History Chapter 4 Cold `War

Puppet government

government that claims to be independent, but is really controlled by another country.

Cold War

decades-long conflict in which the United States and the Soviet Union competed without engaging in direct military conflict.

Airlift

providing a region with crucial supplies by planes when transport over sea or land is not possible.

Truman doctrine

U.S. policy to stop Soviet expansion during the Cold War by supporting countries threatened by the USSR.

Marshall Plan

American aid programme to help rebuild European economies after WWII.

Hydrogen bomb

powerful weapon that uses the energy from fusing hydrogen atoms together.

Space race

competition for supremacy in spaceflight capability between U.S. and USSR.

Brain drain

when skilled individuals leave a country to go live somewhere else.

Nationalised

when a country takes over ownership and control over privately held businesses.

Era of détente

period of improved relations between the USA and the Soviet Union.

Strategic Defence Initiative

unsuccessful missile defence plan, aiming to shield the United States against nuclear attacks.

Perestroika

policy from 1985 of Soviet leader Gorbachev to change the communist planned economy into a free market economy.

Glasnost

policy in 1985 initiated by Soviet leader Gorbachev to give Soviet people more freedom of speech.

Fall of the Wall

when on 9th November 1989, East Berliners could freely visit West Berlin again.