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President Truman
In a speech to a joint session of Congress, President Truman asks for U.S. assistance for Greece and Turkey to rid communist dominance of the two nations. Historians have often cited Truman's address, which came to be known as the Truman Doctrine, as the official declaration of the Cold War. -
Nikita Khrushchev
Politician who led the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis by saying all Soviet missiles would be dismantled and removed from Cuba. He also led the policy of destalinization throughout the Soviet Union. -
Richard Nixon
American politician who served as the 37th president until he resigned from office. He became president at the height of tensions and by developing and implementing concurrent strategies of triangulation and détente, President Nixon successfully eased tensions between superpowers and achieved the first strategic arms control agreements with the Soviet Union. -
John F. Kennedy
President during the Cuban Missile Crisis and was the first to escalate the war in Vietnam. He authorized US troops to begin military offensives and started the systematic bombing of North Vietnam. -
Mikhail Gorbachev
Eighth and final leader of the Soviet Union having been the general secretary of the Communist party of the Soviet Union when the party was dissolved. Mikhail Gorbachev's effort to reform the Soviet political and economic system was an attempt to stop a period of political stalemate and economic backslide. -
Yalta/Potsdam Conference
The Yalta conferences were meetings of the Big Three and they decided how to split Germany and Berlin when they surrendered. It was also a time when Stalin wanted to control post war Europe. -
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Yalta/Potsdam Conferences
The Yalta conferences were meetings of the Big Three and they decided how to split Germany and Berlin when they surrendered. It was also a time when Stalin wanted to control post war Europe. -
Long Telegram
George Kennan's idea that the Soviet Union did not see the possibility of long term peaceful coexistence with the capitalist world. The best way to fix this was to contain communism around the globe. -
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain separated the Communist Nations of Eastern Europe to the mostly Democratic nations of Western Europe. Popularized by Winston Churchill in his Iron Curtain Speech. -
Novikov Telegram
The Soviet response to the Long Telegram, where the Soviet ambassador, Novikov, warned that the USA left WW2 economically strong and set for world domination. -
Truman Doctrine
A United States policy that gave economic and military aid to free nations threatened by internal or external opponents. President Truman announced this policy in a speech seeking aid for Greece and Turkey. -
Marshall Plan
United States program of economic aid to European countries to help rebuild after World War 2. This was proposed by George Marshall and signed by President Truman. -
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a defensive military alliance formed by 10 Western European nations, the United States, and Canada. If a NATO ally is a victim of an armed attack, every other member will take actions to assist that ally. -
Korean War
Began when North Korea invaded South Korea. The United Nations and the U.S. helped South Korea, while China helped North Korea. -
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Korean War
Began when North Korea invaded South Korea. The United Nations and the U.S. helped South Korea, while China helped North Korea. -
Brinkmanship
The practice of pursuing a dangerous policy to the limits of safety before stopping. The U.S. and Russia were considered an example of brinkmanship; the accumulation of so many deadly weapons could have led to disaster. It was a policy used by the US as a way to coerce the Soviets into backing down military. -
Domino Theory
If a nation falls under Communist control, nearby nations will also fall under Communist control. This is why America put a nuclear strike on Vietnam to stop Vietcong's success at spreading Communism. -
Warsaw Pact
A military alliance formed by the Soviet Union and seven Eastern European countries. The Communist Military alliance in reaction to NATO. -
Space Race
The competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, to achieve superior spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between the two nations following World War II. It was won by the United States. -
Vietnam War
A war that took place in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. It was a war with North Vietnam and Viet Cong against South Vietnam and the United States. -
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Vietnam War
A war that took place in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. It was a war with North Vietnam and Viet Cong against South Vietnam and the United States. -
Great Leap Forward
5 year economic plan executed by Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party to modernize the country's agricultural sector using Communist ideologies. It only lasted 3 of the 5 years. -
Vietcong
A group of communist guerillas who, with the help of North Vietnam fought against the South Vietnamese government in the Vietnam War. The term comes from the phrase "cong san Viet nam" meaning "Vietnamese Communist" -
Non-Aligned Movement
A forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. Second largest grouping of states after the United Nations. The Movement played a crucial role in decolonization, formation of new independent states, and democratization of international relations. -
Berlin Wall
A concrete barrier than encircled West Berlin and separated it from East Berlin and East Germany. The fall was caused by crowds of people who came together to dismantle the wall. -
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Berlin Wall
A concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin and separated it from East Berlin and East Germany. The fall was caused by crowds of people who came together to dismantle the wall. -
M.A.D.
Mutually Assured Destruction- doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides. This would cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender. -
Cultural Revolution
An uprising in China led by the Red Guards and launched by Mao Zedong. The goal was to establish a society of peasants and workers in which all were equal. -
Vietnamization
Strategy by President Nixon to end United States involvement in the Vietnam War. This would happen by slowly removing American troops to replace them with South Vietnamese troops. -
SALT
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks- a series of meetings where the US and Soviet Union agreed to limit their nation's stock of nuclear weapons. This was the first time in the war the Soviets and US agreed to limit the weapons. -
Soviet-Afghan War
Located in Afghanistan, fought between the Soviet Union and paramilitary groups against the Afghan Mujahideen and anti-Soviet Maoists. -
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Soviet-Afghan War
Located in Afghanistan, fought between the Soviet Union and paramilitary groups against the Afghan Mujahideen and anti-Soviet Maoists. -
Star Wars
U.S. strategic defensive system against potential nuclear attacks—as originally conceived, from the Soviet Union. Also known as the Strategic Defensive Initiative proposed by Ronald Reagan. -
Commonwealth of Independent States
A loose association of former Soviet Republics that was formed after the fall of the Soviet Union. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It focuses on cooperation on political, economic, environmental, humanitarian, cultural and other issues between a number of former Soviet Republics.
