World History - The Cold War Begins

Western Bloc

The Western bloc, also known as the Capitalist bloc, refers to the countries allied with the United States against the Soviet Union and its allies. Sometimes also called the "Free World" or "Western World."

George Marshall

U.S. Secretary of State under President Harry S. Truman who believed the United States should help all countries recover after World War II. Developed the Marshall Plan.

Harry S. Truman

US President at end of WWII and throughout early years of the Cold War; development of the Truman Doctrine led the US to involve itself in various conflicts between communist and noncommunist fighters around the world

George Kennan

an American advisor, diplomat, political scientist, and historian, best known as "the father of containment" and as a key figure in the emergence of the Cold War. He later wrote standard histories of the relations between Russia and the Western powers.

Douglas McAuthor

led the occupation forces in Japan after WW2

Eastern Bloc

the eastern European countries of Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Eastern Germany dominated by the Soviet Union during the cold war. Also

subvert

to undermine or corrupt

Mao Zedong

(1893-1976) Leader of the Communist Party in China that overthrew Jiang Jieshi and the Nationalists. Established China as the People's Republic of China and ruled from 1949 until 1976.

Truman Doctrine

1947, President Truman's policy of providing economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism or totalitarian ideology, mainly helped Greece and Turkey

The Marshall Plan

1947, by George Marshall, against "hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos" a massive aid package offered by US they gave food and economic assistance to Europe to help countries rebuild. Used provide not only humanitarian aid but to promote Western interests and values.

The Berlin Airlift

1948 - Stalin cut off land access to Berlin as a challenge to the West. US heads a massive 15-month airlift to bring food, clothes, etc. to the citizens of West Berlin.

Berlin Wall

A fortified wall surrounding West Berlin, Germany, built in 1961 to prevent East German citizens from traveling to the West. Its demolition in 1989 symbolized the end of the Cold War. This wall was both a deterrent to individuals trying to escape and a symbol of repression to the free world.

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.

Warsaw Pact

An alliance between the Soviet Union and other Eastern European nations. This was in response to the NATO. Original members included: Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union.

Joseph Stalin

Bolshevik revolutionary, head of the Soviet Communists after 1924, and dictator of the Soviet Union from 1928 to 1953. He led the Soviet Union with an iron fist, using Five-Year Plans to increase industrial production and terror to crush opposition

Emperor Hirohito

Emperor of Japan (1926-1989) who advocated the Japanese government's unconditional surrender that ended World War II (1945). In 1946 he renounced his divine status.

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.

The Korean War

In June 1950 the N. Korean army invaded S. Korea, quickly taking Seoul. The UN Security Council met in emergency session and declared the invasion an unwarranted aggression. After three years of fighting, the war ended in stalemate.

NATO

Military alliance established in 1949 to deter a soviet attack on member nations. Original members included Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

North Atlantic Trade Organization

NATO

Cold War

Period of tension and rivalry between communist nations led by Soviet Union and non communist nations lasting form 1947 to 1991. The super powers did not fight an actual war.