the cold war test

Red Russia

nickname used in the West for the Soviet Union because of its communist government and expansion of communist influence after WWII

The Cold War

long period of political and ideological conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union marked by tension, propaganda, and competition without direct war

United Nations

international organization created in 1945 to promote peace, cooperation, and conflict resolution between countries

Yalta

1945 conference where Allied leaders planned the post-WWII order and discussed dividing Germany and rebuilding Europe

The Sinews of Peace

Winston Churchill’s 1946 speech warning that Soviet influence was spreading and Europe was becoming divided

Iron Curtain

term used by Churchill to describe the political and ideological division between communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe

The Long Telegram

1946 message from U.S. diplomat George Kennan explaining that the Soviet Union would try to expand communism and should be contained

George Kennan

American diplomat who proposed the containment strategy to stop the spread of communism

Truman Doctrine

U.S. policy announced in 1947 promising support to countries resisting communism, first applied to Greece and Turkey

The Berlin Blockade

1948 Soviet attempt to cut off land access to West Berlin to force the Allies out

Berlin Airlift

U.S. and British operation flying food and supplies into West Berlin for almost a year during the blockade

Executive Order 9981

Truman’s 1948 order that desegregated the U.S. military and required equal treatment of soldiers

George Marshall

U.S. Secretary of State who proposed the plan to rebuild Europe after WWII

Marshall Plan

U.S. program that provided billions of dollars to rebuild Western European economies to prevent communist influence

National Security Act

1947 law that reorganized U.S. defense and created the Department of Defense, CIA, and National Security Council

Palestine

region in the Middle East where the UN proposed creating separate Jewish and Arab states after WWII

UN Partition Plan

1947 United Nations proposal to divide Palestine into two states Israel and an Arab Palestinian state

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

military alliance formed in 1949 between the U.S., Canada, and Western European countries to defend against Soviet aggression

Article 5

NATO rule stating that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all members

NSC-68

1950 policy document calling for a major expansion of U.S. military power to counter the Soviet Union

The Korean War

1950–1953 war between communist North Korea and U.S.-supported South Korea that ended in a stalemate and continued division

Richard Nixon

U.S. congressman and later vice president known for investigating communists and helping expose the Alger Hiss case

Whittaker Chambers

former communist who accused Alger Hiss of spying for the Soviet Union

Alger Hiss

U.S. government official accused of being a Soviet spy and later convicted of perjury

The Hollywood Ten

group of filmmakers who refused to testify before Congress about communism and were blacklisted from the film industry

The McCarran Act

1950 law requiring communist organizations to register with the government and allowing detention of suspected subversives

The McCarran-Walter Act

1952 immigration law that maintained strict immigration controls and allowed exclusion of suspected communists

Ethel and Julius Rosenberg

married couple convicted of passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union and executed in 1953

Klaus Fuchs

scientist involved in the Manhattan Project who admitted giving nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union

David Greenglass

Manhattan Project worker who helped pass atomic information to the Soviets and testified against the Rosenbergs

Joseph McCarthy

U.S. senator who claimed many Americans were communists and led aggressive anti-communist investigations

McCarthyism

the practice of making unsupported accusations of communist loyalty that damaged many careers

Roy Cohn

lawyer and close ally of McCarthy who aggressively helped conduct anti-communist investigations

Paul Robeson

African American singer, actor, and activist criticized during the Red Scare for his political views and support for peace with the USSR

Jackie Robinson

baseball player who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947 and became an important civil rights symbol

Adlai E Stevenson

Democratic candidate who ran for president against Eisenhower in 1952

22nd Amendment

constitutional amendment limiting U.S. presidents to two elected terms

Dwight D Eisenhower

U.S. president 1953–1961 who ended the Korean War, expanded highways, and competed with the USSR during the Cold War

Dulles

John Foster Dulles Eisenhower’s Secretary of State who promoted a tougher policy against communism and rollback

Suez Canal Crisis

1956 conflict after Egypt nationalized the canal leading Britain and France to invade but withdraw under international pressure

Gamal Abdel Nasser

Egyptian leader who nationalized the Suez Canal and became a major figure in Middle Eastern politics

Mohammed Reza Pahlavi

Shah of Iran who gained power after a CIA-backed coup in 1953 and ruled as a pro-Western dictator

OPEC

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries formed in 1960 to control oil production and influence global prices

Rocket Fever

public fear and excitement in the U.S. after the Soviet launch of Sputnik leading to competition in space technology

NDEA

National Defense Education Act of 1958 that funded science math and language education to compete with Soviet technology

Ho Chi Minh

communist nationalist leader who fought for Vietnamese independence and led North Vietnam

Vietnam Nightmare

American fear that Vietnam would become a difficult and endless conflict during the Cold War

Bao Dai

leader of South Vietnam supported by France and later the United States before being replaced by Diem

Geneva Convention

1954 agreement that temporarily divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel and called for elections to reunify the country

Federal Highway Act

1956 law funding the U.S. interstate highway system for defense transportation and economic growth

Reinhold Niebuhr

influential American theologian who supported a realistic approach to foreign policy during the Cold War

GI Bill

law providing returning WWII veterans with benefits such as college education housing loans and job training

Howard Hughes

wealthy American businessman and aviation pioneer who helped advance aircraft technology during and after WWII