U.s. History

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1. Containment

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U.S. foreign policy followed during the Cold War that sought to prevent the expansion of Soviet communism.

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2. Yalta

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(1945) Meeting of U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt, British prim minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin during World War II to plan for the postwar world.

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3. Potsdam Conference

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(1945) Meeting of U.S. president Harry S. Truman, British prime minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin after Germany's surrender in World War II, at which they divided Germany into four zones of occupation.

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4. United Nations

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(UN) International organization formed in 1945 to resolve conflicts between nations.

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5. Nuremberg Trials

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(1945) War crimes trials of high-ranking Nazi officials held by the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany.

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6. Cold War

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Global power struggle between the United States and the soviet Union that lasted from 1945 to 1991.

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7. Truman Doctrine

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(1947) President Harry S. Truman's policy stating that the United States would provide economic aid to any country fighting against communism.

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8. Marshall Plan

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U.S. Program of giving aid to Europe countries to help them rebuild their economies after World War II.

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9. Berlin Airlift

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(1948) Joint effort by the United States and Britain to fly food and supplies into West Berlin after the Soviets blocked off all ground routes to the city.

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10. North Atlantic Treaty Organization

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(NATO) Military alliance formed in 1949 by the United States and 11 other countries to help defend each other in case of attack.

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11. Warsaw Pact

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A military alliance of eastern European nations formed by the Soviet Union in 1955.

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12. Mao Zedong

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Mao lead Communists escape inn in 1934. The Chinese Nationalist Party and the Chinese Communist began a bitter civil war.

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13. 38th Parallel

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Line of latitude that separates North Korea and South Korea.

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14. Blacklisting

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Refusing to hire a person;common action toward suspected communists during the 1950's.

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15. House Un-American Activities Committee

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(HUAC) Congressional committee created in 1938 to investigate U.S. citizens accused of communist activities.

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16. Internal Security Act

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(1950) Law requiring registration of suspected communist groups and granting the government the power to arrest anyone suspected of disloyalty during national emergencies.

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17. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

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In 1951 Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of passing secret atomic weapons information to the Soviet Union. The were executed in June 1953 for spying.

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18. McCarthyism

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Method of making vicious accusations without offering proof, named after senator Joseph McCarthy.

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19. Massive retaliation

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The strategy of threatening to use nuclear weapons in order to stop communist aggression.

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20. Brinksmanship

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The Eisenhower administration's policy of being willing to go to the very brink of war to oppose communist expansion.

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21. Covert operations

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The Eisenhower administration's policy of being willing to go to the very brink of war to oppose communist expansion.

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22. Sputnik

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The worlds first artificial satellite;launched by the Soviet Union

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23. National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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(NASA) Agency established by Congress in 1958 to conduct space research.

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24. Central Intelligence Agency

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(CIA) An organization established by the federal government in 1947 to conduct covert operations.

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25. Nikita Khrushchev

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In 1953 Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin died and relpaced by Soviet Leader Nikita, he soon shocked the communist world by announcing that Stalin had committed criminal acts against the Soviet people. "Don't follow Stalin's policies. He states that capitalism and Communism could exist together peacefully in the world.

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26. Suez Crisis

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International crisis that began in 1956 when Britain, France and Israel invaded the Suez Canal region in Egypt.

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27. Baby boom

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A significant increase in the number of children being born.

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28. Fidel Castro

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In 1960 a revolutionary leader from Cuba, he set up a communist dictatorship that had ties to the soviet Union.

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29. Berlin Wall

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Wall built in 1961 between East and West Berlin to stop East Berliners from crossing into the West.

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30. Cuban missile Crisis

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(1962) Military crisis that almost led to nuclear war when U.S/ naval ships blockaded Cuba until the Soviet Union agreed to remove its missiles from the island.

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31. Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

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(1963) International agreement to ban above-ground testing of new nuclear weapons;signed by the United States and Soviet Union.

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32. Domino theory

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Cold War belief that if one nation in Southeast Asia fell to communism, the rest of Southeast Asia would also fall.

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33.Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

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(1963) International agreement to ban above-ground testing of new nuclear weapons;signed by the United States and Soviet Union.

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34. Vietminh

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Group of Vietnamese nationalists organized by Ho Chi Minh and dedicated by Vietnamese independence.

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35. Geneva Accords

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(1954) Agreement that temporarily divided Vietnam and called for free elections in1956 to reunite the country.

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36. Ngo Dinh Diem

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Ngo led South Vietnam democracy, and was a anticommunist.

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37. National Liberation Front

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(NLF) Organization formed to fight Ngo Dinh Diem's government in South Vietnam.

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38. Vietcong

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Communist guerrilla force that fought against the government of South Vietnam.

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39. Esclation

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President Lyndon B. Johnson's pollicy of increasing U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

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40. Tonkin Gulf Resolution

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(1964) Congressional measure that gave President Lyndon B. Johnson the authority to wage war in Vietnam.

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Operations Rolling Thunder

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A series of air strikes launched by the United States during the Vietnam War to destroy North Vietnam's war industries.

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Ho Chi Minh Trail

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A Vietcong supply network that led from North Vietnam, through Laos and Cambodia, to South Vietnam.

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43. William Westmoreland

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A general who led the U.S. ground forces in Vietnam, developed a new fight strategist and sent the U.S. patrol on search-and-destroy missions. Searched for enemy camps and supplies hidden in the jungle, then the soldiers destroyed them with massive fire powers and air raids.

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Tet Offensive

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(1968) Attack by North Vietnamese and Vietcong troops against South Vietnam during the Vietnam War; took place during Tet (the Vietnamese New Year) and demonstrated that the North Vietnamese were still militarily strong.

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45. Henry Kissinger

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Nixon and his national security adviser Henry Kissinger created a policy to bring about "peace with honor", in a process called Vietnamization.

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46. Khmer Rouge

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Cambodian communist army.

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47. Twenty-sixth Amendment

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(1971) Constitutional amendment that lowere the federal voting age from 21 to 18.

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48. Paris Peace Accords

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(1973) Agreement made by leaders of the National Liberation Front, North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and the United States to end the Vietnam War.

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49. MIAs

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Soldiers who are missing in action.

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50. War Powers Act

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(1973) Legislation that required the president to get congressional approval before committing U.S. troops to an armed struggle.

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51. Realpolitik

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German word meaning "Practical Politics", policy developed by Henry Kissinger and implemented by President Richard Nixon that put American interests, rather than political or moral ideals, first in foreign-policy decisions.

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52. Detente

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Period in the 1970 of reduced hostility between the United States and the Soviet Union.

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53. Strategic Arms Limitation Talks

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(SALT) (1972) Talks between U.S president Richard Nixon and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev that led to a treaty limiting the numbers and types of long-range nuclear missiles each country could have.

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54. Perestroika

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Soviet policy established in 1980's that initiated political and economic reforms.

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55. Glasnost

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Soviet policy established in 1980's that promoted political openness and freedom of expression.

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56. Sandinistas

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Revolutionary political party in Nicaragua that over threw a pro-American dictator in 1979.

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57. Contras

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A group of anti-sandinista rebels in Nicaragua.

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58. Iran-Contra affair

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Name give to the 1986 scandal in which the U.S. government secretly sold weapons to Iran, using the profits to fun the contras in Nicaragua.

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Mikhail Gorbachev

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1985 he became the new Soviet leader, he new that the Soviet Union was in deep economic trouble, so he began a series of political and economic changes known as perestroika. He also started the policy of glasnost.

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60. Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

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Treaty signed by president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that eliminated all medium range nuclear weapons from Europe.