Yalta Conference: A meeting held in February 1945 where Allied leaders (Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin) discussed the post-war reorganization of Europe and the future of Germany.

Potsdam Conference: A meeting held in July 1945 where the Allies discussed the implementation of agreements made at Yalta, including the administration of Germany and the reparations process.

Diplomacy: The art and practice of conducting negotiations between nations.

Superpower: A nation with the ability to influence global events and project power on a worldwide scale, especially relevant to the USA and USSR during this period.

Cold War: The state of political and military tension after World War II between powers in the Western Bloc (led by the USA) and the Eastern Bloc (led by the USSR), without direct warfare.

Sphere of Influence: Regions or countries over which a superpower exerts a dominant influence.

Reparations: Compensation demanded by victorious countries from the defeated, often in the form of money, goods, or territory.

Buffer Zone: A territory between two rival powers, intended to prevent conflict.

Marshall Plan: A U.S. initiative to aid Western Europe's economic recovery after WWII, aimed at preventing the spread of communism.