Cold War Notes

Cold War

A period of political tension and military rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, starting after World War II.

Containment

A foreign policy strategy aimed at preventing the expansion of communism by the United States during the Cold War.

Marshall Plan

An American initiative passed in 1948 to aid Western Europe, in which the United States gave over $12 billion in economic support to help rebuild European economies after World War II.

Truman Doctrine

A U.S. policy established in 1947 to provide political, military, and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance formed in 1949 between the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations.

Baby Boom

A significant increase in the number of births that occurred from the late 1940s to the early 1960s following World War II.

Levittown

One of the first mass-produced suburban developments in the United States, established by William Levitt in the 1940s.

Interstate Highway Act of 1956

Legislation that authorized the construction of a national network of interstate highways to improve transportation and aid in national defense.

McCarthyism

The practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence, particularly associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy during the early 1950s.

Civil Rights Movement

A social movement in the United States aiming to end racial discrimination and ensure equal rights for African Americans, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s.

Brown v. Board of Education

A landmark Supreme Court case in 1954 that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Rosa Parks

An African American civil rights activist whose refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama, sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Martin Luther King Jr.

An influential American civil rights leader who advocated for nonviolent resistance to end racism and promote equality.

GI Bill

Legislation that provided a range of benefits to returning World War II veterans, including low-cost mortgages, low-interest loans, and tuition assistance.

Nikita Khrushchev

Leader of the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War, known for de-Stalinization and a policy of peaceful coexistence with the West.

Iron Curtain

A term used to describe the ideological and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas: the democratic West and the communist East.

Underground Economy

The part of an economy that is not reported and therefore not taxed or monitored by the government.

H-bomb

Hydrogen bomb; a more powerful nuclear weapon than the atomic bomb, first tested by the U.S. in 1952.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 13-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union in October 1962 over Soviet ballistic missiles deployed in Cuba.

Suburbanization

The movement of population from urban areas to suburban areas, resulting in the growth of suburbs.

Women in the Workforce

The increase of women's participation in the labor force, particularly during and after World War II.

Desegregation

The process of ending the separation of two groups, particularly referring to the racial segregation in schools and public places during the Civil Rights Movement.

Detente

A period of improved relations between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, characterized by the easing of tension and the signing of arms control agreements.