EURO Unit 9

Cold War

Political and military tension between the United States and the Soviet Union after WWII, marked by competition without direct war.

Displaced persons

People forced to leave their homes because of war, persecution, or political conflict after WWII.

Nuremberg Trials

Trials held after WWII to prosecute Nazi leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Yalta Conference agreements

Decisions made by Allied leaders in 1945 about postwar Europe, including dividing Germany and allowing free elections in Eastern Europe.

Truman Doctrine

U.S. policy promising support to countries resisting communism.

Marshall Plan

American economic aid program to rebuild Western Europe after WWII.

Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON)

Soviet-led organization created to coordinate the economies of communist countries.

NATO

Military alliance formed in 1949 between the U.S., Canada, and Western European nations for mutual defense.

Warsaw Pact

Military alliance of the Soviet Union and Eastern European communist states formed in response to NATO.

Economic miracle

Rapid economic recovery and growth in Western Europe after WWII, especially in West Germany and Italy.

Christian Democrats

European political parties that combined democracy with Christian social values and supported rebuilding after WWII.

Common Market

Economic organization that reduced trade barriers between Western European countries; precursor to the European Union.

Socialist Realism

Soviet artistic style that glorified communism, workers, and the state.

de-Stalinization

Reforms after Stalin’s death that reduced repression and criticized Stalin’s rule.

Decolonization

Process by which colonies gained independence from European powers after WWII.

Nonalignment

Policy of refusing to side officially with either the U.S. or Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Mohandas Gandhi

Leader of Indian independence who promoted nonviolent resistance against British rule.

Founding of Israel

Creation of the state of Israel in 1948 as a homeland for Jewish people.

Neocolonialism

Continued economic or political control of former colonies by powerful nations after independence.

Guest worker programs

Programs allowing foreign workers to temporarily fill labor shortages in European countries.

Postcolonial migrations

Movement of people from former colonies to European countries after independence.

Ostpolitik

West German policy of improving relations with East Germany and Eastern Europe during the Cold War.

Detente

Relaxation of tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the 1970s.

Second Vatican Council

Meeting of Catholic Church leaders (1962–1965) that modernized church practices and encouraged engagement with the modern world.

New Left

1960s political movement focused on civil rights, antiwar activism, feminism, and social reform.

Brezhnev Doctrine

Soviet policy stating the USSR could intervene in communist countries to maintain communist rule.

OPEC

Organization of oil-producing countries that coordinated oil prices and production.

Stagflation

Economic condition with both high inflation and high unemployment.

Postindustrial society

Society where service and technology industries become more important than manufacturing.

Neoliberalism

Economic policy favoring free markets, deregulation, and reduced government involvement in the economy.

Privatization

Transfer of businesses or services from government ownership to private ownership.

Second-wave feminism

Movement in the 1960s–1980s focused on women’s equality in work, education, and reproductive rights.

Developed socialism

Soviet idea under Brezhnev that socialism in the USSR had reached a mature stage.

Solidarity

Independent Polish labor union that challenged communist rule in the 1980s.

Perestroika

Gorbachev’s policy of restructuring the Soviet economy and government.

Glasnost

Gorbachev’s policy promoting openness, freedom of speech, and transparency in the Soviet Union.

Velvet Revolution

Peaceful 1989 revolution that ended communist rule in Czechoslovakia.

Shock therapy

Rapid transition from a state-controlled economy to a free-market economy in former communist countries.

Color Revolutions

Series of nonviolent protests in former Soviet states demanding democratic reforms.

Ethnic cleansing

Forced removal or killing of ethnic groups from a region.

Globalization

Increasing worldwide connection of economies, cultures, and communication.

European Union

Political and economic union of European countries promoting cooperation and free trade.

Maastricht Treaty

1992 agreement that formally created the European Union and introduced plans for a common currency.

World Trade Organization (WTO)

International organization that regulates global trade and resolves trade disputes.

Multiculturalism

Policy or belief supporting the coexistence of diverse cultural groups within a society.

War on terror

International campaign led by the U.S. after the September 11 attacks to combat terrorism.

Arab Spring

Series of protests and uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa beginning in 2010.

Islamic State

Extremist militant group that controlled territory in Iraq and Syria and promoted terrorism.

Brexit

Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.

Climate change

Long-term shifts in global temperatures and weather patterns, largely caused by human activity.