Cold War Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards about The Cold War.

The Cold War

An ideological struggle (a conflict of ideas) about how societies should function, and a fight for power and influence on a global scale between the USA and the USSR.

Capitalism

Economic and political system based on democracy.

Communism

A political theory favoring collectivism in a classless society.

Mole

An intelligence agent who is secretly working for the enemy.

Honey trap

An operation using seduction to lure or blackmail a person into giving away sensitive material.

Dead drop

Where a spy hides information for his contact.

Disinformation

False information deliberately spread in order to mislead, confuse, or tarnish the reputation of the enemy

Burn

When an intelligence agency intentionally allows one of its agents to be uncovered in order to protect a more important agent.

Legend

A spy’s false identity

Truman Doctrine

A policy to support free peoples living around the world who are resisting subjugation, particularly those threatened by communism.

Policy of Containment

Containing or halting the spread of communism by providing economic aid or military support.

Marshall Plan 1947

Billions of aid to European countries to help them resist communism, economic aid for the allies in Europe.

Domino Theory

Policy that one country will fall after another when a neighboring country turns to communism.

Satellite States

Controlled completely by the Soviet Union

Berlin Blockade

Western Countries wanted to introduce new currency into Berlin, Soviets refused to allow this so they blocked all of the routes into Berlin.

Berlin Airlift

Began an airlift of supplies for all people in Western Berlin after routes were blocked.

United Nations

International agency that would prevent another international conflict = the idea of collective security.

Arms Race

Most notably build up of nuclear weapons after 1949 – MAD (mutually assured destruction)

Sputnik

First satellite to orbit earth 1957

Cold War Propaganda

Propaganda was used heavily by both sides to convince the public that A real enemy existed that wanted to attack their society, their way of living, and their well-being

Disinformation

CIA infiltrates Protest groups and keeps files on over 7200 Americans.

Post-WWII World

A bi-polar world emerged with 2 major superpowers – USA and the USSR (Soviet Union), in which they never fought each other directly, there were many indirect conflicts called proxy wars in which they faced each other

Iron Curtain

Phrase coined by Winston Churchill, referring to the fact that eastern Europe was controlled by the Soviet Union, and under communist rule.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

Provided for the collective security of Western Europe against the threat of Soviet invasion.

Warsaw Pact

The USSR created the Warsaw Pact in 1955 to counter NATO

Avro Arrow

Canada builds warplanes in the 1950s that was eventually scrapped.

PERESTROIKA

(restructuring)

GLASNOST

(openness)