The Beginning of the Cold War

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms, policies, and events of the early Cold War period as discussed in lecture notes number 27.

Cold War

A period from 1945 until 1991 characterized by threats going back and forth between nations rather than actual fighting or launching of troops.

Hot war

A military term used to describe a conflict where actual fighting is taking place.

Satellite state

A country that is technically independent and sovereign but is heavily influenced by another country.

Iron Curtain

An imaginary barrier and invisible boundary that split Eastern Communist Europe and Western non-communist Europe.

Winston Churchill

The individual who coined the term Iron Curtain in a speech warning about Stalin and the spread of communism.

Containment

A United States policy with the goal of keeping communism from spreading and keeping it where it was already established.

Greece and Turkey

The two nations that received $400,000,000 from the United States to help them fight off communism.

Truman Doctrine

A policy where the United States pledged to openly help any country or people who were trying to resist communism.

Marshall Plan

A program where the United States gave $13,000,000,000 to Western Europe to rebuild infrastructure and the economy to prevent the spread of communism.

German Zones of Occupation

The division of Germany after World War II into four zones controlled by the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union (USSR).

Blockade

An action taken by Joseph Stalin to cut off all rail traffic from the Western zones to West Berlin to pressure Westerners to leave the city.

Berlin Airlift

An operation from June 1948 until May 1949 where the allies performed around-the-clock airdrops of food, medicine, and supplies to West Berlin.

NATO

A defensive military alliance formed by Western European nations and the United States where all members agree to support any member that is attacked.

Warsaw Pact

The communist military alliance created by the Soviet Union in response to the formation of NATO.

Berlin Wall

A physical barrier built by the Soviets to split the city of Berlin in half to prevent people from fleeing the Soviet regime for the democratic West Berlin.