Cold War People and Events

These flashcards cover significant people, events, and treaties during the Cold War era, providing essential definitions and context for exam preparation.

Gamal Abdel Nasser

Egyptian military officer and second president of Egypt, served from 1956 to 1970.

Prince Norodom Sihanouk

Removed from power in 1970 by Cambodia's National Assembly, leading to General Lon Nol's control.

Dean Rusk

U.S. Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969 who shaped foreign policy during the Cold War.

Berlin Blockade

An international crisis where the Soviet Union blocked Allied powers from Berlin, leading to the Berlin Airlift.

Valentina Tereshkova

First woman to travel to space aboard the spacecraft Vostok 6 in 1963.

Iron Curtain

A boundary that divided Europe into East and West from 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991.

Lech Wałęsa

Polish labor activist who emerged as a leading figure in the workers' strike at a shipyard, leading to Solidarity.

Basic Treaty (1972)

An agreement between West Germany and East Germany recognizing each other’s sovereignty.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Russian author and critic of Soviet totalitarianism who was arrested and exiled for criticizing Stalin.

Nikita Khrushchev

Soviet politician who led during the Cold War and was known for the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Cuban Missile Crisis

An event in 1962 where the U.S. discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba, leading to a 13-day standoff.

Prague Spring (1968)

A period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia led by Alexander Dubček.

Mikhail Gorbachev

The last leader of the Soviet Union who implemented policies of glasnost and perestroika.

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

An agreement aimed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and promote cooperation in nuclear energy.

Tiananmen Square

The site of a pro-democracy protest in China in 1989 that was violently suppressed.

Détente

A period of relaxed tensions and improved relations between the US and Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Operation Ajax

CIA operation that led to the overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953.