Term | Definition |
Marshall Plan | U. S. Plan developed by George C. Marshall to help boost the economies of European nations after the war |
Berlin airlift | Truman’s plan to airlift food, fuel, and equipment to Berlin, Germany after the Soviet blockade of the city |
Cold War | conflict between the United States and Soviet Union following World War II |
Containment | policy to stop the spread of communism |
Iron curtain | used by Winston Churchill in 1946 to describe the line of demarcation between Western Europe and the Soviet zone of influence |
NATO | North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance that included Canada, the United States, and ten European nations |
Truman Doctrine | policy promising aid to countries fighting to maintain democracies |
Harry Truman | U.S. president from 1945 to 1953 |
Joseph Stalin | Communist dictator of the Soviet Union c. 1924-1953 |
38th parallel | line of latitude dividing North and South Korea |
Arms race | competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to develop more destructive weapons |
Korean War | conflict involving U.S.-led UN forces against North Korea and China |
Space race | competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to lead in space exploration |
Dwight Eisenhower | U.S. president from 1953-1961; Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II |
Joseph McCarthy | senator who accused many American of having communist ties |
Mao Zedong | first leader of communist China (1949) |
Baby boom | a sharp increase in the U.S. birthrate following World War II |
Rock’n’roll | music style based on rhythm and blues that became popular in the 1960's |
Suburbs | residential areas surrounding a city |
Elvis Presley | famous American rock’n’roll singer |
John Kennedy | U.S. president from 1961-1963 |