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The Iron Curtain
Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain described the divide between the East and West of Europe as an Iron Curtain. Later on this idea of a divide became concrete in form of the Berlin Wall. -
Containment Policy
This was a United States policy using military, economic, and diplomatic strategies to try and stop the spread of communism. The US thought this policy would help stop the “domino effect” of communism spreading. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a policy set forth by U.S. President Harry S Truman. The policy applied to the nations of Turkey and Greece. The goal was to stop the spread of communism. This policy marked the beginning of the United States Containment policy. -
Soviet Satellites
A satellite state is a political term that refers to a country that was formally independent, but now under heavy political and economic influence or control by another country. The Soviet Satellite Nations were: East Germany, Czech, Poland, Soviet Union, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Albania. -
Marshall Plan
The goal of the Marshall plan was to give aid to western European nations to help rebuild war torn economies. The United States would spend billions of dollars to help out other nations to help them gain trust for the USA. -
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Berlin Airlift
The soviets alienated the West further when they cut off entrance into the occupied city of Berlin. The Western Allies carried supplies by planes to people in West Berlin. Supplies included basic necessities. The two primary needs were food and coal. Since the Soviets had cut off electricity to West Berlin, coal was the only energy source for the residents. -
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The Berlin Blockade
It was an attempt by the Soviet Union to block Allied access to the German city of Berlin. Ultimately the Soviet Union failed and the West succeeded in reaching Berlin. -
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
The treaty is an international alliance of 26 countries of Europe and North America created to ensure the peace and security of the North Atlantic region. It is a defensive alliance that the West forms in 1949. -
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Peaceful coexistence
This is a theory that was created and applied by the Soviet Union that communists can exist peacefully with the non communist nations. The Soviet Union applied it to relations between the western world for example, the United States and NATO countries and the nations of the Warsaw Pact. -
Communism in Hungary (Hungarian Revolt)
This was a nationwide revolt against the government of the People's Republic of Hungary and its Soviet-imposed policies. The revolt quickly spread and the government fell. The nation then withdrew from the Warsaw Pact. However, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union crushed the revolution and reinstalled a government that would suppress all opposition to the Soviets power. -
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Space Race
This was a competition between the Soviet Union and the USA for supremacy in outer space exploration. This started with the launch of the Soviet’s Sputnik. However, the USA was the first nation to land on the moon. -
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Warsaw Pact
This was a defense alliance that the East forms in 1955. The Warsaw Pact is the name given to the treaty between Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union. It was a military treaty, which bound its members to come to the aid of the others, should any one of them be the victim of foreign aggressors. -
ICBM’s (intercontinental ballistic Missiles)
Competition between the U.S. armed services and the Soviets meant that each force developed its own ICBM program. Each country was trying to militarize fast and create nuclear war missiles and bombs. The ICBM, is a ballistic missile with a long range designed for nuclear weapon delivery. -
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Cuban Missile Crisis
When the USA and the Soviet Union both had there armed forces at the highest state of readiness. The soviets moved there nuclear powers to Cuba in hope that they could attack the US faster and more effectively. No nuclear weapons were used and the dispute was settled with no one harmed. -
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Détente
The term is often used in reference to the general easing of relations between the Soviet Union and the United States. The economic burden helped ease the tensions by slowing down the drive for militarism. This then helped bring the cold war to a slow end. -
Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia
During the period of political liberalization known as the Prague Spring, when Czechoslovakia commanders put forward plans to democratize the armed forces, the Soviets felt threatened. The Warsaw Pact forces including the Soviet Union then invaded Czechoslovakia and took control of it. -
Glasnost
Policy introduced into the Soviet Union by Gorbachev during the 1980s which encouraged a more open, liberal one between state and people and in business. Russians were encouraged to question and voice complaints about the government. However later on the Soviet Union would re impose some of the restrictions. -
Perestroika
This was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Restructuring occurred within the economic and political parts of this nation. This is one of the causes that ended the cold war. -
The Berlin Wall’s Fall
Civil unrest and the approval of the East German government pushed people to start to climb over the wall and tear it down. Both people on the East and West sides put forth an effort to break the dividing wall between East and West Berlin. The fall of the Berlin wall paved way for German reunification. -
The Soviet Breakup
The two reasons for this unexpected collapse were economic problems as well as an undermined political structure. The Cold war finally came to an end, and the USSR became known as Russia.
