Terms
practice of threatening the enemy with massive military retaliation for any aggression - taking war to the edge
Brinkmanship
blocking of another nation's attempts to spread its influence - specifically blocking Soviet influence
containment
US President who believed in Brinkmanship and Mutually Assured Destruction
Dwight D Eisenhower
President who dealt with the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis
John F Kennedy
the imaginary line that separated Communist countries in the Soviet bloc of Eastern Europe - coined by Winston Churchill
Iron Curtain
congressional committee created in 1938 that investigated Communist influence inside the US government
HUAC (House of Un-American Activities Committee)
idea that if a nation falls under Communist control nearby nations will fall as well
Domino Theory
took part in the unsubstantiated attacks on people suspected of being Communists in the early 1950s
Joseph McCarty
Communist leader of Cuba
Fidel Castro
dependent state is a country that is formally independent but under heavy political, economic, and military influence or control from another country
Satellite Nations
policy to respond to any attack with nuclear force - resulting in the total destruction of both parties
Mutually Assured Destruction
US policy that provided economic and military aid to free nations threatened by internal or external opponents
Truman Doctrine
President who warmed relations with the Soviets through detente. First to visit Soviet Union
Richard Nixon
President who saw the end of the Cold War. increased military spending.
Ronald Reagan
a defensive military alliance formed in 1949 by Western European countries and the US and Canada
NATO
a foreign policy that focused on consideration of a nation's power rather than its ideals or moral principles
realpolitik
flexible policy willingness to negotiate and ease tensions - adopted by Nixon
detente
led the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. Berlin Wall was built under him
Nikita Khruschev
Leader of the Soviet Union in the 80s and 90s. Had positive relations with the US. Under him, the Berlin wall fell
Mikhail Gorbachev
military alliance formed in 1955 by Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellites
Warsaw Pact
US commitment to defend the Middle East against attack by any communist country
Eisenhower Doctrine
treaty in which the US and Soviet Union agreed not to conduct nuclear weapon testing in the atmosphere
Limited Test Ban Theory
Communist leader of China
Mao Zedong
Secretary of State under Nixon and Ford. Believed in detente
Henry Kissenger
line of latitude that divides North and South Korea
38th Parallel