Unit 10

Bolshevic Revolution

The 1917 revolution in Russia that led to the introduction of communism.

Yalta Conference

A meeting of the Big 3 to discuss postwar Europe; resulted in Germany being divided into occupation zones.

United Nations (UN)

Founded in 1945 to promote peace and global cooperation; includes U.S. and USSR competing through vetoes.

Nuremberg Trials

Trials of Nazi leaders after WWII for war crimes; established individual responsibility.

Iron Curtain

A political, military, and ideological barrier that divided Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe from Western democracies.

Potsdam Conference

Conference to determine postwar order in Europe; highlighted U.S. and USSR tensions.

Containment Policy

U.S. strategy to limit the spread of communism.

Truman Doctrine

Cold War policy aimed at containing communism by supporting threatened nations.

Marshall Plan

U.S. program providing economic aid to rebuild Europe and limit the spread of communism.

Berlin Airlift

U.S. mission supplying West Berlin after the Soviet blockade from 1948 to 1949.

NATO

Military alliance formed in 1949 for collective defense against Soviet expansion.

Arms Race

Competition between U.S. and USSR to build nuclear weapons.

Mutually Assured Destruction

Nuclear strategy preventing war by ensuring total destruction of both sides.

GI-Bill

Provided benefits to WWII veterans, fueling economic growth and expanding the middle class.

Taft-Hartley Act

Limited labor union powers in response to post-WW2 strikes.

Second Red Scare

Period of intense fear of communism in the U.S. during the late 1940s to 1950s.

Joe McCarthy

Senator who became the face of anti-communist hysteria during the Second Red Scare.

McCarthyism

Characterized by aggressive investigations and allegations of communism in the early 1950s.

Little Rock Nine

Group of African American students who enrolled at a racially integrated high school in 1957.

Brown v. Board of Education

Landmark case declaring racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Massive Resistance

Efforts by Southern states to resist desegregation following Brown v. Board of Education.

Rosa Parks

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

Martin Luther King Jr.

Prominent civil rights leader advocating for nonviolent resistance.

Peaceful Coexistence

Political principle advocating for non-conflictual relationships between opposing ideologies.

Dien Bien Phu

Significant battle marking the end of French colonial rule in Indochina.

Suez Crisis

Conflict in 1956 involving Egypt, Israel, and European powers over the Suez Canal.

Eisenhower Doctrine

U.S. policy promising military and economic assistance to Middle Eastern nations against communist aggression.

Fidel Castro

Cuban revolutionary who established a socialist state aligned with the Soviet Union.

U-2 Incident

The 1960 event where an American spy plane was shot down over Soviet airspace.

Eisenhower's Farewell Address

Warning about the military-industrial complex and the need for citizens to protect democratic values.