-
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong led the communist forces in China through a long revolution beginning in 1927 and ruled nation's communist government in 1949. Along with Vladmir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, Mao is considered a significant communist figure of the Cold War. -
Venona Papers
List of all names ostensibly deciphered from codenames in the Venona project. American government efforts to decrypt coded messages by intelligence forces of the Soviet Union. -
Iron Curtain
Physical boundary that divided Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War 2 in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. Iron Curtain was an effort by the Soviet Union to block itself and it's satellite from open contact with the west and non-Soviet-controlled areas. -
Truman Doctrine
Harry S. Truman, president of the U.S., established that the United States would provide political, military, and economic assistance to democratic nations under threat of interal or external authoritarian forces. Truman Doctrine effectively reoriented U.S. foreign policy, away from usual stance of withdrawal from regional conflicts not directly involving United States, to one of possible intervention during far away conflicts. U.S. government believed Soveit Union supported Greek communist war. -
Containment Policy
Containment was a U.S. policy usiny numerous strategies to prevent the spread of communism abroad; component of the Cold War. This policy was a response to a series of moves by Soveit Union to enlarge communist sphere of influence in Eastern Europe, China, Korea, and Vietnam. -
Marshall Plan
Also known as European Recovery Program, channeled over $13 billion to finance economic recovery of Europe. Marshall plan successfully sparked economic recovery; plan is named after Secretart of State George C. Marshall. -
Berlin Airlift
June 1948, Russians wanted Berlin for themselves so they closed all highways, railroads, and canals from western occupied Germany into western occupied Berlin. They believed it would make it impossible for people who lived there to get food or other supplies and eventually drive Great Britain, France, and the U.S. out of Berlin for good. Instead of retreating, the allies supplied their sectors of the city from the air. -
Rosenberg Trial
Trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg begins in New York southern district federal court. Judge Irving R. Kaufman was the judge in the court during the prosecution of the couple accused of selling nuclear secrets to the Russians. Rosenbergs and co-defendant, Morton Sobell, were defended by the father and son team of Emanuel and Alexander Boch. All the defendants were convicted; Rosenbergs were sentenced to deathrow, Sobell a a thirty-year sentence, and Greenglass fifteen years. -
McCarthyism
Practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence. Also means,"practice of making unfair allegations or using unfair investigative techniques, especially in order to restrict dissent or political criticism." -
Sputnik
Soviet Union launches first satellite Sputnik(Russian for satelliete). It sent back radio radio signals strong enough to be picked up by amateur radio operators. Sputnik's orbit deteriorated and the spacecraft burned up on Earth's atmosphere.
