Unit 5: Crisis and Change
Lesson H: From Hot to Cold War
Key Terms
| Key Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Berlin Blockade | an effort to cut off food, supplies, communications or trade from a country or region by force using ships or armies; during the Cold War, the U.S.S.R. blocked the Western Allies access to the parts of Berlin under Allied control; the U.S.S.R. wanted to supply Berlin with food and fuel and this would give the Soviets control over the entire city |
| capitalism | an economic system providing free choice and individual incentive for workers, investors, consumers, and business enterprises |
| Cold War | a state of political tension, military rivalry, proxy wars, and economic competition between countries that stops short of a full-scale war; especially the rivalry between the U.S.S.R. and the United States as well as each country's allies that continued from roughly 1946-1991 |
| communism | a political and economic theory in which factors of production are collectively owned |
| détente | easing of tension |
| dictator | a political leader with absolute power and authority |
| domino theory | a theory that if one country comes under communist control, then neighboring countries will also come under communist control |
| Eastern Bloc | the countries of eastern and central Europe that were under Soviet domination until the collapse of the Soviet Union (1946-1991) |
| Iron Curtain | boundary between the countries in Eastern and Western Europe during the Cold War |
| Marshall Plan | a United States program of economic aid to rebuild European economies after World War II in order to combat the spread of communism |
| nationalism | the belief that people who share a common history and culture should be loyal to their country |
| North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) | an international military alliance in which members agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by an external party; it originally was created to defend western Europe against possible Soviet invasion after World War II but evolved, after the fall of the Soviet Union, into a new role in peacekeeping |
| Prague Spring | a brief period of liberalization in Czechoslovakia, ending in August 1968, during which a program of political, economic, and cultural reform was initiated |
| proxy war | a war instigated by a major power that does not itself become involved |
| revolution | overthrowing an existing government |
| satellite countries | countries that appear to be sovereign, but are actually under the control of another country; countries such as Hungary and Poland under the control of the U.S.S.R. after World War II |
| trade embargo | a prohibition by a government on certain or all trade with a foreign country |
| Truman Doctrine | the principle, first expressed in 1947 by U.S. President Truman, that the U.S. should give support to countries or peoples threatened by Soviet forces or communist insurrection |
| Warsaw Pact | military alliance created in 1955 between the Soviet Union and countries of Eastern Europe |
Directions: Practice using these terms.
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