Betray

to break someone’s trust or turn against them, especially when loyalty is expected (for example, a country breaking a promise to an ally).

Buffer

something that protects or creates space between opposing sides; in world history it often means a country located between rival powers to prevent conflict.

Accusation

a claim that someone did something wrong or illegal, even before it is proven true.

Suppression

the use of force or strict control to stop protests, ideas, or movements that a government sees as a threat.

Diplomacy

the practice of solving problems between countries through meetings, negotiations, and agreements instead of war.

International Organizations

groups formed by multiple countries that work together to solve global issues like war, poverty, and human rights.

United Nations

a worldwide organization created in 1945 after WWII to maintain peace, provide humanitarian aid, protect human rights, and encourage cooperation between countries.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

a 1948 document stating that all people are born with basic rights and freedoms such as freedom of speech, religion, and protection from discrimination.

NATO

a military alliance formed in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and Western European countries that promised to defend each other if any member was attacked.

Warsaw Pact

a military alliance created in 1955 by the Soviet Union and Eastern European communist countries to counter NATO.

Collective Security

the idea that countries agree to protect each other from threats so that an attack on one country is treated as an attack on all.

Zionism

a political movement that began in the late 1800s calling for a Jewish homeland in Palestine due to centuries of persecution and the desire for safety and self-determination.

Resolution 181 (1947 UN Partition Plan for Palestine)

the UN plan to divide Palestine into two separate states—one Jewish and one Arab—while making Jerusalem an international city; Jews accepted the plan, but many Arab nations rejected it, leading to conflict.

Yalta Conference

a 1945 meeting between the US, USSR, and Britain to plan the end of WWII and decide how Europe—especially Germany—would be divided and rebuilt.

Geopolitical

relating to how geography (location, resources, borders) affects political power and relationships between countries.

Command Economy

an economic system where the government makes major decisions about production, jobs, and prices instead of businesses and consumers.

Containment (Truman Doctrine & Marshall Plan)

the US strategy to stop the spread of communism by giving money, aid, and support to countries so they would stay democratic and economically stable.

Soviet Satellite State

a country in Eastern Europe that was officially independent but heavily controlled by the Soviet Union politically, economically, and militarily.

Iron Curtain

the term used to describe the political and physical divide between communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe during the Cold War.

Berlin Airlift

a US and Allied mission (1948–49) to fly food and supplies into West Berlin after the Soviet Union blocked all land routes into the city.

Berlin Wall

a concrete barrier built in 1961 by East Germany to stop people from escaping communist East Berlin to democratic West Berlin; it became a major symbol of the Cold War.

De-Stalinization

the process started by Nikita Khrushchev to reduce fear and terror in the Soviet Union by ending many of Stalin’s harsh policies and criticizing his rule.

Proxy War

a conflict where powerful countries support opposing sides with money, weapons, or troops but do not fight each other directly (example: Korea and Vietnam).

Domino Theory

the belief that if one country became communist, nearby countries would soon become communist as well.

Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

a heavily guarded border created after the Korean War that separates communist North Korea from democratic South Korea.