Cold War

Cold War

Political and military tension between the US and USSR after WWII; Shaped global alliances and conflicts without direct war

Denazification

Allied policy to remove Nazi influence from Germany; Aimed to rebuild Germany as a democratic state

Truman Doctrine

US policy of supporting countries resisting communism; Marked start of US Cold War containment strategy

Iron Curtain

Term for the division between communist East and capitalist West Europe; Symbolized Cold War separation

Marshall Plan

US economic aid program to rebuild Europe after WWII; Helped prevent spread of communism

Berlin Airlift (Berlin Crisis)

1948–49 operation supplying West Berlin by air during Soviet blockade; Demonstrated Western resistance to Soviet pressure

NATO

Military alliance of Western countries formed in 1949; Created collective defense against Soviet expansion

Warsaw Pact

Military alliance of communist countries led by the USSR; Formed in response to NATO

United Nations

International organization created in 1945 to promote peace; Replaced League of Nations and encouraged cooperation

Mao Zedong

Leader of the Chinese Communist Party and founder of the People’s Republic of China; Established communist rule in China

Great Leap Forward

Chinese campaign to rapidly industrialize and collectivize agriculture; Caused economic failure and mass famine

Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

Mao’s movement to enforce communism by removing “old ideas” and elites; Led to chaos, persecution, and cultural destruction

Little Red Book

Collection of Mao’s quotations used to promote communist ideology; Widely distributed during the Cultural Revolution