Cold War and Post-War Era

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Satellite states

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A country that is formally independent but under heavy political, economic, and military influence or control from another country.

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Cold War

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The state of political hostility that existed between the Soviet bloc countries and the US-led Western powers from 1945 to 1990.

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Iron Curtain

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The political, military, and ideological barrier erected by the Soviet Union after World War II to seal off itself and its dependent eastern and central European allies from open contact with the West and other noncommunist areas.

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Truman Doctrine

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The principle that the US should support countries or peoples threatened by Soviet forces or Communist insurrection, first expressed in 1947 by US President Truman.

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Containment

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A United States policy using numerous strategies to prevent the spread of communism abroad during the Cold War.

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Marshall Plan

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Economic Recovery Act of 1948, which gave $13 billion in support to 17 European nations to aid in their recovery from WWII.

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Berlin airlift

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American response to the Berlin Blockade, supplying Berlin with food, supplies, and other aid from June 1948 to May 1949.

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North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

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A military alliance of European and North American democracies founded after World War II to strengthen international ties and counter-balance the Soviet Union.

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Warsaw Pact

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A collective defense treaty signed in 1955 among the Soviet Union and seven Soviet satellite states as a counter-balance to NATO.

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Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek)

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Politician and military leader who served as the leader of the Nationalist Party and the Republic of China between 1928 and 1975.