Term Definitions - Cold War

1. Potsdam Conference- This was held at Cecilienhof in Potsdam occupied Germany. The Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and the United States was there. They had this conference to discuss how to administer the defeated Nazi Germany. Some other goals include peace treaty issues and countering the effects of war.
2. Long Telegram (X Article)- This was published in July 1947 in Foreign Affairs magazine, and it was written by the Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States, who was George F. Kennedy. It showed the U.S. how the Soviet Government viewed themselves in international community.
3. Iron Curtain- This is the physical boundary of Europe that divided it into two parts between the end of World War II and the end of the Cold War. It became border defenses between Eastern and Western Europe, and one of the main symbol was the Berlin Wall.
4. GDR- It stands for the German Democratic Republic and it was a socialist state. It later combines with the Federal Republic of Germany to form the present state of Germany.
5. Satellite Nations- The refers to a country who is independent, but is under heavy influence or control by another country or state.
6. Containment- This was a policy of the United States to prevent the spread of Communism. Also, it wanted to prevent the "domino effect", which is the thought that if one region turns toward Communism, then the regions or countries nearby that region would follow as in a domino effect.
7. Brezhnev Doctrine- This was a Soviet Union foreign policy that stated, "When forces that are hostile to socialism try to turn the development of some socialist country towards capitalism, it becomes not only a problem of the country concerned, but a common problem and concern of all socialist countries." This means that socialist countries stick by each other.
8. Occupation Zones- The Allied Powers of World War II divided Germany up into four parts, also known as occupation zones. The countries who it was divided among was the United States, Britain, French, and the Soviet Union.
9. Berlin Blockade- It was one of the first major crises of the Cold War and it was when the Soviet Union blocked off supplies of the Western forces by road in Berlin. Because of this, the Western Allies came up with the Berlin Airlift. The blockade was lifted because the Soviets were deeply embarrassed and humiliated since they were getting in more supplies by air than they were by land.
10. De-Stalinization- Refers to the time in which the eliminating of the cult of personality and Stalinist ways took place. It also ended forced labor.
11. Hungarian Revolution- It took place in 1956 and it was a revolt against the Stalinist government of the People's Republic of Hungary. It started as a student demonstration and turned into a revolution in Hungary.
12. Arms Race- This is a competition between two parties for military control. Each party tries to create more weapons than the other party. The Nuclear Arms Race was a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War in order to see who had more nuclear power.
13. Détente- A French term that means easing. This term is used to describe the time when the Cold War had a shortening in tension, and it involved the United States and the Soviet Union.
14. Nikita Khrushchev- He was a general of the Soviet Union and also he was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He was in charge of the de-stalinization process.
15. Viet Cong- It was an army in South Vietnam and Cambodia and they fought the United States and South Vietnamese during the Vietnam War. The Viet Cong used Guerrilla tactics and they defeated the United States.

SAQ's Chinese Revolution

1. Japan was in a position of power over China during WW1 because they were more industrialized and also they had a stronger military. This enabled the Japanese mindset for their move into Manchuria because they felt more confident about themselves and also they knew they had a stronger military.

2. Communism was so appealing to the masses in China because of propaganda and other means. Mao Ze Dong lead the Communist Party in the battle against the KMT in the Chinese Civil War. Mao gained much of his support from the Long March because people were impressed with him.

3. The Cultural Revolution was a period of widespread social and political upheaval from 1966 through 1976. It was started by Mao Ze Dong. I think he labeled the "Cultural Revolution" as such, even though the events didn't really warrant it because he wanted it to sound like something good was going to come out of it. This time period can compare to The Great Purge because many died and also it was an upheaval.