20 - cold war origins and overview

cold war

a long period of tension and competition between USA and Soviet Union after WW2 but was fought indirectly; economically, politically, and militarily

big three

leaders of usa, soviet union, and UK during WW2

yalta conference

meeting where allied leaders decided how to divide germany and europe after ww2

potsdam conference

meeting where allied leaders finalized plans for germany and discussed postwar tensions

tehran conference

the first meeting of the big three to plan how to defeat germany

ussr

the union of soviet socialist republic, a communist superpower led by russia

joseph stalin

communist dictator of soviet union during ww2 and early cold war

harry s truman

usa president who tried to stop the spread of communism

united nations

group of countries formed to promote peace and prevent future wars

security council

UN group responsible for maintaining international peace

international court

UN court that settles disputes between countries

nato

military alliance of the usa and western countries to defend against communism

warsaw pact

military alliance of the soviet union and eastern europe communist pact as a response to nato

communist bloc

communist countries allied with the soviet union

eastern bloc

communist countries in eastern europe controlled by USSR

satellite states

countries controlled by the soviet union but not officially apart of it

iron curtain

division between communist eastern europe and democratic western europe

winston churchill

british leader who warned about the iron curtain

policy of containment

usa strategy to stop communism from spreading

marshall plan

usa program that gave money to rebuild western europe

truman doctrine

usa promise to help countries resist communism

berlin

german city divided between communist and democratic control

berlin airlift

usa flew supplies into west berlin after soviet union blocked the roads every 45-60 seconds for 15 months

east germany

communist germany controlled by soviet union

west germany

democratic germany supported by usa and allies

guomindang

nationalist party in china that fought communist

chiang kai shek

leader of nationalist china

mao zedong

communist leader who took control of 1949

long march

a long retreat by chinese communist that helped mao gain support

peoples liberation army

military force of communist china

peoples republic of china

communist government of china created in 1949

great leap forward

maos failed plan to rapidly industrialize china

5 year plan

government plan to control economic production

cultural revolution

maos campaign to remove opposition and enforce communist ideas

tiananmen square

site of major protest and government crack down in china

red guards

young protestors who enforced maos communist policies

domino theory

idea that if one country became communist, nearby countries would follow

atomic bomb

powerful nuclear weapon first used in ww2

hydrogen bomb

much stronger nuclear weapon than the atomic bomb

totalitarianism

government with complete control over citizens lives

consumerism

economic system focused on buying goods and services

communism

system where the government owns everything and there is no private property

socialism

system where the government controls major industries but private property may exist

capitalism

system where individuals own businesses and property

satellite

object sent to orbit around earth; also refers to countries controlled by another country

mutually asserted destruction

MAD - idea that nuclear war would destroy both sides completely so neither side would attack