1. The Cold War (Part I, 1945-1960) Vocabulary

2. Cold War Definition: A conflict or dispute between two groups that does not involve actual fighting.

3. Communism Definition: An economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by the state.

4. Capitalism Definition: An economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.

5. Containment Definition: A principle of US foreign policy that sought to prevent the expansion of communist power.

6. Truman Doctrine Definition: President Truman's policy of providing economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism or totalitarian ideology

7. The Marshall Plan Definition: An American policy to aid Europe. The United States gave economic support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to prevent the spread of communism.

8. NATO Definition: North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an international organization composed of the US, Canada, Britain, and a number of European countries: established by the North Atlantic Treaty (1949) for the purposes of collective security.

9. The Warsaw Pact Definition: A military treaty and association of Eastern European countries. Formed in 1955 by the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania.

10. The Berlin Blockade Definition: June 24, 1948 – May 12, 1949 For eleven months, the Soviet Union blockaded all roads from West Germany to West Berlin. The Soviet Union wanted to starve West Berlin into submission, and make Berlin a unified communist city.

11. The Berlin Airlift Definition: A United States effort to deliver supplies including 2 million tons of food and coal by air to West Berlin in 1948-1949 in response to the Soviet blockade of the city.

12. NSC-68 Definition: A secret policy statement, proposed by the National Security Council in 1950, calling for a large, ongoing military commitment to contain the spread of communism.

13. Armistice Definition: An agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting for a certain time; a truce.

14. Espionage Definition: The practice of spying or of using spies, typically by governments to obtain political and military information.

15. Massive Retaliation Definition: The military policy of President Eisenhower and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles relying on nuclear weapons to inhibit communist aggression during the 1950s.

16. Sputnik Definition: The name of the first satellite launched into earth’s orbit. The satellite was launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957.

17. The National Interstate and Defense Highway Act (1956) Definition: A law passed by the United States Congress to create an interstate highway system that could help Americans evacuate in the event of an emergency, and allow the United States to mobilize its military in the event of a war.

18. The National Defense Education Act (1958) Definition: A law passed by the United States Congress to grant federal funds to American high schools to support mathematical, science, and foreign language education programs.