US leaders and the policies of the United States
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Flip to reveal answersWhat was the USA's role in the Cold War Western bloc?
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Question
What was the USA's role in the Cold War Western bloc?
Answer
It led the Western bloc against the Soviet Union, founding and heading NATO (1949) and defending Western Europe.
Question
Name the three sources of US superpower strength.
Answer
Economic strength, a nuclear arsenal, and leadership of the Western/NATO bloc.
Question
Define containment.
Answer
The US policy of stopping communism from spreading, without attacking it where it already ruled. Truman's master strategy from 1947.
Question
What was the Truman Doctrine (1947)?
Answer
Truman's promise of US aid and support to any free country resisting communism, starting with Greece and Turkey.
Question
What was the Marshall Plan (1948)?
Answer
About $13 billion of US aid to rebuild Western Europe, so a prosperous Europe would resist communism — containment through economics.
Question
How did Truman respond to the Berlin Blockade (1948–49)?
Answer
He ordered the Berlin Airlift, flying in food and fuel for nearly a year instead of fighting, and won the crisis without a shot.
Question
Why did Truman send US forces to Korea (1950)?
Answer
To contain communism after North Korea invaded the South — containment turned into actual fighting under a UN flag.
Question
Define flexible response (Kennedy).
Answer
Having many kinds of force, so the USA could react in proportion to a threat instead of choosing between doing nothing and nuclear war.
Question
How did Kennedy handle the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)?
Answer
He imposed a naval blockade and negotiated the Soviet missiles out of Cuba, avoiding invasion or nuclear war.
Question
What was the Strategic Defense Initiative ('Star Wars', 1983)?
Answer
Reagan's plan for a space-based shield to destroy Soviet missiles. It frightened Moscow, which feared it could never afford to match it.
Question
How did Reagan's policy change across his presidency?
Answer
He began with renewed confrontation and a military build-up, then negotiated with Gorbachev, signing the INF Treaty in 1987.
Question
Define the domino theory.
Answer
The belief that if one country fell to communism, its neighbours would topple too — used to justify defending Korea and Vietnam.
Question
Define deterrence.
Answer
Keeping such powerful nuclear forces that the enemy dare not attack, for fear of being destroyed in return.
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Topic 17.2 hub
Leaders and nations
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