Cold War

1. Capitalism: An economic system where private individuals own and control businesses and property, based on free market principles and competition.

2. Containment: A U.S. foreign policy strategy aimed at preventing the spread of communism beyond its existing borders.

3. Purpose of the Berlin Airlift: To supply West Berlin with food and essentials after the Soviet Union blocked all ground routes into the city in 1948.

4. Satellite state: A country that is officially independent but is heavily influenced or controlled by another more powerful country, like those under Soviet influence during the Cold War.

5. Communism: A political and economic system where the government controls all property and means of production, aiming for a classless society.

6. Stalin's deceptive promise: He promised free elections in Poland but instead installed a communist government, breaking the agreement made at Yalta.

7. Berlin Wall symbolized: The division between the communist East and democratic West, and the broader Cold War divide between the USSR and the West.

8. Response to Berlin Blockade: The U.S. and Britain organized the Berlin Airlift to supply the city by air for almost a year.

9. Concerns at Potsdam: The U.S. and Britain feared harsh reparations would cripple Germany and encourage communism to spread.

10. Tensions at Potsdam: Disagreements were more intense due to leadership changes (Truman replacing Roosevelt), the U.S. testing the atomic bomb, and Stalin's actions in Eastern Europe.

Additional Review Questions:

1. End of Cold War: The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 marked the Cold War’s end.

2. Primary rivals: The United States and the Soviet Union.

3. NATO significance: A military alliance that united Western countries against the threat of Soviet expansion.

4. Satellite states: They were controlled politically and militarily by the USSR, limiting their independence.

5. Key leaders: Joseph Stalin (USSR), Franklin D. Roosevelt and later Harry Truman (USA), Winston Churchill and later Clement Attlee (UK).

6. Berlin Wall’s long-term impact: It physically and ideologically divided Germany and symbolized the Cold War tensions for nearly 30 years.

7. UN peace efforts: It provided a platform for diplomacy, peacekeeping missions, and attempted conflict resolution during tense moments.

8. Role of ideology: Competing ideologies—capitalism vs. communism—shaped foreign policies and military alliances.

9. Impact on global security: Heightened global tensions, led to arms races, proxy wars, and fear of nuclear conflict.

10. Consequence of Berlin Airlift: It increased Cold War tensions but showcased Western resolve, leading to the formal division of Germany.