COLD WAR TERMS

By: Estefani Hernandez Period:4th

Example: The Truman Doctrine arose from a speech delivered by President Truman before a joint session of Congress on March 12, 1947. The immediate cause for the speech was a recent announcement by the British Government that, as of March 31, it would no longer provide military and economic assistance to the Greek Government in its civil war against the Greek Communist Party

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Definition: With the Truman Doctrine, President Harry S. Truman established that the United States would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces. The Truman Doctrine effectively reoriented U.S. foreign policy, away from its usual stance of withdrawal from regional conflicts not directly involving the United States, to one of possible intervention in far away conflicts.

Characteristic: Truman argued that the United States could no longer stand by and allow the forcible expansion of Soviet totalitarianism into free, independent nations, because American national security now depended upon more than just the physical security of American territory.

TRUMAN DOCTRINE

Example: The Marshall Plan generated a resurgence of European industrialization and brought extensive investment into the region. It was also a stimulant to the U.S. economy by establishing markets for American goods.

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Definition: Secretary of State Marshall became the only general ever to receive a Nobel Prize for peace. The Marshall Plan also institutionalized and legitimized the concept of U.S. foreign aid programs, which have become a integral part of U.S. foreign policy.

Character: In the immediate post-World War II period, Europe remained ravaged by war and thus susceptible to exploitation by an internal and external Communist threat. In a June 5, 1947, speech to the graduating class at Harvard University, Secretary of State George C. Marshall issued a call for a comprehensive program to rebuild Europe.

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Example: During the Cuban Missile Crisis, leaders of the U.S. and the Soviet Union engaged in a tense, 13-day political and military standoff in October 1962 over the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles on Cuba, just 90 miles from U.S. shores.

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Definition: In a TV address on October 22, 1962, President John Kennedy (1917-63) notified Americans about the presence of the missiles, explained his decision to enact a naval blockade around Cuba and made it clear the U.S. was prepared to use military force if necessary to neutralize this perceived threat to national security. 

Characteristic: disaster was avoided when the U.S. agreed to Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's (1894-1971) offer to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for the U.S. promising not to invade Cuba. Kennedy also secretly agreed to remove U.S. missiles from Turkey.

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Example: NATO is now divided into two commands. Allied Command Operations is headed by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). SACEUR directs NATO forces and, in time of war, controls all land, sea, and air operations. Allied Command Transformation, with headquarters at Norfolk, Va., is responsible for making recommendations on the strategic transformation of NATO forces in the post-cold-war .

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Definition: In 1999 the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland joined. Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia joined five years later, and Albania and Croatia joined in 2009, bringing the membership to 28.

Characteristic:  (NATO), established under the North Atlantic Treaty (Apr. 4, 1949) by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United States. Greece and Turkey entered the alliance in 1952, West Germany (now Germany) entered in 1955, and Spain joined in 1982.

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Example: in 1959, Fidel Castro came to power in an armed revolt that overthrew Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista.

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Definition: The U.S. government distrusted Castro and was wary of his relationship with Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union.

Characteristic: President Eisenhower approved the program in March 1960. The CIA set up training camps in Guatemala, and by November the operation had trained a small army for an assault landing and guerilla warfare.

 Bay of Pigs

Example: Oct. 4, 1957 Sputnik 1, the first human made object to orbit the Earth, was launched by the USSR. It remained in space until January 4, 1958. Nov. 3, 1957 Sputnik 2, carrying a dog, was launched by the USSR. It remained in orbit until April 13, 1958.

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Definition: Jan. 31, 1958 Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite in orbit, was launched into space. It discovered the Earth’s radiation belt. Mar. 5, 1958 Explorer 2 was launched and failed to reach orbit. Mar. 17, 1958 Vanguard 1 satellite was launched into orbit. Although communication with it was lost in 1964, it remains the oldest human made satellite still in orbit.

Characteristic: In October, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first satellite — named Sputnik — to be hurled into orbit around the Earth. Sputnik was actually no larger than a beach ball and sent meaningless signals back to earth, but it had a profound effect on the thinking of citizens and governments around the globe.

SPACE RACE

Example: The world greatly changed when USA exploded the H-bomb in 1952. This one bomb was smaller in size than the Hiroshima atomic bomb but 2500 times more powerful. The Russians produced an H-bomb in 1953 and the world became a much more dangerous place.

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Definition: In October 1957, the world was introduced to the fear of a missile attack when Sputnik was launched. This was to lead to ICBM’s :  Inter-continental ballistic missiles. As a result, America built the DEW line around the Artic - Defense andEarly Warning system.

Characteristic: During the 1960’s, the Russians put their money into producing more missiles regardless of quality while America built fewer but better quality missiles - the Atlas could go 5,000 miles at a speed of 16,000 mph. By 1961, there were enough bombs to destroy the world.

ARMS RACE

Example: On November 14, 1908, Joseph McCarthy was born into a Roman Catholic family as the fifth of nine children in Appleton, Wisconsin.

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Definition: a vociferous campaign against alleged communists in the US government and other institutions carried out under Senator Joseph McCarthy in the period 1950–54. Many of the accused were blacklisted or lost their jobs, although most did not in fact belong to the Communist Par

Characteristic:  After receiving his law diploma at Marquette University, McCarthy dabbled in unsuccessful law practices, and indulged in gambling along the way for extra financing.

McCARTHYISM

Example: The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, investigated allegations of communist activity in the U.S. during the early years of the Cold War (1945-91).

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Definition: Established in 1938, the committee wielded its subpoena power as a weapon and called citizens to testify in high-profile hearings before Congress.

Characteristic: This intimidating atmosphere often produced dramatic but questionable revelations about Communists infiltrating American institutions and subversive actions by well-known citizens.

HOUSE OF UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE

Example: The weapons required included space- and ground-based nuclear X-ray lasers, subatomic particle beams, and computer-guided projectiles fired by electromagnetic rail guns—all under the central control of a supercomputer system.

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Definition: The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as Star Wars, was a program first initiated on March 23, 1983 under President Ronald Reagan.

Characteristic:Thus, as the reality of creating numerous nuclear plants diminished, so did the ambitious designs. By the end of SDI, the primary focus of the weapons design group was focused on “land based kinetic energy weapons.” These weapons were essentially guided missile projectiles.

STRATEGIC DEFENSE INITIATIVE

Example: Peace through Strength Ended the Cold WarDuring the presidential election of 1980 candidate Ronald Reagan clearly expressed his views on military strength to win the Cold War.

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Definition: This forced the Soviet Union to try to match America’s military, but with a weaker economy it overextended itself in an arms race.

Characteristic: His opponent, Jimmy Carter, was wary of this policy and said, “Reagan would re-ignite the 'arms race', and would increase the risk of war.

PEACE THROUGH STRENTH

Example: President Nixon hoped to thaw the Cold War and ease relations between the nuclear superpowers.

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Definition: By his 1968 election victory, the two nations had been bitter rivals for over 20 years.

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Several flashpoints had threatened the world and led the U.S. to implement a policy of Mutually Assured Destruction. Nixon’s efforts led to arms agreements, a lessening of tensions, and major Soviet concessions.

POLICY OF DÉTENTE

Example: The Polish Solidarity Movement was started by Lech Walesa in the 1980’s. He was concerned with how unfair the workers in the shipyards were treated.

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Definition: In July of 1980 the government had to raise prices and cut wages which brought up more strikes from the labor union. Moscow later stepped up on the Polish government leading to having no control of Polish society.

Characteristic: . It was also responsible for transforming Poland from communism to a Democracy.

SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT