AP US History AMSCO Guided Notes
8.2: The Cold War from 1945 to 1980
AMSCO Guided Notes
AP US History Guided Notes
AMSCO 8.2 - The Cold War from 1945 to 1980
Learning Objectives
- Explain the continuities and changes in the Cold War policies from 1945 to 1980.
I. Origins of the Cold War
1. What was the Cold War and which two superpowers were the primary rivals?
A. U.S.-Soviet Relations to 1945
1. How did American attitudes toward the Soviet Union change from the Bolshevik Revolution through World War II?
2. What was the significance of the Nonaggression Pact of 1939 in shaping U.S. views of Soviet trustworthiness?
B. Allies in World War II
1. Why did Stalin complain about the timing of the second front in France, and what were the consequences for postwar relations?
2. How did the Yalta and Potsdam conferences reveal tensions between the Allies over Central and Eastern Europe?
C. Postwar Cooperation and the United Nations
1. What was the structure of the United Nations and what special powers did the five permanent Security Council members have?
2. Why did the Soviet rejection of the Baruch Plan and refusal to join the World Bank concern American leaders?
D. Satellite States in Eastern Europe
1. How did the Soviet Union establish Communist control over Eastern European countries between 1946 and 1948?
2. What justification did Soviet apologists offer for Soviet control of Eastern Europe, and how did the U.S. and Britain respond?
E. Occupation Zones in Germany
1. Why did the Soviet Union and the Western powers disagree over the future of Germany after World War II?
2. How did Soviet concerns about German security and Western economic interests lead to the division of Germany?
F. Iron Curtain
1. What did Winston Churchill mean by the 'iron curtain' and what did he propose as a response to Soviet expansion?
2. How did events in 1946, such as the Canadian spy ring and Soviet occupation of Iran, influence Truman's approach to the Soviets?
II. Containment in Europe
1. What was the containment policy and who were the key advisers that formulated it?
2. How did the lesson of Munich influence American leaders' approach to Communist expansion?
A. The Truman Doctrine
1. What specific threats prompted Truman to announce the Truman Doctrine in 1947?
2. How did Truman's language in the Truman Doctrine speech reflect Cold War ideology and gain bipartisan support?
B. The Marshall Plan
1. What economic and political conditions in Western Europe after World War II prompted the Marshall Plan?
2. How successful was the Marshall Plan in achieving its goals, and what were its broader consequences for the Cold War?
1. Effects
1. What were the economic and geopolitical effects of the Marshall Plan on Western Europe and U.S.-Soviet relations?
C. The Berlin Airlift
1. Why did the Soviets blockade Berlin in 1948 and how did Truman respond without using military force?
2. What were the long-term consequences of the Berlin crisis for Germany and the Cold War?
D. NATO and National Security
1. Why did Truman break with the U.S. tradition of avoiding permanent alliances by creating NATO?
2. How did the National Security Act of 1947 reorganize the U.S. military and intelligence apparatus?
1. National Security Act (1947)
1. What three major institutions did the National Security Act create and what were their functions?
2. Atomic Weapons
1. What was the U.S. atomic monopoly and how long did it last?
2. How did the Soviet development of the atomic bomb and hydrogen bomb affect U.S. military strategy?
3. What did NSC-68 recommend as necessary measures to fight the Cold War?
3. Evaluating U.S. Policy
1. What were the criticisms of NATO and the defense buildup, and how did NATO ultimately affect Cold War outcomes?
III. Cold War in Asia
1. Why was the containment policy less successful in Asia than in Europe?
A. Japan
1. How did General MacArthur's reconstruction of Japan differ from the occupation of Germany?
2. What changes did the new Japanese constitution make to the government and military?
1. U.S.-Japanese Security Treaties
1. How did the 1951 security treaties between the U.S. and Japan establish a long-term alliance?
B. The Philippines and the Pacific
1. How did U.S. military bases in the Philippines and Pacific islands reflect American Cold War strategy?
C. China
1. What factors led to the Communist victory in the Chinese civil war despite U.S. aid to the Nationalists?
1. U.S. Policy
1. Why did George Marshall's mission to China fail to prevent civil war?
2. How did corruption and military collapse undermine U.S. efforts to support the Nationalist government?
2. Two Chinas
1. How did the Communist victory in China and the retreat of Nationalists to Taiwan affect American politics?
2. Why did the United States refuse to recognize the People's Republic of China until 1979?
D. The Korean War
1. How was Korea divided after World War II and what were the political systems in North and South Korea?
1. Invasion
1. How did Truman respond to the North Korean invasion of South Korea in June 1950?
2. Why did Congress support U.S. military intervention without declaring war?
2. Counterattack
1. How did MacArthur's amphibious assault at Inchon change the course of the Korean War?
2. Why did Chinese troops enter the Korean War and what was the result?
3. Truman Versus MacArthur
1. What was the conflict between Truman and MacArthur over war strategy and how was it resolved?
2. How did Americans' reaction to MacArthur's recall reflect disagreement over Cold War strategy?
4. Stalemate
1. Why did the Korean War reach a stalemate near the 38th parallel?
5. Political Consequences
1. How did the Korean War stalemate affect American politics and the 1952 presidential election?
2. What were the long-term military and strategic consequences of the Korean War for U.S. Cold War policy?
IV. Eisenhower and the Cold War
1. Who was John Foster Dulles and what was his approach to Cold War foreign policy?
A. Dulles's Diplomacy
1. How did Dulles's 'new look' foreign policy differ from Truman's containment policy?
2. What was brinkmanship and how did Eisenhower limit Dulles's willingness to pursue it?
B. Massive Retaliation
1. What was the policy of massive retaliation and what were its intended benefits?
2. Why did nuclear weapons fail to prevent superpower involvement in 'brushfire wars' in developing nations?
C. Korean Armistice
1. How did Eisenhower achieve an armistice in Korea and what were the terms of the agreement?
2. What was the human cost of the Korean War and what was the final status of Korea?
D. U.S.-Soviet Relations
1. How did Stalin's death in 1953 affect the possibility of improved U.S.-Soviet relations?
1. Spirit of Geneva
1. What was the 'spirit of Geneva' and what proposals did Eisenhower make to reduce Cold War tensions?
2. How did Khrushchev's 1956 speech denouncing Stalin and supporting 'peaceful coexistence' affect Cold War relations?
2. Hungarian Revolt
1. What happened during the Hungarian uprising of 1956 and why did the United States not intervene?
2. How did the Soviet suppression of Hungary affect Dulles's policy of 'liberating' Eastern Europe?
3. Sputnik Shock
1. Why did the Soviet launch of Sputnik shock Americans and what did it suggest about Soviet military capabilities?
2. How did the U.S. government respond to Sputnik through education and space programs?
4. Second Berlin Crisis
1. What was Khrushchev's ultimatum regarding Berlin in 1958 and how did Eisenhower respond?
2. How did the Camp David meeting between Eisenhower and Khrushchev attempt to ease Cold War tensions?
5. U-2 Incident
1. What was the U-2 incident and how did it damage U.S.-Soviet relations?
2. Why did the United States conduct spy flights over Soviet territory and what was the diplomatic consequence?
E. Communism in Cuba
1. How did Fidel Castro come to power in Cuba and what actions led to U.S. hostility?
2. What did Eisenhower authorize the CIA to do regarding Cuba and why?
F. Eisenhower's Legacy
1. What did Eisenhower claim as his accomplishments in foreign policy?
2. What did Eisenhower warn about the 'military-industrial complex' in his farewell address?
V. To the Brink of War and Back
1. What was the 'missile gap' that Kennedy claimed existed and how accurate was this claim?
A. Bay of Pigs Invasion
1. What was the Bay of Pigs invasion and why did it fail?
2. How did the failed invasion affect Castro's position and Soviet-Cuban relations?
B. Berlin Wall
1. Why did the Soviet Union and East Germany build the Berlin Wall in 1961?
2. How did Kennedy respond to the Berlin Wall and what was its symbolic significance?
C. Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
1. Why did the Soviet Union place missiles in Cuba and how did Kennedy discover them?
2. What was Kennedy's response to the Cuban missile crisis and how was it resolved?
3. What were the immediate and long-term consequences of the Cuban missile crisis?
D. Flexible Response
1. Why did Kennedy and McNamara develop the flexible response policy?
2. How did flexible response differ from massive retaliation and what were its consequences?
VI. Lyndon Johnson Becomes President
1. How did Lyndon Johnson's background and interests differ from Kennedy's approach to foreign policy?
2. What Cold War agreements did Johnson negotiate with the Soviet Union despite the Vietnam War?
VII. Nixon's Détente Diplomacy
1. What was détente and how did Nixon and Kissinger pursue it?
A. Détente
1. How did Nixon and Kissinger use the Sino-Soviet rivalry to improve the U.S. position in the Cold War?
B. Visit to China
1. Why was Nixon's 1972 visit to China significant and what were its consequences?
2. How did Nixon's anti-Communist background allow him to improve relations with Communist China?
C. Arms Control with the U.S.S.R.
1. What was SALT I and what did it accomplish in limiting the arms race?
2. How did Nixon use the China relationship to pressure the Soviets on arms control?
VIII. Another Chill in the Cold War
1. How did Watergate and the fall of South Vietnam affect American foreign policy and public trust?
A. Soviets Invade Afghanistan
1. Why did the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 end the period of détente?
2. How did President Carter respond to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan?
B. A Return to Tension
1. What was the state of U.S.-Soviet relations at the end of Carter's presidency?
IX. Views of the Cold War
1. What was the traditional historical interpretation of the origins of the Cold War?
2. How did revisionist historians in the 1960s challenge the traditional view of Cold War origins?
3. What did John L. Gaddis argue about the causes of the Cold War and its most important aspect?
Key Terms
Cold War
Soviet Union
Joseph Stalin
United Nations
Security Council
World Bank
satellites
Winston Churchill
Iron Curtain
containment policy
George Marshall
Dean Acheson
George F. Kennan
Truman Doctrine
Marshall Plan
Berlin airlift
West Germany
East Germany
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Warsaw Pact
National Security Act
arms race
NSC-68
Douglas MacArthur
U.S.-Japanese security treaties
Chiang Kai-shek
Mao Zedong
Taiwan
People's Republic of China
38th parallel
Kim Il Sung
Syngman Rhee
Korean War
John Foster Dulles
brinkmanship
massive retaliation
Korean armistice
atoms for peace
open-skies policy
spirit of Geneva
Nikita Khrushchev
peaceful coexistence
Hungarian revolt
Sputnik
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
U-2 incident
Cuba
Fidel Castro
military-industrial complex
Bay of Pigs
Berlin Wall
Cuban missile crisis
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
flexible-response policy
Non-Proliferation Treaty
Henry Kissinger
détente
antiballistic missiles (ABMs)
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT)