The Cold War Vocabulary Flashcards
Laissez-Faire
a policy or attitude of letting things take their own course, without interfering.
Communist
a person who supports or believes in the principles of communism.
Democracy
The USA was a capitalist democracy which valued freedom.
Truman Doctrine
blocking the Soviets from spreading communism.
Reparations
the making of amends for a wrong one has done, by paying money to or otherwise helping those who have been wronged.
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan, also known as the European Recovery Program, was a U.S. program providing aid to Western Europe following the devastation of World War II
Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall was to keep Western “fascists” from entering East Germany and undermining the socialist state, but it primarily served the objective of stemming mass defections from East to West.
Containment
stop the spread of the communism around the world
Berlin Airlift
the Berlin Airlift It was when western countries delivered much needed food and supplies to the city of Berlin through the air because all other routes were blocked by the Soviet Union.
Warsaw Pact
In 1949, the Soviet Union announced that it had developed an atomic bomb. Three years later,
both superpowers had an even more deadly weapon
NATO
NATO was a military alliance. Each nation promised to defend any other member that was attacked.
Brinkmanship
they produced more and more nuclear weapons and developed new ways to deliver them. Both sides were willing to go to the brink, or edge, of war.
Sputnik
the world’s first human-made satellite. Many people were shocked. Americans felt that the Soviets were far ahead in science and technology.
Arms Race
a competition between nations for superiority in the development and accumulation of weapons, especially between the US and the former Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Domino Theory’
the theory that a political event in one country will cause similar events in neighboring countries, like a falling domino causing an entire row of upended dominoes to fall.
Iron Curtain
a notional barrier separating the former Soviet bloc and the West prior to the decline of communism that followed the political events in eastern Europe in 1989.
Totalitarianism
a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state.
Capitalism
an economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.
Space Race
the competition between nations regarding achievements in the field of space exploration.
In 1949 the United States and European countries worked together to form an alliance for protection against Communist aggression called N.A.T.O. What does N.A.T.O stand for?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Who was the dictator that controlled the Soviet Union
Joseph Stalin
Which event signaled the end of the Cold War
Berlin wall coming down
A system where the government owns the factories and other natural resources AND controls the production of goods is known as _____________________. Communimsm
Socialism
The Allied victory in World War II led to the emergence of TWO global superpowers. What were those TWO superpowers?
USA AND Soviet Union
