Cold War
Definition
The Cold War was a period of political and military tension between the United States and its allies (the West) and the Soviet Union and its satellite states (the East) from 1947 to 1991. It was characterized by threats, propaganda, and other measures short of open warfare.
Analogy
Think of the Cold War as a high-stakes chess game where both players are trying to outmaneuver each other without actually taking any pieces. They're constantly threatening each other's king but never actually making a move that would start an all-out war.
Related terms
Containment: This is a strategy used by the United States during the Cold War to prevent the spread of communism. It's like putting up barriers around your garden to keep weeds from spreading into it.
Iron Curtain: A term popularized by Winston Churchill describing the ideological divide between Western Europe and Eastern Europe controlled by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Imagine it as an invisible wall separating two neighborhoods with different rules and ways of life.
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization): An intergovernmental military alliance formed in 1949 by North American and European countries as a countermeasure against potential Soviet aggression. Picture this as a group of friends banding together for protection against a common bully.
"Cold War" appears in:
Study guides (4)
Practice Questions (20+)
- What was the main cause of the Cold War?
- What was a key component of the containment policy during the Cold War?
- The two competing ideologies during the Cold War were
- Which of the following were related to Cold War tensions between the US and its allies and the Soviet Union and its allies?
- Why did the US enter the Cold War?
- All EXCEPT which of the following countries was geographically divided due to Cold War tensions?
- Which US President is often associated with the end of the Cold War?
- The Suez Crisis proved to be a key event in the growth of ___________ nationalism against the heavy-handed superpower influences of the Cold War.
- Who was president during the Cold War?
- Why did some countries choose to remain neutral during the Cold War under the Non-Aligned Movement?
- Which event symbolized the end of Cold War?
- What was a major effect of the Cold War on global politics?
- How could the outcome of the Cold War be different if the Soviet Union followed China's economic reform model?
- Which Cold War event symbolized the ideological divide between U.S.-led capitalism and Soviet-led communism?
- Who were considered as major political rivals during the Cold War after World War II?
- What was a major cause for the global conflict during the Cold War era?
- Which event is considered as a major factor leading towards the Cold War?
- How did the Cold War affect global conflicts?
- Which technological innovation is credited with the rapid spread of ideas during the Cold War?
- Who were the two superpowers during the Cold War?
Resources
© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.