Post WWII to Present Terms

U2 spy plane crisis

The CIA secretly launched U-2's for the surveillance mission over the Soviet Union. The soviet pilots shot down many U-2 planes with American pilots inside who ended up being captured and spilling to the Soviets everything about the plan. Eisenhower owned up to the responsibilities for the flights and Khrushchev lost trust in him

Berlin Blockade

The blockade was a Soviet attempt to starve out the allies in Berlin in order to gain supremacy. The blockade was a high point in the Cold War, and it led to the Berlin Airlift.

Boris Yeltsin

The first President of the Russian Federation from 1991 to 1999; forced Gorbachev to resign and abolished the USSR; the Yeltsin era was a traumatic period in Russian history—a period marked by widespread corruption, economic collapse, and enormous political and social problems

Communist Bloc

The group of Eastern European nations that fell under the control of the Soviet Union following World War II.

McCarthyism

The term associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy who led the search for communists in America during the early 1950s through his leadership in the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Josip Broz Tito

This man was the Yugoslavian Premier from 1945 to 1953, and President from 1953 to 1980. He was a member of the Russian Bolshevik party around the time of WWI, but later created a unified socialist Yugoslavia separate from the Soviet Union.

Vietnam War

a prolonged war (1954-1975) between the communist armies of North Vietnam who were supported by the Chinese and the non-communist armies of South Vietnam who were supported by the United States

Konrad Adenaurer

leader of the Christian Democrats who served as chancellor of West Germany from 1944-1946

De-Stalinization

social process of neutralizing the influence of Joseph Stalin by revising his policies and removing monuments dedicated to him and renaming places named in his honor (started by Khrushchev)

Britain's Labour Party

the Labour party surpassed the liberal party in strength in the 1920s; the Labour party gain support among workers by promoting a gradual move towards Socialism.

Warsaw Pact

treaty signed in 1945 that formed an alliance of the Eastern European countries behind the Iron Curtain; USSR, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania; spurred by the formation of NATO

Margaret Thatcher

"Iron Lady"; she was the British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990 who pledged to limit social welfare, restrict the power of labor unions, and to control inflation through a program which came to be known as "Thatcherism"

Glasnost

"Openness"; a policy of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev which called for more openness with the nations of West, and a relaxing of restraints on Soviet citizenry, including freedom of speech, association, and the press

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.

Cultural Revolution

(1966-1976); Campaign in China ordered by Mao Zedong to purge the Communist Party of his opponents and instill revolutionary values in the younger generation

COMECON

(Council for Mutual Economic Assistance) an organization for economic cooperation in European Communist states (1949-1991)

Domino Theory

(Eisenhower) A theory that if one nation comes under Communist control, then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control.

Cold War

1946-1991, Churchill said it was a "iron curtain" between eastern and western Europe, A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted eachother on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years, US against Communism (containment); ended with collapse of Soviet government

Containment Theory

1946: US diplomat George Kennan writes about the need to stop communist aggression, but not roll back (keep communism from spreading); The US theory that stated, if Communism in Asia could be contained in the area the system would eventually die out

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

NATO

1949; North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an attack against one of the member nations would be viewed as an attack against them all; protected member nations under American nuclear power; first US peacetime military alliance in history, formal end to US isolationism; inspired Soviet Union to create the German Democratic Republic (Eastern Germany) and explode an atomic bomb in 1949, and set up rival eastern bloc military alliance, the Warsaw Pact in 1955; sparked the massive arms race known as the Cold War; Its original members were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. However, other countries joined as the years went on

Great Leap Forward

1957-1962, Mao tried unsuccessfully to rapidly increase China's industrial and agricultural production through his second five-year plan, resulted in the starvation of more than 20 million people when plan failed

John Kennedy

1961-1963; 35th president of the U.S.; Events during his presidency included the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the building of the Berlin Wall, the Space Race, the African-American Civil Rights Movement, and early stages of the Vietnam War. Therein, increased the number of military advisers, special operation forces, and helicopters in an effort to curb the spread of communism in South East Asia. Administration adopted the policy of the Strategic Hamlet Program which was implemented by the South Vietnamese government; assassinated in Dallas, TX in 1963

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

1964 Congressional resolution authorizing President Johnson to take military action in Vietnam

Richard Nixon

1968-1972; Republican; Vietnam: advocated "Vietnamization" (replace US troops with Vietnamese), but also bombed Cambodia/Laos, created a "credibility gap," Paris Peace Accords ended direct US involvement; economy-took US off gold standard (currency valued by strength of economy); created the Environmental Protection Agency, was president during first moon landing; SALT Treaty and new policy of detente between US and Soviet Union; Watergate scandal: became first and only president to resign

Tet Offensive

1968; National Liberation Front and North Vietnamese forces launched a huge attack on the Vietnamese New Year (Tet), which was defeated after a month of fighting and many thousands of casualties; major defeat for communism, but Americans reacted sharply, with declining approval of LBJ and more anti-war sentiment

Pol Pot

A Cambodian Communist revolutionary from 1975 to 1979 who led the Khmer Rouge. He became leader of Cambodia and his rule was a dictatorship. During his time in power he imposed agrarian socialism, forcing urban dwellers to work in collective farms and forced labor projects. The combined effects of executions, forced labor, malnutrition, and poor medical care caused the deaths of approximately 25 percent of the Cambodian population (roughly 2 million)

Viet Cong

A Communist-led army and guerrilla force in South Vietnam that fought its government and was supported by North Vietnam.

Fidel Castro

A Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. Politically a Marxist-Leninist, under his administration the Republic of Cuba was converted into a one-party socialist state, with industry and business being nationalized under state ownership and socialist reforms implemented in all areas of society.

Lech Walesa

A Polish politician, a former trade union and human rights activist, and also a former electrician. He co-founded Solidarity, the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland from 1990 to 1995.

Peace Corps

A federal agency created by President Kennedy in 1961 to promote voluntary service by Americans in foreign countries. It provides labor power to help developing countries improve their infrastructure, health care, educational systems, and other aspects of their societies. Part of Kennedy's New Frontier vision, the organization represented an effort by postwar liberals to promote American values and influence through productive exchanges across the world.

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.

Khmer Rouge

A group of Communist rebels who seized power in Cambodia in 1975 and imposed a reign of terror on Cambodia's citizens

Détente

A lessening of tensions between U.S. and Soviet Union established by Nixon. Besides disarming missiles to insure a lasting peace between superpowers, Nixon pressed for trade relations and a limited military budget. The public did not approve.

Marshall Plan

A plan that the US came up with to revive war-torn economies of Europe. This plan offered $13 billion in aid to western and Southern Europe.

Perestroika

A policy initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev that involved restructuring of the social and economic status quo in communist Russia towards a market based economy and society

Berlin Airlift

A re-supply operation to the city of Berlin that lasted 11 months during 1948-49 when the Soviet Union attempted to close off the city.

Red Scare

A social/political movement designed to prevent a socialist/communist/radical movement in this country by finding "radicals," incarcerating them, deporting them, and subverting their activities; Intense fear of communism and other politically radical ideas

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 Iron Curtain isolated Eastern Europe from the rest of the world. Its most poignant symbol was the Berlin Wall.

Nikita Khrushchev

Aggressive Soviet leader whose failed gamble of putting missiles in Cuba cost him his job (exiled for backing down to the U.S.)

European Economic Community-Common Market

An economic organization established in 1957 to reduce tariff barriers and promote trade among the countries of Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France, Italy, and West Germany. These countries became the original members of the European Community in 1965.

Cuban Missile Crisis

An international crisis in October 1962, the closest approach to nuclear war at any time between the U.S. and the USSR. When the U.S. discovered Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba, President John F. Kennedy demanded their removal and announced a naval blockade of the island; the Soviet leader Khrushchev acceded to the U.S. demands a week later.

United Nations

An international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. It was founded in 1945 at the signing of the United Nations Charter by 50 countries, replacing the League of Nations, founded in 1919.

Willy Brandt

Chancellor of West Germany in the late 1960s; he sought to improve relations with the states of Eastern Europe.

Ho Chi Minh

Communist leader of North Vietnam; he and his Viet Minh/Viet Cong allies fought French and American forces to a standstill in Vietnam, 1946-1973. Considered a nationalist by many, others viewed him as an agent of the Soviet Union and China.

Sputnik

First artificial Earth satellite, it was launched by Moscow in 1957 and sparked U.S. fears of Soviet dominance in technology and outer space. It led to the creation of NASA and the space race.

Charles de Gaulle

French general and statesman who became very popular during World War II as the leader of the Free French forces in exile (1890-1970); resigned in 1946 after re-establishing the free, democratic Fourth Republic. Came back to lead the Fifth Republic in 1959

Ostpolitik

German for "Eastern Policy" was a West German foreign policy, initiated by Willy Brandt as foreign minister and then chancellor, of détente with Soviet-bloc countries, recognizing the East German government and expanding commercial relations with other Soviet-bloc countries

Mikhail Gorbachev

Head of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. His liberalization effort improved relations with the West, but he lost power after his reforms led to the collapse of Communist governments in eastern Europe.

Bay of Pigs

In April 1961, a group of Cuban exiles organized and supported by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency landed on the southern coast of Cuba in an effort to overthrow Fidel Castro. When the invasion ended in disaster, President Kennedy took full responsibility for the failure.

ICBMs

Inter Continental Ballistic Missile. They have the power to shoot a missile from one country to another. This makes it easier to attack a country without getting to close to them.

Brain Drain

Large-scale emigration by talented people.

Organization of American States

Organization of American States; Formed in 1948 to promote democracy, economic cooperation, & human rights; Members pledged not to interfere with one another; The US often dominated this organization; served as a counterbalance to the influence of the Soviet Union

Boat People

People from either Laos, Cambodia, or Vietnam who took to the seas in an effort to escape the ruthless pogroms and "re-education" labor camps done by their communist regimes. They sought refuge from other countries.

Brezhnev Doctrine

Policy proclaimed in 1968 and declaring that the Soviet Union had the right to intervene in any Socialist country whenever it determined there was a need.

Elizabeth II

Representative of the modern ceremonial monarchy, she and her husband "Prince" Philip Mountbatten have traveled the globe representing British interests. Marital failures by her sons Charles (the Prince of Wales) and Andrew have plagued her reign. Name this monarch of the House of Windsor.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Russian writer who wrote "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denishovick" which was about the concentration/labor camps in Russia. He won the Nobel Price and Khrushchev had the book published as part of the De-Stalinization program. "Gulag Archipelago" had him exiled from Russia.

Leonid Brezhnev

Seized power from Nikita Khrushchev and became leader of the Soviet Communist party in 1964; controlled USSR from 1964-1982

SEATO

Southeast Treaty Organization Alliance; formed to oppose Communism in Southeast Asia: Includes USA, UK, France, Pakistan, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand

SALT Treaty

Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty; a five-year agreement between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, sighned in 1972, that limited the nations' numbers of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched missiles.

Peaceful coexistence

Term used by Khrushchev in 1963 to describe a situation in which the United States and Soviet Union would continue to compete economically and politically without launching a thermonuclear war.