The Cold War

• Communism


  A socio-political movement aiming to establish a classless, stateless, and equal society. Characteristics: no private property, no distinct classes, common ownership of resources, planned production.
• Capitalism


  An economic system where private property, competition, free market, and profit drive production and allocation of resources.
• Tehran Conference


  A 1943 summit meeting between Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin, discussing post-war rebuilding, Soviet participation, and occupation zones in Germany.
• Yalta Conference


  A 1945 summit meeting between Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin, discussing post-war rebuilding, German occupation zones, and Soviet participation in the Pacific War.
• Potsdam Conference


  A 1945 summit meeting between Churchill, Truman, and Stalin, discussing post-war Germany, the atomic bomb, and Japan's surrender.
• Trinity Test


  The first test of an atomic bomb, conducted on July 16, 1945, resulting in the successful detonation of the first atomic bomb.
• Satellite States


  Countries under the influence or control of a more powerful nation, often through treaties or agreements.
• Examples of Satellite States

  Eastern European countries, South American countries, Asian countries, and African countries that were under Soviet or US influence.
• Iron Curtain


  A metaphorical barrier that separated Western Europe from Eastern Europe and the Western world after World War II, imposed by the Soviet Union.
• Origins of the Iron Curtain


  Claired by Winston Churchill in 1945, the term gained widespread usage to describe the physical and ideological gap between the capitalist West and the communist East.
• The Long Telegram


  A 1946 telegram sent by George Kennan, summarizing the Soviet Union's motivations and policies.
• Key Points of the Long Telegram


  Containment, Soviet Prussia, Soviet personality cult, and the recommendation to adopt a strong military presence and international alliances.
• The Novikov Telegram


  A 1946 telegram sent by Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Novikov to the Soviet Foreign Ministry, discussing Soviet concerns about American involvement in the Chinese Civil War and maintaining a balance of power in East Asia.
• Key Points of the Novikov Telegram


  Soviet concerns about American intentions in China, balance of power in East Asia, non-intervention in the Chinese Civil War, and warnings against American intervention.
• Blockade


  Soviet Union's attempt to cut off West Berlin's access to the outside world in 1948
• Airlift


  Massive airborne delivery of food and supplies to West Berlin in response to the Soviet blockade
• Geneva Conference


  Major international meeting in 1955 aimed at addressing Cold War tensions, including the Vietnam War and Korean War
• Camp David Summit


  Historic meeting between US President Jimmy Carter, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and Egyptian President Anwar El-Sadat in 1978
• Paris Summit


  Historic summit in 1960 between leaders of the world's major powers, which ultimately failed to establish détente
• Berlin Wall


  Physical barrier separating East and West Berlin, constructed by East Germany in 1961 to prevent East Germans from fleeing
• Bay of Pigs Invasion


  CIA-trained invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles, intended to overthrow Fidel Castro's government, but failed on April 17, 1961
• Cuban Missile Crisis


  13-day standoff between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in October 1962, over Soviet nuclear-armed ballistic missiles in Cuba
• Prague Spring


  Period of political liberalization and economic reform in Czechoslovakia that began in January 1968 and ended with a Soviet-led invasion on August 21, 1968
• Invasion of Czechoslovakia


  Military invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops on August 21, 1968, suppressing the Prague Spring reforms and restoring communist control
• Brezhnev Doctrine


  Soviet policy of intervention in Eastern European communist countries, introduced by Leonid Brezhnev in 1968, stating that the Soviet Union had the right to intervene to protect socialism