The Cold War 1945-1960

A zone between North Korea and South Korea, created at the end of WWII. 38th parallel. The 38th parallel is the latitude line that roughly marks the border between North and South Korea, established to separate the two after World War II.

A government official who was accused of spying for the Soviet Union in 1948. Alger Hiss. Hiss was a high-ranking U.S. diplomat who was controversially accused of being a Soviet spy during the Cold War.

Competition for supremacy in nuclear warfare between the US and the Soviet Union. Arms race. An arms race is when two or more countries compete to build more and stronger weapons than each other.

The carrying of supplies to the people of West Berlin by the Western Allies. Berlin airlift. The Berlin Airlift was a 1948-1949 operation where Western Allies flew supplies to West Berlin after the Soviet Union blocked ground routes.

The practice of denying employment to entertainment industry professionals believed to be Communists. Blacklist. In History, a blacklist is a list of people or groups who are denied employment or opportunities because of their political beliefs or actions.

Trying to achieve an advantageous outcome by pushing dangerous events to the brink of conflict. Brinkmanship. In History, brinkmanship refers to the strategy of escalating a situation to the edge of disaster to gain an upper hand, often seen during the Cold War.

Tasked with gathering and analyzing national security information from around the world. Central Intelligence Agency. The Central Intelligence Agency CIA is a U.S. government agency responsible for collecting and analyzing foreign intelligence to aid national security.

The leader of the Republic of China 1928 - 1975. Chiang Kai-shek. He was a Chinese military and political leader who played a major role in the Chinese Civil War and led the Nationalist government.

A period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the US 1947-1991. Cold War. It was a time when these two superpowers competed globally without direct military conflict.

A Cold War foreign policy of the US and its allies to prevent the spread of communism. Containment is a strategy used to stop the expansion of communism during the Cold War.

Middle Eastern countries could request US economic and military support if threatened. Eisenhower Doctrine. The Eisenhower Doctrine was a policy that promised American assistance to any Middle Eastern country resisting communism during the Cold War.

US citizens who were convicted of spying for the Soviet Union. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were a married couple executed in 1953 for allegedly passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

A pilot whose U-2 spy plane was shot down in Soviet Union airspace. Francis Gary Powers was an American pilot whose capture in 1960 heightened Cold War tensions.

A hydrogen bomb, a second-generation nuclear weapon with greater destructive power. H-bomb. The H-bomb was first tested by the U.S. in 1952, marking a significant advancement in nuclear weaponry.

Ten directors who refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Hollywood Ten. The Hollywood Ten were a group of filmmakers blacklisted in the late 1940s for refusing to answer questions about alleged communist ties.

A committee for investigating citizens and organizations suspected of having Communist ties. House Un-American Activities Committee. The House Un-American Activities Committee was a group in the U.S. Congress that investigated alleged Communist influences during the Cold War.

A non-physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas - Soviet Union and the West 1945 - 1991. Iron Curtain. The Iron Curtain was a symbolic division between communist Eastern Europe and capitalist Western Europe during the Cold War.

US Secretary of State and significant figure in the early Cold War era. John Foster Dulles. He was a key architect of U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War, promoting a strong stance against communism.

A Senator known for alleging that Communists and spies had infiltrated US institutions. Joseph McCarthy. He was a key figure in the early 1950s, leading a campaign against alleged communists, which became known as McCarthyism.

A war between North Korea and South Korea 1950 - 1953. Korean War. The Korean War was a conflict involving North and South Korea, supported respectively by China and the Soviet Union on one side, and United Nations forces, predominantly from the United States, on the other.

A communist revolutionary who became the founding father of the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong. He was the leader who established communist rule in China in 1949.

The US transferred over 12 billion in economic recovery to Western European economies after WWII. Marshall Plan. The Marshall Plan was a U.S. initiative to help rebuild Europe's economies after World War II.

A nuclear strategy in which a state commits itself to retaliate with a much greater force. Massive retaliation. Massive retaliation is a Cold War military strategy where a country promises to respond to any attack with overwhelming nuclear force.

The practice of making accusations of treason without proper regard for evidence. McCarthyism. McCarthyism refers to a period in U.S. history during the early 1950s when Senator Joseph McCarthy led a campaign against alleged communists, often with little evidence.

Where two opposing military forces are powerful enough to cause the complete annihilation. Mutually assured destruction. Mutually assured destruction is a Cold War concept where two nuclear-armed sides are deterred from using their weapons because it would lead to total destruction for both.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 countries. NATO. NATO is a military alliance formed in 1949 to provide collective security against the Soviet Union and its allies during the Cold War.

A Soviet statesman who led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War, Nikita Khrushchev. He was the leader who challenged the United States during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

A country that is formally independent, but under heavy control from another country. Satellite nation. In history, a satellite nation is a country that is politically and economically dominated by another more powerful country, like Eastern European countries influenced by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

After the surrender of Japan in WWII, Taiwan was placed under the governance of China. Taiwan is an island in East Asia with a complex political history involving China.

A foreign policy to counter Soviet geopolitical expansion. Truman Doctrine. The Truman Doctrine was a U.S. policy to provide support to countries resisting communism during the early Cold War.

A U-2 spy plane was shot down by the Soviet Air Defenses. U-2 incident. The U-2 incident was a Cold War event in 1960 when the Soviet Union shot down an American spy plane, increasing tensions between the two nations.

A defense treaty signed between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republics. Warsaw Pact. The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance formed in 1955 to counter the NATO alliance during the Cold War.