing concern during the Cold War. The development and proliferation of nuclear weapons meant that any potential conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union could have catastrophic consequences for the entire world. This fear made the prospect of continuing the Cold War increasingly untenable, as the potential for a nuclear war became too horrifying to contemplate.

Ultimately, the combination of the incredible cost of the military buildup and the fear of nuclear annihilation contributed to the eventual end of the Cold War. Both the United States and the Soviet Union realized that the continuation of the arms race was unsustainable, and this realization played a significant role in bringing about the end of the Cold War.

Question 3

Identify the following terms.
-George Kennan and "containment"

Accepted Answer

George Kennan was an American diplomat and historian who played a pivotal role in shaping U.S. foreign policy during the early years of the Cold War. Born on February 16, 1904, Kennan joined the Foreign Service in 1926 and had extensive experience in European affairs and Soviet studies. He is most famously known for his authorship of the "Long Telegram" in 1946 and the subsequent "X Article" published in Foreign Affairs magazine in 1947 under the pseudonym "X."

The "Long Telegram" was a dispatch Kennan sent to the U.S. Department of State from his position at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. In this document, he outlined his views on the Soviet Union and its foreign policy, arguing that the Soviet regime was inherently expansionist and that its influence needed to be contained. This analysis laid the groundwork for the U.S. strategy of "containment," which became the cornerstone of American foreign policy during the Cold War.

"Containment" refers to the strategic policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism beyond its existing borders. Rather than engaging in direct military conflict with the Soviet Union, the United States and its allies sought to contain Soviet influence through a combination of military, political, and economic measures. This included the establishment of alliances like NATO, economic assistance programs like the Marshall Plan, and involvement in various proxy wars around the globe.

Kennan's ideas on containment influenced several U.S. administrations, and he continued to be a prominent commentator on foreign affairs until his death on March 17, 2005. While he initially supported the containment strategy, Kennan later criticized the way it was implemented, particularly the American military intervention in Vietnam, which he saw as an overextension of the containment policy. Despite his critiques, Kennan remained a respected figure in the field of international relations and his contributions to Cold War strategy are still studied and debated by scholars and policymakers today.

Question 4

Identify the following terms.
-zones of occupation in Germany

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-zones of occupation in...

Question 5

Identify the following terms.
-Berlin Blockade and the Berlin Airlift

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-Berlin Blockade and the...

Question 6

What role did Germany in general,and Berlin in particular,play in the evolution of the Cold War? Include in the discussion historical,ideological,and geographical factors.

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Question 7

Identify the following terms.
-Truman Doctrine

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-Truman Doctrine...

Question 8

To what degree was the escalating U.S.-Soviet tension in Europe the result of excessively defensive fears in the minds of Truman and Stalin? Why? What other factors were also involved in the moves of the "superpowers" and their allies and clients?

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Question 9

Identify the following terms.
-the Marshall Plan/European Recovery Program

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-the Marshall Plan/European Recovery...

Question 10

Identify the following terms.
-Yalta Conference

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-Yalta Conference...

Question 11

What were the factors which led to the Chinese Communist victory over the Nationalists? Was Mao Zedong's triumph over Chiang inevitable? Why or why not? What were the Cold War implications of the Communist triumph?

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Question 12

Was Churchill's phrase "the Iron Curtain" an accurate reflection of the actual state of relations between East and West in 1946? Why or why not? Did Churchill's words contribute to the polarization of East and West?

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Question 13

What were the factors which led to the success of the Marshall Plan? Could such massive economic aid work equally well in other places and other times? Why or why not?

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Question 14

According to the text,the outbreak of the Cold War was virtually inevitable,given the ambitions of the two superpowers and their ideological differences.Do you agree? How do you think the Cold War might have been avoided? Why did the Cold War briefly flare up again in the 1980s,and why did it come to a definitive end at the end of the decade?

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Question 15

In assessing the end of the Cold War,who contributed the most to the fall of the Soviet Union,Ronald Reagan or Mikhail Gorbachev,and how?

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Question 16

Was Afghanistan the Soviet Union's "Vietnam"? Why or why not?

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Question 17

Identify the following terms.
-Greek civil war

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-Greek civil war...

Question 18

How did the relationship between China and the Soviet Union evolve after 1948? What disagreements brought about an end to the Sino-Soviet alliance in 1961? Which factors appear to have been most important? How did a renewed U.S.-Sino relationship shape history after the mid-1970s?

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Question 19

How did the wars in Korea and Vietnam relate to the Cold War and affect its course? In what way was the Cuban Missile Crisis a turning point in the Cold War?

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Question 20

Why were the United States and the Soviet Union suspicious of each other after World War II,and what events between 1945 and 1949 heightened the tensions between the two nations? What events led to the era of coexistence in the 1960s,and to what degree did each side contribute to the reduction in international tensions?

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Quiz 26: East and West in the Grip of the Cold War

Identify the following terms. -Winston Churchill's "iron curtain"

Did the fear of nuclear annihilation and the incredible cost of the United States' military buildup of the 1980s help to make the Cold War too ghastly to contemplate and,simultaneously,too expensive for either side to continue? Give evidence in support of your answer.

Identify the following terms. -George Kennan and "containment"

Identify the following terms. -zones of occupation in Germany

Identify the following terms. -Berlin Blockade and the Berlin Airlift

What role did Germany in general,and Berlin in particular,play in the evolution of the Cold War? Include in the discussion historical,ideological,and geographical factors.

Identify the following terms. -Truman Doctrine