Cold War Vocabulary

The Cold War

Cold War Definition

  • Ideological struggle between Capitalism (democracy) and Communism.
  • USA and USSR competed for global power and influence.

Early Years

  • USA and USSR met in Germany as allies, but relations declined by 1945.
  • A key question was how to rebuild Europe and Germany.

Key Concepts & Events

  • Domino Theory: If one country falls to communism, neighboring countries will follow.
  • Truman Doctrine: Supporting free peoples resisting subjugation, particularly from communism.
  • Policy of Containment: Halting the spread of communism through economic and military aid.
  • Marshall Plan (1947): Economic aid to European countries to resist communism; 13.5 billion given by the US, Canada gives 2 Billion to Marshall Plan.
  • NATO: Joint military defense against the Soviet Union.
  • Warsaw Pact: The Soviet Union's response to NATO.
  • Berlin Blockade/Airlift: Soviets blocked routes into Berlin; Western allies responded with an airlift of supplies.
  • Iron Curtain: Division between communist and non-communist states in Europe.

Espionage & Propaganda

  • Espionage was a significant tool.
  • Propaganda aimed to convince the public of the enemy's threat to their society.
  • Disinformation was used to mislead and damage the enemy's reputation.

Tools of the Trade

  • Silenced weapons, umbrella guns, shoe bugs, coin knives, glove guns, microdot coins.

Key Figures

  • Soviet Leaders: Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Gorbachev, Yeltsin.
  • US Presidents: Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr.

Origins of the Cold War

  • Post-WWII, a bi-polar world emerged with the USA and USSR as superpowers.
  • Indirect conflicts or "proxy wars" occurred (e.g., Korea, Suez Crisis, Vietnam).
  • Stalin installed communist governments in Eastern European countries.

Division of Germany

  • Germany was divided into 4 occupation zones (US, France, Great Britain, Soviet Union).
  • Berlin, located within the Soviet sector, was also divided.

Military Alliances

  • NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization): Collective security for Western Europe.
  • Warsaw Pact: USSR's counter to NATO, formed in 1955.

Escalation Triggers

  • 1949: USSR detonated its first atomic bomb.
  • 1949: Chinese Communist Revolution.

Canada's Role

  • Joined NATO and NORAD (North American Defense Agreement).
  • Established Distant Early Warning Line Stations (DEW) in northern Canada.
  • Involved in the Korean War.
  • Cuban Missile Crisis: Tensions between Diefenbaker and US President Kennedy.
  • Lester Pearson: Created the United Nations peace-keeping force (UNEF) during the Suez Canal Crisis.
  • Liberal PM Pierre Trudeau: Limited Canada’s contribution to NATO; established trade relations with Cold War enemies.

Key Events & Canada's Involvement

  • Gouzenko Affair and Red Scare
  • Korean War, Suez Crisis, Recognition of Communist China, Peace Keeping.

Sports and the Cold War

  • 1972 Summit Series: USSR vs Canada.
  • Olympics: 1972 US loses Basketball, 1980 Moscow Olympics Boycott, 1984 L.A. Olympics Boycott.

Fall of the USSR

  • Perestroika (restructuring) and Glasnost (openness).
  • Dissolution of the Soviet Union on December 1, 1991.

Reasons for the End

  • Enormous cost of the war machine.
  • Economic stagnation.
  • Push for democracy and independent nationalism in satellite states.