APUSH Unit 8

Cold War

A period of tension (1945–1991) between the U.S. and the Soviet Union without direct fighting.

Soviet Union (USSR)

Communist nation led by Russia that was the U.S.'s main rival during the Cold War.

Joseph Stalin

Leader of the Soviet Union (1924–1953) who expanded communism in Eastern Europe.

United Nations (UN)

International peacekeeping organization founded after WWII.

Satellites

Eastern European countries controlled by the Soviet Union.

Winston Churchill

British Prime Minister during WWII who warned of the 'Iron Curtain.'

Iron Curtain

The symbolic divide between communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe.

Containment Policy

U.S. strategy to stop the spread of communism.

George Marshall

U.S. general and Secretary of State who created the Marshall Plan.

Truman Doctrine

U.S. policy to give military and economic aid to countries fighting communism.

Marshall Plan

U.S. program that provided economic aid to rebuild Europe and prevent communism.

Berlin Airlift

U.S. and allies sent supplies to West Berlin after the Soviet blockade in 1948.

West Germany

Democratic side of Germany controlled by the U.S. and its allies.

East Germany

Communist side of Germany controlled by the Soviet Union.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

Military alliance of the U.S. and democratic countries to defend against the USSR.

Warsaw Pact

Military alliance of communist countries led by the USSR.

National Security Act

1947 law that created the CIA, National Security Council (NSC), and reorganized the military.

Arms Race

Competition between the U.S. and USSR to build more nuclear weapons.

Douglas MacArthur

U.S. general in WWII and the Korean War who was fired for challenging Truman.

Mao Zedong

Communist leader of China who won the Chinese Civil War in 1949.

People’s Republic of China

Communist China established in 1949.

38th Parallel

The dividing line between North and South Korea.

Korean War

1950–1953 war between communist North Korea (backed by China & USSR) and South Korea (backed by the U.S.).

John Foster Dulles

Eisenhower’s Secretary of State who promoted aggressive anti-communism.

Brinkmanship

A Cold War strategy of pushing dangerous situations to the edge of war.

Massive Retaliation

Eisenhower's policy of threatening nuclear war to deter Soviet aggression.

Korean Armistice

1953 ceasefire that ended the Korean War but did not reunite Korea.

Nikita Khrushchev

Soviet leader after Stalin who was involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Sputnik

The first satellite launched by the USSR in 1957, starting the Space Race.

NASA

U.S. space agency created in response to Sputnik.

U-2 Incident

1960 event where the USSR shot down a U.S. spy plane, worsening tensions.

Fidel Castro

Communist leader of Cuba who took power in 1959.

Military-Industrial Complex

Eisenhower's warning that the arms industry had too much influence on U.S. policy.

Bay of Pigs

Failed U.S.-backed invasion of Cuba in 1961 to overthrow Castro.

Berlin Wall

A wall built in 1961 by the USSR to separate communist East Berlin from democratic West Berlin.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 standoff between the U.S. and USSR over Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba.

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

1963 agreement to stop nuclear tests in the atmosphere.

Flexible Response

Kennedy’s policy of using different military options instead of just nuclear weapons.

Non-Proliferation Treaty

1968 agreement to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

Henry Kissinger

Nixon’s top foreign policy advisor who helped ease Cold War tensions.

Détente

The easing of Cold War tensions between the U.S. and USSR.

Anti-Ballistic Missiles (ABMs)

Missiles designed to shoot down nuclear weapons.

SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks)

Treaties that limited nuclear weapons between the U.S. and USSR.