Topic 12 Part 1 Vocabulary - Zurawski

Cold War related vocabulary

Communism

an economic system in which the production of goods is controlled by the state

Capitalism

an economic system characterized by the private or corporate ownership of goods with the distribution of goods determined by competition in a free market

Marshall Plan

a U.S. program of financing to help European nations rebuild after World War II

Cold War

conflict over ideological differences that does not involve warfare or overt military action

Satellite Nations

nations politically and economically dominated or controlled by another more powerful country

Iron Curtain

the political and military barrier that isolated Soviet-controlled countries after World War II

Containment

the policy or process of preventing the expansion of a hostile power

Limited War

a war fought with limited commitment of resources to achieve a limited objective, such as containing communism

Massive Retaliation

a policy that involves threatening the use of nuclear weapons to avoid a potential war

Brinkmanship

the willingness to go to the brink of war to force an opponent to back down

Covert

not openly shown or engaged in; secret

Developing Nation

a nation whose economy is mainly agricultural and is creating a basis for industrial development

Military-Industrial Complex

an informal relationship that some people believe exists between the military and the defense industry to promote greater military spending and influence government policy

Flexible Response

a military approach that relies more heavily on conventional means than it does on nuclear weapons