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 o...
Detente
Relaxation of tensions between the United States and its two major Communist rivals, the Soviet Union and China.
Marshall Plan
A United States program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe after WWII to prevent nations from turning to communism (1948-1952)
Korean War (1950-1953)
The conflict between Communist North Korea and Non-Communist South Korea. The United Nations (led by the United States) helped South Korea.
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 Viet...
Vietnamization
President Richard Nixon's strategy for ending U.S involvement in the vietnam war, involving a gradual withdrawal of American troops and replacement of...
Space Race
A competition of space exploration between the United States and Soviet Union.
Vietnam Protests
Student and civilian protests which included draft card burnings, flag burning, & marches against the war in Vietnam
Truman Doctrine
1947 - Stated that the U.S. would support any nation threatened by Communism.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
1964 Congressional resolution authorizing President Johnson to take military action in Vietnam
Arms Race
Cold war competition between the U.S. and Soviet Union to build up their respective armed forces and weapons.
Bay of Pigs Invasion
failed invasion of Cuba in 1961 when a force of 1,200 Cuban exiles, backed by the United States, landed at the Bay of Pigs.
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 t...
United Nations
An international organization formed after WWII to promote international peace, security, and cooperation.
SALT Agreement
U.S. and Soviet Union agree to reduce the number of nuclear weapons
Containment
American policy of limiting further expansion of communism around the world
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 Hou...
Superpowers
Name for the U.S. and Soviet Union after World War II because we were the two strongest countries in the world.
Berlin Wall
A wall separating East and West Berlin built by East Germany in 1961 to keep citizens from escaping to the West.
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
Military alliance created in 1949 made up of 12 non-Communist countries including the United States that support each other if attacked (Still exists...
Warsaw Pact
A military alliance between the Soviet Union and other Eastern European nations supporting communism. This was in response to the NATO.
Cuban Missile Crisis
1962 crisis that arose between the United States and the Soviet Union over a Soviet attempt to deploy nuclear missiles in Cuba.
Cold War Presidents
Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and George H.W. Bush
Iron Curtain
Winston Churchill's term for the Cold War division between the Soviet-dominated East and the U.S.-dominated West.
Berlin Airlift
airlift in 1948 that supplied food and fuel to citizens of west Berlin when the Russians closed off land access to Berlin.
End of the Cold War
Marked by the fall of the Soviet Union which was the result of Eastern European countries gaining independence (Berlin Wall torn down), Gorbachev's re...
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