1950s

Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961)

failed attempt by CIA-trained, anti-communist Cuban exiles to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro

berlin airlift

American reaction to the Soviet blockade of divided Berlin, Germany

berlin wall

barrier surrounding West Berlin that prevented East Germans access to West Berlin and served as a symbol of the Cold War

brinkmanship

pushing negotiations to the point just before war breaks out in order to protect national interests

civil defense

citizen preparation for a possible nuclear attack on the United States. Examples include building a bomb shelter and students practicing "duck and cover" drills in school.

cold war

conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States carried on by political and economic means instead of direct military confrontation.

communism

government theory promoting the elimination of classes and equal distribution of wealth within society

containment

rigid anti- soviet policies formulated by the American government to check

Soviet expansion.

cuban missile crisis

a time of confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union when the U.S. threatened to use force to remove Soviet guided missiles from Cuba. The Soviets finally agreed to remove the missiles.

domino theory

the belief that if one country in a region, such as Southeast Asia, fell to communists, neighboring countries would also fall.

douglas mcarthur

General who led U.S. and UN troops in the Korea War. He wanted to use the atomic bomb against China and Korea's neighboring countries in order to end the conflict, fired

dwight eisenhower

U.S. president at the end of the Korean conflict and ordered the CIA to begin planning a secret invasion of Cuba to overthrow Fidel Castro which lead to the Bay of Pigs disaster

fidel castro

communist leader of Cuba after 1959 who allowed the Soviet Union to place nuclear weapons on the island in 1962.

harry truman

U.S. president during Berlin Airlift and who called for UN support of South Korea in 1950

iron curtain

term referred to a restrictive Soviet-made barrier placed around the Soviet Union and other countries it dominates. These barriers have begun to disappear starting in 1989.

JFK

U.S. President during the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis and also sent U.S. military advisors to South Vietnam

mao zedong

won control of China in a civil war in 1949and became the first communist leader of China from 1949-1976

marshall plan

U.S. aid to help Western European countries rebuild their war-torn economies after World War II.

NATO

a western military alliance formed in 1949 to defend against possible Soviet aggression in Europe.

nikita khrushchev

Soviet leader during the construction of the Berlin Wall and the Cuban Missile Crisis

police action

a military action without a declaration of war; against violators of international peace and order.

SEATO

military alliance formed in 1954 by the United States, Australia, France, New Zealand, Philippine Republic, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.

sputnik

first Earth-orbiting artificial satellite launched by the Soviet Union and led to the space race and an increased emphasis on science and math education within the United States

38th parallel

dividing line between North and South Korea.

truman doctrine

statement promising aid to nations threatened by aggression or subversion.

united nations

international peacekeeping organization established after World War II which works to solve economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems throughout the world