Cold War and Post-WWII America Vocabulary

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering the Cold War, containment policies, domestic social shifts, and key figures and events in postwar United States history.

Containment

U.S. policy to stop the spread of communism.

Cold War

A period of tension between the U.S. and Soviet Union without direct fighting

Truman Doctrine

U.S. policy to help countries fight against communism.

Marshall Plan

U.S. program that gave money to rebuild Europe after World War II.

Iron Curtain

The division separating communist Eastern Europe from democratic Western Europe.

NATO

Military alliance formed to defend against Soviet expansion.

Berlin Airlift

U.S. and British effort to fly supplies into blocked West Berlin.

GI Bill of Rights

Benefits for WWII veterans such as education and home loans.

Baby Boom

A large increase in births after World War II.

Suburbanization

People moving from cities to suburbs.

Levittown

A large suburban home development after WWII.

Blockbusting

Real estate agents scaring white families into selling homes by saying Black families were moving in.

Great Migration

Movement of African Americans from the South to Northern cities.

Bracero Program

Program that brought Mexican workers to the U.S. for farm labor.

Red Scare

Fear of communism in the U.S. during the late 1940s and 1950s.

McCarthyism

Accusing people of being communists without strong evidence.

HUAC

Government committee that investigated suspected communists in America.

Alger Hiss

Government official accused of spying for the Soviet Union.

Rosenberg Trial

Trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for giving atomic secrets to the USSR.

Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)

Idea that nuclear war would destroy both sides.

Hydrogen Bomb

Powerful nuclear weapon developed after the atomic bomb.

Bretton Woods

Conference creating global economic organizations after WWII.

United Nations

International organization promoting peace.

Korean War

War between North and South Korea involving the U.S. and UN.

Fair Deal

Truman’s plan to expand social programs and civil rights.