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Cold War Era Key Terms and Figures Quiz

#1

Who coined the term 'Iron Curtain' to describe the division between Eastern and Western Europe during the Cold War?

Winston Churchill
Explanation

Churchill coined the term in a speech in 1946.

#2

Which country was divided into North and South following the Korean War, becoming a symbol of Cold War tensions?

Korea
Explanation

The division occurred along the 38th parallel.

#3

What was the name of the Soviet spy agency during the Cold War?

KGB
Explanation

KGB was the principal security agency of the Soviet Union.

#4

Which event marked the beginning of the Cold War?

The dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Explanation

The use of atomic bombs heightened tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

#5

Which treaty marked the formal end of the Cold War?

Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany
Explanation

The treaty signaled the end of the Cold War era in Europe.

#6

Who was the Soviet Premier during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962?

Nikita Khrushchev
Explanation

Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during this tense standoff.

#7

What was the name of the policy announced by U.S. President Harry S. Truman aimed at containing Soviet expansion during the Cold War?

Truman Doctrine
Explanation

Truman Doctrine pledged support to countries resisting communism.

#8

What was the name of the first artificial satellite launched into space by the Soviet Union in 1957?

Sputnik 1
Explanation

Sputnik 1 marked the beginning of the space age.

#9

Which U.S. president was in office at the end of the Cold War?

Bill Clinton
Explanation

Clinton presided over the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

#10

What was the name of the U.S. policy of providing economic and military aid to countries threatened by communism during the Cold War?

Marshall Plan
Explanation

The plan aimed to rebuild Europe and contain communism.

#11

Who was the leader of the Soviet Union at the time of the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961?

Nikita Khrushchev
Explanation

Khrushchev ordered the wall's construction.

#12

What was the name of the leader of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Fidel Castro
Explanation

Castro was the revolutionary leader of Cuba during the crisis.

#13

What was the name of the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth?

John Glenn
Explanation

Glenn's flight took place in 1962 aboard Friendship 7.

#14

What was the name of the 1959 incident where an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over Soviet airspace?

U-2 Incident
Explanation

The incident heightened Cold War tensions.

#15

Who was the British Prime Minister known for his policy of appeasement towards Nazi Germany before World War II?

Neville Chamberlain
Explanation

Chamberlain's policy aimed to avoid conflict.

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