Post World War II and the Cold War

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the Cold War and post-World War II events.

Cold War

A state of political hostility between countries characterized by threats, propaganda, and other measures short of open warfare.

Tehran Conference

A 1943 meeting of the Big Three Allies (US, UK, USSR) to discuss the post-war reorganization, particularly focusing on Eastern Europe.

Yalta Conference

A 1945 conference where Allied leaders discussed the reorganization of post-war Europe and the future of Germany.

Potsdam Conference

A meeting in 1945 where the Allies negotiated terms for the end of World War II and addressed issues regarding post-war Germany.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

A military alliance formed in 1949 among Western nations for mutual defense against aggression.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance formed in 1955 among the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc nations in response to NATO.

Marshall Plan

A U.S. initiative providing economic support to European countries to help rebuild their economies after World War II.

Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)

A military doctrine stating that full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would result in total destruction of both the attacker and defender.

Iron Curtain

The ideological and physical boundary that divided Europe into two separate areas of political influence during the Cold War: the West (democratic) and the East (communist).

Proxy War

A conflict where two opposing countries or parties support combatants that serve their interests instead of fighting each other directly.

Containment

A U.S. policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism beyond its existing boundaries.

Non-Aligned Movement

A group of states that chose not to formally align with either the US or the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 1962 confrontation between the US and the USSR over Soviet missiles stationed in Cuba, bringing the two superpowers to the brink of nuclear war.

Berlin Wall

A wall constructed in 1961 to separate East and West Berlin, symbolizing the division between communist and democratic Europe.

Great Leap Forward

A campaign led by Mao Zedong in China aiming to rapidly transform the country from an agrarian society into a socialist society through rapid industrialization.

Cultural Revolution

A sociopolitical movement initiated by Mao Zedong in 1966 aimed at preserving Chinese communism by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society.

White Revolution

A series of reforms initiated by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in Iran aimed at modernizing and westernizing the country.

Antinuclear Weapon Movement

A political movement aimed at reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons, gaining significant traction internationally in the 1970s and 1980s.

Hydrogen Bomb

A nuclear weapon that uses fusion to release a much larger amount of energy than an atomic bomb.

Five-Year Plans

Economic plans used by communist countries like the Soviet Union and China to guide industrial and agricultural production.

Cominform

An organization of communist parties to coordinate actions and promote communism across nations.

Decolonization

The process by which colonies gained independence from colonial powers after World War II.