Early Cold War Events and Vocabulary

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What was the Cold War?

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A period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States and their respective allies after World War II.

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What is the Iron Curtain?

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A term popularized by Winston Churchill to describe the division between Western democracies and Eastern communist countries during the Cold War.

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What was the Truman Doctrine?

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A U.S. policy established in 1947 to provide economic and military aid to countries resisting communism.

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What is NATO?

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The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance formed in 1949 between North American and European countries to counter Soviet expansion.

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What was the Berlin Airlift?

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A military operation in 1948-1949 that delivered food and supplies to West Berlin amidst a Soviet blockade.

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What is containment?

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A U.S. policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism beyond its existing borders.

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What was the Marshall Plan?

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An American initiative providing aid to Western Europe after World War II to rebuild economies and prevent the spread of communism.

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What is the Warsaw Pact?

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A military alliance of communist nations in Eastern Europe organized in 1955 in response to NATO.

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What was the Korean War?

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A conflict between North Korea, supported by China and the Soviet Union, and South Korea, supported by United Nations forces led by the United States, from 1950 to 1953.