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Cold War

Terms in this set (32)

Marshall Plan
a United States program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe (1948-1952)
Berlin Wall
In 1961, the Soviet Union built a high barrier to seal off their sector of Berlin in order to stop the flow of refugees out of the Soviet zone of Germany. The wall was torn down in 1989.
Containment Policy
established by the Truman administration in 1947 to contain Soviet influence to what it was at the end of World War II.
berlin airlift
planes flew in food,fuel, and other supplies to 2 millioin berliners during the berlin blockade which cut off west berlin from the rest of the world
Détente
relaxation of tensions between the United States and its two major Communist rivals, the Soviet Union and China
domino_theory
the political theory that if one nation comes under Communist control then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control
Truman Doctrine
Policy statement by President Harry S. Truman in 1947 that promised military and economic aid to nations threatened by armed minorities or outside groups. Specifically targeted at Greece and Turkey who were threatened by communist aggression.
Satellite
nation politically and economically dominated or controlled by another more powerful country
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an alliance made to defend one another if they were attacked by any other country; US, England, France, Canada, Western European countries
glasnost
a Soviet policy allowing more open discussion of political and social issues, as well as more widespread news and info
Arms Race
Cold war competition between the U.S. and Soviet Union to build up their respective armed forces and weapons
Division of Germany
1947 Germany got divided into 4 zones controlled by the U.S., Great Britian, France and Russia
Korean War
the cold war conflict in which UN soliders fought to defend South Korea from takeover by Communist North Korea, ending a stalemate in 1953
Cuban missile crisis
In October 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union came close to nuclear war when President Kennedy insisted that Nikita Khrushchev remove the 42 missiles he had secretly deployed in Cuba. The Soviets eventually did so, nuclear war was averted, and the crisisended.
Warsaw Pact
treaty signed in 1945 that formed an alliance of the Eastern European countries behind the Iron Curtain; USSR, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania
Yalta Conference
1945 Meeting with US president FDR, British Prime Minister(PM) Winston Churchill, and and Soviet Leader Stalin during WWII to plan for post-war
Perestorkia
Restructing of the Soviet Governement and the economy in the 1980's
Tiananmen Square
Site in Beijing where Chinese students and workers gathered to demand greater political openness in 1989. The demonstration was crushed by Chinese military with great loss of life.
Berlin Blockade
The blockade was a Soviet attempt to starve out the allies in Berlin in order to gain supremacy. The blockade was a high point in the Cold War, and it led to the Berlin Airlift.
United_Nations
an organization of independent states formed in 1945 to promote international peace and security
Cold War
" War of words and threats" between the US and USSR from 1945-1990. It was a political and economic stuggle between these nations.
Nikita Khrushchev
He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, following the death of Joseph Stalin, and Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. He was responsible for the De-Stalinization of the USSR, as well as several liberal reforms ranging from agriculture to foreign policy.
domino_theory
the political theory that if one nation comes under Communist control then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control
Fidel_Castro
Cuban socialist leader who overthrew a dictator in 1959 and established a Marxist socialist state in Cuba (born in 1927)
weapons of mass destruction
nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons that can kill tens of thousands of people all at once
Bay of Pigs Invasion
failed invasion of Cuba in 1961 when a force of 1,200 Cuban exiles, backed by the United States, landed at the Bay of Pigs.
detente
relaxation of tensions between the United States and its two major Communist rivals, the Soviet Union and China
Mikhail Gorbachev
Soviet dictator from 1985 to 1991 whose policies caused the end of the Soviet Union; revisionist historians identify him as the true Cold War Hero, not Reagan
Sputnik
In October 1957, the Soviet Union surprised the world by launching Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth. The resulting outcry in the United States, especially fears that the Soviets were ahead in both space exploration and military missiles, forced the Eisenhower administration to increase defense spending and accelerate America's space program.
Brezhnev
Soviet Dictator from 1964 to 1982; brought an end to the Dethawing of the Cold War, instituted his doctrine of intervention in Eastern Europe; invaded Afghanistan in 1979
Iron Curtain
A term popularized by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to describe the Soviet Union's policy of isolation during the Cold War. The barrier isolated Eastern Europe from the rest of the world.
Strategic Arms Limitations Talks
In 1972, the United States and the Soviet Union culminated four years of SALT by signing a treaty limiting the deployment of antiballistic missiles (ABM) and an agreement to freeze the number of offensive missiles for five years.
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