Cold War Key Terms: Satellites, Iron Curtain, Containment, and More

Satellites

Countries in Eastern Europe that were politically and economically dominated by the Soviet Union after WWII.

Iron Curtain

A term describing the division between communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe.

Containment policy

The U.S. strategy to stop the spread of communism worldwide.

Truman Doctrine

A policy where the U.S. provided aid to countries resisting communism, starting with Greece and Turkey.

Marshall Plan

A U.S. program that gave economic aid to rebuild Western European economies after WWII to prevent communism.

Berlin Airlift

A U.S. and Allied effort to fly supplies into West Berlin after the Soviet Union blocked land routes (1948-1949).

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

A military alliance formed in 1949 between the U.S., Canada, and Western European nations for mutual defense.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance of the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellite states, formed in response to NATO.

Arms race

A competition between the U.S. and Soviet Union to build more and stronger weapons, especially nuclear weapons.

NSC-68

A U.S. policy document that called for a major military buildup to contain communism.

Korean War

A conflict (1950-1953) between communist North Korea and democratic South Korea, involving U.S. and UN forces.

Brinkmanship

The practice of pushing dangerous events to the brink of war to force the opponent to back down.

Massive retaliation

A U.S. policy of responding to any Soviet attack with overwhelming nuclear force.

Nikita Khrushchev

Leader of the Soviet Union during the Cold War who promoted de-Stalinization and competed with the U.S.

Peaceful coexistence

Khrushchev's idea that communist and capitalist countries could exist without going to war.

U-2 incident

A 1960 event where a U.S. spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union, increasing tensions.

Fidel Castro

Communist leader of Cuba who allied with the Soviet Union after overthrowing the Cuban government.

Bay of Pigs

A failed 1961 U.S.-backed invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles attempting to overthrow Castro.

Berlin Wall

A wall built in 1961 to separate East and West Berlin, preventing East Germans from fleeing to the West.

Cuban missile crisis

A 1962 confrontation between the U.S. and Soviet Union over Soviet missiles in Cuba, nearly causing nuclear war.

Vietnam War

A conflict (1955-1975) where the U.S. tried to prevent the spread of communism in Vietnam but ultimately withdrew.

Détente

A period of eased tensions between the U.S. and Soviet Union in the 1970s.

Nixon's visit to China

A 1972 trip by U.S. President Richard Nixon to improve relations with communist China.

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

A 1979 invasion by the Soviet Union to support a communist government, leading to a long conflict.

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT)

Agreements between the U.S. and Soviet Union to limit nuclear weapons.

Loyalty Review Board

A U.S. government program that investigated federal employees to ensure they were not communist or disloyal during the early Cold War.

HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee)

A congressional committee that investigated suspected communist influence in the U.S., especially in government and Hollywood.

Alger Hiss

A U.S. government official accused of spying for the Soviet Union; convicted of perjury in a highly publicized Cold War case.

The Rosenbergs

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, a married couple executed for passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union.

Joseph McCarthy (McCarthyism)

A U.S. senator who led a campaign against alleged communists in the U.S., often using fear and unsupported accusations; "McCarthyism" refers to making reckless accusations without proper evidence.