The Cold War Begins (1943-1953)

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the Cold War, helping to prepare for a deeper understanding of the significant historical events and ideologies during this tense period.

Cold War

A period of geopolitical tension between the Western powers (led by the USA) and the Eastern bloc (led by the USSR), characterized by ideological conflict and competition without direct military conflict.

First World

Countries that were capitalist and democratic, primarily including the US and its allies.

Second World

Countries that were communist, primarily including the USSR and its allies.

Third World

Countries that were not aligned with either the First or Second World during the Cold War; often involved in the Non-Aligned Movement.

USSR

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, a federation of communist republics that existed from 1922 to 1991.

Satellite State

A country that is formally independent but in reality under heavy political, economic, and military influence or control by another country.

Containment

A foreign policy strategy aimed at preventing the expansion of communism.

Truman Doctrine

A US policy established in 1947 to provide political, military, and economic assistance to countries threatened by communism.

Marshall Plan

A US program providing aid to Western Europe to help rebuild economies after the devastation of World War II.

Iron Curtain

A term used by Winston Churchill to describe the division between the democratic West and the communist East in Europe.

Cold War

A period of geopolitical tension between the Western powers (led by the USA) and the Eastern bloc (led by the USSR), characterized by ideological conflict and competition without direct military conflict.

First World

Countries that were capitalist and democratic, primarily including the US and its allies.

Second World

Countries that were communist, primarily including the USSR and its allies.

Third World

Countries that were not aligned with either the First or Second World during the Cold War; often involved in the Non-Aligned Movement.

USSR

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, a federation of communist republics that existed from 1922 to 1991.

Satellite State

A country that is formally independent but in reality under heavy political, economic, and military influence or control by another country.

Containment

A foreign policy strategy aimed at preventing the expansion of communism.

Truman Doctrine

A US policy established in 1947 to provide political, military, and economic assistance to countries threatened by communism.

Marshall Plan

A US program providing aid to Western Europe to help rebuild economies after the devastation of World War II.

Iron Curtain

A term used by Winston Churchill to describe the division between the democratic West and the communist East in Europe.

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance of Western nations formed in 1949 for collective defense against the USSR.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance formed in 1955 by the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellite states in response to West Germany joining NATO.

Proxy War

A conflict in which major powers support opposing sides in a third country's war to avoid direct confrontation between themselves.

Domino Theory

The US geopolitical theory that the fall of one nation to communism would inevitably lead to the fall of neighboring states.

Arms Race

A competition between the superpowers for superiority in the development and accumulation of nuclear and conventional weapons.

Space Race

A 20th-century competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for dominance in spaceflight capability and exploration.

Berlin Wall

A guarded concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989, symbolizing the Cold War.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 13-day confrontation in 1962 between the US and USSR over the deployment of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba.

Détente

A period of improved relations and eased geopolitical tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the 1970s.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

A doctrine of military strategy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons would result in the complete annihilation of both sides.

Berlin Airlift

A 1948-1949 operation where Western allies flew supplies to West Berlin after the Soviet Union blocked ground access.

Korean War

A conflict from 1950 to 1953 between North Korea (supported by China and the USSR) and South Korea (supported by UN forces and the USA).

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT)

Conferences and international treaties involving the United States and the Soviet Union on the issue of armament control to limit strategic weapons.

Brinkmanship

The policy of pushing a situation to the point of disaster without quite going over the edge to force an opponent to back down.

U-2 Incident

The shooting down of an American U-2 spy plane over Soviet airspace in 1960, which resulted in the collapse of summit negotiations between the two powers.