10.06 - Cold War and Collapse of Soviet Union

arms race

a competition for supremacy in weapons and technology between the United States (and their NATO allies) and the Soviet Union (and their Warsaw Pact allies) during the Cold War

Berlin Wall

(1961-1989) barrier built by the Soviet Union to separate west and east Berlin

Cold War

(1945-1991) a state of political and military tension after World War II between powers in the Western Bloc (the United States and its capitalist allies) and powers in the Eastern Bloc (the Soviet Union and its communist allies)

containment

a strategy of keeping communism within its existing boundaries and preventing its further expansion. This policy meant the United States would support any nation facing an external or internal communist threat.

Cuban Missile Crisis

(1962) a confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States regarding the Soviet deployment of nuclear missiles in Cuba

Detente

the time in the Cold War between 1969 and 1979 when tension between the Soviet Union and the United States relaxed

Korean War

(1950- 1953) a civil war between the nations of North Korea (supported by the USSR) and South Korea (supported by USA), which were created out of the occupation zones of the Soviet Union and United States established at the end of World War II

Marshall Plan

the United State's economic recovery plan to offer assistance to countries after WWII so those countries would favor capitalism over communism

Non-Aligned Movement

a group of countries who chose not to choose a side between the US and USSR during the Cold War

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

military alliance formed by countries in western European, the United States, Canada, and others

Potsdam Agreement

(1945) agreement between Great Britain, USA, and USSR for the military occupation and reconstruction of Germany

proxy war

wars in which those fighting are supported by other nations; proxy wars were common during the Cold War between groups supported by the USSR and those supported by the USA

satellite state

country that is formally independent in the world, but under heavy political, economic and military influence or control from another country

Soviet-Afghan War

(1979-1989) a conflict in which the Soviet Union supported a communist government in Afghanistan and the United States supported rebels known as the Mujahideen

superpower

a nation with a great deal of power and influence over other nations; during the Cold War the Soviet Union and USA were superpowers

Truman Doctrine

US President Truman's foreign policy of combating communism through the Marshall Plan, the creation of NATO, and containment

Vietnam War

(1954-1974) a war between the communist regime of North Vietnam and Viet Cong (communist-led guerrillas) and the anti-Communist South Vietnam and its ally, the United States

Warsaw Pact

military alliance formed by the Soviet Union and its satellite states in Eastern Europe

Yalta Conference

(1945) meeting between Great Britain, USA, and USSR to discuss Europe's reorganization after WWII

glasnost

a policy of governmental openness started by Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union that led to more political freedoms and freedom of expression

Mikhail Gorbachev

(born 1931) the last leader of the Soviet Union who instituted reforms that led to the collapse of the USSR

perestroika

a policy of governmental and economic reorganization started by Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union that led to a freer market