Cold War Vocabulary

noun a relaxing of tension, especially between nations, as by negotiations or agreements

• The two countries reached a detente after years of tense relations.
• There seems to be a detente between the neighbors now.
• Let's hope this detente lasts for a while.
• Their detente was like a fragile truce, ready to break at any moment.

noun a type of nuclear weapon that releases energy through nuclear fusion

• The development of the H bomb marked a significant advancement in nuclear technology.
• They say the H bomb is way more powerful than the regular atomic bomb.
• Dude, did you hear about that country testing the H bomb? Crazy stuff.
• Her words were like an emotional H bomb, causing chaos in the room.

noun a tool consisting of a heavy metal head mounted at right angles at the end of a handle, used for jobs such as breaking things and driving in nails

conjunction a word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause

• The hammer and sickle symbol is commonly associated with communism.
• I saw a tattoo of a hammer and sickle on his arm.
• Some people still wave flags with the hammer and sickle at protests.
• The hammer and sickle represents the unity of industrial and agricultural workers.

noun a political strategy or tactic used to discredit someone by accusing them of being a communist or socialist

• Red baiting is a tactic used to discredit someone by accusing them of being a communist.
• I heard they were red baiting him at the office because of his political beliefs.
• Don't listen to those rumors, it's just some red baiting nonsense.
• The politician resorted to red baiting in order to divert attention from the real issues at hand.

noun a citizen of the former Soviet Union

adjective relating to the former Soviet Union or its people

• The Soviet Union was a powerful country during the Cold War.
• My grandmother used to tell me stories about life in the Soviet era.
• That movie was so bad, it was like a Soviet propaganda film.
• The team's defense was like a Soviet wall, impenetrable.

noun Checkpoint Charlie

• Checkpoint Charlie was a famous border crossing point in Berlin during the Cold War.
• Let's go check out Checkpoint Charlie while we're in Berlin.
• Checkpoint Charlie was where all the action went down back in the day.
• Crossing Checkpoint Charlie symbolized the divide between East and West during the Cold War.

noun the study or academic discipline focused on the Soviet Union and its politics, society, and culture

• Sovietology is the study of the Soviet Union, its politics, society, and culture.
• I'm taking a Sovietology class next semester to learn more about the history of Russia.
• Sovietology sounds like a boring subject, but it's actually quite fascinating.
• In the realm of international relations, Sovietology remains a valuable area of expertise despite the dissolution of the Soviet Union.