Cold War- A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union Cold War- A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years. Vocabulary

Super Powers- a powerful country that can influence many other countries Korean War- The conflict between Communist North Korea and Non-Communist South Korea. The United Nations (led by the United States) helped South Korea. Third World- poorer countries that have little industry Domino Theory- A theory that if one nation comes under Communist control, then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control. NATO- North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an alliance made to defend one another if they were attacked by any other country; US, England, France, Canada, Western European countries Warsaw Pact- A military alliance, formed in 1955, of the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellite nations.

Brinkmanship- the act of pushing a situation to the verge of war, in order to threaten and encourage one's opponent to back down. Non-alignment- a group of states which are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. Iron Curtain- Term used by Churchill in 1946 to describe the growing East-West divide in postwar Europe between communist and democratic nations. Truman Doctrine- President Truman's policy of providing economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism or totalitarian ideology (Basically helping NON-communists that were threatened by communism).

Containment- American policy of resisting further expansion of communism around the world. Vietnam War- (1954-1975) a prolonged war between the communist North Vietnam, supported by the Chinese, and the non-communist South Vietnam, supported by the US Détente- (a French word meaning release from tension) is the name given to a period of improved relations between the United States and the Soviet Union that began tentatively in 1971 Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge- to be powerful, Leader of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, terrorized the people of Cambodia throughout the 1970's Space Race- a competition of space exploration between the United States and Soviet Union

Star Wars- this program was to develop a sophisticated anti-ballistic missile system in order to prevent missile attacks from other countries, specifically the Soviet Union. Lyndon Johnson- the US president who privately wanted to stay out of Vietnam but sent soldiers because his goal was to stop the spread of communism JFK- President of the United States during the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the building of the Berlin Wall, and the Space Race, assassinated in 1963 Richard Nixon- worked with Brezhnev to ease Cold War tensions. Ronald Reagan- Started the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as Star Wars, was a program first initiated on March 23, 1983. Ho Chi Minh- Vietnamese communist statesman who fought the Japanese in World War II and the French until 1954 and South Vietnam until 1975 (1890-1969) Cuban Missile Crisis- 1962 crisis that arose between the United States and the Soviet Union over a Soviet attempt to deploy nuclear missiles in Cuba

Marshall Plan- U.S. program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe (1948-1952). USSR refused. 38th Parallel- line of latitude that separated North and South Korea Joseph Stalin- Russian leader who succeeded Lenin as head of the Communist Party and created a totalitarian state by purging all opposition Nikita Khrushchev- led the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, serving as premier from 1958 to 1964. Leonid Brezhnev- Worked with Nixon to ease cold war tension. Mikhail Gorbachev- Head of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. His liberalization effort improved relations with the West, but he lost power after his reforms led to the collapse of Communist governments in eastern Europe. Berlin Airlift- Airlift in 1948 that supplied food and fuel to citizens of west Berlin when the Russians closed off land access to Berlin