Summary of all terms on cold war

1. Cold War: The geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union from the end of World War II until the early 1990s, characterized by political, economic, and ideological rivalry instead of direct military conflict.

2. Iron Curtain: A metaphorical term referring to the division of Europe between capitalist Western Europe and communist Eastern Europe during the Cold War.

3. Containment: A U.S. foreign policy doctrine aimed at preventing the spread of communism, primarily through non-military means such as economic aid, diplomatic agreements, and providing military assistance to allies.

4. Truman Doctrine: A policy announcement by U.S. President Harry S. Truman in 1947, providing military and economic aid to countries threatened by communism, particularly Greece and Turkey.

5. Marshall Plan: An American initiative launched in 1948 to provide economic assistance to European countries ravaged by World War II, with the goal of fostering economic stability and preventing the spread of communism.

6. NATO: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, created in 1949 as a military alliance between the United States and several Western European countries, aimed at countering the Soviet Union and ensuring collective defense.

7. Warsaw Pact: A military alliance formed in 1955 by the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellite states as a response to NATO's presence, solidifying the division of Europe.

8. Arms Race: A competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to develop and amass advanced military technology, particularly nuclear weapons, during the Cold War.

9. Space Race: A race between the United States and the Soviet Union to achieve milestones in space exploration during the Cold War, including the first human to orbit the Earth and the first moon landing.

10. Proxy Wars: Conflicts fought between the United States and the Soviet Union indirectly, through supporting opposing sides in other countries, such as the Korean War or the Vietnam War.

11. Berlin Wall: A physical barrier constructed by East Germany in 1961 to prevent emigration and defection from East Berlin to West Berlin, which became a powerful symbol of the division between East and West during the Cold War.

12. Cuban Missile Crisis: A 1962 confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over the placement of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, which brought the world closer to nuclear war than ever before.

13. Détente: A period of relaxed tension during the 1970s in which the United States and Soviet Union engaged in negotiations and arms control agreements, such as the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) and the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty.

14. Solidarity: A Polish trade union and social movement formed in 1980, led by Lech Walesa, advocating for workers' rights and demanding political change in communist Poland.

15. Perestroika and Glasnost: Economic and political reform policies implemented by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s, aimed at restructuring the Soviet economy and fostering more openness and transparency in society.

16. Fall of the Berlin Wall: The symbolic event in 1989 when the physical barrier separating East and West Berlin was torn down, marking the end of the division between communist and capitalist Europe.

17. Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The process that occurred in 1991, resulting in the breakup of the Soviet Union into independent nations, officially marking the end of the Cold War.