Grade 12 History: The Cold War Mind Map

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the Cold War, superpower relations, military alliances, the Chinese Civil War and foreign policy, and the Vietnam War from Grade 12 History notes.

The Cold War (c. 1945–1991)

A period of political, economic, military, and ideological tension between two superpowers—the capitalist USA and the communist USSR—who did not engage in direct full-scale war.

Bipolar World

An international political structure dominated by two opposing superpowers.

Proxy Wars

Conflicts in which opposing superpowers supported rival sides in other countries rather than fighting each other directly.

Comintern

An organization established in 1919 with the purpose of spreading communism internationally.

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

A 1939 agreement signed between Nazi Germany and the USSR before Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

Tehran Conference (1943)

A meeting held from 28 November to 1 December 1943 between Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill, where the Allies agreed to open a second front in Western Europe through an invasion of France and the USSR agreed to enter the war against Japan.

Yalta Conference (1945)

A wartime summit held from 4 to 11 February 1945 between Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill that agreed to divide Germany and Berlin into four occupation zones, demilitarise and denazify Germany, extract reparations, and hold free elections in liberated European nations.

Potsdam Conference (1945)

A summit held from 17 July to 2 August 1945 between Joseph Stalin, Harry S. Truman, and Winston Churchill (later Clement Attlee) that confirmed Germany's division, demilitarisation, denazification, and democratisation, and allowed occupying powers to collect reparations from their respective zones.

Spheres of Influence

Geographic areas where a powerful state exercises dominant political, economic, or military influence over other nations.

Policy of Containment

The American foreign policy introduced to stop the spread of communism beyond the borders where it already existed.

Truman Doctrine (1947)

An American policy announced by President Harry Truman promising military and economic assistance to countries threatened by communism, initially focusing on Greece and Turkey.

Marshall Plan (1947)

An economic assistance programme introduced by US Secretary of State George Marshall to rebuild war-damaged European economies and mitigate poverty that could encourage communism.

Satellite States

Eastern European nations that were formally independent but remained controlled or heavily influenced politically and economically by the USSR.

COMECON (1949)

The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, established by the USSR to coordinate economic cooperation between communist nations as an alternative to the Marshall Plan.

Berlin Blockade (1948–1949)

The closure of all road, rail, and canal routes connecting West Berlin to Western Germany by Joseph Stalin in June 1948, triggered by the Western introduction of the Deutschmark.

Berlin Airlift

A joint British and American operation that successfully transported food, fuel, and other essential supplies into West Berlin by aircraft to bypass the Soviet blockade.

Federal Republic of Germany (FRG)

The official state established in West Germany in May 1949 under Western Allied sponsorship.

German Democratic Republic (GDR)

The communist state established in East Germany in October 1949 under Soviet control.

Berlin Wall (1961)

A physical concrete and barbed-wire barrier erected starting 13 August 1961 by East German authorities to stop the mass emigration of skilled workers and citizens into West Berlin.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)

A Western military alliance founded on 4 April 1949 led by the USA, featuring a mutual defence clause (Article 5) stipulating that an attack on one member is an attack on all.

Warsaw Pact (1955)

The Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, established on 14 May 1955 by the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellites as a collective defence bloc in response to West Germany joining NATO.

Brinkmanship

A diplomatic strategy of pushing a dangerous crisis to the verge of direct armed conflict or nuclear war in order to force an opponent to back down.

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

An October 1962 confrontation sparked by Soviet nuclear missile installations in Cuba, which was resolved when Nikita Khrushchev agreed to dismantle the sites in exchange for an American non-invasion pledge and the secret removal of US Jupiter missiles from Turkey.

Traditionalist Interpretation

A historiographical perspective placing blame for the Cold War on the USSR, arguing that Soviet expansionism and broken promises regarding free elections provoked Western containment.

Revisionist Interpretation

A historiographical perspective placing blame for the Cold War on the USA, arguing that aggressive American economic expansion and nuclear diplomacy threatened Soviet security interests.

Post-revisionist Interpretation

A historiographical perspective asserting that both superpowers share responsibility for the Cold War due to mutual suspicion, misperceptions, and irreconcilable ideological differences.

Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance (1950)

A bilateral agreement signed between Mao Zedong and Joseph Stalin providing Soviet financial aid, industrial assistance, and technical expertise to the People's Republic of China.

Sino-Soviet Split

The breakdown of political and ideological relations between the People's Republic of China and the USSR during the 1950s and 1960s over ideological direction, leadership rivalry, and Khrushchev's Secret Speech.

Ping-Pong Diplomacy (1971)

An exchange of American table tennis players visiting China in 1971 that paved the way for improved diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing.

Shanghai Communiqué (1972)

A joint diplomatic declaration issued during President Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972 that established a mutual framework for normalizing Sino-American relations.

Seventeen Point Agreement (1951)

An agreement that formalised Chinese political and territorial authority over Tibet.

Sino-Indian War (1962)

A brief border conflict between China and India over disputed territory in the Himalayan region, resulting in a Chinese military victory and unilateral ceasefire.

Battle of Dien Bien Phu (1954)

A 167-day siege culminating in the surrender of French forces to the Viet Minh in May 1954, which marked the end of French colonial control in Indochina.

Geneva Accords (1954)

A diplomatic settlement that temporarily divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel into a communist North under Ho Chi Minh and an anti-communist South under Ngo Dinh Diem.

Viet Cong (VC)

The communist guerrilla movement organized as the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam in 1960 to overthrow the Saigon government and achieve national reunification.

Safe Hamlets Policy

A counter-insurgency measure that relocated South Vietnamese villagers into fortified settlements to isolate them from Viet Cong influence, food supplies, and intelligence.

Counter-insurgency

Military and political strategies designed to combat and defeat internal guerrilla warfare movements.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964)

A resolution passed by the US Congress in August 1964 authorizing President Lyndon B. Johnson to initiate direct, full-scale military actions against North Vietnam.

Operation Rolling Thunder (1965–1972)

A prolonged US aerial bombardment campaign directed against North Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail to degrade supply lines and military capacity.

Agent Orange

A toxic chemical defoliant deployed by the US military to eliminate jungle canopy cover and expose North Vietnamese supply lines.

Tet Offensive (January 1968)

A major surprise assault launched by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces across South Vietnamese towns and cities during the lunar New Year that weakened US domestic support for the war.

Vietnamisation

A policy initiated by President Richard Nixon in 1969 to gradually pull out American troops while upgrading the combat responsibility, training, and equipment of the South Vietnamese military.

Paris Peace Accords (1973)

An agreement concluded in January 1973 that implemented a ceasefire and finalized the departure of remaining US combat troops from Vietnam.

Fall of Saigon (April 1975)

The capture of South Vietnam's capital by communist troops in April 1975, prompting the collapse of South Vietnam and the reunification of the country under communist governance.