super easy
a prolonged state of geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle between the US and the Soviet Union
Cold War
Sputnik 1
a US geopolitical foreign policy that was initiated in 1947 by George F. Kennan and adopted by President Truman that was aimed at preventing the global expansion of Soviet influence and communism
Containment
a US initiative that provided over $13 billion in economic assistance to rebuild western Europe, modernize industry, and remove trade barriers
Marshall Plan
155km, fortified concrete barrier, built by East Germany, that physically divided East + West Berlin and prevented citizens from fleeing communist East Germany
Berlin Wall
a major Cold War proxy conflict between North Korea and South Korea
Korean War
period of intense anti-communist hysteria/paranoia in the US that was driven by fears that Soviet spies and subversions were infiltrating America
Red Scare
metaphorical and physical boundary dividing Europe into 2 separate areas. The Soviet-aligned communist eastern Europe and the democratic western Europe
Iron Curtain
massive operation where the US, UK, and western allies flew over 2.3 million tons of food, fuel, and supplies to West Berlin
Berlin Airlift
followers of a Marxist-Leninist ideology that advocated for state-controlled economics, the abolition of private property, and a single-party government
Communists
a circle of latitude that served as the initial boundary that separated Soviet-occupied North Korea and US-occupied South Korea
38th Parallel North
political practice of publicizing accusations of disloyalty or subversion with insufficient regard to evidence
McCarthyism
a fierce, decades long, competition between the US and the Soviet Union to achieve military + technological superiority
Arms Race
the primary US civilian foreign intelligence service focused on gathering, analyzing, and acting upon information to counter Soviet expansion and influence
CIA
a 1947 US foreign policy initiative, that pledged American military + economic aid to nations resisting communist subversion
Truman Doctrine
an abortive invasion of Cuba in April 1961, by an estimated 1500 Cuban exiles that opposed Fidel Castro
Bay of Pigs
the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics acting as a global superpower in a state of geopolitical, ideological, and economic tension with the US and US's allies
USSR/Soviet Union
an inter-governmental military alliance established in 1949 to provide collective security against the Soviet Union during the Cold War
NATO/North Atlantic Treaty Organization
a 1955-1991 Cold War military alliance led by the Soviet Union as a direct counter to NATO and West Germany's rearmament
Warsaw Pact
foreign policy strategy of pushing a dangerous situation to the edge of war to force an opponent to back down and make concessions, avoiding actual conflict through aggressive risk-taking
Brinkmanship