Cold War
A period of hostility between the Soviet Union and the United States characterized by treaties, propaganda, and an arms race instead of direct warfare.
Decolonization
The process in which empires were dismantled, and former colonies gained independence from their colonizers.
Yalta Conference
A meeting in 1945 where Roosevelt pushed for free elections in Eastern Europe, but Stalin aimed to keep Eastern Europe under Soviet influence as a buffer zone.
Potsdam Conference
A conference in July 1945 where Truman insisted on free elections in Eastern Europe, but Stalin's troops already occupied much of the region, deepening the divide between the US and the Soviet Union.
Marshall Plan
A US initiative offering $12 billion in aid to rebuild Europe after World War II to prevent the spread of communism and strengthen Western Europe.
Containment
A policy advocated by George Kennan to contain the spread of communism, implemented through initiatives like the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine.
Arms Race
A competition between the US and the Soviet Union to develop and stockpile nuclear weapons, leading to the creation of increasingly powerful bombs and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Non-Aligned Movement
A group of newly independent Asian and African nations that sought to remain neutral in the Cold War and represent the interests of developing countries.
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, formed in 1949 by Western European countries and the US to counter the Soviet Bloc's influence in Eastern Europe.
Warsaw Pact
An alliance created by the Soviet Union in 1955 in response to NATO, comprising Eastern European countries under Soviet influence.