Can You Pass The Bipolar World Post Cold War Quiz?

In 1957, the Soviets launched Sputnik, which caused a lot of freaking out in the USA. Sputnik was the world's first artificial satellite and its launch marked the beginning of the Space Age. This event was significant because it demonstrated Soviet technological superiority and raised concerns about national security in the United States. The launch of Sputnik led to increased funding for science and technology education in the US and ultimately fueled the space race between the two superpowers.

The correct answer is "Veto." The 5 permanent members of the UN security council, namely the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom, possess the power of veto. This means that any one of these countries can block or reject a resolution, even if it has the support of the majority of the council. This power sometimes hinders the organization from taking effective action, as a single veto can prevent the passing of a resolution.

NATO and the Warsaw Pact were examples of collective security because they were military alliances formed by different countries to provide mutual defense and deterrence against potential aggression. These alliances aimed to promote stability and protect the member states from external threats by committing to the principle of collective defense, where an attack on one member would be considered an attack on all. This approach sought to prevent conflicts and maintain peace through cooperation and shared responsibility among the member nations.

ICBMs, or Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, are nuclear missiles capable of striking at long distances. These missiles are designed to be launched from one continent and reach targets on another continent. They are equipped with nuclear warheads and have the capability to travel thousands of miles in a short period of time, making them a significant deterrent in global military strategies.

The U2 was an American spy plane that was capable of flying great heights and distances. This high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft was used by the United States during the Cold War to gather intelligence on the Soviet Union and other potential adversaries. It was known for its ability to fly at extremely high altitudes, reaching heights of up to 70,000 feet, which made it difficult to detect and intercept. The U2 played a significant role in gathering critical intelligence during this period and was involved in several notable incidents, including the famous U2 incident in 1960.

Japan was not a permanent member of the UN Security Council in 1945. The permanent members of the Security Council at its formation were the USA, USSR (now Russia), China, UK, and France. Japan was not included as a permanent member due to its involvement in World War II and its defeat in 1945.

The correct answer is "Mutually Assured Destruction." This acronym refers to the Cold War doctrine that if two countries possess enough nuclear weapons to destroy each other, they will be deterred from launching a first strike due to the certainty of both sides suffering catastrophic consequences. This concept was a key component of the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

The name Gary Powers is important because he was shot down over the USSR. This event, known as the U-2 incident, occurred in 1960 when Powers, an American pilot, was flying a U-2 spy plane over Soviet territory. His plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile and Powers was captured by the Soviets. This incident heightened tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

The correct answer is USSR, Poland, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia. These countries were all members of the Warsaw Pact, which was a military alliance formed by the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellite states during the Cold War. Yugoslavia, however, was not a member of the Warsaw Pact.

The correct answer is that the Soviet space program's advances showed that the Soviets were able to make a nuclear strike deep into US territory and that they would be able to retaliate against an American nuclear attack. This is because the development of space technology demonstrated the Soviets' ability to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that could reach the US, thus posing a significant threat. This increased the tension between the two superpowers during the Cold War and led to an arms race.