cold war

38th Parallel

Popular name given to latitude 38° N that in East Asia roughly demarcates North Korea and South Korea.

Arms Race

A competition between nations for superiority in the development and accumulation of weapons.

Berlin Wall

Fortified concrete and wire barrier that separated East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989.

Cold War

State of tension and hostility between nations aligned with the United States on one side and the Soviet Union on the other that rarely led to direct armed conflict

Containment

The U.S. strategy of limiting communism to the areas already under Soviet control.

Demilitarized Zone

A thin band of territory across the Korean peninsula separating North Korean forces from South Korean forces; established by the armistice of 1953.

Domino Theory

The belief that a communist victory in south Vietnam would cause noncommunist governments across Southeast Asia to fall to communism, like a row of dominoes.

Guerilla

A soldier in a loosely organized force making surprise attacks

Guerilla Warfare

Fighting carried on through hit-and-run raids.

Ho Chi Minh

The leader of North Vietnam when the country was divided in 1954. He was the leader of North Vietnam until his death in 1969 and refused to negotiate an end to the war.

Marshall Plan

Massive aid package offered by the U.S. to Europe to help countries rebuild after World War II.

Mutually Assured Destruction

Military policy in case of nuclear attacks where any state that instigates a nuclear conflict will be met with an onslaught of nuclear weapons against their own state in return.

NATO

A military alliance between several North Atlantic states to safeguard them from the presumed threat of the Soviet Union’s communist bloc; countries from other regions later joined the alliance. Stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Proxy War

A war fought between smaller countries that each represent the interests of other larger powers.

Pusan Perimeter

A defensive line around the city of Pusan, in the southeast corner of Korea, held by South Korean and United Nations forces in 1950 during the Korean War. Marks the farthest advance of North Korean forces.

Space Race

The competition between nations regarding achievements in the field of space exploration.

Tet Offensive

: A massive and bloody offensive by communist guerillas against South Vietnamese and American forces on Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, 1968; helped turn American public opinion against military involvement in Vietnam.

Truman Doctrine

United States policy, established in 1947, of trying to contain the spread of communism.

Viet Cong

Communist rebels in South Vietnam who sought to overthrow South Vietnam’s government; received assistance from North Vietnam.

Warsaw Pact

Mutual-defense alliance between the Soviet Union and seven satellites in Eastern Europe set up in 1955.