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Yalta Conference

A 1945 meeting between the U.S., U.K., and USSR to discuss post-war Europe.

Josef Stalin

Leader of the Soviet Union; pushed for communist expansion.

Nuremberg Trials

Trials of Nazi leaders for war crimes after WWII.

Iron Curtain

The symbolic divide between democratic Western Europe and communist Eastern Europe.

Containment Policy

U.S. policy to stop the spread of communism.

Harry S Truman

U.S. president after WWII; shaped early Cold War policies.

Truman Doctrine

U.S. promise to support nations fighting communism.

Marshall Plan

U.S. program to help rebuild European economies and prevent communism.

NATO/Warsaw Pact

NATO was a U.S.-led alliance; the Warsaw Pact was the USSR's response.

Berlin Airlift

U.S. and allies airlifted supplies to West Berlin after the Soviet blockade.

Mao Zedong

Leader of communist China after winning the civil war.

Red China

Communist China, officially known as the People's Republic of China.

38th Parallel/DMZ

The dividing line between North and South Korea after the war.

Douglas MacArthur

U.S. general who led forces in Korea but was fired for wanting to expand the war.

Dwight Eisenhower

U.S. president after Truman; ended the Korean War.

Arms Race/Space Race/Sputnik/NASA/Apollo Program

Competition between the U.S. and USSR for military and space dominance. Sputnik was the first satellite (USSR), leading to the creation of NASA and the Apollo missions.

Brinkmanship

The policy of pushing conflicts to the edge of war without actually fighting.

Nikita Khrushchev

Soviet leader after Stalin; known for the Cuban Missile Crisis.

CIA

U.S. spy agency used to gather intelligence and intervene in foreign affairs.

2nd Red Scare

Fear of communist infiltration in the U.S. during the Cold War.

Smith Act

Law making it illegal to advocate the overthrow of the U.S. government.

Loyalty Review Board

Government program to investigate federal employees for communist ties.

House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC)

Investigated suspected communists, especially in Hollywood.

Blacklist

A list of people accused of being communists, which ruined their careers.

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

A couple executed for allegedly spying for the USSR.

Joseph McCarthy

U.S. senator who led a campaign accusing people of communism with little evidence.

Richard M. Nixon

Future president, known for his anti-communist stance during the Red Scare.