The Cold War Lecture Notes

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering key terms, historical events, treaties, policies, and concepts from the Cold War lecture notes.

Cold War

The political, ideological, economic, and military rivalry between the USA and the USSR from approximately 1945/1947 to 1989-1991, characterised by indirect competition rather than direct, full-scale warfare.

Tehran Conference (1943)

A wartime summit where the USA, the USSR, and Britain coordinated their military strategy to defeat Nazi Germany, united primarily by a common enemy.

Yalta Conference (February 1945)

A meeting where Allied leaders discussed post-war Europe, Germany, and liberated countries, during which Stalin sought friendly border states and promises concerning free elections were later disputed.

Potsdam Conference (July-August 1945)

A post-war summit held after Germany surrendered, marked by rising disagreements over reparations, Germany's governance, and Eastern Europe between Soviet leadership and newly sworn-in US President Harry Truman.

Iron Curtain

A phrase used by Winston Churchill in his 1946 Fulton speech to describe the political and ideological divide separating Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe from the West.

Truman Doctrine

A US policy announced by President Harry Truman in 1947 promising support to nations threatened by communist pressure, initially targeted at Greece and Turkey.

Containment

The United States foreign policy strategy intended to halt the further geographical and political spread of communism.

Zhdanov Doctrine (Two-Camp Theory)

A Soviet foreign policy view articulated in 1947 dividing the post-war world into an imperialist, capitalist camp led by the USA and an anti-imperialist camp led by the USSR.

Marshall Plan

A US economic recovery programme announced in 1947 by George C. Marshall that delivered approximately $13 billion in aid to 16 European nations between 1948 and 1952 to rebuild economies and reduce communist appeal.

Greek Civil War

A conflict from 1946 to 1949 (with the main phase lasting 1946-1948) pitting communist-led forces against monarchist/government forces, serving as an early application of US containment under the Truman Doctrine.

Prague Coup (February 1948)

The consolidation of communist power in Czechoslovakia where political opponents were sidelined, remaining parties were forced into a National Front, and the state became a Soviet-aligned 'people's democracy.'

Salami tactic

A political method used by communists (such as in Hungary, where they initially won only 17% of the vote) to eliminate or absorb rival parties one by one until total control was secured.

Berlin Blockade and Airlift

A standoff from 24 June 1948 to 12 May 1949 where the USSR blocked ground access to West Berlin, countered by a Western airlift supplying roughly 1.5 million tonnes of provisions to two million citizens.

Federal Republic of Germany (FRG)

The official name of West Germany, established in May 1949 following the economic and currency merger of the Western Allied occupation zones.

German Democratic Republic (GDR)

The official name of East Germany, founded in the Soviet occupation zone in October 1949.

Gosplan

The central state planning agency in the Soviet Union responsible for establishing production targets and quotas for all industries and factories.

Stakhanovism

A Soviet labour propaganda campaign named after miner Alexei Stakhanov that celebrated model workers claiming to massively exceed their state-mandated production quotas.

People's democracy

A term for a communist state in Eastern Europe modelled on the USSR, characterised by Communist Party dominance, a planned economy, and heavily restricted political opposition.

Nuclear deterrence

A military strategy based on the principle that maintaining a formidable nuclear arsenal prevents an adversary from attacking due to the threat of retaliatory devastation.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

A condition or 'balance of terror' in which both superpowers possessed sufficient nuclear capability that any initial strike would guarantee catastrophic retaliation and mutual annihilation.

NATO (OTAN)

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a mutual defence military alliance formed in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and Western European nations.

Warsaw Pact

A Soviet-led military alliance created in 1955 with communist Eastern European states, formed in response to West Germany joining NATO.

Proxy war

An indirect armed conflict where opposing superpowers back rival internal factions in a third country rather than fighting one another directly.

Domino Theory

The US foreign policy belief that if one nation fell under communist control, neighboring nations would inevitably follow, used to justify military intervention in Vietnam.

Decolonisation

The post-WWII process whereby former imperial colonies achieved sovereignty, creating new nations in which the US and USSR competed for political and ideological influence.

Peaceful coexistence

A policy articulated by Nikita Khrushchev proposing that capitalism and communism could engage in economic, ideological, and scientific competition without resorting to direct war.

Korean War (1950-1953)

A Cold War proxy war triggered by North Korea's invasion of the South in 1950, involving US-led UN forces against Chinese troops and Soviet aid, concluding in a 1953 armistice.