The Cold War Heats Up



The Cold War Heats Up

Thaw & Freeze

In 1953 Nikita _________________ became the new dictator of the USSR after Stalin’s death, and shocked the people when he publicly called Stalin a ______.

Khrushchev’s __________________ program eased censorship and in 1959 US Vice-President Richard Nixon toured the USSR and engaged in the “________ Debates” with Khrushchev. This thaw ended when a US ____ spy plane was shot down over the USSR in 1960, and with the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961.

Cuban Missile Crisis

In 1959 _________________ overthrew the oppressive Cuban government and made Cuba a communist dictatorship. Castro became allies with the Soviet Union, and friends with Khrushchev.

Seeking to overthrow Castro, President Kennedy funded a secret invasion of Cuban exiles at the ___________________ in 1961. Castro repelled the disorganized invasion, so the US imposed a trade _______________ on Cuba.

In retaliation Castro allowed the USSR to build nuclear missile bases in Cuba, just 90 miles from Florida. Kennedy responded with a naval _______________ of Cuba and demanded Khrushchev remove the missiles.

On the brink of nuclear war, Khrushchev backed down and removed the missiles, but he won a secret pledge from Kennedy not to ______________ Cuba, and also to _____________ US missiles from Turkey.

Soviet Oppression

Hungary

In 1956 Hungarian nationalists ______________ against Soviet rule. The Hungarians ended one-party rule, withdrew from the Warsaw Pact, and repelled Soviet troops. In response, Khrushchev sent troops and _________ to crush the revolt, killing thousands.

Czechoslovakia

In the spring of 1968 the Czechoslovakian government called for __________ and less Soviet control. In response the USSR sent thousands of troops to occupy Prague, overturn the government, and restore a communist ___________________.

US Proxy Wars

Due to the belief in the _____________ theory the US engaged in __________ wars in Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan during the Cold War.

Domino Theory – if one country falls to communism its neighbors will soon follow, eventually reaching the US.

Proxy War – when two powers use a third party as a substitute for fighting each other directly.

The Korean War

After defeating Japan in WWII the US and the USSR ______________ Korea into a communist North and a capitalist South. In 1950 the North invaded the South seeking to spread communism.

The ____ pledged to defend South Korea and sent ground, air, and naval forces. After narrowly avoiding defeat, _______________ forces repelled the North.

To help the North Koreans the Communist ________________ intervened and inflicted heavy losses on UN forces, driving them back out of North Korea. A stalemate led to peace talks, and by 1953 an ______________ was signed that divided the Koreas again.

The Vietnam War

The _____________ colony of Vietnam was taken by Japan during WWII. After the war the French hoped to regain the colony but faced stiff resistance from communist leader ___________________ and his Viet Cong guerilla fighters.

The Viet Cong finally defeated the French in 1954 at the battle of __________ ___________. The peace settlement split Vietnam into a communist North and a capitalist South. Civil war soon broke out, so the ____ joined forces with South Vietnam to stop the spread of communism.

By 1969 a half ____________ US troops were serving in Vietnam, but even with this help the South Vietnamese could not defeat the tough Vietcong, who received aid and supplies from the ______ and Communist _______.

Growing ____________ sentiment in the US forced President Nixon to withdraw American forces. With the US gone, in 1975 _____________, the capital of South Vietnam, fell to the North Vietnamese communists, who soon reunited the country under their total control.

Easing Tensions

A terrible Soviet _______________ forced Khrushchev to step down in 1964, and Leonid ______________ took control. Seeking to improve living conditions within the USSR, Brezhnev cut military spending and began a policy of ___________ with the US that lasted until 1979.

Détente – period in the 1970s during which there was an easing of tensions between the US and the USSR.

With détente President Nixon and Brezhnev promoted cultural exchange, __________, and signed the ___________ (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty) agreement in 1972, which slowed the arms race by limiting the number of nuclear weapons each superpower possessed.

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