Cold War Beginnings and Mao’s China

Cold War

• Political and military tension between USA and USSR (1947–1991)

• No direct large-scale war between them, but many proxy conflicts

• Competition in weapons, space, and ideology

Denazification

• Process of removing Nazi influence from Germany after WWII

• Included trials, punishments, and banning Nazi symbols/ideas

• Carried out mainly by Allied powers

Trauma Doctorine

• US policy to stop spread of communism (1947)

• Gave aid to Greece and Turkey

• Start of US containment strategy

Iron Curtain

• Term for division between Western and Eastern Europe

• Symbolized Cold War separation of capitalism vs communism

• Popularized by Winston Churchill

Marshall Plan

• US aid program to rebuild Europe after WWII

• Helped stop spread of communism through economic recovery

• Provided billions in financial support

Berlin Airlift (Berlin Crisis)

• Soviet blockade of West Berlin (1948–49)

• Western Allies supplied city by air

• Soviet blockade eventually failed

NATO

• Military alliance of Western countries (1949)

• Mutual defense: attack on one = attack on all

• Led by USA and Western Europe

Warsaw Plan

• Military alliance of communist countries (1955)

• Led by USSR as response to NATO

• Included Eastern European socialist states

United Nations

• International organization founded in 1945

• Aims to maintain peace and cooperation

• Includes most countries in the world

Mao Zedong

• Leader of Chinese Communist Party

• Founded People’s Republic of China in 1949

• Major figure in Chinese communism

Great Leap Forward

• Economic plan by Mao (1958–1962)

• Tried to rapidly industrialize China

• Led to famine and millions of deaths

Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

• Political movement in China (1966–1976)

• Targeted “old ideas” and opponents of Mao

• Caused chaos, persecution, and destruction of culture

Little Red Book

• Book of Mao Zedong’s quotes

• Used during Cultural Revolution

• Symbol of loyalty to Mao