Section I: Cold War Beginnings and Mao’s China

Cold War

A period of political and military tension (1947–1991) between the U.S. and its allies and the Soviet Union, without direct large-scale war.

Denazification

The process of removing Nazi influence from German society, government, and culture after World War II.

Truman Doctrine

A U.S. policy to contain communism by providing political, military, and economic aid to threatened countries.

Iron Curtain

Iron Curtain
The symbolic and physical boundary dividing Western democratic Europe and Eastern communist Europe.

Marshall Plan

U.S. financial aid program to rebuild Western European economies after World War II and prevent the spread of communism.

 Berlin Airlift (Berlin Crisis)

A U.S.-led effort to fly supplies into West Berlin after the Soviet Union blocked land access.

NATO

A military alliance formed in 1949 between the U.S., Canada, and Western European nations for mutual defense.

Warsaw Pact

A 1955 military alliance of the Soviet Union and Eastern European communist countries, opposing NATO.

United Nations

An international organization formed to promote peace, security, and cooperation among countries.

Mao Zedong

The founding leader of the People’s Republic of China and head of the Chinese Communist Party.

 Great Leap Forward

Mao’s campaign to rapidly industrialize China, which led to economic failure and widespread famine.

Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

A movement led by Mao to enforce communist ideology, resulting in chaos, persecution, and cultural destruction.

Little Red Book

A collection of Mao Zedong’s sayings used to promote communist ideology in China.