apush cold war

Casablanca Conference (1943)

A wartime conference that was attended by de Gaulle, Churchill, and FDR. The Allies demanded the unconditional surrender of the axis, agreed to aid the Soviets, agreed on the invasion Italy

Tehran Conference (1943)

First major meeting between the Big Three (United States, Britain, Russia) at which they planned the 1944 assault on France and agreed to divide Germany into zones of occupation after the war

Yalta Conference (1945)

Meeting with US president FDR, British Prime Minister(PM) Winston Churchill, and and Soviet Leader Stalin during WWII to plan for post-war

Potsdam Conference (1945)

The final wartime meeting of the leaders of the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union. Truman, Churchill, and Stalin discussed the future of Europe but their failure to reach meaningful agreements soon led to the onset of the Cold War.

Bretton Woods Conference (1944)

Meeting of Western allies to establish a postwar international economic order to avoid crises like the one that spawned World War II. Led to the creation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, designed to regulate currency levels and provide aid to underdeveloped countries.

Dumberton Oaks Conference (1944)

Several world leaders came to a conference and drafted tentative proposals for a United Nations Organization

San Francisco Conference (1945)

conference where the the "United Nations" Charter was adopted

38th Parallel

Dividing line between North and South Korea

Police Action

phrase used to describe the U.S. intervention in Korea, the United States never officially declared war

DMZ

the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.

HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) (1938)

congressional committee that investigated possible subversive activities within the United States

McCarthyism (1950s)

The term associated with the search for communists in America through this person's leadership in the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Hollywood 10 (1947)

10 witnesses from the film industry who refused to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee's investigation of Communist influence in Hollywood.

Pumpkin Patch Papers (1948)

rolls of microfilm hidden in hollow pumpkins that helped the prosecution in the Alfred Hiss case

The Crucible (1953)

play: allegory of McCarthyism/red scare

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

movie: fears of communist spread, anti-communist

On the Beach (1959)

movie: fears of nuclear war

OSS (Office of Strategic Services) (1942)

intelligence agency formed during WWII; predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Operation Ajax (1953)

The British and the CIA reinstate the Shah of Iran in order to protect oil interests after the Iranians tried to nationalize their oil.

Guatemalan Coup (1954)

The CIA-led coup that overthrew Jacobo Arbenz in 1954 in order to maintain American domination of this country's economy.

Bay of Pigs (1961)

An unsuccessful invasion of Cuba in 1961, which was sponsored by the United States. Its purpose was to overthrow Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

The 1962 confrontation bewteen US and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles in Cuba.

Sputnik (1957)

First artificial Earth satellite, it was launched by Moscow in 1957 and sparked U.S. fears of Soviet dominance in technology and outer space. It led to the creation of NASA and the space race.

Project Mercury (1958)

first U.S. space program that orbited a piloted spacecraft around Earth and brought it back safely

Project Gemini (1961)

second stage in the U.S. program to reach the Moon, in which an astronaut team connected with another spacecraft in orbit

Project Apollo (1961)

final stage in the U.S. program to reach the Moon, in which Neil Armstrong was the first human to step onto the Moon's surface

The Space Shuttle program (1972)

was a 30-year NASA program with the goal of sending manned vehicles into space.

The Challenger disaster (1986)

occurred on January 28, 1986, when this space shuttle broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members.

The Columbia disaster (2003)

a space shuttle that that exploded on re-entry, killing all the crew, in 2003. The tragedy was caused when the heat tiles failed.

Bolshevik Revolution (1917)

The overthrow of Russia's Provisional Government in the fall of 1917 by Lenin and his Bolshevik forces, made possible by the government's continuing defeat in the war, its failure to bring political reform, and a further decline in the conditions of everyday life.

Iron Curtain (1946)

A political barrier that isolated the peoples of Eastern Europe after WWII, restricting their ability to travel outside the region

Containment

American policy of resisting further expansion of communism around the world

National Security Act of 1947

Passed in response to perceived threats from the Soviet Union after WWII. It established the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and National Security Council.

Voice of America (VOA) (1942)

This government agency was created to make radio (and later TV) broadcasts of news and entertainment into foreign countries, especially into those controlled by communists.

Point Four Program (1949)

helped developing countries under Truman in his inaugural address. It was the fourth foreign policy measure in his speech

Hungarian Revolt (1956)

Attempt by students and workers to liberalize the Communist regime and break off military alliance with the Soviet Union.

Doomsday Clock (1947)

Symbol of the threat posed by nuclear devastation

Suez Crisis (1956)

military attack on Egypt by Britain, France, and Israel beginning on 29 October 1956. The attack followed Egypt's decision of 26 July 1956 to nationalize this canal

military-industrial complex

Eisenhower first coined this phrase when he warned American against it in his last State of the Union Address. He feared that the combined lobbying efforts of the armed services and industries that contracted with the military would lead to excessive Congressional spending.

Brinksmanship

The principle of not backing down in a crisis, even if it meant taking the country to the brink of war. Policy of both the U.S. and U.S.S.R. during the Cold War.

Massive Retaliation

a policy that proposed the threat of this with nuclear weapons in response to any act of aggression by a potential enemy.

Détente (1970s)

A policy of reducing Cold War tensions that was adopted by the United States during the presidency of Richard Nixon.

Carter Doctrine (1980)

The policy proclaimed by President of the United States in his State of the Union Address, which stated that the United States would use military force if necessary to defend its national interests in the Persian Gulf

Invasion of Grenada (1983)

Fearing a Communist takeover of the tiny island country north of Venezuela, President Reagan sent in Marines to lead a coup against the government. Controversial action by the US during the Cold War.

Dayton Accords (1995)

Peace agreement ending the war over the former Yugoslavia, between Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia

Acheson-Lilienthal Plan (1946)

a proposal for the creation of an international Atomic Development Authority

Atomic Energy Commission (1946)

a former federal agency proposed by the US to research atomic weapons and find ways to utilize it peacefully

McMahon Act (1946)

determined how the United States would control and manage the nuclear technology it had jointly developed with its World War II allies, the United Kingdom and Canada

NSC-68 (1950)

Top-secret policy paper approved by President Truman that outlined a militaristic approach to combating the spread of global communism.

Berlin Blockade/Airlift (1948-49)

Stalin blocked road to this city to oust French, British and American troops; cargo planes brought supplies

OAS (Organization of American States) (1948)

Groups of Latin American nations and the U.S. that work together on common issues

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) (1949)

A 1949 defense alliance initiated by the US, Canada, and 10 Western European nations

Warsaw Pact (1955)

An alliance between the Soviet Union and other Eastern European nations. This was in response to the NATO

Invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968)

Soviet troops used military force to crush attempt by the Czechs to become independent of communist control

Bricker Amendment (1952)

a series of proposed amendments to the Constitution considered by the Senate in the 1950s designed to limit the power of the president internationally

Kitchen Debate (1959)

Televised exchange between Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and American Vice President Richard Nixon. Meeting at the American National Exhibition in Moscow

Flexible Response (1967)

the buildup of conventional troops and weapons to allow a nation to fight a limited war without using nuclear weapons

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

The possession of second-strike nuclear capabilities, which ensures that neither of two adversaries could prevent the other from destroying it in an all-out war.

U-2 Incident (1960)

The incident when an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union

USS Pueblo (1968)

US research ship which was boarded and captured by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1968

The Mayaguez (1975)

U.S. merchant ship seized by Communist gov of Cambodia

SALT Agreements (1970s)

Reduce and limit the amount of strategic weapons and nuclear missile launchers on each side

Camp David Accords (1978)

Peace treaty between Egypt and Israel; hosted by US President Jimmy Carter

SDI (Star Wars) (1983)

US space defense program in which Russian missiles would be detected and shot down from space before they ever reached the US. This program partly led to the downfall of the Soviet Union as they attempted to keep up with the US economically.

Iran-Contra Affair (1986)

Scandal that erupted after the Reagan administration sold weapons to Iran in hopes of freeing American hostages in Lebanon

Baruch Plan (1946)

Presented to the UN by the US in 1946, this plan argued that nuclear weapons should be placed under international control

Truman Doctrine (1947)

stated that the U.S. would support countries with economic and military aid to resist communist movements and prevent them from falling into the Soviet sphere

Marshall Plan (1947)

A plan for aiding the European nations in economic recovery after World War II, and subsequently preventing the spread of communism

COMECON (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance) (1949)

An economic association of communist countries established to facilitate trade and development.

Smith Act (1940)

made it illegal to advocate the overthrow of the US government by force or violence

Walter-McCarran Act (1952)

repealed the last of the existing measures to exclude Asian immigration, allotted each Asian nation a minimum quota of 100 visas each year, and eliminated laws preventing Asians from becoming naturalized American citizens.

Mann Doctrine (1964)

U.S. foreign policy under Lyndon Johnson that called for stability in Latin America rather than political and economic reform

Quemoy and Matsu (1955)

Small islands off the coast of China occupied by the nationalists and claimed by the People's Republic. Late in 1954, the U.S. hinted at defending them because they were considered vital to the defense of Formosa, even though they were not expressly covered by the mutual defense treaty.

Laos Crisis (1960-63)

This country was saturated by US dollars but still remained a largely Communist country and had civil Wars going on and although America seriously considered sending in troops, Kennedy could not because of European Commitments and thus hoped to end it diplomatically through the Geneva conference

Eisenhower Doctrine (1957)

Eisenhower proposed and obtained a joint resolution from Congress authorizing the use of U.S. military forces to intervene in any country that appeared likely to fall to communism/requested aid against aggression. Used in the Middle East.

Berlin Wall (1961)

Built by the Communists to stop the flow of refugees seeking to gain political asylum in West Berlin from East Berlin. It became the symbol of division between the East and the West.

Ping Pong Diplomacy (1971)

name for opening of relations between US and China

OPEC Oil Embargo (1973)

During the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, Arab members of OPEC imposed an oil embargo against the US in retaliation for the US support for Israel. The price of oil in the US tripled causing widespread economic hardship.

Iran Hostage Crisis (1979)

American hostages taken by US hating Iranian Shiites upon Shah's flight from uprising, botched rescue attempts

SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization) (1954)

Organization that formed in 1954. The organization was made up of the United States and many Asian nations like South Korea, Japan, India, and Australia. Its goal was to stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia.

Indochina

French colony made up of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam

Vietminh (1946-1954)

An organization of Vietnamese Communists and other nationalist groups that fought for Vietnamese independence from the French

Ho Chi Minh Trail

A network of paths used by North Vietnam to transport supplies to the Vietcong in South Vietnam

Operation Rolling Thunder (1965)

President Johnson's plan of entrance into the Vietnam War, which involved regular full-scale bombing runs against North Vietnam, as well as the entrance of some 184,000 American troops on the side of the South Vietnamese.

Sit-Ins (1960s)

Tactic adopted to protest Vietnam war by refusing to leave

Conscientious Objectors

Person who refuses to enter the military or bear arms due to moral or religious reasons

Cambodia

Nixon widened the Vietnam War by moving troops into this country to try and remove enemy camps

Khmer Rouge (1975)

A group of Communist rebels who seized power in Cambodia, led by Pol Pot

Agent Orange/Napalm

Chemicals used in Vietnam to destroy the rainforest. The idea was to 'flush out' the communist forces.

The Geneva Convention (1949)

international treaty on the law of war providing standards for lawful combatant status

Domino Theory (1954)

A theory that if one nation comes under Communist control, then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control.

Vietcong

A group of Communist guerrillas who, with the help of North Vietnam, fought against the South Vietnamese government in the Vietnam War.

Ngo Dinh Diem

American ally in South Vietnam from 1954 to 1963; his repressive regime caused the Communist Viet Cong to thrive in the South and required increasing American military aid to stop a Communist takeover. He was killed in a coup in 1963.

Tet Offensive (1968)

A massive, coordinated Communist assault against more than 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam, happened on a Vietnamese holiday

Paris Accords (1973)

In January 1973, the North Vietnamese agreed to an armistice, in which the United States would withdraw the last of its troops and get back over 500 prisoners of war (POWs)

Rusk-McNamara Letter (1961)

advocated for increased military involvement in Vietnam War

Deferment

postponement of the draft

Air America (1946)

A CIA front which conducted covert operations in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.

17th Parallel (1954)

Line of latitude that separated North and South Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh

Communist leader of North Vietnam