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World History Volume 2, from 1400

Key Terms

World History Volume 2, from 1400Key Terms

Key Terms

apartheid
a South African policy of racial segregation that ended in 1991
Berlin Airlift
an operation carried out by Great Britain and the United States to supply West Berlin from the air during the Soviet Union’s blockade of West Berlin
bloc
a group of countries united for a common purpose
Cold War
a contest for ideological, social, economic, technological, and military supremacy between the United States and the Soviet Union
containment
the West’s Cold War policy goal of confining communism to the Soviet Union and the nations of Eastern Europe
Cuban Missile Crisis
the 1962 confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba
détente
the relaxation of tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1970s
domino theory
the belief that the neighbors of a communist country were likely to become communist themselves
glasnost
a Soviet policy encouraging openness, which allowed those who were angry to be critical of the government
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
the 1964 resolution that gave President Lyndon Johnson permission to retaliate against North Vietnamese attacks and to act first to defend U.S. lives
Marshall Plan
a plan extending financial assistance to European nations to help them rebuild after World War II
Non-Aligned Movement
a movement of nations that sought to remain outside the sphere of influence of both the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
a military alliance among the United States, Canada, and the countries of Western Europe
perestroika
the restructuring of the Soviet state and economy under Mikhail Gorbachev
proxy wars
wars fought by allies of the Soviet Union and the United States to avoid risking a direct conflict between the two superpowers during the Cold War
satellite state
a country controlled by another nation
Truman Doctrine
the promise of U.S. assistance to any country in danger of being overthrown by communism
Warsaw Pact
a military and political alliance among the communist nations of Eastern Europe
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