Key Terms and Events of the Cold War Era

United Nations

• An international organization founded in 1945 to promote peace, security, and cooperation among nations.

• A military alliance formed in 1949 to counter Soviet expansion.

• A global economic organization established in 1965 to regulate trade.

• A cultural organization founded in 1950 to promote world heritage.

Foreign Aid

• Economic, military, or technical assistance provided by one country to another, often used as a tool during the Cold War.

• A type of trade agreement between two nations.

• A form of cultural exchange program.

• A military strategy used to invade another country.

Iranian Hostage Crisis

• A 1979 event in which 52 Americans were held hostage in Iran for 444 days following the Iranian Revolution.

• A 1980 military operation to rescue hostages in Iran.

• A diplomatic agreement between the U.S. and Iran in 1979.

• A protest against the U.S. embassy in Tehran in 1978.

Nonaligned Nations

• Countries that chose not to align with either the U.S. or the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

• Countries that were part of NATO during the Cold War.

• Countries that supported the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

• Countries that were neutral in World War II.

Iron Curtain

• A term used to describe the division between Northern and Southern Europe.

• A term coined by Winston Churchill to describe the division between Communist Eastern Europe and Capitalist Western Europe during the Cold War.

• A phrase referring to the economic policies of the European Union.

• A metaphor for the separation of the United States and Canada.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

• A successful 1961 U.S.-backed operation to overthrow Fidel Castro in Cuba.

• A failed 1961 U.S.-backed operation to overthrow Fidel Castro in Cuba.

• A peaceful negotiation between the U.S. and Cuba in 1961.

• A military alliance formed between Cuba and the Soviet Union in 1961.

Yalta Conference

• A meeting in 1945 between Allied leaders to plan post-war Europe and the division of Germany.

• A conference held in 1943 to discuss the strategy for the Pacific War.

• A summit in 1946 to establish the United Nations.

• A gathering of European leaders in 1944 to negotiate peace treaties.

Containment

• A U.S. policy aimed at promoting communism in vulnerable countries.

• A U.S. policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism by providing economic, military, and diplomatic support to vulnerable countries.

• A U.S. policy focused on isolationism and avoiding foreign conflicts.

• A U.S. policy that encouraged the spread of democracy worldwide.

Vietnamization

• A U.S. policy to gradually withdraw troops from Vietnam and transfer the responsibility of war to South Vietnamese forces.

• A strategy to increase military presence in Vietnam.

• A diplomatic effort to negotiate peace with North Vietnam.

• A program to provide economic aid to South Vietnam.

Korean War

• A conflict from 1950 to 1953 between North Korea and South Korea.

• A war fought between Japan and China in the 1930s.

• A civil war in Vietnam during the 1960s.

• A conflict between the U.S. and Canada over territory.