Unit 8 Vocabulary Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards summarizing key terms and concepts related to Cold War history and events.

Big Three

The three main Allied leaders during World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt (US), Winston Churchill (UK), and Joseph Stalin (USSR).

Potsdam Conference

A 1945 meeting between the Big Three to discuss how to administer Germany after World War II and set the stage for Cold War tensions.

Harry S. Truman

U.S. President from 1945-1953 who implemented the Truman Doctrine and led the U.S. into the early Cold War.

Cold War

A period of geopolitical tension (1947-1991) between the US and the USSR, characterized by political, military, and ideological conflicts.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

U.S. President from 1953-1961 who continued Cold War policies and promoted the domino theory.

Iron Curtain

A metaphor used by Winston Churchill to describe the division between western democratic nations and Eastern communist countries.

USSR Satellite Countries

Eastern European nations under Soviet control, such as Poland, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia.

Truman Doctrine

A U.S. policy that aimed to contain communism by providing aid to countries resisting Soviet influence, such as Greece and Turkey.

Marshall Plan

A U.S. economic aid program to help rebuild western Europe after WWII to prevent the spread of communism.

Space Race

A race between the U.S. and USSR to achieve space exploration milestones, leading to events like the Soviet launch of Sputnik and the U.S. moon landing.

Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)

A doctrine stating that both the US and USSR had enough nuclear weapons to destroy each other, preventing direct conflict.

Proxy wars

Indirect conflicts between the U.S. and USSR, fought through other nations, such as the Korean and Vietnam wars.