Second Red Scare (fear of communism)

HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee)

• Government committee that investigated suspected communist influence in the U.S.

• Targeted Hollywood and others, leading to blacklists and public hearings.

McCarthyism

• Anti-communist movement in the early 1950s led and created by Senator Joseph McCarthy, accusing many of being Soviet spies without solid evidence.

• Created widespread fear, ruined careers, and led to aggressive investigations and blacklisting.

Muhammad Mossadeq

• Prime Minister of Iran who nationalized the oil industry in 1951.

• Overthrown in a CIA- and British-backed coup in 1953, increasing Western influence in Iran.

Destalinization

• Policy by Nikita Khrushchev to reduce the influence of Stalin after his death.

• Included releasing prisoners and criticizing Stalin’s dictatorship and abuses.

Eisenhower

• U.S. president who focused on containing communism and maintaining peace through strength.

• Used policies like brinkmanship and supported covert CIA actions to influence global events

• Forced out of power

Arms Race

• Competition between the U.S. and USSR to build more powerful weapons, especially nuclear bombs.

• Led to massive stockpiles of weapons and increased global tension.

Space Race

• Competition between the U.S. and USSR to achieve major space exploration milestones.

• Included events like Sputnik launch and the U.S. moon landing.

Suez Crisis

• 1956 conflict when Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal, angering Britain, France, and Israel.

• Showed declining European power and rising U.S. and Soviet influence.

Berlin Crisis 1961 (Berlin Wall)

• Tensions over Berlin led the Soviet Union to build the Berlin Wall to stop East Germans from fleeing.

• Became a powerful symbol of the Cold War division between East and West.

Brinkmanship

• Strategy of pushing dangerous situations to the edge of war to force the opponent to back down.

• Used during the Cold War, especially under Eisenhower, relying on nuclear threat as leverage.