Cold War Vocab

Sources of Soviet Conduct

Mr. X's (George Kennan's) assessment of the Soviet Union pubished to the public in 1947 as pro-Marshall Plan propaganda, led to increased public support for tax-funded US containment efforts by painting Stalin as neurotic and expansionary

"Four Policemen"

FDR's idealistic plan that the USA, Russia, China, and the UK would each lead and stabilize their respective world areas. Was not maintained.

Tehran Conference

Big Three discussed, for the first time, plans for Axis powers during the postwar era. Stalin pressed for a 2-front war to relieve heavy Soviet casualties.

Cairo Conference

included Churchill, Roosevelt and Jiang Jieshi. Pledged continued war in Japan, removed Japan from lands it conquered, restored to 1894 frontiers.

Percentages Agreement

Secret 1944 Churchill/Stalin agreement to split control and influence over East Europe; US denial of land to the USSR caused distrust with the West.

Yalta Conference

1945 meeting of FDR, Churchill, and Stalin, diplomatic success: planned to separate Germany into 4 zones, Stalin promised free elections in Poland

Potsdam Conference

Truman, Stalin, and Attlee met after death of FDR and Churchill's replacement. Revealed deep tensions within the nations and conflicting goals. Truman's Potsdam Declaration warned Japan of its prompt and utter destruction.

Manhattan Project

Development of the first nuclear weapon, first dropped by US on Japan 1945. Resented by Stalin b/c US wouldn't share weapon secrets

Clement Attlee

Replaced Churchill in the UK, moved Britain away from international affairs and focused on internal affairs, leaving 2 superpowers in a Cold War

Harry S Truman

Replaced FDR in 1945, foreign policy of containing communism was influenced by the Long Telegram. Blamed by revisionists for the Cold War.

George Kennan

U.S. diplomat whose "Long Telegram" formed basis of the Western "containment" of the Soviet Union

Long Telegram

1946 response to Truman, George Kennan's idea that the USSR is bound to expand and the US must stop its expansion

Iron Curtain

Ideological boundary between capitalist Western Europe and comunist Eastern Europe, from Churchill's speech in 1946

NATO

1949 Military alliance by Western powers in response to the perceived threat from the Soviet Union. Ended US isolation forever.

Truman Doctrine

Truman's speech that committed the US to help nations fighting "outside pressures" (communism), first used to help stabilize Greece and Turkey

European Recovery Program

Program created by the Marshall Plan, 1947, ERP was a US-sponsored program designed to rehabilitate the postwar economies of 17 western and southern European countries. ERP regulated aspects of international trade and promoted American influence on Europe to dissuade communism.

COMECON

Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, Jan 1949 - founded to coordinate economies of eastern European countries under Soviet control

Bizonia

combination of US & UK occupation zones in western Germany on January 1, 1947, despite Soviet objections. Included US and UK zones in Berlin

Berlin Blockade

1948-1949 USSR blocked the western allies' access to western sectors of Berlin, first confrontation of the cold war, US response was an airlift

FRG

Federal Republic of Germany. Chancellor Konrad Adaneur, created 1949 by combination of occupation zones of the US, UK, France (West Germany)

GDR

German democratic republic, communist state in central europe, 1949,formed in response to FRG (East Germany)

Historian: William Appleman Williams

('Revisionist') believed American hegemony was at fault for the Cold War and only wanted to secure "Open Door" trade for profit

Open Door

US policy of demanding 'equal opportunity' in all foreign trade; strengthened the US economy and opposed spread of communism. William Appleman Williams claimed this policy drove US desire to keep a presence in Europe after WWII.

HISTORIAN: Andrew Alexander

Agreed with Revisionists, journalist who said that the Soviet Union was never strong enough to be a threat towards the West

Historian: Gar Alperovitz

Said the Cold War was a result of Truman's intimidation tactics, using the atomic bomb to intimdate Stalin when it wasn't militarily necessary

Historian: John L. Gaddis

Historian whose beliefs changed over time. He initially believed the Cold War was a misunderstanding, reflecting detente. Later, Gaddis turned to a Post-1991 view that both nations believed in their own ideal social order and followed it blindly. He condemned Stalin as particularly agressive.

Warsaw Pact

Defensive Soviet military alliance formed in 1955 to protect communist states from NATO and the threat from a reunified West German state

ComIntern

Communist International; formed in 1919 by Soviet leaders to stimulate communist/socialist revolutions worldwide

Allied Control Council

Chinese Civil War

Struggle between Nationalist (Guomingdang) and communist (CCP) forces between April 1927 – May 1, 1950. Resulted in communist victory under Mao Zedong, while Nationalists under Jiang Jeishi fled to Taiwan.

Jiang Jieshi

(Also known as Chiang Kai-shek) Chinese military and political leader of the Guomingdang, removed at end of the Chinese Civil War when Mao's army won and Jiang's government fled to Taiwan

Guomindang

Nationalist party that controlled mainland China from 1927-1948, often abbreviated GMD or KMT (Kuomingtang), aided by the USA

Casablanca Conference

WWI-era conference between US (FDR) and UK (Churchill) that promised to press for unconditional surrender of Axis Powers

Mao Zedong

Chinese communist leader, founded the People's Republic of China in 1949, responsible for the Great Leap Forward and Chinese Cultural Revolution

NSC-68

1950 American secret document stating that the US needed to maintain substantial armed forces to prevent Soviet expansion, massive US military buildup starting with Korea, quardrupled US military spending to 13% of overall US budget

Konrad Adenauer

Leader of West Germany, strong anti-Nazi resister in WWII who desired German reunification under West German control

Western Orthodox View

Historians who hold this view blame Stalin's expansion for the start of the Cold War. Most popular in early Cold War history, 1945-1960 approx.

Revisionist View

Historians who hold this view blame the USA, especially Truman's use of the atomic bomb, for the start of the Cold War. Most popular in Vietnam War era, 1955-75 approx.

Post-Revisionist View

Historians who hold this view believed the Cold War was an unintentional misunderstanding, born from a lack of communication and the assumption that the other side was the enemy. Most popular during detente (mid-late 1970s).

Post-1991 View

Historians who hold this view have a more complete, holistic understanding after the fall of the USSR in 1991 that places blame on politicians from both sides of the Cold War for their refusal to compromise and their willingness to lead their nations into conflict.