The Cold War

Domino Effect

The fear that if Vietnam fell to communism, so would the surrounding countries. It was president Eisenhower's theory. The theory stated that if one country turned communist the rest would. This theory intialized the policy of containment.

Panmunjom

The site where the armistice was signed during the Korean War. It ended hostilities of the Korean conflict.

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.

Contaiment

U.S. foreign policy that was supposed to keep communism from spreading

Intermediate Range Missile

a ballistic missile with a range of 3,000 - 5,5000 km INF In 1987, Reagan and Gorbachev agreed to remove and destroy.

Arms Race

a competition between nations to have the most powerful armaments A tense relationship beginning in the 1950s between the Soviet Union and the United States whereby one side's weaponry became the other side's goad to procure more weaponry, and so on.

Hydrogen Bomb

a nuclear weapon that releases atomic energy by union of light (hydrogen) nuclei at high temperatures to form. South Pacific Testing (Mike).

Berlin Airlift

airlift in 1948 that supplied food and fuel to citizens of west Berlin when the Russians closed off land access to Berlin

Hiss

he lied under oath

MIRVs

multiple independently targeted reentry vehicles designed to overcome any defense by "saturating" it with large number of warheads.

Communist Front

term used by opponents to describe left-wing groups : term used to suggest opponents of buisness

Truman Doctrine

(HT) , 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

Eisenhower Doctrine

- US would interne in Middle East if any government threatened by a communist takeover asked for help

NATO

..., North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an alliance made to defend one another if they were attacked by any other country; US, England, France, Canada, Western European countries

Truman

..., President Truman's policy of providing economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism or totalitarian ideology

HUAC

..., The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) was an investigating committee which investigated what it considered un-American propaganda,

Eisenhower

1953-1961 Five Star General of the US Army during WWII, later became president of the US, went to Korea as part of his campaign promise before he went into office to see what he could do to get US out. Interstate highway act, continued all major NEW DEAL plans like-Social Security. He expanded its programs and rolled them into a new cabinet-level agency, the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, while extending benefits to an additional ten million workers.

Nixon

1969-1974 The 37th President of the United States (1969-1974). Vice President (1953-1961) under Dwight D. Eisenhower, he lost the 1960 presidential election to John F. Kennedy. Elected President in 1968, he visited China (1972) and established détente with the USSR. Although he increased U.S. military involvement in Southeast Asia, he was also responsible for the eventual withdrawal of U.S. troops. When Congress recommended three articles of impeachment for Nixon's involvement in the Watergate scandal, he resigned from office (August 9, 1974).

Mars

A United States program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe (1948-1952)

Cold War

A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years. 1945-1991 Post WWII

Iron Curtain

A political barrier that isolated the peoples of Eastern Europe after WWII, restricting their ability to travel outside the region (HT) , Term used by Churchill in 1946 to describe the growing East-West divide in postwar Europe between communist and democratic nations British Prime Minister Winston Churchill coined this term to refer to the "boundary" that divided Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe from Western European nations not under Soviet domination.

Iron Curtain

A political barrier that isolated the peoples of Eastern Europe after WWII, restricting their ability to travel outside the region 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.

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

Warsaw Pact

An alliance between the Soviet Union and other Eastern European nations. This was in response to the NATO

Medium Range Missile

Capable of flying hundreds of miles designed to travel up to 4 to 5 miles landbase. Paris ( The Cuban Missile Crises), Washington D.C. and New York.

CIA

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. Its primary function is obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and persons in order to advise public policymakers

Stalin

Dictator of the Soviet Union; led the SU through World War II and created a powerful Soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe after the war

38th Parallel

Dividing line between North and South Korea line of latitude that separated North and South Korea After North Korean forces were forced back behind this Truman gave MacArthur permission to pursue communists into their own territory. He was moving beyond the policy of containment and envisioning a rollback of communist power. It separated north and south Korea.

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.

ICBM

Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles, long-range nuclear missiles capable of being fired at targets on the other side of the globe. The reason behind the Cuban Missile Crisis -- Russia was threatening the U.S. by building launch sites for ICBM's in Cuba.

Rosenberg Case

Involved Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who were American communists. They were executed for passing nuclear weapons secrets to the USSR.

Inchon

Korean port from which American forces launched a successful attack against the North Korean army during the Korean War

Molotov

Soviet Union's response to the Marshall Plan. Gave money to Eastern European communist nations in order to rebuild politically and economically after World War II