Cold War Beginnings

Cold War

A period (c. 1947–1991) of political, military, and ideological rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union without direct large-scale war.

Denazification

A post–World War II process led by the Allies to remove Nazi influence from German society, politics, and culture.

Truman Doctrine

A U.S. policy that pledged support to countries resisting communism, marking the start of containment strategy.

Iron Curtain

A term describing the ideological and physical division between Western Europe and Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe.

Marshall Plan

A U.S. initiative that provided economic aid to rebuild Western European economies after World War II.

Berlin Airlift (Berlin Crisis)

A Western Allied operation that flew supplies into West Berlin during a Soviet blockade.

NATO

A military alliance formed in 1949 by Western nations for mutual defense against potential Soviet aggression.

Warsaw Pact

A 1955 military alliance of the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellites in response to NATO.

United Nations

An organization founded in 1945 to promote international cooperation, peace, and security.

Mao Zedong

The founding leader of the People’s Republic of China who established a communist government in 1949.

Great Leap Forward

A campaign (1958–1962) led by Mao to rapidly industrialize China, which resulted in widespread famine and economic failure.

Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

A movement initiated by Mao to reinforce communism by purging capitalist and traditional elements, causing social upheaval.

Little Red Book

A collection of Mao Zedong’s sayings used as a tool of propaganda during the Cultural Revolution.