Chapter 23 terms

Cold War

1945-1991 - 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.

Korean War

1950 - 1953 - A conflict between Communist North Korea and Non-Communist South Korea. The United Nations (led by the United States) helped South Korea.

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

Bill Clinton

42nd President advocated economic and healthcare reform; second president to be impeached. When he won election in 1992, the Democrats retained control of both houses of Congress.

containment

A U.S. foreign policy adopted by President Harry Truman in the late 1940s, in which the United States tried to stop the spread of communism by creating alliances and helping weak countries to resist Soviet advances

arms race

Cold war competition between the U.S. and Soviet Union to build up their respective armed forces and weapons

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.

Fidel Castro

Cuban revolutionary leader who overthrew the corrupt regime of the dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959 and soon after established a Communist state. He was prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and has been president of the government and First Secretary of the Communist Party since 1976.

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.

Warsaw Pact

In response to NATO, an alliance was formed between the Soviet Union and other Eastern European nations.

NATO

Stands for: 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

Konrad Adenauer

The first chancellor of West Germany in 1949. He was able to establish a stable democratic government. The former mayor of Cologne and a long-time anti-Nazi, who had a long highly successful democratic rule and helped regain respect for Germany

U-2 incident

The incident when an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. The U.S. denied the true purpose of the plane at first, but was forced to own up to it when the U.S.S.R. produced the living pilot and the largely intact plane to validate their claim of being spied on from the air. The incident worsened East-West relations during the Cold War and was a great embarrassment for the United States.

Boris Yeltsin

Was the first President of the Russian Federation from 1991 to 1999. His reign was marked by widespread corruption, economic collapse, and enormous political and social problems. He was the first popularly elected president in Russian history, but became increasingly unpopular after endorsing radical economic reforms in early 1992 which were widely blamed for devastating the living standards of most of the Russian population.

civil rights movement

a social movement in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s, in which people organized to demand equal rights for African Americans and other minorities. People worked together to change unfair laws. They gave speeches, marched in the streets, and participated in boycotts.

Battle of Dien Bien Phu

The climactic battle of the First Indochina War between French Union forces of the French Far East Expeditionary Corps, and Vietnamese Viet Minh communist revolutionary forces. The battle occurred between March and May 1954, and culminated in a massive French defeat that effectively ended the war.

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, on condition that US doesn't invade Cuba

limited wars

involve the use of conventional weapons but NOT weapons of mass destruction but also do not involve the full military might of the participants nor do they seek the complete victory over the opponent but instead a smaller, more limited goal

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

Ronald Reagan

1981-1989, known as the "Great Communicator" Republican, conservative economic policies, replaced liberal Democrats in upper house with conservative Democrats or "boll weevils" , at reelection time, Jesse Jackson first black presidential candidate, Geraldine Ferraro as VP running mate (first woman)

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.

38th parallel

A line that crosses Korea at 38 degrees north latitude, North being communist (N Korea, S Korea), South Korea being capitalist. Japanese troops surrendered to the Soviets. South of this line, Japanese surrendered to the Americans.

Marshall Plan

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

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.

Vietnamization

A war policy in Vietnam initiated by Nixon in June of 1969. This strategy called for dramatic reduction of U.S. troops followed by an increased injection of S. Vietnamese troops in their place. A considerable success, this plan allowed for a drop in troops to 24,000 by 1972. . This policy became the cornerstone of the so-called "Nixon Doctrine". As applied to Vietnam, it was labeled "Vietnamization".

Douglas MacArthur

An American General, who commanded allied troops in the Pacific during World War II. He accepted Japan's surrender in 1945. He was also in charge of UN forces in Korea 1950-51, before being forced to relinquish command by President Truman.

Bay of Pigs

An unsuccessful invasion of Cuba in 1961, which was sponsored by the United States. Its purpose was to overthrow Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

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.

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.

SDI

Reagan's proposed Strategic Defense Initiative (1983), also known as "Star Wars," called for a land- or space-based shield against a nuclear attack. Although SDI was criticized as unfeasible and in violation of the Antiballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, Congress approved billions of dollars for development.