Cold War Lecture Notes Review

A set of 25 vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms, people, and events of the Cold War as described in the lecture notes.

Cold War

A long period of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR) after World War II.

Containment

The U.S. policy of stopping communism from spreading to other countries.

Truman Doctrine

U.S. policy of helping countries fight communism.

Marshall Plan

U.S. program that gave money to rebuild Europe after WWII to prevent communism.

Iron Curtain

The division between communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe.

Berlin Airlift

An operation where the U.S. flew food and supplies into West Berlin after the USSR blocked roads into the city.

Berlin Wall

A structure built in 1961 to stop East Germans from escaping to West Berlin; it fell in 1989.

NATO

A military alliance of democratic countries.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance of communist countries led by the USSR.

Arms Race

The competition between the U.S. and USSR to build nuclear weapons and military technology.

Korean War

A conflict where communist North Korea was supported by the USSR and China, while South Korea was supported by the U.S.

Vietnam War

A conflict where the U.S. got involved to stop the spread of communism in a territory previously colonized by France.

Mao Zedong

The leader of the Chinese Communist Party who won the Chinese Civil War in 1949.

Chinese Civil War

The conflict won by Mao Zedong in 1949, also depicted in the movie To Live.

Cultural Revolution

A movement started by Mao Zedong to strengthen communism and remove old traditions.

The 4 Olds

The targets of the Cultural Revolution: old customs, old culture, old habits, and old ideas.

Tiananmen Square

The site of 1989 protests demanding democracy in China that was met with government military force.

Glasnost

A policy allowing more openness and freedom in the USSR.

Perestroika

Economic reforms intended to improve the Soviet economy.

Mikhail Gorbachev

The leader of the USSR who created the policies of Glasnost and Perestroika.

Afghanistan War

A costly war that contributed to the problems and eventual fall of the USSR.

Communism

The ideology supported by the USSR and the Chinese Communist Party under Mao Zedong.

Capitalism

An economic system supported by the United States during the Cold War.

Democracy

The political system supported by the U.S., NATO, and the 1989 protesters in China.

To Live

A movie showing life under communism, the Chinese Civil War, and attacks on old ideas during the Cultural Revolution.