Edexcel GCSE History Paper 2 Period Study - Superpower Relations and the Cold War

Grand Alliance

1941 alliance of USA, USSR, and UK against Nazis

Big Three

Leaders of the Grand Alliance: Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill

Tehran Conference

1943 meeting resulting in D-Day and UN establishment

Yalta Conference

1945 meeting dividing Germany, establishing UN, and discussing Eastern Europe

Potsdam Conference

1945 meeting with Truman, Attlee, Stalin discussing post-war Europe

Containment

Policy to resist Soviet expansion, outlined in Truman Doctrine

Atomic Bomb

Weapon used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to arms race

Long Telegram

1946 message by Kennan on Stalin's intentions and containment

Novikov's Telegram

Response to Long Telegram, accusing USA of world domination

Buffer Zone

Communist countries in Eastern Europe to protect USSR

Truman Doctrine

Policy of containment against Soviet expansion

Arms Race

Competition in developing weapons, escalating Cold War tensions

Soviet satellite states

Eastern European countries under Soviet influence/control post-WWII

Marshall Plan

US initiative providing economic aid to war-torn Europe

Cominform

Communist Information Bureau directing satellite states

Comecon

Council for Mutual Economic Assistance supporting Eastern European development

Berlin Crisis

Conflict over Berlin leading to its division and NATO formation

Federal Republic of Germany

West Germany formed by merging zones of US, UK, and France

German Democratic Republic

East Germany established as a Soviet satellite state

Trizonia

Unification of British, American, and French zones in Germany

Operation Vittles

Airlift supplying Berlin during the Soviet blockade

NATO

Formal military alliance created after the Berlin Crisis

Warsaw Pact

Military alliance of Eastern Bloc countries in response to NATO

Berlin Ultimatum

Demand for Western withdrawal from Berlin by the Soviet Union

ICBM

Missile capable of firing over 4,500 km, developed by the USA in 1957.

Sputnik

First satellite launched by the USSR in 1957, triggering the space race.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

Concept where both sides have enough weapons to destroy each other, leading to deterrence.

Hungarian Uprising

1956 event in Hungary against Soviet influence, ended with Soviet invasion and crackdown.

Berlin Wall

Barrier built in 1961 to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Germany.

Marshall Aid

Aid provided to West Germany post-WWII, leading to higher living standards than East Germany.

Imre Nagy

Reformist leader of Hungary during the 1956 uprising, later replaced and executed by pro-Soviet forces.

Khrushchev

Soviet leader who issued the Berlin Ultimatum and led during the Cold War.

Geneva Summit

Meeting to discuss peaceful co-existence and reduce Cold War tensions.

Camp David Summit

Meeting where Soviets agreed to withdraw Ultimatum.

Paris Summit

1960 meeting where U-2 spy plane incident occurred.

Vienna Summit

1961 meeting where Khrushchev confronted Kennedy.

Berlin Wall Construction

Initiated by East Germany in August 1961.

Checkpoint Charlie

Famous Berlin Wall crossing point.

Peter Fechter

Shot while attempting to cross the Berlin Wall in 1962.

Ich bin ein Berliner speech

Kennedy's famous speech in West Berlin in 1963.

Cuban Revolution

Led by Fidel Castro, overthrowing Batista in 1959.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

Failed 1961 invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Result of tensions from the Cuban Revolution.

ExComm

Executive Committee formed by Kennedy to address the Cuban Missile Crisis

Brinkmanship

Policy of pushing a dangerous situation to the brink of disaster

Hotline

Direct communication link established between US and USSR leaders

Test Ban Treaty

Agreement banning nuclear testing in certain environments

Outer Space Treaty

Treaty prohibiting the placement of nuclear weapons in orbit

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Agreement preventing nuclear powers from sharing technology with others

Prague Spring

Period of liberal reforms in Czechoslovakia under Alexander Dubcek

Brezhnev Doctrine

Policy allowing Soviet intervention in Warsaw Pact countries to prevent liberalism

Détente

Policy of easing Cold War tensions between the US and USSR

Vietnam War

Conflict where the USA spent $170 bn and lost 60,000 troops.

Race Riots

Civil unrest events occurring during this period.

SALT 1

Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty signed in May 1972.

ABM Treaty

Stated limits on anti-ballistic missile sites and missiles.

ICBMs

Intercontinental ballistic missiles; limits set in SALT 1.

SLBMs

Submarine-launched ballistic missiles; limits set in SALT 1.

Basic Principles Agreement

Outlined rules for nuclear war conduct and warhead bans.

Helsinki Accords

Agreements on European borders, cooperation, and human rights.

SALT 2

1979 treaty with restrictions on missile launchers and bombers.

Afghanistan Invasion

Soviet invasion in 1979 due to concerns about Islamic fundamentalism.

Reykjavik Summit

1986 meeting where Gorbachev proposed nuclear disarmament.

INF Treaty

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force Treaty reducing missiles.

Babrak Kamal

Pro-Soviet leader who replaced Amin in Afghanistan.

Mujahedeen

Muslim guerrilla fighters funded by the USA.

Carter Doctrine

USA's policy to defend Persian Gulf interests by force.

Olympic Boycotts

Protests against the invasion of Afghanistan.

Reagan Doctrine

Policy to support anti-communist groups globally.

Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI)

Reagan's program to shoot down nuclear missiles.

Perestroika

Soviet program to reorganize with capitalist practices.

Glasnost

Soviet policy for government transparency and freedom of speech.

Trident nuclear submarines

New weapons developed during Reagan's presidency.

Stealth bombers

Advanced aircraft developed during Reagan's presidency.

Friendship Games

Rival tournament organized by the USSR during the 1984 Olympics.

Reagan's 'evil empire' speech

Reagan's 1983 speech criticizing the USSR.

Gorbachev's 'new thinking'

Gorbachev's reforms in the Soviet Union emphasizing openness and restructuring.

Reagan and Gorbachev

Leaders who collaborated to end the Cold War.

Solidarity

Trade union legalized in Poland, leading to democratic elections.

Velvet Revolution

Peaceful overthrow of communist government in Czechoslovakia.

Commonwealth of Independent States

Successor to the USSR formed in January 1992.

Iron Curtain

Symbolic division between Western and Eastern Europe.

Yeltsin

Replaced Gorbachev as leader after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Eastern bloc

Group of communist states in Eastern Europe dismantled in the late 1980s.

Gorbachev's Resignation

Announced on 25 December 1991, leading to the end of the Soviet Union.