Cold War

Cold War

A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union, characterized by threats and political tension without direct military confrontation.

Potsdam

Allied leaders Truman, Stalin, and Churchill met in Germany on July 26, 1945, to establish zones of control and issue a warning to Japan regarding surrender.

satellite nation

A country that is dominated politically and economically by another nation.

Iron Curtain

A political barrier that isolated the peoples of Eastern Europe after WWII, restricting their ability to travel outside the region.

Yalta Conference

A 1945 meeting with US President FDR, British PM Winston Churchill, and Soviet Leader Stalin to plan for the post-war world.

George Keenan

A well-known US diplomat who advocated the Containment Doctrine and wrote about Soviet affairs.

containment

The American policy of resisting further expansion of communism around the world.

the Marshall Plan

A US program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe between 1948-1952.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an alliance for mutual defense among the US, England, France, Canada, and Western European countries.

limited war

A war fought to achieve a limited objective, such as containing communism.

Truman Doctrine (1947)

The policy stating that the US would support Greece and Turkey with aid to resist communist movements.

Berlin Airlift

The 1948 airlift that supplied food and fuel to West Berlin's citizens when the Soviet Union closed off land access.

People's Republic of China

The communist government of mainland China established in 1949 after the victory of Mao Zedong.

The Korean War

The conflict between Communist North Korea and Non-Communist South Korea, where the United Nations supported South Korea.

subversion

A systematic attempt to overthrow a government using persons working secretly from within.

Loyalty review program

A policy established by President Truman to screen federal employees for loyalty to the United States.

Alger Hiss

A former State Department official accused of being a Communist spy and convicted of perjury.

perjury

The act of lying under oath.

McCarran Act

Legislation(laws) requiring all communist organizations to register with the government.

McCarthyism

The term associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy for leading the search for communists in America.

censure

To criticize harshly.

fallout

Radioactive particles dispersed by a nuclear explosion.

fallout shelter

A shelter designed to protect occupants from atomic bomb fallout.

The Rosenberg's

A couple executed for providing military secrets to the Soviets in the 1950s.

Project Venona

An initiative that aimed to decipher Soviet spy codes to uncover communications between the USSR and the US.

HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee)

A committee responsible for identifying communists in the U.S. government and society.

Hollywood Ten

A group from the film industry jailed for refusing to answer questions about Communist influence in Hollywood.

Joseph McCarthy

A senator who claimed to have a list of communists in the government, using this to gain influence during the 1950s.

Army-McCarthy Hearings (1954)

Televised hearings initiated by McCarthy that exposed his extremism and led to his disgrace.

Massive Retaliation

The defense policy of the Eisenhower administration threatening nuclear retaliation in response to aggression.

Sputnik

The first artificial Earth satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, sparking U.S. fears of Soviet technological dominance.

brinkmanship

The policy of threatening to go to war in response to enemy aggression.

covert

Hidden, disguised, and kept secret; can refer to a sheltered place or a hiding place.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

A U.S. agency created to gather secret information about foreign governments.

developing nation

A nation with an economy primarily based on agriculture.

military-industrial complex

A term coined by Eisenhower warning against the excessive influence of military contracting on government spending.

armistice

An agreement by warring parties to stop fighting temporarily; a truce.

U-2 incident

The incident of an American U-2 spy plane shot down over the Soviet Union, revealing U.S. surveillance.

Mossadegh, Mohammad

The democratically elected prime minister of Iran ousted in a CIA coup in 1953.

Shah Pahlavi

The Iranian leader supported by the West who faced opposition and was forced to flee in 1979.

Jacobo Arbenz Guzman (Guatemala)

President of Guatemala who nationalized land from the United Fruit Company, viewed as Communist by the U.S.

The Taiwan Crisis

The crisis when China threatened to seize islands from Taiwan, leading to U.S. nuclear threats.

Suez Crisis (1956)

Military action by Britain, France, and Israel against Egypt following its nationalization of the Suez Canal.

The Warsaw Pact

An alliance of the Soviet Union and Eastern European nations in response to NATO.

Nikita Krushchev (Soviet Union)

Leader of the Soviet Union after Stalin, notable for his 'secret speech' denouncing Stalin's repressions.

Declaration of Conscience

A doctrine denouncing character assassination in the Senate, issued by Smith and other senators.