Name:Unit 9 Interactive Vocab:Cold War Begins/1950s

Word Definition Analysis1. Cold War (437) The struggle between the

Communist world led by the Soviet Union and the noncommunist world led by the U.S.

A war of words and influence

Why was this called a ‘cold war’?

2. Superpowers Nations that influence or control less powerful states

Countries that control global affairs because of size, economic strength, and military power and ability

Who were the 2 major superpowers during the Cold War?

3. Capitalism An economic system in which individuals and private businesses make most of the economic decisions

Free enterprise system Used in America

Name one strength and one weakness of capitalism.

4. Communism A type of system characterized by single-party rule of politics and government control of the economy

Government/Economy of the USSR

Name one strength and one weakness of communism.

5. Harry S Truman Under Truman, the Allies successfully ended World War II; tensions with the Soviet Union increased, marking the start of the Cold War

President during the Korean War

Passed an executive order to desegregate the military (most units were desegregated by 1951)

What major decision did Truman make to end WWII?

6. Potsdam Conference July 1945--The U.S (Truman), Britain (Atlee), and the USSR (Stalin) meet to work out the final plans for Germany

Truman continues to press for free elections in Europe

Formalized the decision to divide Germany into 4 zones

Recognized the USSR’s right to ask for reparations

How were the “big three” at Yalta different than the big three at the Potsdam Conference?

7. Satellite Nation (States) (437) A country under the control List three of the satellite nations.

(dominated) of another nation both politically and economically

Used by Soviet Union as a buffer against capitalist countries and any future invasions (Eastern Europe)

8. Iron Curtain (437 ) Symbolized the growing geographic and political divisions between Communist and Capitalist (democratic) nations in Europe

Imaginary “curtain” both physical and ideological, blocked people from crossing to non- communist countries and stopped ideas

Why did Churchill use the metaphor of an ‘Iron Curtain’?

9. Containment (439) Based on ideas of George F. Kennan

The restriction of Soviet expansion and communism

Goal was not to overthrow communism where it already existed, but to PREVENT communism from spreading further to other countries

What did the US hope would be the end result of the containment policy?

10. Truman Doctrine (438) Policy that the U.S. must support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation (takeover) by armed minorities or by outside pressures (communists)

Why would Truman believe it was America’s responsibility to help these nations?

11. Marshall Plan (440) Massive monetary aid program proposed by Secretary of State George Marshall

Money to be given to the countries of war-torn Europe to rebuild economies

Money was to be spent on goods made in the U.S.

Successful and created goodwill towards the U.S.

Did the US offer monetary aid to Soviet satellite countries?

12. Berlin Blockade/Airlift (440) Soviet Union placed a blockade of West Berlin (free) by closing

How could this have gone wrong?

all highway and railroad links An attempt to starve out the

allies in Berlin in order to gain supremacy

High point in the Cold War, and it led to the Berlin Airlift

The airlift was a joint effort by the U.S. and Britain to fly food and supplies into West Berlin

13. Collective Security A system in which a group of countries commit to jointly dealing with a nation that threatens the peace or security of any one of the countries

Countries pledge to defend every other country in “group” if attacked

Give an example of how the U.S. used this strategy during the Cold War?

14. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) (441)

1949 alliance of nations that agreed to band together in the event of war and to support and protect each nation involved

Each NATO member pledged to defend every other member if attacked

Does this remind you of any other idea we have studied?

15. Warsaw Pact (441) Military alliance between the Soviet Union and nations of Eastern Europe, formed in 1955

Formed in response to NATO

Give 2 examples of member nations: 1. 2.

16. Dwight D. Eisenhower 34th President of the United States from 1953 until 1961

Became President at the end of the Korean War

His secretary of State encouraged a policy of ‘massive retaliation’—the US would respond to communist threats to its allies by threatening to use crushing force, perhaps even nuclear weapons

What other vocab term could his policy of ‘massive retaliation’ lead to?

17. Suez Crisis (451) Britain and France joined forces with Israel in an attempt to seize control of the Suez Canal in 1956

This occurred after the leader of Egypt ( President Gamal Abdel Nasser) had nationalized it and brought it under Egypt’s control—this would threaten the flow of oil to Eastern Europe

Why would Britain and France be involved in this crisis?

18. Eisenhower Doctrine (451) This was passed in response to Why would the U.S. not want

the Suez Crisis (January 1957) Announced that the U.S. would

use force to help any nation threatened by communism

Used to justify sending troops to Lebanon in 1958

The President can now send in the troops without declaring war

communism in the Middle East?

19. Chiang Kai-Shek (442) Former leader of China until Mao Zedong started a communist revolution in 1949

He and those that supported him fled to Taiwan

Chiang's government continued to declare its intention to retake mainland China

Chiang ruled the island securely as President of the Republic of China and General of the Kuomintang until his death in 1975

What Island led by Chiang claimed to be the Republic Of China?

20. Mao Zedong (442) Led communist party in China Gained the support of peasants. Set up the People’s Republic of

China in 1949 (Communist China)

How did the US respond to this change?

21. Korean War (442) Conflict over the future of the Korean peninsula, fought between 1950 and 1953 and ending in a stalemate

Created the 38th Parallel—The line dividing North and South Korea

North Korea invaded South Korea to reunify country

Why did the war break out—what political ideology were we trying to keep from spreading?

22. Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) An area, often along the border between two military powers, that no military forces are allowed to enter

Still exists between North and South Korea today

A buffer zone

Without using a dictionary, write a definition of the word “buffer”—in your own words:

23. Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (446)

Formed after the Korean War A defensive alliance aimed at

preventing the spread of Communism

Members included Pakistan, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, France, Britain, and the United States

Why would France, Britain, and the U.S. be members? (These countries aren’t geographically located in South East Asia, but…?)

24. Arms Race (447) A competition between nations to achieve the more powerful weapons arsenal

Competition to have the most destructive and most powerful weapons

Who was the ‘arms race’ between during the Cold War?

Does this make the world safer?

25. Deterrence A foreign policy in which a nation develops a weapons arsenal so deadly that another nation will not dare attack

What weapon did we have that other countries would be scared of?

26. Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) (449)

The principle that either side would respond to a nuclear attack by launching its own missiles

Also called massive retaliation Only used or justified if a

nation’s very survival is at stake

Give an example of how the U.S. used this strategy during the Cold War?

27. Sputnik (452) The first artificial satellite to orbit Earth, launched by the Soviets (Russia) in 1957

Started the Space Race

Why was this a significant event during the Cold War?

28. Space Race Race to be the first country to space/the moon. o Russia launches Sputnik 1957o America sends the Apollo

mission to the moon in 1968--bragging rights

Which side do you think won the Space Race?

29. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (452)

United States government agency responsible for the civilian space program as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower established NASA in 1958

Why was NASA created—what race were we trying to win?

30. National Defense Education Act A law (1958) providing funding to US education institutions at all levels

Emphasis on Math and Science Passed to increase the

technological sophistication and power of the United States

What did Russia do in 1957 that would cause Americans to feel as though they were behind scientifically?

31. House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) (455)

An investigative committee of the U.S. House of Representatives

Better known for its role in investigating alleged disloyalty and subversive activities on the part of private citizens, public employees, and those organizations suspected of having ties to Communism

What previous term during the 1920s does this remind you of?

32. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg (455) American communists who were executed in 1953 for conspiracy to commit espionage during a time of war

The charges related to passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union

This was the first execution of civilians for espionage in United States history

Why do you think American citizens would sell secrets to the USSR?

33. Venona Papers (456) The program attempted to decrypt messages sent by Soviet Union intelligence agencies

Confirmed the existence of some spies in U.S. government—including the Rosenbergs and Alger Hiss

Why is this important?

34. McCarthyism (457) The practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence

Named after Senator Joseph McCarthy

Why would a lot of the targets of McCarthyism be actors?

35. Joseph McCarthy (457) Republican Senator from Wisconsin who made

What happens to McCarthy?

unsupported accusations against government officials of being Communist

promoting the Second Red Scare and McCarthyism

36. Termination Policy (479) 1953 law sought to relocate Native Americans to the nation’s cities

Terminated the federal government’s responsibility for the health and welfare of Native Americans

What affect do you think this would have on the Native Americans and the reservation system?

37. GI Bill of Rights (460) Provided federal funds to help returning GIs transition to civilian life

Included loans to buy new homes and paid college tuition

Helped increase housing boom and suburbs

Do you know of any veterans that received GI benefits today? If so what type of benefits?

38. Baby Boom (460) A time after WWII when many babies were born

1944-1964 The largest amount of children

born in the US

According to the graph provided what do you call the time period when the most babies were born in the US?

39. Interstate Highway Act (468) Signed by Eisenhower to authorize funds to build 41,000 miles of highway that would connect the nation’s major cities

This would carry the nation’s growing traffic, boost economic prosperity and provide a valuable transportation network to strengthen national defense

How can the highways strengthen national defense?

40. William J Levitt American real-estate developer In his position as president of

Levitt & Sons, he is widely credited as the father of modern American suburbia

He created Levitt Town the first cookie cutter suburb

What is Levitt famous for?

41. Jonas Salk (475) He discovered and developed the first successful inactivated

Which former president would have benefited from this vaccine?

polio vaccine

42. Beat Generation/Beatniks (475) A group of American post-World War II writers who came to prominence in the 1950s

Central elements of "Beat" culture: rejection of received standards, innovations in style, , a rejection of materialism, and explicit portrayals of the human condition

Example: Jack Kerouac’s On the Road Again

Why would a “Beat Generation” come into being after WWII?

43. Rock-and-Roll (475) a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s

primarily from a combination of African-American genres together with Western swing and country music

Who would be a famous Rock and Roll musician from the 1950s? (GOOGLE)

44. Elvis Presley (477) American rock 'n' roll singer, known for his distinctive throaty tone in songs such as “Hound Dog” and “All Shook Up.”

Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as "the King of Rock and Roll", or simply, "the King".

Have you ever heard an Elvis Presley song before?