Cold War Beginnings and Mao’s China

Cold War

• Political and ideological tension between the USA and the USSR after World War II

• Fought through rivalry, propaganda, arms race, and proxy wars rather than direct conflict

Denazification

• Process of removing Nazi influence from Germany after World War II

• Included trials, banning Nazi organizations, and re-education of German society

Truman Doctrine

• US policy announced in 1947 to stop the spread of communism

• Provided military and economic aid to countries like Greece and Turkey

Iron Curtain

• Term used by Winston Churchill to describe division between Eastern and Western Europe

• Symbolized Soviet control of Eastern Europe and separation from the West

Marshall Plan

• US economic aid program to rebuild Western Europe after World War II

• Aimed to prevent the spread of communism by improving economic stability

Berlin Airlift (Berlin Crisis)

• Western Allies flew supplies into West Berlin after Soviet blockade in 1948–49

• Showed Western commitment to resisting Soviet expansion without war

NATO

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization formed in 1949 as a military alliance

• Members agreed that an attack on one would be treated as an attack on all

Warsaw Pact

• Military alliance of the Soviet Union and Eastern European communist states formed in 1955

• Created as a response to NATO and strengthened Soviet control in Eastern Europe

United Nations

• International organization created in 1945 to maintain peace and security

• Encouraged cooperation between nations and prevention of future world wars

Mao Zedong

• Communist leader who founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949

• Introduced major social and economic reforms based on communist ideology

Great Leap Forward

• Campaign launched by Mao Zedong to rapidly industrialize China

• Led to famine, economic failure, and millions of deaths

Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

• Movement started by Mao in 1966 to remove capitalist and traditional influences

• Caused chaos, persecution, and destruction of education and culture

Little Red Book

• Collection of quotations from Mao Zedong used for communist education

• Became a symbol of loyalty during the Cultural Revolution