The Cold War

Containment

American policy of resisting further expansion of communism around the world

NATO

an international organization created in 1949 by the North Atlantic Treaty for purposes of collective security

Article 5

Collective security - "An armed attack on any member shall be considered an attack on all."

Warsaw Pact

An alliance between the Soviet Union and other Eastern European nations. This was in response to the NATO

Iron Curtain

A political barrier that isolated the peoples of Eastern Europe after WWII, restricting their ability to travel outside the region

Arms Race

Cold war competition between the U.S. and Soviet Union to build up their respective armed forces and weapons

Truman Doctrine

1947, President Truman's policy of providing economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism or totalitarian ideology, mainly helped Greece and Turkey

Marshall Plan

A United States program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe (1948-1952)

Korean War

Conflict that began with North Korea's invasion of South Korea and came to involve the United Nations (primarily the United States) allying with South Korea and the People's Republic of China allying with North Korea.

Vietnam War

A prolonged war (1954-1975) between the communist armies of North Vietnam who were supported by the Chinese and the non-communist armies of South Vietnam who were supported by the United States.

Cuban Missile Crisis

The 1962 confrontation bewteen US and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles in Cuba.

Berlin Blockade

Soviet attempt to starve out the allies in the western sector to gain control. Considered a high-point of tension in the Cold War.

Berlin Airlift 1948

largest airlift of goods, supplies, food, and medicine by the U.S. and Britain in history to bypass the Soviet blockade and prevent a takeover of free, democratic West Berlin in 1948-'49

McCarthyism

Search for communists in America during the early 1950s by the House Un-American Activities Committee; Thousands of people's lives destroyed without evidence

U2 Spy Plane Incident

May 1, 1960, a U.S. spy plane was shot down over Soviet airspace; U.S. denied it was a spy plane, but the Soviets had the plane and the pilot, Gary Powers

First World Nations

Countries that are democratic and capitalistic during the Cold War

Second World Nations

Countries that are Communist and aligned with Moscow during the Cold War

Third World Countries

Term from the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned or neutral with either capitalism and NATO or communism and the Soviet Union.

Brinkmanship

Willingness to push events to the brink of war to force an opponent to back down; Caused increasing tensions during the Cold War

M.A.D.

Mutually Assured Destruction: the idea that superpowers had so many nuclear weapons that they would completely destroy each other, and the world many times over in a war; No real winner in a nuclear war

Mao Zedong

Chinese communist revolutionary and founding father of the People's Republic of China, he led the Chinese Communist Party to victory in the Chinese Civil War.

38th Parallel

Dividing line between communist North Korea and democratic South Korea

Nikita Khrushchev

A Soviet leader during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also famous for denouncing Stalin and allowed criticism of Stalin within Russia.

Tet Offensive (1968)

A massive, coordinated Communist assault against more than 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam. Seen as a turning point against the U.S. in the Vietnam War

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

1964 Congressional resolution that authorized President Johnson to commit US troops to south Vietnam and fight a war against North Vietnam

Vietnamization

Nixon’s strategy for ending U.S involvement in the Vietnam war; Involving a gradual withdrawal of American troops and replacement of them with South Vietnamese forces

Fall of Saigon

Marked the end of the Vietnam War in April, 1975 when North Vietnamese troops invaded South Vietnam, forcing all Americans left to flee in disarray as the capitol was taken

Gulf of Tonkin Incident

Alleged attack of US ships by North Vietnamese torpedoes in the Tonkin Gulf on August 4, 1964. Prompted the escalation of the War in Vietnam.

Vietcong

A group of Communist guerrillas who, with the help of North Vietnam, fought against the South Vietnamese government in the Vietnam War.

NVA

North Vietnamese Army

Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un

Communist leaders of North Korea 1948 to present

DMZ

Demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.