Cold War Terms

space race

competition between the US and the USSR; began when the Soviets laughed the world's first satellite, Sputnik. This cause the US to update standards in math and science

"In God We Trust"

In 1956 the United States

adopted this as the official

motto to distinguish the

nation from communist

countries that restricted

religion.

Cold War

1945-1990

Period of political

hostility between the

USA and Soviet Union

Both sides used

propaganda, threats and

short periods of conflict

in other nations.

Korea

A nation in eastern Asia

divided between North and

South and separated since

1953 by a demilitarized zone

[38TH parallel] policed by

U.S. and North Korean

troops.

North Korea is hostile towards

the west; friends with China; a

Communist Dictatorship

McCarthyism

1950-1954

Senator McCarthy

attempted to investigate

and identify Communists

living in the US and

working in the US

government. Those

accused lost jobs or were

alienated from their

community.

Beatniks

Members of a movement of

writers and poets who

rejected all forms of

convention or conformity.

They listened to Jazz,

practiced Eastern religions

and wore berets.

Suburbia

A term used to describe the

nations suburbs and the

people who live there. Their

creation was made possible

by the automobile and the

interstate highway system.

Now that people can

commute to the city for

work, many people lived

outside the city.

Truman Doctrine

To support democratic

countries fighting or

resisting communism

with money or military

equipment. Established

the policy of

containment to stop

communism from

spreading.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Soviets started building

missile sites in Cuba, in

response the U.S.

quarantined Cuba. The two

sides agreed to remove their

missile sites in Cuba and

Turkey

HUAC

House of Un-American

Activities Committee

formed in 1938 to

investigate subversive

organizations such as labor

unions and the film industry

to find communist

sympathizers.

Polio Vaccine

Developed by Dr.

Jonas Salk; it was

made up of very

small parts of the

polio virus. It was

deemed 90%

effective

Iron Curtain

A metaphor to symbolize a

growing barrier between

Communist eastern and

democratic western Europe.

Winston Churchill used this

metaphor in a speech.

Domino Theory

The belief that if one

nation fell to

communism its

neighboring countries

would also fall.

This was a particular

threat during the

Vietnam war.

Interstate Highway System

Authorized by Congress in

1956. A road system

connecting major cities

around the country by a

network of super highways.

It was also to serve as an

evacuation route in case of

nuclear attack. It provided

for a boost in trade, and

suburbia living.

Containment

A political strategy to

limit the spread of

communism. It was to

keep communism where

it is at. First termed by

George Kennan

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty

Organization

A military alliance of

Western European

countries along with the

U.S. and Canada to

provide collective

security.

Potsdam Conference

A meeting of the allied

leaders to finalize post

World War II plans for

Germany by dividing

Berlin and Germany

into occupation zones

Tensions began to rise

between the US and USSR,

and many claim the Cold

War started here.

The Marshall Plan

A post World War II

recovery plan for

European nations by

offering funds as long as

the money was spent on

American goods. It

promoted democracy

and opposed the spread

of communism

Berlin Airlift

The Soviet Union blockaded

all travel in and out of Berlin

to force them to fall to

communism. The U.S.

responded by airlifting 2.5

million ton of supplies for

the next 10 months. The

Soviets eventually called off

the blockade and West

Berlin did not fall to

communism.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance of

Eastern European

countries led by the

Soviet Union.

A response to NATO

Mao Zedong

Leader of communist China

who defeated the

nationalists led by Chiang

Kai-shek.

The defeated Nationalists

fled to Formosa and

renamed it Taiwan. This

forced the U.S. to search for

an ally in Asia.

Sunbelt

The belt of warm weather

states that stretched from

Florida to California. After

WWII factories started

moving into the sunbelt due

to lower labor costs and

fewer labor unions

MAD

"Mutual Assured

Destruction"

The invention of the H-

Bomb fueled a deadly arms

race. This policy meant

either side would respond

to a nuclear attack by

launching its missiles,

guaranteeing both sides

could destroy each other.

Rosenberg Trial

Husband and wife Ethel

and Julius Rosenburg

were charged with

passing atomic secrets to

the Soviets. They were

sentenced to death amid

protests of their

innocence

The Berlin Wall

A concrete wall that the

communist East German

government built in 1961 to

enclose West Berlin from

the rest of East Germany.

This was to prevent

easterners from fleeing into

West Berlin and escaping

communism. It stood until

1989

Baby Boom

A large increase in the

number of babies born in

proportion to the size of

the population.

It happened in the 1950s

due to the large number

of marriages after World

War II

Fair Deal

Reforms passed by

President Truman that

increased the

minimum wage,

increased spending on

education and enacted

a national health

insurance program.

Levittown

The 1st planned

community in the U.S.

they were small, boxy

and almost identical

homes and 36 could be

built in one day