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Buffer State
Country situated between two rival powers, preventing direct conflict.
Cold War
Political rivalry between the USA and the Soviet Union after WWII
Collective security
Collective security is the idea that nations work together to maintain peace by deterring or punishing aggression.
Cominform
The Communist Information Bureau, established in September 1947 to coordinate communist parties across Europe and enforce ideological loyalty to Moscow. It was used by Stalin to punish deviation, most notably expelling Yugoslavia in 1948.
Containment
US policy aiming to stop the spread of communism.
Containment
The strategy of stopping communist expansion through alliances, aid, and limited military action.
Deterrence
Using the threat of strong retaliation to discourage an enemy from taking aggressive actions.
Isolationism
A foreign policy stance of avoiding involvement in international affairs, alliances, and conflicts. In the 1930s, the United States pursued isolationism through the Neutrality Acts, refusing to intervene in European and Asian crises.
Lend-Lease
A US policy enacted in March 1941 allowing the President to transfer military supplies to any nation whose defence was deemed vital to American security, without requiring immediate payment. It provided over $50 billion in aid to the Allies during World War II.
Lend-Lease
A US programme enacted in March 1941 that allowed the president to supply military aid to nations deemed vital to American defence. It provided billions of dollars in equipment to Britain, the Soviet Union, China, and other Allied powers without requiring immediate payment.
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan (1947) was a US programme that provided economic aid to help rebuild war-torn European countries after World War II.
It aimed to strengthen capitalism, promote political stability, and reduce the appeal of communism in Western Europe.
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs - the Soviet secret police responsible for political repression, surveillance, running the Gulag system, and enforcing state security from 1934 to 1946.
Reparations
payments made for war damage
Reparations
Payments made for war damage
Salami tactics
Salami tactics refers to the strategy used by communist parties in Eastern Europe (1945-1948) to eliminate opposition by slicing away rival parties one by one, first forming coalitions, then marginalising partners, and finally establishing single-party rule. The term was coined by Hungarian communist leader Matyas Rakosi.
Self-determination
Principle that nations should have the right to govern themselves, ignored in China’s case.
Self-determination
The right of a people to control their own political, cultural, and economic destiny.
Sovietisation
The process of imposing Soviet-style political, economic, and social systems on Eastern European states after 1945. This included one-party communist rule, collectivised agriculture, centralised planned economies, and control of media and education.
Spheres of Influence
Areas of the world where a great power claims exclusive or dominant influence over the political and economic affairs of other states.