cold war definitons

Ideology

A set of political or economic beliefs (capitalism vs. Communism)

Capitalism

A system based on private ownership, free trade and democracy (The USA)

Communism

A system where the state owns everything, and wealth is shared equally ( The USSR )

Superpower

A country with dominant global influence and a massive military ( The USA and USSR )

Iron curtain

A metaphorical border dividing democratic West Europe from communist East Europe

Containment

The US policy of stopping the spread of communism without starting awar

Truman Doctrine

A promise by the US to give money and military help to any country threatened by communism

Marshall Plan

Huge sums of American money sent to rebuild Europe so people wouldn’t turn to communism out of poverty

Satellite State

A country that is officially independent but actually controlled by USSR

NATO

The Western military alliance (USA and allies). AN attack on one is an attack on all.

Warsaw Pact

The Soviet response to NATO - a military alliance of Eastern European communist nations

Cominform

A Soviet organisation to coordinate communist parties across Europe

Comecon

The Soviet version of the Marshall Plan (economic aid for communist states)

Arms Race

A competition between the US and USSR to build the most (and best) nuclear weapons

ICBM

Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (long-range nukes)

Deterrent

Having weapons so powerful that the enemy is too scared to attack you

MAD (mutually Assured Destruction)

The idea that if one side starts a nuclear war, both sides will be completely destroyed.

Berlin Blockade/Airlift

Stalin cut off land routes to West Berlin; the Allies flew in supplies for 11 months

De-Stalinisation

Khrushchev’s policy of softening the harsh rules set by Stalin

The Thaw

A period where tensions cooled down slightly (usually after the death of Stalin)

Brinkmanship

Pushing a dangerous situation to the very edge of war to get the enemy to back down (famous during the Cuban Missile Crisis).

Détente

A period of ‘relaxation’ in tensions during the late 1960s and 70s.

Checkpoint Charlie

The most famous crossing point between East and West Berlin

Bay of Pigs

A failed US-backed attempt to overthrow to overthrow Fidel Castro in Cuba.

The Hotline

A direct phone link set up between the White House and the Kremlin after the Cuban Missile Crisis to prevent accidental war.