Cold war unit 1 key terms Flashcards
Atomic bomb
Nuclear bomb, first used by the USA on Hiroshima in 1945.
Baltic states
Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Stalin swallowed these up into the USSR
Capitalism
The system of finance based on profit, consumption, growth and competition
Colonialism
The system where empires and imperial powers control other countries
Communism
System based on government control, sharing resources, collective good
Grand alliance
US-USSR-UK alliance to defeat the Nazis / Fascism and create a ‘New world order’
Iron curtain
The imaginary line dividing East and West Europe - From Churchill’s famous speech
Isolationism
The policy of removing a person, group or country from a situation / debate
Long telegram
The document written by George Kennan, which laid the foundations for Marshall aid
New World Order
The aim after WW2 was to establish this, went horribly wrong, bi polar world
Novikov telegram
Soviet document warning Stalin of the USA’s desire for world dominance
People’s republic of China
Established 1949 following a bloody civil war. Second communist power
Potsdam conference
Conference towards the end of WW2 - Deciding division of Europe and new world
Red army
Stalin’s massive forces - lost over 20 million men in WW2
Satellite state
States that were under de facto control of the USSr but not in the country
Tehran conference
First meeting of the grand alliance in 1943 - discussion of how to win the war
Veto
The power to block or stop another power’s/country’s decision. Used in the UN
Yalta conference
Conference held before Germany defeated - Allies begin to negotiate peace
Berlin airlift / operation vittles
How the allies combatted Stalin’s blockade of Berlin. Embarrassed the Soviets
Berlin blockade
Stalin’s attempts to starve out West Berlin and assert his authority. Failed
Containment
The US policy to ‘contain’ the spread of communism. Key to the 1950/60’s thinking
Comecon
USSR gave economic aid to those countries under the leadership of the Soviet Union
Cominform
An alliance of communist countries who coordinated their activity under the soviet union
Dollar imperialism
The idea that the US colonised the New World order through money / loans
Federal Republic of Germany
West Germany, Capitalist, Dollar driven country
German Democratic Republic
East Germany, Communist
Marshall plan
Plan to pump Capitalist countries / West Europe with Us $$
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Capitalist military organisation
Truman Doctrine
The policy of containment, set out by Truman in a speech in march 1947
Trizonia
The name given to the joined British, French and US zone of post-war Germany
Warsaw pact
Countries under communist / Soviet control sign agreement - Finance + military
Arms race
Competition between countries to have more powerful and more numerous weapons
Hungarian Uprising
Attempt to overthrow Soviet control in Hungary. Brutally crushed
Hydrogen bomb
World’s largest and most destructive nuclear weapons. Tested but never used
ICBM
Inter-continental Ballistic Missile. Used more as deterrents
Korean war
Brutal and bloody war fought between communist North and Capitalist South
