8.1 Yalta Conference8.2

Yalta Conference

FDR, Churchill and Stalin met at Yalta. Russia agreed to declare war on Japan after the surrender of Germany and in return FDR and Churchill promised the USSR concession in Manchuria and the territories that it had lost in the Russo-Japanese War

Cold War

A conflict from 1945 until 1989 between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years.

Self-determination

The ability of a government to determine their own course of their own free will.

The United Nations

An international organization formed after WWII to promote international peace, security, and cooperation

Potsdam Conference

The final wartime meeting of the leaders of the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union was held at Potsdam, outside Berlin, in July, 1945. Truman, Churchill, and Stalin discussed the future of Europe but their failure to reach meaningful agreements soon led to the onset of the Cold War

Truman Doctrine

1947, President Truman's policy of providing economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism or totalitarian ideology, mainly helped Greece and Turkey

Iron Curtain

A political barrier that isolated the peoples of Eastern Europe after WWII, restricting their ability to travel outside the region

Containment

American policy of resisting further expansion of communism around the world.

Sputnik

First artificial Earth satellite, it was launched by Moscow in 1957 and sparked U.S. fears of Soviet dominance in technology and outer space. It led to the creation of NASA and the space race.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

The possession of second-strike nuclear capabilities, which ensures that neither of two adversaries could prevent the other from destroying it in an all-out war

Marshall Plan

A United States program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe (1948-1952) aimed at stopping the spread of communism in Western Europe.

Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON)

An economic organization of Communist states meant to help rebuild East Bloc countries under Soviet auspices after World War II.

Jawarahal Nehru

India's first prime minister and the leader of the non-aligned movement.

Non-Aligned Movement

The group of nations that didn't side with either the US or the USSR during the Cold War.

Space Race

A competition of space exploration between the United States and Soviet Union.

Polaris Missile

American submarine-launched nuclear ballistic missile which reinforced second strikes.