GCSE History EdExcel Year 11 - Paper 2: Cold War - Key terms and efination needed to know for this topic

Superpower

A country or state that possesses great power and global influence.

Ideology

A shared set of beliefs or ideas about how a country should be governed and how society should operate.

International Relations

The political, economic, and social relationships between different countries.

USSR / SU

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Soviet Union.

Espionage

The practice of spying or using spies, typically by governments to gather political and military intelligence.

Democracy

A political system in which a nation's leaders are chosen through free and fair elections.

Capitalism

An economic ideology centered on private ownership of property and businesses to generate profit, alongside democratic freedoms.

Communism

An economic and political system where all property belongs to the state to ensure an equal share, typically governed via dictatorship.

Satellite states

Nations that are formally independent but remain under the heavy political, economic, and military control of another power (e.g., the USSR).

Red Army

The military forces of the communist Soviet Union.

Buffer Zone

A neutral or controlled region created to separate hostile nations and enhance security against potential attacks.

Containment

The American foreign policy aimed at preventing the expansion of communism.

Domino Theory

The belief that if one nation fell to communism, neighboring countries would inevitably follow.

Truman Doctrine (1947)

A US declaration promising economic aid and military support to nations resisting communist subjugation.

Marshall Plan (1947)

An American economic assistance program providing $13 billion between 1948 and 1952 to help rebuild non-communist European nations.

NATO (1949)

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation; a defensive military alliance established by Western countries.

Cominform (1947)

A Soviet political organisation designed to maintain tight control over the governments of communist satellite states.

Comecon (1949)

An economic organization set up by the USSR to coordinate trade and economic support among communist countries as a rival to the Marshall Plan.

Warsaw Pact (1955)

A communist defensive military alliance led by the Soviet Union to counteract NATO.

Operation Vittles

The official military codename for the Berlin Airlift.

Arms race

A rapid buildup and competition in the quantity and quality of military weaponry between rival nations.

MAD

Mutually Assured Destruction; the doctrine that full-scale nuclear warfare would result in the total destruction of both attacker and defender.

De-Stalinisation

A series of political reforms in the USSR following Stalin's death aimed at easing repressive government policies.

Rivalry

Competition for superiority or dominance in a specific domain.

Diplomacy

The practice of conducting negotiations and managing international relations in a careful and strategic manner.

Escalate

To increase rapidly in intensity, extent, or severity.

Veto

The constitutional right or power to reject or block a decision or vote.

Hostile

Showing open opposition, unfriendliness, or aggression.

Coup

A sudden, violent, and illegal overthrow of an existing government.

Occupied

A territory brought under the military control and administration of a foreign power.

Intimidate

To frighten or threaten someone into compliance or submission.

Retaliate

To launch a counterattack or make a harmful action in response to an offense.

Consequence

A result or outcome that logically follows an action or event.

Deterrent

A action, force, or weapon designed to discourage or prevent a hostile act.

Uprising

An organized rebellion or revolt against an established government or authority.

Liberate

To set a country or people free from foreign occupation or oppressive control.

Suppress

To forcibly subdue, prevent, or eliminate an activity or group.