Unit 8: The cold war vocab

Satellite nations: Countries dependent upon and dominated by the Soviet Union

Containment: American policy of resisting further expansion of communism around the world

Iron curtain: Term used by Churchill in 1946 to describe the growing East-West divide in postwar Europe between communist and democratic nations

Cold War: (1945-1991) The period after the Second World War marked by rivalry and tension between the two nuclear superpowers, the United States and the communist government of the Soviet Union.

Truman Doctrine: 1947, 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)

Berlin Airlift: airlift in 1948 that supplied food and fuel to citizens of west Berlin when the Russians closed off land access to Berlin

North Atlantic Treaty Organization: NATO, 1949 alliance of nations that agreed to band together in the event of war and to support and protect each nation involved

Korean War: (1950-3) A conflict between UN forces (primarily US and South Korea) against North Korea, and later China; Gen. Douglas Macarthur led UN forces and was later replaced by Gen. Ridgeway; Resulted in Korea remaining divided at the 38th parallel.

38th Parallel: demilitarized line that divides Korea - Soviet Union occupied the north and United States occupied the south

Demilitarized Zone: DMZ, zone from which military forces or operations or installations are prohibited

House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC): committee during the Second Red Scare that investigated communist influence inside the government

Hollywood Ten: A group of actors, writers, directors, musicians, and other entertainers, who were barred from working in the industry because of their affiliations or suspected affiliations with the Communist Party of America.

Blacklist: a list of people who are out of favor

Joseph McCarthy: 1950s; Wisconsin senator claimed to have a list of communists in the American government, but no credible evidence; took advantage of fears of communism post WWII to become incredibly influential.

McCarthyism: The term associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy who led the search for communists in America during the early 1950s through his leadership in the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Second Red Scare: Post-World War II period in which there was widespread fear of communism, communist, and the potential of them to undermine American democracy.

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg: Arrested in the Summer of 1950 and executed in 1953, they were convicted of conspiring to commit espionage by passing plans for the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union.

Brinkmanship: The principle of not backing down in a crisis, even if it meant taking the country to the brink of war. Policy of both the U.S. and U.S.S.R. during the Cold War.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA): An agency created after World War II to coordinate American intelligence activities abroad. It became involved in intrigue, conspiracy, and meddling as well.

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

Eisenhower Doctrine: Policy of the US that it would defend the Middle East against attack by any Communist country

U-2 Incident: A 1960 incident in which the Soviet military used a guided missile to shoot down an American U-2 spy plane over Soviet territory

Suburbs: Residential areas surrounding a city, grew in the 1950s

Dixiecrats: southern Democrats who opposed Truman's position on civil rights. They caused a split in the Democratic party.

Fair Deal: Truman's economic plan that increased min wage, expanded Social Security, and constructed low-income housing

Baby boom: A large group born in the US post-WWII until the 1960s

Bay of Pigs: An unsuccessful invasion of Cuba in 1961, which was sponsored by the United States. Its purpose was to overthrow Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

Cuban Missile Crisis: an international crisis in October 1962, the closest approach to nuclear war at any time between the U.S. and the USSR.

Warren Commission: The U.S. commission in charge of investigating the assassination of JFK. It came to the conclusion that Oswald acted alone.