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Barron's AP World - Chapter 24: The Postwar World Part 1
This flashcard deck covers key events and policies in the postwar world, focusing on international relations, the rise of communism, and major geopolitical changes following World War II.
Yalta
In February 1945, the leaders of the US, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union met here, a resort city on the Black Sea, where they agreed on postwar settlements; Germany would be divided into zones of occupation, and would make reparation payments to the USSR; additionally, Stalin pledged to conduct free elections in East Europe.
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Key Terms
Term
Definition
Yalta
In February 1945, the leaders of the US, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union met here, a resort city on the Black Sea, where they agreed on postwar se...
United Nations
In April 1945, another peace initiative was undertaken when the US, the USSR, and 48 other countries drafted a charter for this organization; to be he...
General Assembly
A large body in the United Nations in which each member can vote on a wide range of issues.
Security Council
An 11-member body in the UN that possesses actual power to settle disputes; today the number of Security Council members has been expanded to 15, five...
Soviet satellite nations
Nations around the USSR, such as in East Europe, that the USSR dominated politically and bent towards their will.
Potsdam Conference
It was here, in July 1945, that President Truman and Prime Minister Churchill met with Stalin in an attempt to persuade him to abandon his policy towa...
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Yalta | In February 1945, the leaders of the US, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union met here, a resort city on the Black Sea, where they agreed on postwar settlements; Germany would be divided into zones of occupation, and would make reparation payments to the USSR; additionally, Stalin pledged to conduct free elections in East Europe. |
United Nations | In April 1945, another peace initiative was undertaken when the US, the USSR, and 48 other countries drafted a charter for this organization; to be headquartered in New York, it was organized to protect its members against aggression and future wars. |
General Assembly | A large body in the United Nations in which each member can vote on a wide range of issues. |
Security Council | An 11-member body in the UN that possesses actual power to settle disputes; today the number of Security Council members has been expanded to 15, five of whom are permanent: Great Britain, China, the US, France, and the USSR; each nation could veto any decision, preventing any nations from voting as a bloc. |
Soviet satellite nations | Nations around the USSR, such as in East Europe, that the USSR dominated politically and bent towards their will. |
Potsdam Conference | It was here, in July 1945, that President Truman and Prime Minister Churchill met with Stalin in an attempt to persuade him to abandon his policy toward the Soviet satellite countries; Stalin refused to comply. |
Iron curtain | The phrase that Winston Churchill used to describe the isolation of Eastern Europe, which was increasingly divided and isolated from the mostly democratic Western Europe due to the domination of the USSR. |
Containment | The US response to the Soviets’ desire to spread communism; this policy consisted in forging alliances to assist vulnerable countries in resisting the spread of communism, and using military force or the threat of military force whenever necessary. |
Truman Doctrine | In 1947, as part of the containment policy, President Truman issued a statement requesting support for the struggles of Greece and Turkey against communist encroachment upon their territories; his position became known as this. |
Marshall Plan | A plan proposed by US Secretary of State George Marshall and passed by Congress in 1948; it provided the opportunity for European nations to apply for economic aid to rebuild after the war; it allotted $12.5 billion to rebuild Western Europe, and was a spectacular success (in inflation adjusted dollars, that’s around $120 billion). |
East and West Germany | Eastern Germany was controlled by the Soviets and as such became communist, taking the title 'German Democratic Republic' while Western Germany became the Federal Republic of Germany. |
Berlin Airlift | The Soviets responded to the building of West Germany by blockading all traffic into the western portion of Berlin; this was established by the Allies to bring food and supplies into West Berlin; it lasted almost 11 months until the Soviet Union, recognizing its failure, lifted the blockade in May 1949. |
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) | In 1949, the nations of Western Europe joined the US and Canada to form a defensive military alliance known as this, which was dedicated to curb the spread of communism, and was designed to enhance the US policy of containment. |
Warsaw Pact | An alliance among member nations of the Soviet Union as well as Soviet satellite nations, which was established in 1955 to promote Soviet communism and fight back against NATO. |
H-bomb (hydrogen bomb) | A thermonuclear weapon produced from nuclear fusion which was first tested by the US in November 1952 and was many times more powerful than an atomic bomb; within nine months, the Soviets also possessed thermonuclear power. |
Brinksmanship | A policy of willingness to defend national interests, even to the point of war; both the US and the USSR began stockpiling huge collections of nuclear bombs. |
Sputnik 1 | This was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957; it was the first unmanned satellite; in January 1958, the US would successfully launch its own satellite. |
ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) | The type of rocket that was used to launch Sputnik 1, this was also developed by the US around that time period; it had implications for warfare as well, because such a thing could easily be directed and turned into a weapon. |
Francis Gary Powers | The pilot of an American U-2 spy plane who was shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960, greatly increasing Soviet-American tensions; it led to the cancellation of a meeting between President Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev to discuss the arms buildup of both nations. |
China during WW2 | WW2 had produced vast devastation in Chinese cities, and during the war the Nationalists and communists had temporarily put aside their differences in order to fight the Japanese; nonetheless, when the US sent the Nationalists at least $1.5 billion in aid to fight the Japanese, Jiang Jieshi used the aid to prepare for civil war. |