Unit 9: The Cold War Flashcards

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms, policies, and events of the Cold War era based on the lecture notes.

Superpowers

The two main countries, the US and the Soviet Union, at the end of WW II.

USSR

A communist totalitarian state that competed with the US during the Cold War.

United States (Cold War)

A capitalist democracy that competed with the Soviet Union to see whose way of life would rule.

McCarthyism

The "witch hunt" for communists inside the US which illustrated that fear can lead to the violation of people's rights.

Atomic War Fears

Cold War anxiety that led Americans to build bomb shelters and schoolchildren to practice "duck and cover."

1950s Prosperity

A time remembered for economic growth, the importance of automobiles, and the construction of the interstate highway system.

Suburbs

Newly-constructed residential areas outside of cities that many people moved to during the 1950s.

Containment

The main US foreign policy with the goal to stop the spread of communism.

Marshall Plan

The plan of the United States for rebuilding the allied countries of Europe after World War II.

Truman Doctrine

A policy stating the US would help countries threatened by "armed minorities or outside pressures" to stop the spread of communism.

Berlin Airlift

The delivery of food and supplies by western countries to the city of Berlin after all other routes were blocked by the Soviet Union.

Korean War

The first major conflict of the Cold War, fought between South Korea (US supported) and communist North Korea (Soviet supported).

Bay of Pigs

A failed attempt in 1961 to remove Fidel Castro from power in Cuba.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A major confrontation over Soviet nuclear-armed missiles in Cuba that brought the US and USSR close to war.

Vietnam War

A conflict fought to stop the spread of communism (containment/domino theory) in which over 50,000 Americans died.

Domino Theory

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

26th Amendment

An amendment that granted the right to vote to American citizens aged eighteen or older.

War Powers Act of 1973

A law requiring the President to notify Congress within 48 hours of sending troops into a foreign country.

New York Times v. United States

A First Amendment battle regarding the printing of leaked, classified documents about American involvement in the Vietnam War.

Sputnik

The first satellite, launched by the USSR, which prompted the US to reach the moon by 1969.

Space Race

The competition between the US and USSR to achieve milestones in space exploration.