Cold War Flashcards
Joseph McCarthy
1908-1957
Republican Senator from Wisconsin, who fueled fears during the early 1950s that Communism was rampant and growing as he had evidence that there were communism-supporters in the government.
McCarthyism
1950s
A symptom of a massive and widespread anticommunist hysteria that engulfed Cold War America
The House of Un-American activities
Established in 1938
Created to investigate alleged disloyalty and rebel activities on the part of the private citizens, public employees, and organizations suspected of having Communist ties.
Containment
Adopted in 1947
The policy designed to contain Soviet influence to the areas where it already existed and prevent its political expansion into new areas. Formed the basis for US foreign policy and military decisions for more than 30 years.
One of the events from the tensions timeline.
Domino theory
Introduced in 1954
Suggested that a communist government in one nation would quickly lead to communist takeovers in neighboring nations, each falling like a perfectly aligned row of dominoes.
Truman Doctrine
Late 1940s-1990s
The principle that the US should give support to countries threatened by Soviet forces or Communist insurrection
Executive Order 9835
1947
Established loyalty reviews for government workers, especially Foreign Service officers
One of the events from the tensions timeline
McCarran Act
1950
Registers Communists and investigates people or groups advocating “totalitarian dictatorships”
One of the events from the tensions timelime
Warsaw Pact
1955
a collective defense treaty established by the Soviet Union and seven other Soviet satellite states in Central and Eastern Europe: Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland and Romania (Albania withdrew in 1968)
NATO
created in 1949
by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union. NATO was the first peacetime military alliance the United States entered into outside of the Western Hemisphere.
Marshall Plan
1948-1951
Proposed that the US provide economic assistance to restore the economic infrastructure of postwar Europe and secure US geopolitical influence over Western Europe.
Détente
Détente is the relaxation of strained relations, especially political ones, through verbal communication
Military-industrial complex
20th century
The matrix of relationships between officials in the Department of Defense and executives in the defense industry who all benefited from the increases of the defense spending.
Levittown
1947
The 1st mass-produced suburb and is widely regarded as the archetype for postwar suburbs throughout the country.
The Kitchen Debate
July 1959
A series of impromptu exchanges through interpreters between Nixon and Khrushchev, representatives of two polar political ideologies, on a tour displaying high standards of American living.