Origins of the Cold War

A political strategy where a country gradually expands its influence through small, seemingly insignificant steps, avoiding potential confrontations.

The policy of dealing with other nations based on practical interests and objectives, rather than political doctrines or ethics.

The belief that the actions and consequences of something determine its meaning.

The belief that actions should be guided by ideals and values, even if they might not always yield immediate practical benefits.

A term used by Winston Churchill to describe the division of Europe into communist East and capitalist West after World War II.

A 1946 telegram from George Kennan to the US State Department outlining his strategy for containing Soviet expansionism.

A US policy announced in 1947, pledging support to democratic countries threatened by communism.

A US economic recovery program launched in 1948, providing aid to Western European countries to prevent economic collapse.

The merger of the British and American zones of occupied Germany in 1947, creating an economically unified area.

The division of Germany into four zones of occupation by the Allied powers after World War II.

The 1945 conference where the Allied leaders met to decide on the post-war fate of Germany, including its division into four occupation zones.

The 1945 conference where the Allied leaders agreed on a plan for the post-war world, including the establishment of the United Nations.

A 1944 agreement between Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin, informally dividing Eastern European countries into spheres of influence.

The Polish uprising against German occupation in 1944, which was met with Soviet inaction.

The 1943 conference where the Allied leaders met to discuss the post-war world, including plans for the opening of a second front in Europe.

A program where the US provided military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey in 1947 to counter communist influence.

The period after World War II where the Soviet Union established communist control over several Eastern European countries.

The 1939 non-aggression pact signed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, which led to the partition of Poland.

A joint declaration signed by the US and UK in 1941, outlining their commitment to post-war principles like freedom of trade and self-determination.

A program where the US lent military supplies to Allied countries during World War II, including the USSR.

The communist organization founded in 1919 to promote communist revolutions, disbanded in 1943.

The 1949 establishment of NATO, a military alliance between Western countries to deter Soviet aggression.

The 1949 emergence of two German states: the Federal Republic of Germany (West) and the German Democratic Republic (East).

The blocking of access to West Berlin by Soviet forces in 1948, an attempt to force the Western allies out of the city.

The operation by the Western allies to airlift supplies into West Berlin in 1948, breaking the Soviet blockade.

The 1948 economic and political union of the French, British, and American zones of occupied Germany.

The 1949 detonation of the first Soviet atomic bomb, ending the US monopoly on nuclear weapons and fueling the arms race.

The 1955 signing of the Warsaw Pact, a military alliance between communist countries led by the Soviet Union.

The 1950-1953 war fought in Korea, between communist North Korea and the US-backed South Korea, a major proxy conflict of the Cold War.

The 1954 Geneva Summit, a period of relative détente between the USSR and the West, following the Korean War.

A 1950 speech where US Secretary of State Dean Acheson stated that South Korea was outside of the US defense perimeter, a factor leading to the Korean War.

The economic and political union of communist countries in Eastern Europe, established in 1949 to counter the Marshall Plan.

The 1947 organization formed to coordinate the Marshall Plan aid to Western European countries.

The 1951 treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), a cornerstone of European integration.

The 1947 foundation of a communist information bureau, aimed at coordinating communist parties and policies.

The policy of using military force to roll back communist expansion.

The belief that the spread of communism in one country would lead to its spread in neighboring countries, justifying intervention to stop it.

The political, economic, and military rivalry that emerged between the US and the Soviet Union after World War II.