Cold War: Truman Doctrine, Containment & Espionage

• The Truman Doctrine, established in 1947, was a U.S. foreign policy that pledged support to countries resisting communism, especially in Greece and Turkey, and marked the start of containment policy.
• Containment was a Cold War strategy employed by the U.S. to prevent the spread of communism through economic, military, and diplomatic aid to threatened nations.
• The Cold War (1947–1991) was a period of geopolitical tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, featuring ideological conflict, nuclear arms race, and proxy wars, but without direct military conflict between the superpowers.
• Communism is a political and economic ideology that advocates for a classless society with government ownership of all means of production, and was promoted by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
• Espionage, or spying to obtain political or military information, was extensively practiced by both the U.S. and USSR during the Cold War.
• The Second Red Scare was a period of intense fear of communist influence in the U.S. during the late 1940s and 1950s, resulting in accusations, blacklists, and McCarthyism.
• The House Un-American Activities Committee was a congressional committee that investigated suspected communist influence in the U.S., particularly in Hollywood and government sectors.
• Brinkmanship was a Cold War policy of pushing dangerous situations to the edge of war to achieve favorable outcomes, often involving nuclear threats.
• The Military-Industrial Complex is a term coined by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, warning of the increasing relationship between the U.S. military and defense industry, which could lead to excessive military spending.
• Dynamic Conservatism was President Eisenhower’s domestic policy that sought to balance conservative economic policies with some progressive social programs.
• The Baby Boom was a sharp increase in U.S. birth rates following World War II (1946–1964), leading to significant societal and economic changes.
• Rock ‘n’ Roll, a music genre that emerged in the 1950s influenced by African American blues and gospel, became a symbol of youth rebellion during the Cold War era.
• Conformity was the pressure in 1950s American society to adhere to traditional norms, values, and behaviors, often in response to Cold War fears and suburbanization.
• Capitalism is an economic system based on private ownership and free markets, serving as the foundation of the U.S. economy and a key ideological contrast with Soviet communism during the Cold War.

Explore the Cold War's key aspects: the Truman Doctrine, a U.S. policy to support nations against communism; containment, a strategy to prevent communism's spread; and espionage, a common tactic. Understand the ideological conflict between the U.S. and USSR.