The 50's

HUAC - house un-american activities committee

congressional group who investigated possible spies/communist threats in the US during the Cold War

McCarthyism

named after Joe McCarthy

Second Red Scare - the same as McCarthyism

time period in the US of anti-communist fear, paranoia and political repression

Mohammad Mosaddegh

elected Iranian prime monister

nationalized oil industries in Iran - this hurt the british

CIA

orchestrated a coup and had Mosaddegh thrown out of power

Destalinization

it refers to reforms that reduced repression, criticized Stalin’s policies, and relaxed strict government control

Arms race

build up of nuclear weapons between the US and the Soviet Union

MAD

mutually assured destruction - both are in peace with each other

Deterrence

A strategy of preventing war by threatening strong retaliation so an enemy is discouraged from attacking.

Space Race

the Cold War competition between the US and the Soviet Union to achieve major milestones in space exploration, such as satellites and moon landings

Suez Crisis

Egypt takes back control of the Suez Canal from Britain

Brinkmanship

the act of moving close to the edge of nuclear war without going over

Berlin Crisis/Berlin Wall

a Cold War standoff that led to East Germany building the Berlin Wall to stop people from going to West Berlin

Domino Theory

the idea that one country falls into communism, all fall into communism

Eisenhower

Dwight Eisenhower - president of the US in 1950’s