| A | B |
|---|
| Berlin Blockade | Attempt by the Soviet Union to seal off West Berlin and convert it to communism |
| Eastern Europe | Portion of European continent that was primarily communist during the cold war |
| Communism (communist) | A system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party |
| Satellite Nation | an independent state under the control of a more powerful nation, like the Soviet Union controlling many Eastern European countries |
| Sputnik | The first satellite placed into orbit, done so by the USSR |
| Berlin Airlift | program where US and British pilots flew in supplies during the Soviet blockade |
| Brinkmanship | the belief that only by going all the way to the edge of starting a war, could the US protect itself against communist aggression |
| Containment | the policy to try to keep communism from spreading to new places |
| Iron curtain | the imaginary wall that was used to describe the border between Western Europe and the territory controlled by the Soviet Union |
| Marshall Plan | US foreign policy that gave economic aid to countries in Western Europe after WWII in order to make their economies and governments stable |
| NATO | a military alliance for collective security, formed by North American and Western European nations to help prevent Soviet expansion |
| The West | Term given the countries of the world that accept democracy, freedom and capitalism |
| Truman Doctrine | the US promise to help any nation fighting against communist movements |
| Western Europe | Portion of the European continent that was primarily democratic during the cold war |
| Winston Churchill | British leader who declared that an iron curtain had descended upon Europe |
| 38th Parallel | the line of latitude that separated North and South Korea |
| stalemate | When, in a battle or war, neither side makes any real gain |
| Eisenhower Doctrine | US policy that offered military support for any nation in the Middle East fighting against Soviet aggression |
| arms race | The continued attempt by a country to develop more powerful weapons than its enemies |
| Cold War | the nearly 50 year long political and military rivalry between the US and the Soviet Union |
| Korean War | Battle between North and South Korea, started when the North invaded the South. |
