UNIT 8, CH 25

During the early Cold War, intense rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union shaped both foreign policy and life at home. Internationally, the U.S. pursued containment through programs such as the Marshall Plan and alliances like North Atlantic Treaty Organization to stop the spread of communism. Domestically, fear of communist influence led to investigations by the House Un-American Activities Committee and accusations led by Joseph McCarthy, creating a period known as the Red Scare. These fears affected politics by increasing military spending and loyalty programs, while also influencing society and culture through censorship, blacklists, and pressure to demonstrate strong patriotism.

Yalta Conference

1945 meeting between Allied leaders to plan the post-World War order in Europe

Joseph Stalin

Communist dictator of the Soviet Union from the 1920s until 1953

United Nations

International organization created in 1945 to promote peace and cooperation

Potsdam Conference

1945 meeting of Allied leaders to decide how to administer defeated Germany

Containment

U.S. policy aimed at stopping the spread of communism

George F. Kennan

American diplomat who proposed the containment strategy

Truman Doctrine

1947 policy promising U.S. aid to countries resisting communism

Marshall Plan

U.S. economic aid program to rebuild Western Europe after WWII

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Military alliance formed in 1949 between the U.S., Canada, and Western European nations

Warsaw Pact

Military alliance formed in 1955 between the Soviet Union and Eastern European Communist countries

NSC-68

1950 U.S. policy document recommending major military buildup to fight communism

Cold War Liberalism

Political belief combining support for welfare programs with strong anti-communism

Taft‑Hartley Act

1947 law limiting the power of labor unions

Fair Deal

President Truman’s domestic reform plan after WWII

Loyalty-Security Program

Government program to investigate federal employees for communist ties

House Un‑American Activities Committee (HUAC)

Congressional committee that investigated suspected communist influence

Joseph McCarthy

U.S. senator who claimed communists had infiltrated the U.S. government

Nikita Khrushchev

Soviet leader after Stalin who played a key role in Cold War conflicts

New Look

President Eisenhower’s Cold War strategy emphasizing nuclear weapons

Domino Theory

Idea that if one country fell to communism, nearby countries would follow

Eisenhower Doctrine

Policy promising U.S. military and economic aid to Middle Eastern countries resisting communism

John F. Kennedy

U.S. president from 1961–1963 during major Cold War crises

Fidel Castro

Bay of Pigs Invasion

Failed 1961 invasion of Cuba by U.S.-backed Cuban exiles

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 confrontation between the U.S. and Soviet Union over Soviet missiles in Cuba

Peace Corps

U.S. program sending volunteers abroad to help with education, health, and development

Ho Chi Minh

Communist leader of North Vietnam