Unit 13: The Early Cold War Vocab part 1

Cold War

an ongoing political rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies that developed after WWII

Yalta Conference

a meeting held during WWII, between February 4, 1945 - February 11, 1945, by the heads of the state of the allied nations (Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill)

Potsdam Conference

allied leaders Truman, Stalin and Churchill met in Germany to set up zones of control and to inform the Japanese that if they refused to surrender at once, they would face total destruction

Proletariat

working class

Collectivism

small farms join larger farms

Superpowers

a state with a leading position in the international system and the ability to influence events and its own interests on a worldwide scale

Containment

US foreign policy to restrict Soviet expansion. this was a political strategy, not military

Atomic Energy

the energy that is formed when the nuclei of atoms are split apart or fused together

UN Atomic Energy Commission

created in 1946 to manage the development, use, and control of atomic (nuclear) energy for military and civilian applications

Iron Curtain

the imaginary boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991

Hegemony

the political, economic, or military predominance or control of one state over others

Truman Doctrine

asking lawmakers for $400 million to use to provide aid to Greece and Turkey

Marshall Plan

Europe’s recovery plan from the US. They gave funding to rebuild economies as long as the money was spent on goods made in the US

Molotov Plan

Eastern Europe economic recovery plan created by the Soviet Union. basically the same as the Marshall Plan

Berlin Blockade

cutting off all land and river transit between West Berlin and West Germany

Coup d’état

the sudden, violent overthrow of an existing government by a small group

Satellite Nations

independent states who are heavily influenced by another, often stronger state

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization. created in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union

Warsaw Pact

a collective defence treaty established by the Soviet Union and seven other Soviet satellite states in Central and Eastern Europe

Korean War

conflict between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) in which at least 2.5 million persons lost their lives