Cold War Beginnings and Mao’s China

Cold War

A prolonged period of political, military, and ideological tension between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II, marked by proxy wars, nuclear arms competition, and rivalry without direct large-scale combat.

Denazification

The process after World War II in which Allied powers removed Nazi ideology, leaders, and influence from Germany’s political, social, and cultural institutions.

Truman Doctrine

A U.S. policy announced in 1947 pledging support (economic and military) to countries threatened by communism, especially Greece and Turkey, to contain its spread.

Iron Curtain

A term describing the ideological and physical boundary dividing Western Europe (democratic states) and Eastern Europe.

Marshall Plan

A U.S. initiative providing financial aid to help rebuild Western European economies after World War II and prevent the spread of communism.

Berlin Airlift

A major operation in which Western Allies flew supplies into West Berlin after the Soviet Union blocked land routes, ensuring the city’s survival without direct military conflict.

NATO

A military alliance formed in 1949 by Western countries to provide collective defense against potential aggression, especially from the Soviet bloc.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance of the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellite states, created in response to NATO.

United Nations

An international organization established to promote peace, security, cooperation, and human rights among countries worldwide.

Mao Zedong

The founding leader of the People’s Republic of China (1949), who established a communist state and led major campaigns to transform Chinese society and economy.

Great Leap Forward

An economic and social campaign led by Mao aiming to rapidly industrialize China and collectivize agriculture; it resulted in widespread famine and millions of deaths.

Cultural Revolution

A campaign initiated by Mao to reinforce communist ideology by removing “capitalist” and traditional elements from Chinese society, leading to chaos, persecution, and social disruption.

Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung

A collection of sayings and ideas by Mao Zedong, widely distributed during the Cultural Revolution and treated as a guide to communist ideology.