Lecture 7: The Cold War and the Right Part 1

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from Lecture 7 on The Cold War and its impact on conservatism.

The Cold War

A period of conflict between the capitalist USA and its allies and the communist USSR and its allies from 1945 to 1991.

Proxy Wars

Conflicts that are fought indirectly through supporting other groups or nations rather than through direct military confrontation.

Government control of the economy

A key characteristic of communism opposed by conservatives during the Cold War.

Expansionist

The policy of territorial or economic expansion; communism was viewed as inherently expansionist.

Senator Joseph McCarthy

The most famous figure during the Cold War, known for his allegations of communist infiltration.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

A committee that investigated Hollywood and others for alleged communist sympathies.

Whitaker Chambers

A former communist spy who became a conservative and testified against others during the Red Scare.

Cold War Conservatives

Conservatives who were often skeptical of liberal responses to Soviet threats and suspected communist infiltration.

The John Birch Society

A grassroots conservative organization founded in 1958 that promoted conspiracy theories about communists in the U.S. government.

James Burnham

A conservative intellectual who critiqued civil libertarian propaganda during the Cold War.