Cold War Test Review

Truman Doctrine

A policy of containing communism by providing political, military, and economic assistance to countries resisting communism (initially Greece and Turkey).

Marshall Plan

Economic aid to Western Europe to rebuild and resist communism.

Eisenhower Doctrine

A policy of using American force to counter the spread of communism in the Middle East.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 13-day confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles in Cuba.

Vietnam War

Nixon's role in bringing the U.S. involvement to an end with the Paris Peace Accords (1973).

Detente

A policy to ease tensions with the Soviet Union and China.

Mao Zedong

Leader of Communist China and key figure in the Chinese Revolution (1949).

Kim Il-Sung

Leader of North Korea, responsible for the invasion of South Korea (1950), which sparked the Korean War.

Ngo Dinh Diem

President of South Vietnam before being overthrown (1963) in a U.S.-supported coup.

Douglas MacArthur

U.S. general in the Korean War and famously dismissed by President Truman for insubordination.

Communism

A system where the government controls the economy, and the means of production are shared equally (Soviet Union, China).

Capitalism

A market economy where businesses and individuals control production and the market (United States, Western Europe).

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization: A military alliance formed to counter Soviet aggression.

The Draft

Conscription into the military. Key during the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

Proxy Wars

Wars in which the U.S. and the Soviet Union supported opposing sides, but did not directly fight each other. Examples: Korean War, Vietnam War, Afghan War.

Containment

The U.S. policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism around the world.

McCarthyism

The practice of accusing people of being communists without sufficient evidence, named after Senator Joseph McCarthy.

HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee)

Investigated and rooted out alleged communists within the U.S.

Iron Curtain

Term used by Churchill to describe the division between communist and non-communist Europe after WWII.

Tet Offensive

A massive attack by North Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War (1968), which shifted American public opinion about the war.

38th Parallel

The dividing line between North Korea (Communist) and South Korea (Anti-Communist).

Armistice

An agreement to stop fighting, such as the Korean War armistice (1953), which ended the fighting but not the war itself.

Cold War American Presidents Order

Truman (1945-1953), Eisenhower (1953-1961), Kennedy (1961-1963), Johnson (1963-1969), Nixon (1969-1974), Ford (1974-1977), Carter (1977-1981), Reagan (1981-1989).

American Support in Korea

U.S. sent troops to South Korea to fight against the North Korean invasion (1950-1953), part of the larger Korean War.

Draft Lottery

Used during the Vietnam War to select individuals for military service. It was controversial and caused social unrest.

Effects of the Cold War

Political and military tension between the U.S. and Soviet Union, including proxy wars, arms race, space race, and the threat of nuclear war.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 13-day confrontation in 1962 between the U.S. and Soviet Union over Soviet missiles placed in Cuba.