Growth of Our Nation: Chapter 15: The Cold War, Lessons 1–4

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. refugee
    an exile who flees for safety
    Some 20 million refugees, or people who leave their countries to escape war or famine, roamed Europe, homeless.
  2. ongoing
    currently happening
    The Marshall Plan strengthened the bond between the United States and Western Europe. This bond would be of ongoing importance in the years to come.
  3. promote
    contribute to the progress or growth of
    Now many countries, including the United States, said they were eager to form a new world organization to promote peace.
  4. communism
    a form of socialism that abolishes private ownership
    Communism is an economic and political system developed on a national level in the Soviet Union.
  5. capitalism
    an economic system based on private ownership of assets
    Capitalism is an economic system that encourages citizens to own businesses and property.
  6. cold war
    a state of political hostility between countries
    The two sides did not fight a traditional war. Usually, their struggle did not involve weapons. They fought this Cold War for about 40 years.
  7. propaganda
    information that is spread to promote some cause
    Propaganda is the spreading of ideas or beliefs to gain support for a cause.
  8. nuclear
    deriving destructive energy from releasing atomic energy
    Both sides continued to make nuclear weapons.
  9. tense
    in or of a state of physical or nervous strain
    Would there be a nuclear war? It was a tense time for people around the world.
  10. proxy
    a person authorized to act for another
    A proxy is a stand-in or substitute. In these proxy wars, capitalist and communist forces battled each other.
  11. proxy war
    a war instigated by a major power that does not itself participate
    A proxy is a stand-in or substitute. In these proxy wars, capitalist and communist forces battled each other.
  12. guerrilla
    a member of an irregular army that fights a stronger force
    Guerrillas are fighters who do not fight directly but make surprise raids or quick attacks from under cover.
  13. offensive
    the action of attacking an enemy
    It happened during a Vietnamese holiday of Tet, and it took the Americans by surprise. This attack is known as the Tet Offensive.
  14. crucial
    of extreme importance; vital to the resolution of a crisis
    The Tet Offensive was a crucial turning point in the war, in favor of North Vietnmal.
  15. widespread
    distributed over a large area or extent
    The Vietnam War caused widespread death and destruction.
  16. embargo
    a government order imposing a trade barrier
    In 1971, it ended an embargo, or ban, on trade with that nation, too.
  17. diplomacy
    negotiation between nations
    Diplomacy is the art of handling relations between nations.
  18. collapse
    break down, literally or metaphorically
    The Soviet Union had begun to collapse.
  19. cease
    have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense
    The Soviet Union had ceased to exist.
Created on Thu Jul 15 09:49:16 EDT 2021 (updated Mon Jul 19 14:36:30 EDT 2021)

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