Intro to Cold War
By: Anna Park
Overview
The Cold War took place after World War II between the United States and the Soviet Union. The war started when the Soviet Union took an aggressive position in expanding communism around the world. This conflict lasted for generations, eventually leading to conflicts in Korea, Cuba, and Vietnam.
Containment
Containment was a policy that was created to stop the spread of communism.
"Iron Curtain"
The Iron Curtain was a political and military barrier set by the Soviet Union after World War II in efforts to keep itself away from open contact with the West and other non-communist areas.
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was made by President Harry S. Truman in 1947. It stated that the United States would aid any nation that is at risk of falling under the Soviet's communist influence.
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was put into action in July of 1947 and existed for four years. It was America's main program for rebuilding Western Europe and opposing communism after World War II. The United States spent billions of dollars on economic and technical assistance for war-torn democratic European countries that were ravaged by World War II. It offered aid to the Soviets in return for them making political reforms, however, they rejected.
Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift was a military operation that took place in the late 1940's. It brought food and other necessities into West Berlin via airplanes after West Berlin cut off supplies.
NATO
NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It was formed by the United States. It was an alliance with the other non-communist nations in Europe.
Korean War
This war took place in 1950. The United States worked with South Korea to fight communist North Korea. North Korea allied with Chinese communist governments. The US troops intervened and made an effort to eliminate communism in Korea. However, the Chinese attacked forcing the Americans back to South Korea.
McCarthyism
McCarthyism was pushed by Senator Joseph McCarthy. As communism spread, people became paranoid and wanted to stop communism from spreading to the US. McCarthyism was made up of cases of civil rights violations of communists, people suspected of being communists, or people who were suspected of knowing a communist person.
Space Race
The Space Race was a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union. The two countries competed to excel in the field of space exploration.
U-2 Incident
This incident took place on May 1st, 1960. A United States U-2 spy plane was shot down in Soviet airspace, causing more tension during the Cold War
Eisenhower Doctrine
Announced by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in January of 1957, the Eisenhower Doctrine said that a country could request American economic assistance and US military forces if threatened by another state. Soviet threat was singled out.
Brinkmanship
Brinkmanship was a foreign policy practice in which one or both parties force the interaction between them to confrontation in order to gain an advantageous negotiation position over the other.
Cuban Missile Crisis
An American spy plane captured photos of a developing Soviet nuclear missile site in Cuba. President Kennedy blockaded Cuba, threatening to invade unless the Soviets left Cuba. The Soviets would only agree to remove their missiles if the United States would remove the ones they had installed in Turkey. Both nations removed their missiles.
Bay of Pigs Invasion
This invasion took place in 1961. CIA trained Cuban exiles attempted to invade Cuba's Bay of Pigs. However, this invasion was a failure. The force was destroyed by Fidel Castro after President Kennedy refused to involve the US Armed forces. Many invaders were captured and the United States had to pay millions of dollars worth of food and supplies to release the captives.