APUSH Unit 8A: The Early Cold War Vocabulary Flashcards

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from Unit 8A: The Early Cold War in APUSH.

Cold War

The period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States after World War II.

United Nations Security Council

A principal body of the UN responsible for maintaining international peace and security.

World Bank

An international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of poorer countries for development projects.

satellites

Nations in Eastern Europe that were politically aligned with the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Iron Curtain

The political boundary that separated the Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe from the West.

George Marshall

U.S. Secretary of State who developed the Marshall Plan to aid European recovery.

Dean Acheson

U.S. Secretary of State who played a key role in the development of containment policy.

George G. Kennan/containment

Diplomat who advocated for the policy of containing communism during the Cold War.

Truman Doctrine

Policy introduced by President Truman to provide support to countries resisting communism.

Marshall Plan

U.S. program providing aid to Western Europe after World War II to prevent communism.

Berlin airlift

Operation to supply West Berlin with food and fuel after the Soviet blockade in 1948.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance formed in 1949 among Western nations.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance of communist nations in Eastern Europe formed in response to NATO.

National Security Act

1947 act that reorganized U.S. military and intelligence agencies post WWII.

arms race

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

Douglas MacArthur

U.S. general who commanded Allied forces in the Pacific during WWII and in the Korean War.

Chiang Kai-Shek/Taiwan

Chinese nationalist leader who retreated to Taiwan after losing the civil war to communists.

Mao Zedong/People's Republic of China

Leader of the Communist Party in China who established the People's Republic in 1949.

38th Parallel

The line of latitude that divided North and South Korea before and during the Korean War.

Kim il Sung

Leader of North Korea from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994.

Syngman Rhee

The first President of South Korea, serving from 1948 to 1960.

Korean War

Conflict from 1950 to 1953 between North Korea (with Chinese support) and South Korea (with U.S. support).

John Foster Dulles

U.S. Secretary of State under President Eisenhower known for his strong anti-communism stance.

Brinkmanship

The practice of pushing a dangerous situation to the brink of disaster rather than conceding.

Massive Retaliation

Military doctrine stating any Soviet attack would be met with overwhelming nuclear force.

atoms for peace

Proposal by Eisenhower to promote peaceful use of nuclear energy.

open-skies policy

Policy proposed by Eisenhower for allowing both the U.S. and USSR to conduct aerial reconnaissance.

spirit of Geneva

The 1955 conference which represented a thaw in Cold War tensions between East and West.

Nikita Khrushchev

Leader of the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, known for de-Stalinization.

peaceful coexistence

The theory of finding a way for capitalist and communist states to coexist peacefully.

Hungarian Revolt

1956 uprising against Soviet control in Hungary, ultimately crushed by Soviet forces.

Sputnik

The first artificial satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957.

NASA

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, established in response to the Soviet space program.

U2 incident

The 1960 shooting down of a U.S. spy plane over the Soviet Union, increasing tensions.

Fidel Castro

Leader of the Cuban Revolution and prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976.

military-industrial complex

The close relationship between the government and defense contractors.

Loyalty Review Board

Created to investigate the loyalty of government employees to the U.S. during the Red Scare.

Dennis v. US

Supreme Court case that upheld the Smith Act and convictions of Communist Party leaders.

Smith Act

Law that made it a criminal offense to advocate the violent overthrow of the government.

McCarran Internal Security Act

Law aimed at protecting against subversive activities by Communist organizations.

House Un-American Activities Committee

Congressional committee that investigated alleged disloyalty and subversive activities.

Whittaker Chambers

Former spy who accused Alger Hiss of being a Communist agent.

Alger Hiss

Former State Department official accused of espionage and convicted of perjury.

Rosenbergs

American citizens executed for conspiracy to commit espionage for allegedly sharing atomic secrets.

Joe McCarthy

Senator known for his anti-communist witch hunts in the 1950s.

Employment Act of 1946

Legislation aimed at promoting maximum employment and economic growth.

Council of Economic Advisors

Advisory body to the President of the U.S. on economic policy.

GI Bill

Legislation providing educational benefits to returning WWII veterans.

Baby boom

Significant increase in birth rates from the late 1940s to the early 1960s.

Levittown

First mass-produced suburb in America, symbolizes post-war housing boom.

Sun Belt

Region in the U.S. that experienced significant population growth during the 1970s.

Taft-Hartley Act

Labor law enacted to balance the power between unions and businesses.

Fair Deal

Truman's domestic program to expand social welfare and civil rights.

moderate Republicanism

Political philosophy that sought to reconcile conservative fiscal policies with social programs.

Interstate Highway Act

1956 legislation that authorized the construction of a national highway system.

The Lonely Crowd

Sociological analysis by David Riesman discussing modern American society.

The Affluent Society

Book by John Kenneth Galbraith analyzing the post-war economic boom in the U.S.

Jackie Robinson

First African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era.

Committee on Civil Rights

Group formed by President Truman to investigate civil rights violations.

NAACP

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, civil rights organization.

Thurgood Marshall

First African American Supreme Court Justice and civil rights lawyer.

Brown v. Board of Education

Landmark Supreme Court case that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Earl Warren

Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court during the civil rights movement.

Southern Manifesto

Document opposing desegregation and expressing support for state laws.

desegregation

The process of ending the separation of two groups, usually referring to races.

Little Rock

Site of significant desegregation conflict in Arkansas in 1957.

Rosa Parks

Civil rights activist known for her role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Leader of the civil rights movement, advocating for nonviolent protest.

nonviolent movement

Strategy of social change that rejects violence in the struggle for civil rights.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Protest against racial segregation on public transit in Montgomery, Alabama.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Civil rights organization founded in 1957 to advance the cause of civil rights through nonviolence.

sit-in movement

Nonviolent protests where participants sit and refuse to leave, advocating for desegregation.

Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee

Youth-led civil rights organization founded to support nonviolent protests.

Civil Rights Commission

Federal agency established to investigate civil rights violations.

decolonization

Process by which colonies gain independence from colonial powers.

Third World

A term used during the Cold War to refer to developing nations not aligned with either bloc.

CIA

Central Intelligence Agency, responsible for foreign intelligence and protecting U.S. interests.

Iran

Country in the Middle East, pivotal in Cold War power struggles.

Suez Canal Crisis

1956 conflict over control of the Suez Canal that demonstrated the decline of British and French influence.

Eisenhower Doctrine

U.S. policy to counteract Soviet influence in the Middle East.

Ngo Dinh Diem

Leader of South Vietnam, supported by the U.S., until his assassination in 1963.

Domino Theory

The belief that if one country fell to communism, neighboring countries would follow.

SEATO

Southeast Asia Treaty Organization formed to prevent the spread of communism.

OPEC

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, influential in global oil markets.