Chapter 13

Yalta Conference

Feb 1945, Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin: plan postwar world

Iron Curtain

Separates Communist nations of Eastern Europe from the West

Potsdam Conference

July 1945, US must let German economy revive, Stalin wants reparations from all parts of country (Soviet side mostly agricultural)

Satellite Nations

Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, etc., Not under direct control, but must remain friendly to Soviet Union (Communist)

George Kennan

American embassy, long telegram

Long Telegram

helped articulate the U.S. government's increasingly hard line against the Soviets and became the basis for the U.S. “containment” strategy toward the Soviet Union for the duration of the Cold War.

Truman Doctrine

send money to people fighting communism

Marshall Plan

Sec of State George C. Marshall, Give European nations American aid to rebuild economies, Soviet Union and satellite nations reject plan

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

Mutual aid, US commits to maintain peace in Europe

Red Scare

promotion of a widespread fear of a potential rise of communism, anarchism or other leftist ideologies by a society or state

subversion

effort to secretly weaken a society and overthrow its government

HUAC

1938, investigate alleged disloyalty and rebel activities on the part of private citizens, public employees and organizations suspected of having Communist ties

McCarthyism

second Red Scare, political repression and persecution of left-wing individuals and a campaign spreading fear of alleged communist and socialist influence on American institutions and of Soviet espionage

censure

the expression of formal disapproval

brinkmanship

the art or practice of pursuing a dangerous policy to the limits of safety before stopping, especially in politics

CIA

created to be a peace-time intelligence organization, caused in part by the growing threat of the Soviet Union post-WWII and leading into the Cold War

covert

any clandestine operation or activity designed to influence foreign governments, organisations, persons, or events in support of American foreign policy

developing nations

15 new countries were formed from within its former borders, and the balance of power in Eastern Europe had been destroyed

Sputnik

“Space Race”, basketball-sized satellite that became the first manmade object to orbit the Earth, 1957