Cold War Glossary and Terms

Cold War Glossary and Terms

Arms Race

• A competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to manufacture the most nuclear weapons.
• Included efforts to surpass each other in weapons technology and defense.

Capitalism

• An economic system based on private ownership, not government ownership.
• Operates under a free market system.

Communism

• An economic system based on government ownership and control of resources.

Détente

• A softening or easing of relations between the United States and the Soviet Union.
• Began around 1971, featuring President Nixon's visit to Moscow and the SALT talks.
• Ended with the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

Eastern Bloc

• The Soviet Union and its communist-controlled states in Eastern Europe.
• Examples: Poland, East Germany, and Bulgaria.

Eisenhower Doctrine

• Stated that a country could request military support from the United States if threatened by another country.
• Based on a speech by President Eisenhower to Congress as a warning to the Soviet Union.

Glasnost

• Policy introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev, allowing for more openness in the Soviet government.
• Included some level of freedom of speech.

Iron Curtain

• A descriptive term or symbol representing the border between communist and democratic countries in Europe.
• The idea was that it kept information and people from crossing from the communist east to the democratic west.

Marxism

• An economic and political philosophy named after Karl Marx.
• It is the basis of many communist governments.

McCarthyism

• Accusations of treason or disloyalty without evidence.
• Originates from Senator McCarthy's accusations of people being communists and traitors during the Cold War, without providing evidence.

NATO

• Stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
• An alliance of democratic and western countries, including much of Western Europe, Canada, and the United States.

Nuclear Weapon

• A device that uses nuclear forces to create a massive explosion.
• Capable of destroying an entire city.

Perestroika

• A term used by Mikhail Gorbachev to describe a reconstruction of the Soviet economy and industry.
• Included some private ownership of businesses.

Proxy War

• When two sides use third parties to fight instead of directly engaging each other.
• The United States and the Soviet Union fought proxy wars during the Cold War.
• Examples: Korean War and Vietnam War.

Red Scare

• A time of extreme anti-communism in the United States.
• People feared that communists had infiltrated the government.

SALT

• Stands for Strategic Arms Limitation Talks.
• The United States and the Soviet Union agreed to limit the number of nuclear weapons they made.

Solidarity

• A movement in Poland to create a trade union not controlled by the communist party.
• Led by Lech Walesa, who became President of Poland in 1990.

Space Race

• A competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to explore space.
• Russia initially led by launching the first satellite and manned flight.
• The United States was the first to put a man on the Moon.

Superpower

• A country significantly stronger than most others, especially militarily.
• During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States were the two world superpowers.

Truman Doctrine

• An effort to stop the spread of communism.
• The United States would help countries threatened by "armed minorities or outside pressures".

Warsaw Pact

• An alliance between the Soviet Union and other Eastern European communist nations.