Cold War Origins: Capitalism vs Communism, The Iron Curtain, and Alliances

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering post-WWII devastation, ideology differences between Capitalism and Communism, the Iron Curtain speech, the Berlin Blockade and Airlift, and Cold War military alliances.

Ideology

A set of beliefs or ideas about how a country should be run.

Democracy

A political system where citizens vote for their leaders in free elections.

Totalitarian

A system of government where the state has total control over every part of life.

Capitalism

An economic system based on individual liberty where individuals and private businesses own property and wealth.

Free Market

An economic system feature where prices are determined by supply and demand.

Communism

An economic and political system focused on state equality where the government owns all property and businesses.

State Planning

A communist economic feature where the government directly controls production by deciding how much food, fuel, or goods are produced.

Displaced Persons

Refugees and people forced to leave their home country, usually due to war, including over 11 million people in Europe by 1945.

Rationing

The system of limiting the amount of food and essential goods people are allowed to buy.

Reconstruction

The long-term process of rebuilding infrastructure, buildings, and economies damaged by war.

Iron Curtain

A metaphor popularized by Winston Churchill to describe the political and physical divide between the Western Bloc and Eastern Bloc in Europe.

'The Sinews of Peace'

The official title of the speech delivered by Winston Churchill in Fulton, Missouri, in March 1946 warning of Soviet expansion.

Western Bloc

The alliance of capitalist, democratic nations led by the USA, which included the UK, France, and West Germany.

Eastern Bloc

The alliance of communist nations led by the USSR, which included Poland, Hungary, and East Germany.

Deutsche Mark

The new currency introduced by the Western Allies in their German occupation zones in June 1948.

Operation Vittles

The military code name for the Berlin Airlift, where Allied forces flew food, coal, and supplies into West Berlin to overcome the Soviet blockade.

Rosinenbomber

The German term meaning 'Raisin Bombers', given as a nickname by West Berliners to Allied supply planes whose pilots parachuted chocolates and sweets to children.

Alliance

A formal pact between countries to support and protect each other.

Bloc

A group of countries working closely together due to shared political or economic interests.

Security Dilemma

A situation where defensive actions taken by one nation make other nations feel unsafe, triggering a cycle of fear and military build-up.

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, a Western military alliance formed in 1949 led by the USA to prevent the spread of Communism.

Article 5

The clause in the NATO treaty establishing collective security, stating that an armed attack against one member state is considered an attack against all.

Collective Security

A security arrangement where an attack on any individual member of an alliance is treated as an attack on all member nations.

Warsaw Pact

The military alliance established in 1955 by the USSR, Poland, East Germany, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia in response to West Germany joining NATO.

Satellite State

A country that is formally independent but remains under heavy political, military, and economic control by another nation.

Deterrent

A military structure or capability designed to discourage an opponent from taking aggressive action or attacking.