Cold War Vocabulary

Flashcard review of Cold War terminology, historical events, and key figures based on the lecture transcript.

Cold War

A time of tension between the U.S. and the USSR without direct fighting, marked by threats, spying, and competition.

Superpowers

Countries with strong military and political power, especially the U.S. and the USSR after World War II.

United States

A democratic country with a capitalist economy that led the Western bloc during the Cold War.

USSR

A communist country also known as the Soviet Union that led the Eastern bloc during the Cold War.

Iron Curtain

A symbolic divide between the democratic Western countries and communist Eastern countries in Europe.

Sphere of Influence

An area where one country has control or strong influence over other countries' decisions.

Western Bloc

Countries in Western Europe and North America that supported democracy and capitalism during the Cold War.

Eastern Bloc

Countries in Eastern Europe under Soviet control that supported communism.

NATO

A military alliance between the U.S., Canada, and Western European countries to protect against Soviet attacks.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance of the USSR and Eastern European communist countries formed to oppose NATO.

Capitalism

An economic system where businesses are privately owned and people make their own financial choices.

Command Economy

An economy where the government controls what is made, how much is made, and prices.

Democracy

A political system where people vote for their leaders and have rights and freedoms.

Communism

A system where the government owns everything and wealth is meant to be shared equally among all people.

Containment

A U.S. policy to stop the spread of communism to other countries.

Expansionism

When a country tries to gain more land or power, especially the USSR spreading.

Ideological Differences

Conflicting beliefs and values between capitalism and communism that caused Cold War tensions.

Repression

When a government controls or limits people's behaviors and rights.

Totalitarian

A government that controls all aspects of life and doesn't allow opposition.

Lend-Lease Aid

U.S. support during World War II where it gave weapons and supplies to allies like the USSR.

Second Front

A battle area opened by the Allies in Western Europe, D-Day, to fight Germany during World War II.

D-Day

$June\,6,\,1944$, when Allied forces invaded Nazi-controlled France during World War II.

Yalta Conference

A $1945$ meeting where Allied leaders planned how to divide Europe after World War II.

Potsdam Conference

A $1945$ meeting after World War II where leaders discussed how to punish Germany and rebuild Europe.

United Nations

A global organization formed after World War II to promote peace and cooperation.

Reparations

Money or goods a country pays for damage caused during war.

Treaty of Versailles

A treaty that ended World War I and blamed Germany leading to World War II and later Cold War tensions.

Harry S. Truman

U.S. President after World War II who supported containment and created the Truman Doctrine.

Free Elections

Elections where people can vote for leaders and political parties without being forced.

Coalition Government

A temporary alliance of political parties that share power in government.

Proxy War

A war where superpowers support other countries fighting instead of fighting each other directly.

Winston Churchill

British leader during World War II who later gave the Iron Curtain speech about the Cold War divide.

Monroe Doctrine

A U.S. policy opposing European influence in the Americas.

Truman Doctrine

U.S. policy to help countries resist communism with military or economic aid.

Marshall Plan

A U.S. program that gave money to rebuild Western Europe after World War II to stop communism.

Berlin Blockade

When the USSR blocked supplies from entering West Berlin in $1948$.

Berlin Airlift

A U.S.-led effort to fly supplies into West Berlin after the Soviet blockade.

McCarthyism

Accusing people of being communists without good evidence, especially in the U.S. during the $1950s$.

Red Scare

A time when Americans feared communism was spreading in the U.S.

Korean War

A war from $1950$ to $1953$ between communist North Korea and democratic South Korea with U.S. and USSR support.

Space Race

A Cold War competition between the U.S. and USSR to explore space and land on the moon.

Sputnik

The first satellite launched into space by the USSR in $1957$, starting the Space Race.

Berlin Wall

A wall built by the USSR in $1961$ to stop people from fleeing East Berlin to West Berlin.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

A failed $1961$ attempt by U.S.-trained Cuban exiles to overthrow Cuba's communist leader.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A $1962$ Cold War event when the U.S. and USSR almost went to war over Soviet missiles in Cuba.

Détente

A time during the Cold War when tensions between the U.S. and USSR were reduced through talks and agreements.

Mutually Assured Destruction

The idea that if the U.S. and USSR both used nuclear weapons, both sides would be completely destroyed.

Containment Policy

The U.S. strategy of stopping communism from spreading by supporting other countries.

Cold War Tensions

Disagreements, fear, and competition between the U.S. and USSR during the Cold War.

Political System

How a country is governed like democracy or communism.

Economic System

How a country organizes money, work, and resources—like capitalism or a command economy.

Postwar Society

How life, government, and the economy changed in countries after WW2.