Yalta and Potsdam Conferences Who was at these two conferences and why were the leaders meeting? What was decided at each meeting? How was each conference similar and different (purpose, leaders’ attitudes toward each other, goals of each country, effects, etc.). To what degree were the resulting agreements followed or ignored? How did each superpower’s experience in WWII shape its goals? What were some of the famous quotes from these meetings and what do these words tell us about the Cold War?

These terms should be connected: iron curtain, United Nations, satellite nations, containment, and communism.

______The United Nations How was this organization structured and why? Where did the idea come from? How were the superpowers able to set aside differences and agree to this organization? How were the Security Council members chosen and what power did these nations have? How does it differ from NATO and the Warsaw Pact? What role did the UN have in the Korean War and the Vietnam Wars? How was the UN shaped by and a shaper of the Cold War? Why has it been successful in a way that the League of Nations was not? What is its role today? (A big question – peacekeepers, humanitarian efforts, etc.)

These terms should be connected: iron curtain, satellite nations, containment, communism, proxy wars, Korean Conflict.

______The Truman Doctrine What were the first steps taken by President Truman in developing this policy (think Greece and Turkey)? Why did he take these steps? What were the objections to this Doctrine in the US and in other countries? Provide several detailed examples of the Doctrine at work – how did it shape American foreign policy? Was this Doctrine effective? What were the costs (financial and otherwise) of this Doctrine?

Many of these terms should be connected: iron curtain, satellite nations, containment, communism, Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, proxy wars, NATO, Korean Conflict, Vietnam War, the domino theory.

______The Marshall Plan How was this plan connected to the Truman Doctrine? What role did George Marshall play in the plan? What were the objections to this plan in the US and in other countries? What circumstances helped Congress to agree to support this plan? Was the Plan effective? What were the costs (financial and otherwise) of the Plan?

Many of these terms should be connected: iron curtain, satellite nations, containment, communism, Truman Doctrine, the Berlin Airlift, the Molotov Plan, NATO and Warsaw Pact.

______Berlin Blockade, Berlin Airlift, and the Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall What were the circumstances of the blockade, the airlift and the wall going up (you should probably provide a timeline)? Who was the “Chocolate Bomber” and what role did he play? How does he represent the goals of American foreign policy? What did the airlift prove? Why was a wall constructed between East and West Berlin? How did Khrushchev and the communists explain it? Why did the wall come down?

Many of these terms should be connected: iron curtain, satellite nations, containment, communism, brinkmanship, Stalin and Truman, Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Molotov Plan, NATO and Warsaw Pact. ______NATO and the Warsaw Pact Why were these rival alliances formed? Who was involved and what was the purpose of each organization? How does NATO differ from the United Nations? What are the most significant actions of each association? What role does NATO play in the world today, years after the Cold War has ended?

Many of these terms should be connected: iron curtain, satellite nations, containment, communism, brinkmanship, Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Molotov Plan, MAD, Sputnik and the Space Race. ______Sputnik and the Space Race What was Sputnik? What was the significance of the success of Sputnik? Why did Americans view Sputnik as such a potential danger? Why was a little ball of aluminum so alarming ­ what did it represent? What was the Space Race? Who was involved? What were some of the most significant events in the Space Race? Why did the Space Race occur? What were the driving factors?

Many of these terms and other concepts should be connected: Brinksmanship, MAD, ICBMs, nuclear war, A­Bomb, H­Bomb, massive retaliation

______Soviet Crackdowns in Hungary, Czechoslovakia Why did the Soviet Union have such control over these countries? What was going on in the Soviet Union at the time of these uprisings in Hungary and Czechoslovakia? Why were people in these two satellite nations pushing for greater freedoms? What motivated Nagy and Dubchek to consider change? How was the Soviet response similar in each situation? How were the fates of these two leaders different? What role did the United States have in these uprisings?

Many of these terms and other concepts should be connected: satellite nations, Nikita Khrushchev, de­Stalinization, Warsaw Pact, Radio Free Europe, Imre Nagy, Cuban Missile Crisis, Alexander Dubchek,

______Cuban Missile Crisis What event set off the Cuban Missile Crisis? What was President Kennedy’s response to the Cuban Missile Crisis? What was Khrushchev’s reaction to the policies adopted by JFK? What was the result of the Cuban Missile Crisis? What agreement did the Soviet Union and the United States come to? What price did Khrushchev play for his role in this conflict? Why was the Cuban Missile Crisis significant in the Cold War?

Many of these terms and other concepts should be connected: John F. Kennedy, Nikita Khrushchev, brinksmanship, MAD, containment, domino theory, Truman Doctrine, U­2 plane, quarantine

______Fulgencio Batista and Fidel Castro Who was Fulgencio Batista? Who was Fidel Castro? What political beliefs did each man have? How were the two leaders similar? How were they different? Who supported Batista? Who supported Castro? What is the significance of Batista’s rule in Cuba? In what ways did Castro betray his early promises as a revolutionary leader? What is the significance of Castro’s rule in Cuba? Why were both Batista and Castro significant to the Cold War?

Many of these terms should be connected: Communism, cold war, containment, domino theory, dictatorship, Cuban Missile Crisis

______John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev Who was John F. Kennedy? Who was Nikita Khrushchev? What political beliefs did each man have? How were the two leaders similar? How were they different? What are some particular instances in which the two leaders interacted? What was the significance of those instances? Why were both Kennedy and Khrushchev significant to the Cold War?

Many of these terms should be connected: Berlin, Cuban Missile Crisis, Space Race, Sputnik, communism, capitalism, Iron Curtain, satellite nations, containment, brinkmanship

______Richard Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev Who was Richard Nixon? Who was Leonid Brezhnev? What political beliefs did each have? How were the two leaders similar? How were they different? What are some particular instances in which the two leaders interacted? What was the significance of those instances? What role did each play in arms reduction talks. How did Nixon’s trade talks with communist China change the US­Soviet relationship? Why were both Nixon and Brezhnev significant to the Cold War?

Many of these terms should be connected: communism, containment, brinkmanship, detente, proxy wars, the Vietnam War,

______MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) What was the policy of Mutually Assured Destruction (definition)? Who was instrumental in creating this policy? Which countries primarily carried out this policy? What were the effects of this policy on foreign relations during the Cold War? Why was this policy significant to the Cold War?

Many of these terms should be connected: Cold War, nuclear war, brinkmanship, A Bomb, H bomb, radiation, Space Race

______The Korean War What were some of the causes of the Korean War? Which countries were involved in the Korean War? Why did the United States feel that it was necessary to fight in the Korean War? Who are some significant individuals associated with the Korean War? What was the outcome of the Korean War? Why was the Korean War significant in the larger context of the Cold War?

Many of these terms should be connected: communism, capitalism, containment, appeasement, 38th parallel, Douglas MacArthur, Harry Truman, Truman Doctrine, proxy war

______The Vietnam War What were some of the causes of the Vietnam War? Which countries were involved in the Vietnam War? Why did the United States feel that it was necessary to fight in the Vietnam War? Who are some significant individuals associated with the Vietnam War? What was the outcome of the Vietnam War? Why was the Vietnam War significant in the larger context of the Cold War?

Many of these terms should be connected: communism, capitalism, containment, Truman Doctrine, Ho Chi Minh, Viet Cong, guerilla warfare, napalm, Agent Orange, search and destroy, Tet Offensive, domino theory, proxy war

______Soviet war in Afghanistan Why did the Soviet Union invade Afghanistan? What interest did it find in this mountainous country? What problems did the Soviet forces face in Afghanistan? What finally drove the USSR from Afghanistan? How was this was like the Soviet Union’s version of Vietnam? What changes did in make in sdie the Soviet Union? What connections exist between this war and the 9/11 attacks?

Many of these terms should be connected: proxy war, Mujahadeen, CIA, Mikhail Gorbachev, Glasnost, Perestroika, Ronald Reagan, arms race, Soviet War in Afghanistan, Soviet Coup of 1991

______Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev Who was Ronald Reagan? Who was Mikhail Gorbachev? What political beliefs did Reagan hold? What political beliefs did Gorbachev hold? How were the two leaders similar? How were they different? What are some particular instances in which the two leaders interacted? What was the significance of those instances? Why were both Reagan and Gorbachev significant to the Cold War?

Many of these terms should be connected: Berlin, Berlin Wall, communism, capitalism, Glasnost, Perestroika, arms race

______Collapse of Communism in Czechoslovakia, Romania, Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union Why did the Soviet Union have such control over these satellite nations? How did the collapse of the communist system come about in each country? What challenges has each country faced since the collapse of communism? How were the revolutions different from each other? How did events inside the Soviet Union affect these satellite nations? How did they in­turn affect the Soviet Union?

Many of these terms and concepts should be connected: challenges to one party rule, The “Velvet Revolution,” Fall of the Berlin Wall, Mikhail Gorbachev, Glasnost, Perestroika, Ronald Reagan, arms race, Soviet War in Afghanistan, Soviet Coup of 1991, Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin, oligarchs

______Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin What role did Yeltsin play in Soviet government before the break­up of the Soviet Union? What role did he play in the collapse of the Soviet Union and in the attempted coup by hard­line communists in 1991? What struggles did Yeltsin have as he led Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union? What was his connection to Putin? What role did Putin play in the Cold War? What struggles has Putin had since 1999? How has Putin held on to political power in Russian for so long? What does Putin’s hold on power say about the challenges facing Russia? How has Putin’s actions perhaps re­ignited another Cold War?

Many of these terms and other concepts should be connected: Fall of the Berlin Wall, nationalist movements within the Soviet Union (Latvia, Lithuania, Armenia), KGB, Mikhail Gorbachev, Glasnost, Perestroika, Soviet Coup of 1991, oligarchs, Chechnya, Crimea and Ukraine