coldwar

Characteristics of the United States

1. Capitalist

2. Freedom of religion

3. Private ownership of goods

4. Democracy

5. Freedom of speech and press

Characteristics of the Soviet Union

1. Communist

2. Atheist or limited religious freedom

3. Government ownership

4. Dictatorship, 1 party rule.

5. Strict punishment for speech or press opposing government

The Cold War

A state of hostility between the Soviet Union and United States from 1945-1991.

Iron Curtain

A term coined by Winston Churchill in 1946, this marked the division between the Soviet East and democratic West in Europe.

Satellite States

Eastern Bloc countries controlled by the Soviet Union. Examples: Poland, Czechoslovakia, etc

Truman Doctrine

This was a promise to provide aid to any country resisting communist rule, beginning with providing $400 million in aid to Turkey and Greece to resist communist revolutionaries.

Containment

American diplomat George F. Kennan proposed this policy. Goal was to keep communist regimes within existing borders. Don't let communism spread!

Marshall Plan

Proposed by Secretary of State George C. Marshall. Plan was to provide financial and agricultural aid to strengthen democratic countries in Europe to prove capitalist superiority and encourage them to buy American products(thus linking them to capitalist/democratic America).

Berlin Airlift (Operation Vittles)

This was a response to a blockade of West Berlin by the Soviet Union(attempt to gain total control of the city) in which the U.S. and Britain engaged in a massive air campaign to bring supplies to West Berliners, delivering nearly 2 million tons of supplies through May, 1949.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Military alliance that included the United States, to counter the Soviets. A mutual defense pact.

Warsaw Pact

Soviet military alliance including the USSR and its communist allies in the Eastern Bloc.

Chinese Civil War

This lasted from 1927-1937 and again from 1946-1950. It ended with a Communist victory and the relocation of the Nationalist government to Taiwan; US supported Nationalists(to prevent another potential Communist superpower) financially but refused military aid due to Nationalist corruption; US doesn't acknowledge legitimacy of victorious Communist gov't in China

Chiang Kai-shek

The leader of the Chinese Nationalists forces; supported by the US and subsequent billions of dollars in funding. He lost the Chinese Civil War, and he relocated the Nationalist government to Taiwan(recognized by US), where it remains today.

Mao Zedong

The leader of the Communist forces in the Chinese Civil War; in effect supported by the Soviet Union(in ideology, if not actuality). He won the war and established the People's Republic of China in 1949(not recognized by US).

People's Republic of China

Communist government of mainland China; proclaimed in 1949 following military success of Mao Zedong over forces of Chiang Kai-shek; the U.S. refused to accept the legitimacy of Communist China, and the Nationalist government in Taiwan was given the seat for China in the United Nations.

38th Parallel

The division line between North and South Korea, established after World War II, with a communist government in the north and a democratic one in the south.

Korean War

Fought between 1950-53. South Korea and UN/U.S. vs. North Korea and China. Began when NK army crossed 38th parallel and attacked SK. One of very few "hot" locations during Cold War in which US forces actually engaged. The war ended with an armistice and little resolved. The two Koreas remained divided as before the war.

Limited War

This is the type of war Truman wanted to fight in Korea, with a narrow focus to prevent communism from spreading to South Korea.9

General Douglas MacArthur

He was in command of the UN forces in Korea but was fired by President Truman for insubordination. He still returned home a hero, however.

Arms Race

In 1949, the Soviets tested their first nuclear weapon. This "race" soon followed; balance of power shifted between the US and USSR.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

A deterrent to using nuclear weapons because both the U.S. and the Soviet Union would be destroyed if one used a nuclear weapon and the other retaliated.

Eisenhower's "New Look" in Foreign Policy

Less military spending, more reliance on nuclear weapons and the use of the CIA.

John Foster Dulles

Secretary of State under Dwight Eisenhower. He believed in the Domino Theory and massive retaliation(brinkmanship).

Domino Theory

The theory that if one country falls to communism in a region, others will fall like dominoes.

Brinkmanship

John Foster Dulles's approach to foreign policy, which could include bringing the U.S. to the brink of war.

Nikita Khrushchev

The leader of Soviet Union after Joseph Stalin . He engaged in "Destalinization" in USSR, and there was a possibility of peaceful coexistence with the U.S. (which will be upset by global events).

Polish Revolution of 1956

This uprising allowed greater Polish control instead of Soviet control. Poland was still communist and still in Warsaw Pact, so Khrushchev allowed it.

Hungarian Revolution of 1956

During this, Hungarian students and workers staged massive demonstrations. The goal was to overthrow the communist government. The result was that Khrushchev crushed the demonstrations brutally by sending in Soviet troops.

Suez Crisis

This event in 1956-1957 was the invasion of Egypt by Great Britain, France, and Israel after the nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egypt (threat to access of oil and trade for Western countries). G.B., France, and Israel withdrew after the U.S. and USSR condemned the invasion.

Eisenhower Doctrine

Use force to help Middle Eastern countries combat communism—containment in the Middle East.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

This was created in 1947 and engaged in covert operations around the world, including overthrowing democratic governments in Iran in 1953 and Guatemala in 1954.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

This U.S. agency was created after the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957. It signaled the beginning of the space race, and its goal was to coordinate space exploration for the United States.

Second Red Scare

This was the fear that communists both outside and inside the United States were working to destroy American life.

Smith Act

This 1940 act made it unlawful to teach or advocate the violent overthrow of the U.S. government.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

This included members of Congress who investigated possible subversive activities by communists or any other threat to the U.S. The best known hearings were of writers, directors, and producers of Hollywood films.

Hollywood Blacklist

This was a list of people in the film industry who would not be hired because of their suspected communist ties.

Alger Hiss

This man worked for FDR's state department but was accused of being a spy by Whittaker Chambers. He was convicted of perjury (lying under oath). Evidence suggests that he was, indeed, a spy.

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

They were executed in 1953 after being convicted espionage and passing atomic secrets to the Soviets.

Venona Papers

These were released in 1995 and revealed names of Soviet spies. They confirmed the guilt of the Rosenbergs and Alger Hiss.

Joseph McCarthy

He was a Republican senator from Wisconsin who charged that the State Department had been infiltrated by communists. He held public hearings in which no communist spies were uncovered, displayed his bullying tactics, and he was ultimately censured (punished) by the Senate for his behavior.

McCarthyism

This is used to describe a political "witch-hunt" in which people are accused of treason/subversiveness with no evidence.