chapter 14

United Nations

An international organization founded in 1945 to promote peace, security, and cooperation among nations, replacing the League of Nations.

UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, established to promote international collaboration in education, science, culture, and communication.

UN Commission on Human Rights

A UN body (1946-2006) tasked with promoting human rights and drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

World Health Organization

A UN agency focused on global public health, coordinating international health responses and setting health standards.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

A 1948 UN document outlining fundamental human rights, such as life, liberty, and equality, serving as a global standard.

International Monetary Fund

An organization founded in 1944 to promote global monetary cooperation, financial stability, and economic growth through loans and policy advice.

World Bank

An international financial institution providing loans and grants to developing countries for infrastructure and development projects.

General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs

A 1947 agreement to reduce trade barriers and promote international trade, predecessor to the World Trade Organization.

Geneva Conventions

A series of treaties (1864-1949) establishing international laws for humanitarian treatment in war, protecting civilians, prisoners, and wounded soldiers.

European Recovery Program

Also known as the Marshall Plan, a U.S. initiative (1948-1952) to provide economic aid to rebuild Western Europe after World War II.

Marshall Plan

U.S. program providing billions in economic aid to Western Europe post-WWII to prevent communism's spread and rebuild economies.

Eastern Bloc

Soviet-aligned countries in Eastern Europe during the Cold War, including Poland, East Germany, and Hungary, under communist control.

Occupation Zones

Post-WWII division of Germany into four zones controlled by the U.S., USSR, UK, and France to administer reconstruction.

Federal Republic of Germany

West Germany, established in 1949 as a democratic state under U.S., UK, and French influence during the Cold War.

German Democratic Republic

East Germany, established in 1949 as a communist state under Soviet control during the Cold War.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

A U.S. congressional committee (1938-1975) investigating alleged communist activities, often targeting Hollywood and government officials.

Alien Registration Act

A 1940 U.S. law requiring non-citizens to register and allowing deportation of those deemed threats, linked to anti-communist fears.

Hollywood Ten

A group of filmmakers blacklisted in 1947 for refusing to testify before HUAC about alleged communist ties.

Loyalty Oath

A pledge required of U.S. government employees during the Cold War to affirm they were not communists, part of anti-communist measures.

Whittaker Chambers

A former communist who accused Alger Hiss of espionage in 1948, sparking a high-profile Cold War controversy.

Alger Hiss

A U.S. State Department official accused of being a Soviet spy in 1948, convicted of perjury in a controversial case.

Libel

A false written statement that harms someone's reputation, relevant in Cold War-era accusations like the Hiss case.

Richard Nixon

A U.S. congressman who gained fame investigating Alger Hiss, later becoming president; key figure in anti-communist politics.

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

A couple executed in 1953 for passing nuclear secrets to the USSR, a landmark case of Cold War espionage.

Joseph McCarthy

A U.S. senator who led anti-communist witch hunts in the 1950s, accusing many of subversion without solid evidence.

Subversion

Actions intended to undermine or overthrow a government, a key concern during McCarthy's anti-communist campaigns.

McCarthyism

The practice of making unfounded accusations of communism or disloyalty, named after Senator Joseph McCarthy's tactics.

Lavender Scare

The 1950s purge of homosexuals from U.S. government jobs, based on fears they were susceptible to communist blackmail.

Iron Curtain

A term coined by Winston Churchill to describe the ideological and physical divide between Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe and the West.

Containment

A U.S. Cold War policy to prevent the spread of communism by supporting non-communist nations and countering Soviet influence.

Truman Doctrine

A 1947 U.S. policy providing military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey to counter Soviet expansion.

Cold War

A period of geopolitical tension (1947-1991) between the U.S. and USSR, marked by ideological conflict without direct large-scale fighting.

Liberal Consensus

A post-WWII U.S. political agreement supporting government intervention in the economy, social welfare, and anti-communism.

GI Bill

A 1944 law providing veterans with benefits like education, housing loans, and job training, fueling post-WWII prosperity.

White Collar

Office or professional jobs, which grew in the U.S. post-WWII as the economy shifted toward service and corporate sectors.

Taft-Hartley Act

A 1947 law restricting labor union power, allowing states to pass 'right-to-work' laws and limiting strikes.

Thomas E. Dewey

A Republican governor and 1948 presidential candidate who lost to Harry Truman in a famous election upset.

Fair Deal

Truman's domestic policy agenda to expand New Deal programs, including healthcare and civil rights, with limited success.

Rural Electrification

A New Deal program extended post-WWII to bring electricity to rural U.S. areas, improving living standards.

Infrastructure

Public systems like roads, bridges, and utilities, expanded post-WWII to support economic growth and suburbanization.

Arms Race

Cold War competition between the U.S. and USSR to develop superior military technology, especially nuclear weapons.

Aerospace Industry

The U.S. industry that grew during the Cold War, producing aircraft, missiles, and space technology, driven by defense needs.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a 1949 military alliance led by the U.S. to counter Soviet aggression in Europe.

Warsaw Pact

A 1955 military alliance of Soviet-led Eastern Bloc countries, formed to counter NATO during the Cold War.

SEATO

Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, a 1954 U.S.-led alliance to counter communism in Asia, less effective than NATO.

Department of Defense

U.S. federal department created in 1947 to oversee military branches and national security policies.

National Security Council

A U.S. advisory body formed in 1947 to coordinate foreign policy and defense strategies during the Cold War.

Central Intelligence Agency

U.S. agency created in 1947 for intelligence gathering and covert operations to counter Soviet influence.

Hydrogen Bomb

A powerful nuclear weapon developed by the U.S. in 1952, escalating the Cold War arms race.

People's Republic of China

Communist state established in 1949 under Mao Zedong after defeating Nationalists in the Chinese Civil War.

Government in Exile

The Nationalist Chinese government that fled to Taiwan in 1949, claiming legitimacy over mainland China.

Domino Theory

A Cold War belief that if one country fell to communism, neighboring countries would follow, driving U.S. intervention.

Ho Chi Minh

Vietnamese communist leader who led the fight for independence against French and U.S. forces, founding North Vietnam.

Democratic Republic of Vietnam

North Vietnam, established in 1945 by Ho Chi Minh, a communist state opposing U.S.-backed South Vietnam.

State of Vietnam

South Vietnam, a U.S.-supported anti-communist state (1949-1955) led by Bao Dai, later replaced by Ngo Dinh Diem.

Battle of Dien Bien Phu

A 1954 French defeat by Vietnamese forces, leading to France's withdrawal and the division of Vietnam.

38th Parallel

The line dividing North and South Korea, a focal point of the Korean War and Cold War tensions.

Proxy War

A conflict where superpowers (U.S., USSR) supported opposing sides without direct fighting, e.g., Korean and Vietnam Wars.

Incheon

Site of a 1950 UN amphibious landing led by General MacArthur, turning the tide of the Korean War.

Demilitarized Zone

A buffer zone along the 38th Parallel separating North and South Korea, established after the 1953 Korean War armistice.