Ideological Conflict

USSR

A communist dictatorship during the Cold War.

USA

A liberal democracy with a capitalist economy.

Mutually assured destruction

The concept that nuclear weapons prevent direct conflict as both sides would suffer devastating losses.

Containment

The US policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism.

Marshall Plan

A program providing $13 billion to Europe for rebuilding after WWII to prevent communism.

Berlin Airlift

The operation where the US and Great Britain supplied West Berlin during the Soviet blockade.

Proxy Wars

Conflicts where major powers support opposing sides without direct confrontation.

McCarthyism

An intense anti-communist movement in the US during the 1950s that involved persecution and blacklisting.

Brinkmanship

The practice of pursuing a dangerous policy to the limits of safety, particularly evident during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Detente

A period of reduced tensions between the superpowers, particularly during the Nixon administration.

Perestroika

A reform policy introduced by Gorbachev aimed at restructuring the Soviet economy.

Glasnost

A policy of increased openness and transparency in government initiated by Gorbachev.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

The event on November 9, 1989, symbolizing the end of Cold War divisions in Europe.

Domino theory

The belief that a political event in one country will cause similar events in neighboring countries.

SALT

Strategic Arms Limitation Talk treaties aimed at controlling the arms race between the US and USSR.

Eastern Bloc

A group of socialist states under Soviet influence during the Cold War.