Humanities year 10 exam

Proxy war

A conflict where the US and Soviet Union supported opposing sides (with weapons, money, and training) instead of fighting each other directly.

Cold War

A decades-long rivalry (1945-1991) between the US and Soviet Union, fought through political pressure, propaganda, and proxy wars, but not direct military action between the two superpowers.

Hegemony

The dominance or leadership of one country (like US or USSR) over others.

MAD (mutually assured destruction)

The idea that if either superpower launched a nuclear attack, the other could strike back and both would be completely destroyed. This fear prevented a direct nuclear war.

Sphere of influence

A region where one superpower has dominant influence and control over other countries affairs, forcing them to align politically or economically.

Ideological divide/struggle

American capitalism/democracy (free markets, individual freedoms) VS Soviet communism (state-controlled economy, single-party rule)

Superpower

An extremely powerful nation (US and USSR after WWII) that is stronger than most others and capable of influencing global events.

Brinkmanship

The strategy of pushing a dangerous situation (like a military confrontation) to the edge of disaster, hoping the other side will back down first.

Containment

The US foreign policy aimed at stopping the spread of communism beyond where it already existed.

Berlin Blockade (and Airlift)

The Soviet Union blocked all land routes into West Berlin in 1948. The US and allies responded with the Berlin Airlift, flying in food and supplies for nearly a year until the Soviets lifted the blockade.

The brain drain

The movement of large numbers of skilled workers and professionals from communist East Germany to a freer, more prosperous West Germany, which was a major reason the Berlin Wall was built.

Space race

The competition between the US and the Soviet Union to achieve superior spaceflight capabilities and milestones.

Arms race

The rapid buildup of military weapons, especially nuclear bombs, by both the US and the USSR in a competition for military superiority.

Cuban missile crisis

A dangerous 1962 standoff when the US discovered Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, bringing the two superpowers to the brink of nuclear war before a peaceful resolution was reached.

Missile gap

A perceived (but largely false) difference in the number of nuclear missiles, with the US believing the Soviets had more, which fuelled the arms race.

Truman doctrine

A policy of providing military and economic aid to countries (like Greece and turkey) to resist communist expansion.

Marshall plan

An economic recovery program providing billions of dollars in aid to Western European countries to rebuild their economies after WWII and prevent communist parties from gaining support.

Potsdam/Yalta/Tehran

Major allied conferences during and after WWII where leaders (Roosevelt/Truman, Churchill, Stalin) discussed post-war planning, division of Germany, and the future of Eastern Europe.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

A military alliance formed by the US, Canada, and Western European nations to defend against Soviet aggression. An attack on one member was considered an attack on all.

Warsaw Pact

The Soviet Unions counter-alliance with its Eastern European communist satellite states

Iron curtain/bamboo curtain

The symbolic division between communist Eastern Europe and the democratic West (coined by Winston Churchill). “Bamboo curtain” was a similar term used for the borders of communist East Asian states like China and North Korea.

Domino theory

The US fear that if one country fell to communism, neighbouring countries would also fall, like a row of dominoes.

Salami tactics

The soviet strategy of gradually taking control of Eastern European countries, slice by slice (like salami), making it hard for the west to resist each small step.

Trizonia/Bizonia

The process of merging the Western Allies occupation zones in Germany. Bizonia combined the British and American zones, which later became Trizonia with the addition of the French zone, leading to the creation of West Germany.

The Federal Republic of Germany/ The German Democratic Republic

The official names for the divided German states during the Cold War. West Germany was a democratic, capitalist state, and East Germany was a communist state under Soviet influence.

Buffer states

The Eastern European countries controlled by the Soviet Union, intended to act as a protective barrier between the USSR and potential Western (especially German) aggression.

Traditionalist

Blame the Soviet Union and Stalins expansionist policies

Revisionists

Blame the United States, arguing its aggressive foreign policy forced the Soviets to respond defensively.

Post-Revionists

Argue that both sides were responsible, driven by mutual misunderstanding and security fears.