Key Concepts from Cold War History

Flashcards covering significant events and policies from the Cold War era.

Yalta Conference

A 1945 meeting between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin to discuss post-war reorganization.

United Nations

An international organization established in 1945 to promote peace and prevent future conflicts.

Potsdam Conference

The 1945 meeting that finalized the division of Germany and issued an ultimatum to Japan.

Containment

U.S. foreign policy strategy to prevent the spread of communism during the Cold War.

Truman Doctrine

A 1947 pledge to provide assistance to democratic nations threatened by authoritarian forces.

Marshall Plan

A U.S. initiative providing economic aid to rebuild Western European economies after WWII.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

A mutual defense military alliance formed in 1949 to counter the Soviet Union.

Warsaw Pact

A collective defense treaty signed in 1955 by the Soviet Union and its satellite states.

NSC-68

A 1950 National Security Council report advocating for U.S. military expansion against Soviet expansionism.

Cold War Liberalism

A political ideology combining New Deal social policies with anti-communist foreign policy.

Taft-Hartley Act

A 1947 federal law restricting labor unions passed over Truman's veto.

Fair Deal

Truman's reform program proposing national health insurance and civil rights, largely blocked by Congress.

Loyalty-Security Program

A 1947 program investigating federal employees for disloyalty amid anti-communist paranoia.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

Congressional committee investigating alleged communist influence in society, notably in Hollywood.

New Look

Eisenhower's policy reducing conventional forces in favor of reliance on nuclear weapons.

Domino Theory

The theory that communist influence in one country would lead to spread in surrounding countries.

Eisenhower Doctrine

A policy of providing aid to Middle Eastern countries against armed aggression from communist nations.

Bay of Pigs

A failed CIA-sponsored invasion of Cuba in 1961 intended to overthrow Castro's government.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 1962 standoff over Soviet missiles in Cuba, nearly escalating to nuclear war.

Peace Corps

A volunteer program established by Kennedy in 1961 to provide assistance in developing nations.