cold war/vietnam

Cold War

A prolonged geopolitical struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union (1945–1991) characterized by ideological conflict between capitalism and communism.

Truman Doctrine

A policy established in 1947 by President Harry Truman to provide military and economic aid to countries threatened by communism.

Marshall Plan

An economic aid program initiated in 1948 to help rebuild Western Europe's economies post-World War II, preventing the spread of communism.

Arms Race

Competition between the U.S. and the USSR to develop and stockpile nuclear weapons during the Cold War.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

A doctrine that ensured that a full-scale nuclear war would lead to the total annihilation of both the U.S. and the USSR.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance established in 1949 for collective defense against Soviet aggression.

Iron Curtain

A term coined by Winston Churchill describing the division between democratic Western Europe and communist Eastern Europe.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance formed in 1955 by the Soviet Union and its Eastern European allies in response to NATO.

McCarthyism

A campaign led by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the early 1950s against alleged communists in the U.S., characterized by aggressive anti-communist tactics.

Korean War

The first major armed conflict of the Cold War, fought from 1950 to 1953 between North Korea (with Soviet and Chinese support) and South Korea (with U.S. support).

Containment

U.S. foreign policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism, first outlined by George Kennan.

Domino Theory

The belief that if one country falls to communism, neighboring countries will follow, justifying U.S. intervention.

Detente

A period of relaxed tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union particularly during the 1970s.

Brinkmanship

A foreign policy practice associated with pushing Cold War conflicts to the edge of nuclear war to deter Soviet expansion.

National Security Act (1947)

Legislation that created the Department of Defense, CIA, and NSC to oversee Cold War strategy and national security.

Federal Employee Loyalty Program

Introduced in 1947, it mandated background checks on federal employees to identify and eliminate communist influence.

McCarran Internal Security Act (1950)

Required communist organizations to register with the U.S. government and allowed detention of suspected subversives.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

A committee that investigated alleged communist influence in Hollywood and government.

G.I. Bill (1944)

Provided education and housing benefits to WWII veterans, influencing the growth of the American middle class.

Eisenhower Doctrine

A policy declared in 1957 indicating U.S. readiness to use military force in the Middle East to combat communism.

Vietnamization

President Nixon’s strategy of gradually withdrawing U.S. troops from Vietnam.

Military-Industrial Complex

The close relationship between the military and defense contractors, warned against by Eisenhower.

Red Scare

A period of fear of communist influence in the U.S., leading to loyalty oaths and blacklisting.

Sputnik (1957)

The first artificial satellite launched by the Soviet Union, prompting the U.S. to enhance its space program and education in sciences.

Vietnam War Opposition

Widespread protests and activism during the Vietnam War, reflecting societal divisions in the U.S.

Second-Wave Feminism

A movement in the 1960s and 1970s aiming for workplace equality and challenging traditional gender roles.

Civil Rights Movement and Cold War

The correlation between the civil rights struggle in the U.S. and its global ideological battle against communism.