Cold war vocab

George Kennan

American diplomat and historian who advocated the policy of containment to stop Soviet expansion during the Cold War.

Douglas MacArthur

U.S. general who led forces in the Pacific during WWII and was later fired by President Truman during the Korean War for insubordination.

Dean Acheson

U.S. Secretary of State under Truman, a key architect of the Marshall Plan and NATO.

Joseph McCarthy

U.S. senator who fueled the Red Scare through accusations of communist infiltration in the government, leading to 'McCarthyism.'

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

American couple executed in 1953 for allegedly spying for the Soviet Union by passing atomic secrets.

Benjamin Spock

Pediatrician and author of Baby and Child Care, which influenced post-WWII parenting in America.

J. Strom Thurmond

Segregationist U.S. senator from South Carolina and 1948 Dixiecrat presidential candidate.

Henry Wallace

FDR's former Vice President; ran as a Progressive in 1948, advocating for closer ties with the USSR.

Adlai Stevenson

Democratic candidate who lost to Eisenhower in the 1952 and 1956 presidential elections.

Richard Nixon

Vice President under Eisenhower, later the 37th President of the U.S.; resigned due to the Watergate scandal.

Yalta Conference

1945 meeting between FDR, Churchill, and Stalin to discuss post-war Europe, leading to tensions over Soviet control in Eastern Europe.

Cold War

Period of political and military tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union from 1945-1991, marked by nuclear arms races and proxy wars.

United Nations

International organization founded in 1945 to promote peace, security, and cooperation among nations.

Nuremberg Trials

War crime trials held after WWII to prosecute Nazi leaders for crimes against humanity.

Iron Curtain

Term coined by Churchill to describe the division between Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe and the democratic West.

Berlin Airlift

U.S. and Allied operation to deliver supplies to West Berlin in response to the Soviet blockade in 1948-1949.

Containment

U.S. policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism, first articulated by George Kennan.

Truman Doctrine

Policy providing military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey to resist communism.

Marshall Plan

U.S. economic aid program to rebuild Western Europe after WWII and prevent the spread of communism.

National Security Act (1947)

Reorganized U.S. defense agencies, creating the Department of Defense, CIA, and National Security Council (NSC).

White Flight

The migration of white Americans from urban centers to suburban areas, often in response to desegregation.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

Military alliance formed in 1949 to counter Soviet aggression.

Taft-Hartley Act

1947 law that restricted the power of labor unions, allowing states to pass right-to-work laws.

HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee)

Congressional committee that investigated alleged communist influence in the U.S., especially in Hollywood.

McCarran Act

1950 law requiring communist organizations to register with the government; restricted subversive activities.

Fair Deal

Truman's domestic policy advocating for civil rights, health insurance, and education, but largely blocked by Congress.

Thirty-Eighth Parallel

The dividing line between North and South Korea, established after WWII.

NSC-68

1950 National Security Council report calling for a major military buildup to counter Soviet threats.

Inchon Landing

Successful amphibious invasion during the Korean War led by MacArthur, turning the tide in favor of U.S. forces.

Sunbelt

Region in the southern U.S. that experienced economic and population growth due to defense industries and favorable climates.

Earl Warren

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who led landmark rulings on civil rights, including Brown v. Board of Education.

Ho Chi Minh

Communist leader of North Vietnam who led the fight against French and later U.S. forces.

Ngo Dinh Diem

U.S.-backed leader of South Vietnam, later overthrown and assassinated in 1963.

Gamal Abdel Nasser

Egyptian leader who nationalized the Suez Canal, sparking the Suez Crisis in 1956.

Nikita Khrushchev

Soviet leader after Stalin, known for de-Stalinization, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Cold War tensions.

Fidel Castro

Leader of the Cuban Revolution who established a communist government and aligned with the USSR.

McCarthyism

Era of intense anti-communist suspicion and accusations in the U.S., led by Joseph McCarthy.

Creeping Socialism

Conservative criticism of government programs and welfare policies as leading toward socialism.

Desegregation

The process of ending racial segregation, notably in schools following Brown v. Board of Education.

Military-Industrial Complex

Eisenhower's warning about the growing influence of the defense industry on government policy.

Geneva Conference

1954 meeting that divided Vietnam into North and South along the 17th parallel.

SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization)

Anti-communist alliance formed in 1954 to counter Soviet and Chinese influence in Asia.

Hungarian Revolt (1956)

Anti-Soviet uprising crushed by Soviet troops, showing the limits of U.S. intervention.

Suez Crisis (1956)

Conflict over the nationalization of the Suez Canal, leading to British, French, and Israeli military intervention.

Modern Republicanism

Eisenhower's domestic policy blending conservative economic principles with moderate social policies.

Eisenhower Doctrine

U.S. policy to provide military and economic aid to Middle Eastern nations resisting communism.

U-2 Incident

1960 event in which a U.S. spy plane was shot down over the USSR, worsening Cold War tensions.

Sputnik

First artificial satellite launched by the USSR in 1957, sparking the Space Race.

Missile Gap

Perceived U.S. disadvantage in nuclear weapons compared to the Soviet Union, used as a campaign issue in the 1960 election.

National Defense Education Act (1958)

U.S. law providing funding for science, math, and language education to compete with the USSR.