The Cold War: Beginnings and Hot Spots

Edit Answers
123456789101112131415161718192021222324
Across
  1. 6. – An economic system based on private ownership, free markets, and competition, which was supported by the U.S. and its allies during the Cold War.
  2. 7. – U.S. president (1961–1963) during the Cold War, known for handling the Cuban Missile Crisis, expanding U.S. involvement in Vietnam, and promoting the Space Race before his assassination.
  3. 10. – The temporary dividing line between North and South Vietnam established by the 1954 Geneva Accords until elections (which never happened) were to reunite the country.
  4. 12. – A 1948-1949 operation in which the U.S. and Britain flew supplies into West Berlin after the Soviet Union blocked land access to the city in an attempt to force it into communist control.
  5. 13. – A massive U.S. economic aid program (1948–1952) that provided over $12 billion to help Western European countries rebuild after WWII and prevent communist expansion.
  6. 15. - A symbolic and physical divide between Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe and Western democratic nations, first described by Winston Churchill in 1946.
  7. 17. – A failed U.S.-backed invasion of Cuba in 1961, where Cuban exiles, trained by the CIA, attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro’s communist government.
  8. 18. – A 1950–1953 conflict between communist North Korea (backed by China and the USSR) and capitalist South Korea (backed by the U.S. and United Nations forces). It ended in a stalemate, dividing the peninsula at the 38th parallel.
  9. 19. – A military alliance of communist nations, led by the Soviet Union, created in 1955 as a response to NATO. It included Eastern European satellite states like Poland, East Germany, and Hungary.
  10. 20. – A 1979-1989 conflict where the USSR invaded Afghanistan to support a communist government. The U.S. backed Afghan Mujahideen rebels, leading to a Soviet defeat and withdrawal.
  11. 22. – The belief that if one country fell to communism, neighboring countries would follow, influencing U.S. intervention in Korea, Vietnam, and other regions.
  12. 23. – Communist leader of North Vietnam, who led the fight for independence from French colonial rule and later against the U.S. in the Vietnam War.
  13. 24. – A long conflict (1955–1975) between communist North Vietnam (supported by the USSR and China) and South Vietnam (backed by the U.S.). The war ended with a communist victory and the unification of Vietnam.
Down
  1. 1. – Communist revolutionary leader of Cuba (1959–2008), who overthrew the U.S.-backed government, aligned Cuba with the Soviet Union, and played a key role in Cold War tensions like the Cuban Missile Crisis.
  2. 2. – The latitude line that served as the dividing border between North and South Korea before and after the Korean War.
  3. 3. – Leader of the Soviet Union (1924–1953), who established communist rule in Eastern Europe and played a key role in the early Cold War tensions.
  4. 4. – An economic and political system in which the government owns all property, controls production, and distributes resources. The Soviet Union and China promoted this ideology during the Cold War.
  5. 5. – A 13-day confrontation (October 1962) between the U.S. and USSR over Soviet nuclear missiles placed in Cuba. It was the closest the world came to nuclear war and ended with a negotiated withdrawal of missiles.
  6. 8. – A military alliance formed in 1949 between the U.S., Canada, and several Western European nations to defend against Soviet aggression.
  7. 9. – A 1947 U.S. policy that pledged support to countries resisting communism, initially aiding Greece and Turkey to prevent Soviet influence.
  8. 11. - The U.S. foreign policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism, first introduced by diplomat George Kennan and put into action through military and economic aid.
  9. 14. – A scientific and technological rivalry between the U.S. and USSR to achieve space exploration milestones, including the Soviet launch of Sputnik (1957) and the U.S. moon landing in 1969.
  10. 16. – Soviet leader (1953–1964) after Stalin’s death, known for his role in the Cuban Missile Crisis, de-Stalinization policies, and space advancements.
  11. 21. – A Cold War competition between the U.S. and Soviet Union to develop more powerful nuclear weapons and military technology, leading to the creation of hydrogen bombs and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).