Cold War

Containment

American policy of resisting further expansion of communism around the world.

Iron Curtain

Term used by Churchill in 1946 to describe the growing East-West divide in postwar Europe between communist and democratic nations.

Cold War

The period after the Second World War marked by rivalry and tension between the two nuclear superpowers, the United States and the communist government of the Soviet Union.

Truman Doctrine

1947 policy of providing economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism or totalitarian ideology, mainly helped Greece and Turkey.

Marshall Plan

A United States program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe (1948-1952).

Berlin Airlift

Airlift in 1948 that supplied food and fuel to citizens of west Berlin when the Russians closed off land access to Berlin.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

1949 alliance of nations that agreed to band together in the event of war and to support and protect each nation involved.

Korean War

A conflict between UN forces (primarily US and South Korea) against North Korea, and later China; Resulted in Korea remaining divided at the 38th parallel.

Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

Zone from which military forces or operations or installations are prohibited.

House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

Committee during the Second Red Scare that investigated communist influence inside the government.

McCarthyism

The term associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy who led the search for communists in America during the early 1950s.

Second Red Scare

Post-World War II period in which there was widespread fear of communism and the potential of them to undermine American democracy.

Eisenhower Doctrine

Policy of the US that it would defend the Middle East against attack by any Communist country.

U-2 Incident

A 1960 incident in which the Soviet military used a guided missile to shoot down an American U-2 spy plane over Soviet territory.

Baby Boom

A large group born in the US post-WWII until the 1960s.

Fair Deal

Truman's economic plan that increased minimum wage, expanded Social Security, and constructed low-income housing.

Brinkmanship

The principle of not backing down in a crisis, even if it meant taking the country to the brink of war.

Sputnik

First satellite launched into orbit, marking the start of the space race.

Cuban Missile Crisis

An international crisis in October 1962, the closest approach to nuclear war between the U.S. and the USSR.

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Arrested in the Summer of 1950 and executed in 1953 for conspiring to commit espionage by passing atomic bomb plans to the Soviet Union.

Warren Commission

The U.S. commission in charge of investigating the assassination of JFK.

Dixiecrats

Southern Democrats who opposed Truman's position on civil rights.

Domino Theory

The theory that if one nation comes under Communist control, then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

Failed attempt by the United States in 1961 to overthrow Fidel Castro.

Great Society

President Johnson's program to reduce poverty and racial injustice and to promote a better quality of life in the United States.

Vietnam War

A prolonged war (1954-1975) between the communist armies of North Vietnam and the non-communist armies of South Vietnam, who was supported by the United States.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

A resolution adopted by Congress in 1964, giving the president broad powers to wage war in Vietnam. Gave Johnson authorization without a formal declaration of war by Congress.

Tet Offensive

A massive surprise attack by the Vietcong on South Vietnamese towns and cities in early 1968.

Kent State Massacre

The killing of four protesters at Kent State University in 1970 by National Guard troops; it inflamed opinion against the Vietnam War.

My Lai Massacre

A massacre of hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians by American soldiers during the Vietnam War.

Vietnamization

President Nixon's strategy for ending U.S involvement in the Vietnam War, involving a gradual withdrawal of American troops and replacement of them with South Vietnamese forces.

War Powers Act

A law enacted in 1973, limiting a president's right to send troops into battle without consulting Congress.

Detente

The easing of Cold War tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Nixon administration.

SALT I & II

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. Agreements between the U.S. and the Soviet Union to limit nuclear weapons.

Watergate Scandal

A political scandal resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex.

Camp David Accords

Peace treaty between Israel and Egypt brokered by President Jimmy Carter in 1978.

Iranian Revolution

A revolution against the Shah of Iran in 1979, which resulted in Iran becoming an Islamic republic.

Iran Hostage Crisis

An international crisis in which militants in Iran seized 66 American citizens at the U.S. embassy in Tehran and held 52 of them hostage for more than a year.

Reaganomics

The economic policies of President Ronald Reagan, which advocated supply-side economics and less government intervention.

Star Wars (SDI)

Strategic Defense Initiative; Proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic strategic nuclear weapons.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

The dismantling of the Berlin Wall in 1989, symbolizing the end of the Cold War.

Dissolution of the Soviet Union

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, marking the end of the Cold War and the emergence of new independent nations.