Cold War Beginnings and Mao’s China

Cold War

• Period of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union.

• Lasted from about 1947 to 1991.

• No direct war between the two superpowers.

• Involved competition in politics, economics, military power, and space exploration

Denazification

• Process after World War II to remove Nazi influence from Germany.

• Nazi leaders were punished or removed from power.

• Germans were educated about Nazi crimes.

• Helped rebuild Germany as a democracy.

Truman Doctrine

• Announced in 1947 by Harry S. Truman.

• Promised U.S. support for countries resisting communism.

• Marked the beginning of the policy of containment.

Iron Curtain

• Term used by Winston Churchill.

• Described the division between Western Europe and Communist Eastern Europe.

• Symbolized political and ideological separation during the Cold War.

Marshall Plan

• U.S. program launched in 1948.

• Provided economic aid to rebuild Europe after World War II.

• Helped prevent the spread of communism in Western Europe.

Berlin Airlift (Berlin Crisis)

• Occurred from 1948–1949.

• The Soviet Union blocked land routes to West Berlin.

• The United States and its allies flew supplies into the city.

• The blockade eventually ended.

NATO

• Stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

• Military alliance formed in 1949.

• Members agreed to defend one another if attacked.

• Led by the United States and Western allies.

Warsaw Pact

• Military alliance formed in 1955.

• Included the Soviet Union and its Eastern European allies.

• Created as a response to NATO.

United Nations

• International organization founded in 1945.

• Created to promote peace and cooperation.

• Works to prevent conflicts and support human rights.

Mao Zedong

• Leader of Communist China from 1949 until 1976.

• Established the People's Republic of China.

• Introduced major political and economic reforms.

Great Leap Forward

• Economic campaign launched by Mao in 1958.

• Tried to rapidly industrialize China.

• Organized people into large communes.

• Failed and contributed to a major famine.

Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

• Began in 1966 under Mao.

• Sought to remove capitalist and traditional influences.

• Students called Red Guards attacked perceived enemies of communism.

• Caused social and political chaos.

Little Red Book

• Collection of quotes by Mao Zedong.

• Officially called Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung.

• Widely distributed during the Cultural Revolution.

• Used to spread Maoist ideas.