| Term | Definition |
| Free World | made up of countries with non-communist governments |
| the East | the Soviet Union, China, and other communist countries of Eastern Europe and Asia |
| the West | the United States, Great Britain, France and other democratic nations |
| nonaligned nations | countries remaining neutral in the Cold War -- India, Sweden, Switzerland, and various African and Asian nations |
| arms race | competition between communist and Free World nations -- especially the Soviet Union and the United States -- to develop powerful new weapons |
| containment | a policy of political, economic, and military pressure to restrict the spread of communism |
| Iron Curtain | the Soviet Union's tight control over travel and communication between Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe and the Free World |
| limited war | a small-scale war without nuclear weapons that involves just one are of the world |
| Space Race | the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union for superiority in space exploration and communication |
| satellites | the countries of Eastern Europe that came under the control of the Soviet Union after World War II |
| propaganda | ideas spread by one side in the Cold War to support its own policies or to criticize the other side's actions and beliefs |
| Radio Free Europe | broadcasts supporting democratic principles ad ideals transmitted to people living behind the Iron Curtain |
| Peace Corps | American volunteers who helped disadvantaged people in underdeveloped countries of the world |
| detente | a time of improved relations between the United States and the Soviet Union during the 1970's |
| peaceful coexistence | the two sides in the Cold War decide to cooperate in areas such as space, trade, education; and science |