Cold War Vocabulary
USA vs. USSR
Capitalism
• People, not the government, make economic
decisions
• People can own land and businesses
• Usually wealthy people own things and
poorer people work for them
• People are free to pursue their dreams
• The United States has a Capitalist society
Bill Gates
Steve Jobs
Walt Disney
Henry Ford
Communism
• Calls for the overthrow of capitalism
• Calls for public, not private, ownership of
farms and businesses
• The government or workers collectively
own all businesses
• No one can be rich because everyone shares
profits
Hammer and Sickle
Karl Marx
Socialism
• The stage of an economy in between
capitalism and communism
• The government owns all of the factories
and farms
• Government also owns all banks
• Some private ownership still exists though
Democracy
• A government run by the people or by
representatives they elect
• Elections are free- any citizen can run for
office and any one can win, without
interference by the current government
• The United States is a Democracy
Totalitarianism
• A government system where people are
entirely subject to the rules of a leader
• The leader governs all aspects of daily life
• Propaganda is used to convince people to
support the leader
• People who disagree with the leader or
government are often jailed or killed
Josef Stalin
Josef Stalin
• Took over the government of the Soviet Union in
the 1920s
• Banned people from starting and owning their
own businesses
• Required everyone to work for government owned
farms and factories
Josef Stalin
• A totalitarian dictator who ruled the Soviet
Union from the 1920s to the 1950s
• Used secret police to follow people’s
activities
• Arrested and killed millions of people who
disagreed with him
Harry Truman
Harry Truman
• President of the U.S. from 1945 to 1953
• Worked with Congress to try to stop the
spread of Communism
• Supported programs that expanded the
government to help Americans
• Worked to end racial discrimination
Conflicts Begin After WW2 Ends
• Stalin wanted to keep
Eastern Europe and
East Germany under
his control
• The U.S. wanted
Eastern European
nations to rule
themselves and for
Germany to be united
and Democratic
Despite Promises, the Soviet
Union Spreads its Influence
Containment
• The U.S. policy of trying to stop, or contain,
the spread of Communism
• President Truman gave millions of dollars
to nations to help them fight off
communism
The Cold War
• A war of words between the U.S. and the
Soviet Union
• All about the Soviet desire to expand
communism and the U.S. desire to contain it
• Lasts from 1945-1991