american history: the cold war

BO L. (United States of America)
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words only definitions & notes
  1. communist
    relating to socialism that abolishes private ownership
    This group included countries with communist political systems.
  2. hot war
    actual fighting between the warring parties
    In a "hot war," nuclear weapons might destroy everything.
  3. Nile River
    the world's longest river
    In the nineteen fifties, both East and West offered aid to Egypt to build the Aswan High Dam on the Nile River.
  4. soviet
    an elected governmental council in a communist country
    SOVIET AMBASSADOR VALERIAN ZORIN: “Mr. Stevenson, would you continue your statement, please?
  5. nuclear weapon
    a weapon of mass destruction whose explosive power derives from a nuclear reaction
    In a "hot war," nuclear weapons might destroy everything.
  6. ember
    a hot, smoldering fragment of wood left from a fire
    American History: The Cold War



    STEVE EMBER: Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English.
  7. unite
    join or combine
    The main enemies were the United States and the Soviet Union.
  8. missile
    a weapon that is forcibly thrown or projected at a target
    During Kennedy's second year in office, American intelligence reports discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba.
  9. quotation mark
    a punctuation mark showing that words were said or written by someone else
    For earlier programs, type "Making of a Nation" in quotation marks in the search box at the top of the page.
  10. Soviet
    of or relating to or characteristic of the former Soviet Union or its people
    The main enemies were the United States and the Soviet Union.
  11. align
    arrange so as to be parallel or straight
    The non-aligned group included countries that did not want to be tied to either the West or the East.
  12. airlift
    transportation of people or goods by flying
    A major event in the Cold War was the Berlin Airlift.
  13. valerian
    a plant of the genus Valeriana having lobed or dissected leaves and cymose white or pink flowers
    SOVIET AMBASSADOR VALERIAN ZORIN: “Mr. Stevenson, would you continue your statement, please?
  14. shoot down
    shoot at and force to come down
    One reduced the number of missiles used to shoot down enemy nuclear weapons.
  15. Truman
    elected vice president in Roosevelt's 4th term
    AP

    President Harry Truman
    The Cold War world was separated into three groups.
  16. Berlin
    capital of Germany located in eastern Germany
    A major event in the Cold War was the Berlin Airlift.
  17. aligned
    in a straight line
    The non-aligned group included countries that did not want to be tied to either the West or the East.
  18. barb
    a point facing the main point making an arrowhead or spear
    AP

    Barbed wire bars passage through the Brandenburg Gate at the East-West border in Berlin in 1961
    By nineteen-eighty-nine, there was widespread unrest in eastern Europe.
  19. oust
    remove from a position or office
    The forces wanted to oust the communist government of Fidel Castro.
  20. eased
    (of pain or sorrow) made easier to bear
    Cold War tensions increased, then eased, then increased again over the years.
  21. barbed wire
    strong wire with barbs at regular intervals used to prevent passage
    AP

    Barbed wire bars passage through the Brandenburg Gate at the East-West border in Berlin in 1961
    By nineteen-eighty-nine, there was widespread unrest in eastern Europe.
  22. unloading
    the labor of taking a load of something off of or out of a vehicle or ship or container etc.
    Air Force photo

    C-47s unloading at Tempelhof Airport in Berlin
    The United States also led the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in nineteen forty-nine.
  23. pact
    a written agreement between two states or sovereigns
    The Soviet Union and its east European allies formed their own joint military group -- the Warsaw Pact -- six years later.
  24. Warsaw
    the capital and largest city of Poland
    The Soviet Union and its east European allies formed their own joint military group -- the Warsaw Pact -- six years later.
  25. tension
    the action of stretching something tight
    Cold War tensions increased, then eased, then increased again over the years.
  26. allies
    an coalition of nations joining to fight a common enemy
    After World War Two, the United States and its allies divided Germany.
  27. transcript
    a written record of dictated or recorded speech
    You can find our series online with transcripts, MP3s, podcasts and pictures at voaspecialenglish.com.
  28. barbed
    having or covered with protective points, spines, or thorns
    AP

    Barbed wire bars passage through the Brandenburg Gate at the East-West border in Berlin in 1961
    By nineteen-eighty-nine, there was widespread unrest in eastern Europe.
  29. easing
    the act of reducing something unpleasant
    Some progress was made in easing Cold War tensions when Kennedy was president.
  30. spying
    keeping a secret or furtive watch
    Eisenhower admitted that such planes had been spying on the Soviets for four years.
  31. intervene
    be placed or located between other things
    Gorbachev did not intervene as one eastern European country after another cut its ties with the Soviet Union.
  32. surveillance
    close observation of a person or group
    JOHN F. KENNEDY: “This government, as promised, has maintained the closest surveillance of the Soviet military build-up on the island of Cuba.
  33. denounce
    speak out against
    They threatened and denounced each other.
  34. invasion
    any entry into an area not previously occupied
    France and Britain joined the invasion.
  35. exile
    the act of expelling a person from their native land
    During his early days in office, Cuban exiles invaded Cuba.
  36. Stalin
    Russian leader who succeeded Lenin as head of the Communist Party and created a totalitarian state by purging all opposition (1879-1953)
    In nineteen fifty-three, Soviet leader Josef Stalin died.
  37. hemisphere
    half of a round, three-dimensional shape
    The purpose of these bases can be none other than to provide a nuclear strike capability against the western hemisphere.”
  38. Castro
    Cuban socialist leader who overthrew a dictator in 1959 and established a Marxist socialist state in Cuba (born in 1927)
    The forces wanted to oust the communist government of Fidel Castro.
  39. ambassador
    a diplomat of the highest rank
    America’s ambassador to the United Nations, Adlai Stevenson:

    ADLAI STEVENSON: “Let me ask you one simple question: Do you, Ambassador Zorin, deny that the USSR [Soviet Union] has placed and is placing medium- and intermediate-range missile and sites in Cuba.
  40. quotation
    a passage or expression that is cited
    For earlier programs, type "Making of a Nation" in quotation marks in the search box at the top of the page.
  41. unmistakable
    clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
    Within the past week, unmistakable evidence has established the fact that a series of offensive missile sites is now in preparation on that imprisoned island.
  42. freeze
    change from a liquid to a solid when cold
    ADLAI STEVENSON: “I’m prepared to wait for my answer until hell freezes over, if that’s your decision.
  43. crisis
    a crucial stage or turning point in the course of something
    The Suez crisis was a political victory for the Soviets.
  44. blocked
    completely obstructed or closed off
    In June nineteen forty-eight, Soviet-led forces blocked all roads and railways leading to the western part of Berlin.
  45. widespread
    widely circulated or diffused
    AP

    Barbed wire bars passage through the Brandenburg Gate at the East-West border in Berlin in 1961
    By nineteen-eighty-nine, there was widespread unrest in eastern Europe.
  46. joint
    junction by which parts or objects are linked together
    NATO was a joint military group.
  47. opposing
    characterized by active hostility
    They supported opposing sides in conflicts in different parts of the world.
  48. strengthen
    make strong or stronger
    This strengthened the economies and governments of countries in western Europe.
  49. democratic
    based upon the principles of social equality
    This group included countries with democratic political systems.
  50. doctrine
    a belief accepted as authoritative by some group or school
    One was the Truman Doctrine.
  51. withdraw
    pull back or move away or backward
    Gorbachev withdrew Soviet forces from Afghanistan.
  52. spy
    (military) a secret agent hired by a state to obtain information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitors
    Eisenhower admitted that such planes had been spying on the Soviets for four years.
  53. hell
    any place of pain and turmoil
    ADLAI STEVENSON: “I’m prepared to wait for my answer until hell freezes over, if that’s your decision.
  54. shaken
    disturbed psychologically as if by a physical jolt or shock
    After all, the leaders of the world's most powerful nations had shaken hands.
  55. interfere
    get involved, so as to alter or hinder an action
    Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles if the United States agreed not to interfere in Cuba.
  56. seize
    take hold of; grab
    Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser then seized control of the company that operated the Suez Canal.
  57. Reagan
    40th President of the United States (1911-2004)
    He met four times with President Ronald Reagan.
  58. formation
    the act of establishing or creating something
    Air Force photo

    C-47s unloading at Tempelhof Airport in Berlin
    The United States also led the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in nineteen forty-nine.
  59. canal
    long and narrow strip of water for boats or for irrigation
    Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser then seized control of the company that operated the Suez Canal.
  60. offensive
    unpleasant or disgusting especially to the senses
    Within the past week, unmistakable evidence has established the fact that a series of offensive missile sites is now in preparation on that imprisoned island.
  61. bloody
    having or covered with or accompanied by blood
    That aid would later expand into a long and bloody period of American involvement in Vietnam.
  62. harry
    make a pillaging or destructive raid on, as in wartimes
    AP

    President Harry Truman
    The Cold War world was separated into three groups.
  63. alliance
    the state of being joined in an association or coalition
    A few months after that, Warsaw Pact countries officially ended the alliance.
  64. proposal
    the act of making a suggestion
    The Soviets later rejected the proposal.
  65. border
    the boundary of a surface
    AP

    Barbed wire bars passage through the Brandenburg Gate at the East-West border in Berlin in 1961
    By nineteen-eighty-nine, there was widespread unrest in eastern Europe.
  66. attempted
    tried unsuccessfully
    The changes came as both sides attempted to influence political and economic developments around the world.
Created on Sat Sep 24 16:20:28 EDT 2011

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