Cold War Study Guide:

Iron Curtain

The imaginary line dividing Europe between Soviet influence and Western influence and symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union to block contact with the West.

Containment

A geopolitical strategic foreign policy pursued by the United States during the Cold War to prevent the spread of communism.

Truman Doctrine

Establishment by President Harry S. Truman that the U.S. would provide assistance to all democratic nations under threat from authoritarian forces.

Marshall Plan

Proposed by Secretary of State George Marshall in 1947, it aimed to provide economic assistance to restore the economic infrastructure of postwar Europe.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

An alliance formed to unify and strengthen the military response of Western Allies to a possible invasion by the Soviet Union.

Warsaw Pact

A collective defense treaty established by the Soviet Union and seven satellite states in Central and Eastern Europe.

Nuclear Arms Race

The competition between the United States and Soviet Union to develop and accumulate nuclear weapons during the Cold War.

Berlin Wall

A barrier that prevented Western influence on the East and became an iconic image of the Cold War in Europe.

Korean War

The conflict from 1950 to 1953 that marked a critical escalation in the Cold War driven by fears of Communist expansion.

Space Race

The competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to achieve capabilities in spaceflight during the Cold War.

Mikhail Gorbachev

Soviet leader who believed significant reform was necessary for the survival of the Soviet state and sought to limit nuclear arms.

Glasnost & Perestroika

Political reform movement associated with Gorbachev, emphasizing transparency (glasnost) and restructuring (perestroika) within the CPSU.

Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989)

Event seen as the first step towards German reunification, occurring amid political changes and civil unrest.

Fall of the Soviet Union (1991)

The event marked by the unsuccessful August coup against Gorbachev that diminished his power and changed Soviet politics.