Cold War Beginnings and Mao's China

Cold War

A period of political tension and rivalry (1947–1991) between the United States and the Soviet Union, marked by threats and competition but no direct large-scale war.

Denazification

A process after World War II in which the Allies removed Nazi influence from Germany’s government, society, and culture.

Truman Doctrine

A U.S. policy announced in 1947 promising to support countries resisting communism, especially Greece and Turkey.

Iron Curtain

A term used to describe the division between communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe during the Cold War.

Marshall Plan

A U.S. program that gave financial aid to rebuild Western European economies after World War II to prevent the spread of communism.

Berlin Airlift (Berlin Crisis)

A 1948–1949 operation where the U.S. and its allies flew supplies into West Berlin after the Soviet Union blocked land access.

NATO

A military alliance formed in 1949 by Western nations to defend against Soviet aggression.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance formed in 1955 by the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries in response to NATO.

United Nations

An international organization founded in 1945 to promote peace, security, and cooperation among countries.

Mao Zedong

The communist leader who founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and led the country until his death in 1976.

Great Leap Forward

A campaign (1958–1962) led by Mao to rapidly industrialize China, which resulted in widespread famine and millions of deaths.

Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

A movement (1966–1976) led by Mao to remove capitalist influences from China, causing social chaos and persecution.

Little Red Book

A collection of sayings by Mao Zedong that was widely distributed and used as a guide during the Cultural Revolution.

Red Guards

Radical youth groups in Mao’s China during the Cultural Revolution who enforced communist ideology and targeted “counterrevolutionaries” through political campaigns and violence.