Unit 8 APUSH

Cold War

The political, economic, and military conflict, short of direct war on the battlefield, between the United States and the Soviet Union between 1945 and 1991.

Potsdam conference

Meeting in July of 1945 in Germany, between Truman and Stalin. The two leaders agreed to free elections in Eastern Europe, Soviet withdrawal from Northern Iran, and creation of four Allied occupation zones in Germany

Harry Truman

1884-1972; thirty-third president of the United States; he became president upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He led the U.S. through the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War.

Joseph Stalin

the Soviet leader who succeeded Lenin, established a totalitarian state by suppressing opposition, and oversaw the Soviet Union's rapid industrialization and collectivization of agriculture through Five-Year Plans and terror

George Kennan

an American diplomat and historian, is known for his influential role in shaping U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War, particularly through his advocacy for the strategy of "containment" to counter Soviet expansion. 

Containment

Belief that the Soviet Union desired the spread of communism throughout the world. To prevent this spread U.S. diplomat George Kennan advocated a strict policy of containing communism where it already existed and preventing its spread

Iron Curtain

Term coined by Churchill that described the ideological and political divide between the Communist Soviet Union and the non-Communist western world.

totalitarianism

Type of government that puts the state first, with all other parts of life designed to support and sustain the government first and foremost

Truman Doctrine

U.S. pledge to contain the expansion of communism around the world. Based on the idea of containment, the Truman Doctrine was the cornerstone of American foreign policy throughout the Cold War.

Marshall Plan

Post World War II European economic aid package developed by Secretary of State George Marshall. The plan helped rebuild Western Europe and served American political and economic interests in the process.

Imperial Presidency

Term used to describe the growth of presidential powers during the Cold War, particularly with respect to war-making powers and the conduct of national security.

National Security Council

Council created by the 1947 National Security Act to advise the president on military and foreign affairs. The NSC consists of the national security adviser and the secretaries of state, defense, the army, the navy, and the air force.

CIA

Intelligence organization established by the 1947 National Security Act. The CIA is part of the executive branch and is responsible for gathering and conducting espionage in foreign nations. Originally created to counter Soviet spying operations.

Berlin airlift

The mass-scale transport of food and supplies to West Berlin by U.S. and British government air forces during the Soviet blockade of Berlin from 1948 to 1949.

NATO

Cold War military alliance intended to enhance the collective security of the United States and Western Europe.

Warsaw Pact

Russian military alliance with seven satellite nations in response to the U.S. Marshall Plan and establishment of NATO.

NSC-68

April 1950 National Security Council document that advocated the intensification of the policy of containment both at home and abroad. NSC-68 proposed that the United States develop an even more powerful nuclear weapon, the hydrogen bomb; increase military spending; and continue to negotiate NATO-style alliances around the globe.

Korean War

Conflict fought between the northern Communist, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United Nations-backed southern Republic of Korea between 1950 to 1953. The war permitted Truman to expand his powers as commander in chief and augmented the strength of the national security state over which he presided. As a result of the Korean conflict, the military draft became a regular feature of American life for young men over the next two decades. The expanded peacetime military was active around the globe, operating bases in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. During the war, the military budget rose from $13.5 billion to $50 billion, strengthening the connection between economic growth and permanent mobilization to fight the Cold War. The war also permitted President Truman to reshape foreign policy along the lines sketched in NSC-68, including the extension of U.S. influence in Southeast Asia. Consequently, he authorized economic aid to support the French against Communist revolutionaries in Vietnam.

HUAC

U.S. House of Representatives Committee established in 1938 to investigate domestic communism. After World War II, HUAC conducted highly publicized investigations of Communist influence in government and the entertainment industry. HUAC really wanted the accused to confess their Communist sympathy publicly and to show remorse by naming their associates. Those who did not comply were considered “unfriendly” witnesses and were put on an industry blacklist that deprived them of employment.

Second Red Scare

Fear of Communist influence infiltrating the United States and threatening national security in the 1940s and 1950s. Such fears resulted in the creation of government-controlled programs and entities such as the House Un-American Activities Committee and the Federal Employee Loyalty Program.

 Federal Employee Loyalty Program

Program established by President Truman in 1947 to investigate federal employees suspected of disloyalty and Communist ties. Was meant to focus on espionage but concentrated its attention on individuals who espoused dissenting views on a variety of issues.

Dennis v. US

1951 Supreme Court decision upholding the conviction of Communist leaders on the grounds they posed a “clear and present danger,” despite the absence of any evidence of an immediate uprising or plot.

McCarran Internal Security Act

1950 Republican-supported legislation proposed by Senator Pat McCarran, which required Communist organizations to register with the federal government, established detention camps for radicals, and denied passports to American citizens who had communist affiliations. Truman vetoed the bill, but the Democratic Congress overrode his veto making the act law.

Douglass MacArthur

Commanding officer of the US troops sent to help South Korea. Wanted to invade North Korea after kicking them out of South Korea but this failed allowing South Korea to fall to communism. After the UN pushed North Korea back again, MacArthur still wanted to invade, risk war with China, and use atomic weapons, but Truman said no and took him out of leadership

Joseph McCarthy