Module 12 The Cold War, American History

Cold War

A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years.

Capitalism

an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.

Communism

A theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, no vote for the people, Socialism

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an alliance made to defend one another if they were attacked by any other country; US, England, France, Canada, Western European countries

Berlin Airlift

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

Containment

American policy of resisting further expansion of communism around the world

Marshall Plan

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

Joseph Stalin

Communist dictator of the Soviet Union

United Nations

An international organization formed after WWII to promote international peace, security, and cooperation.

Satellite Nations

Communist nations in Eastern Europe on friendly terms with the USSR and thought of as under the USSR's control

President Truman

created the Truman doctrine, refused atomic bombing on Korea

Truman Doctrine

President Truman's policy of providing economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism or totalitarian ideology (Turkey and Greece)

CIA

Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. Its primary function is obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and persons in order to advise public policymakers, spying in outside nations

Mao Zedong

(1893-1976) Leader of the Communist Party in China that overthrew Jiang Jieshi and the Nationalists. Established China as the People's Republic of China and ruled from 1949 until 1976.

Korean War

The conflict between Communist North Korea and Non-Communist South Korea. The United Nations (led by the United States) helped South Korea.

38th Parallel

Dividing line between North and South Korea before and during the war

H-bomb

the hydrogen bomb - a thermonuclear weapon much more powerful than the Atomic bomb

U-2 Incident

The incident when an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. The U.S. denied the true purpose of the plane at first, but was forced to when the U.S.S.R. produced the living pilot and the largely intact plane to validate their claim of being spied on aerially. The incident worsened East-West relations during the Cold War and was a great embarrassment for the United States.

Arms Race (Cold War)

US and USSR compete for technological and nuclear supremacy

Brinksmanship

A policy of threatening to go to war in response to any enemy aggression.

Warsaw Pact

treaty signed in 1945 that formed an alliance of the Eastern European countries behind the Iron Curtain; USSR, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania

Nikita Khrushchev

A Soviet leader during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also famous for denouncing Stalin and allowed criticism of Stalin within Russia.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

leader of the Allied forces in Europe then was elected to be Pres. of the USA

Second Red Scare

Post-World War II Red Scare focused on the fear of Communists in U.S. government positions; peaked during the Korean War and declined soon thereafter, when the U.S. Senate censured Joseph McCarthy, who had been a major instigator of the hysteria.

McCarthyism

The term associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy who led the search for communists in America during the early 1950s through his leadership in the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Loyalty Review Board

(1947) federal board set up by President Truman that checked up on government workers, and dismissed those found to be communist.

House Un-American Activities Committee

A congressional committee created to search out disloyal Americans & Communists.

Hollywood Ten

Group of people in the film industry who were jailed for refusing to answer congressional questions regarding Communist influence in Hollywood

Blacklist

A list of people or products viewed with suspicion or disapproval.

Alger Hiss

A former State Department official who was accused of being a Communist spy and was convicted of perjury. The case was prosecuted by Richard Nixon.

Rosenbergs

Couple executed for giving military secrets to the Soviets in the 1950's

Domino Theory

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