Vocab
The geopolitical tension and ideological conflict between the United States and its NATO allies on one side, and the Soviet Union and its allies on the other, from the end of World War II in 1945 until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991
Cold War
The competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to build up their respective military arsenals, particularly nuclear weapons
A physical barrier separating West Berlin from East Germany, constructed by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) during the Cold War
Berlin Wall
The concept that if both superpowers possessed enough nuclear weapons to destroy the other, neither would launch a first strike, as the resulting counterstrike would be devastating for both
Mutually Assured Destruction
A 13-day confrontation in 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union over Soviet ballistic missiles deployed in Cuba, which brought the two superpowers to the brink of nuclear war
Cuban Missile Crisis
The belief that if one country in a region fell to communism, neighboring countries would also follow suit, like a row of falling dominoes.
Domino Theory
The U.S. foreign policy strategy aimed at preventing the spread of communism, particularly by the Soviet Union, during the Cold War
Containment
A military alliance of democratic countries, initially formed as a response to the perceived threat of Soviet aggression in Europe
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
The practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without adequate evidence, particularly during the anti-communist investigations led by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the United States
McCarthyism
A conflict in which two opposing powers avoid direct military confrontation but support combatants who serve their interests, often in third-party countries
Proxy War
A military alliance of communist countries led by the Soviet Union, created in response to the formation of NATO
Warsaw Pact
Negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union aimed at limiting the proliferation of strategic nuclear weapons
SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks):
A term coined by Winston Churchill to describe the ideological and physical separation between the democratic nations of the West and the communist nations of the East in Europe
Iron Curtain
Reforms introduced by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s to revitalize the Soviet economy and increase political openness, respectively
Perestroika and Glasnost
A forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. It was founded with the view to advancing interests of developing countries in the context of Cold War confrontation. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide.
Non-Aligned Movement