Key Term

Definition

Cold War

The period of tension and rivalry between the USA and USSR after 1945.

Arms Race

Competition between countries to build larger and more powerful weapons.

Nuclear Weapons

Weapons using nuclear reactions to create enormous explosions.

Atomic Bomb

The first type of nuclear weapon used in 1945.

Hydrogen Bomb

A far more powerful nuclear weapon developed in the 1950s.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

The idea that nuclear war would destroy both sides completely.

NATO

Western military alliance created in 1949 for collective defence.

Warsaw Pact

Communist military alliance created by the USSR in 1955.

Collective Defence

Agreement that countries defend each other if attacked.

Eastern Bloc

Communist countries in Eastern Europe allied with the USSR.

ICBM

Intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear weapons across continents.

Polaris

American submarine-launched nuclear missile system.

Deterrent

A threat designed to prevent attack from an enemy.

Space Race

Competition between the USA and USSR in space exploration and technology.

Sputnik

First artificial satellite launched into space by the USSR in 1957.

Yuri Gagarin

Soviet cosmonaut and first human in space.

Apollo 11

American mission that achieved the first Moon landing in 1969.

Neil Armstrong

First human to walk on the Moon.

Buzz Aldrin

Apollo 11 astronaut who walked on the Moon.

Propaganda

Information used to influence public opinion, often biased or misleading.

Superpower

A country with enormous military and political influence.

Capitalism

Economic system based on private ownership and profit.

Communism

Political and economic system where the state controls industry and wealth.

Missile

A rocket-propelled weapon designed to hit distant targets.

Submarine

A naval vessel capable of operating underwater.

Cosmonaut

Soviet/Russian astronaut.