Unit 8 Cold War and Decolonization 1900-Present Day

Self-determination

the right of people to choose their own form of government

Yalta and Potsdam Conferences

The Post WWII meetings where the big 3 discussed the division of Germany and what the Post-War World would look like

Non-Aligned Movement

The group of nations that didn't side with either the US or the USSR during the Cold War.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

military alliance formed to counter Soviet expansion

Warsaw Pact

An alliance between the Soviet Union and other Eastern European nations. This was in response to the NATO

Nuclear Proliferation

the spread of nuclear weapons to new nations

Chinese Communist Revolution

A political revolution in China led by Mao Zedong. After several years of fighting the Nationalist Party, the communists won control of the country in 1949.

The Great Leap Forward

economic and social plan used in China from 1958 to 1961 which aimed to use China's vast population to rapidly transform the country from an agrarian economy into a modern industrial society.

Mao Zedong

Chinese Communist leader from 1949 to 1976.

Deng Xiaoping

Leader of China from 1976 to 1997 whose reforms essentially dismantled the communist elements of the Chinese economy.

White Revolution

Policy of reforms enacted by Reza Shah, beginning in 1963, to rapidly modernize and Westernize Iran

Ho Chi Minh

Communist leader of North Vietnam

Ngo Dinh Diem

American ally in South Vietnam from 1954 to 1963; his repressive regime caused the Communist Viet Cong to thrive in the South and required increasing American military aid to stop a Communist takeover. he was killed in a coup in 1963.

Quebecois Separatist Movement

refers to both the political movement and the ideology of values, concepts and ideas that promote the secession of the province of Quebec from the rest of Canada

Biafra secessionist movement

a secessionist movement with the aim of securing the state of Biafra from Nigeria

Muslim League

organization formed by Muslims in 1906 to protect their interests against British Rule. Wanted an independent state for Muslims

Gamal Abdel Nasser

Egyptian statesman who nationalized the Suez Canal (1918-1870) and instituted land reforms in Egypt

Al Qaeda

Islamist terrorist organization that launched a series of attacks against U.S.

The Shining Path

a radical guerrilla group in Peru with ties to Communist China, Cuba

Apartheid

A social policy or racial segregation involving political and economic and legal discrimination against non-whites in South Africa

Military Dictatorship

a government in which the armed forces have the absolute power to rule. Chile, Spain Uganda

military-industrial complex

The close association of the federal government, the military, and defense industries

Detente

the easing of hostility or strained relations, especially between countries.

anti-imperialism

movement against imperialism

Containment

A U.S. foreign policy adopted by President Harry Truman in the late 1940s, in which the United States tried to stop the spread of communism by creating alliances and helping weak countries to resist Soviet advances

Vietnam War

Proxy War where the US aided the South (non-communist); led to sizeable, passionate, and sometimes violent protests, especially as the war went on

Angolan Civil War

When Angola achieved independence, the two major liberation movements began to squabble over how to rule the country. Ultimately, the United States, the Soviet Union, and Cuba interfered and exacerbated the problem.

Mujahideen

in Afghanistan, holy warriors who banded together to fight the Soviet-supported government in the late 1970s

Berlin Wall

Barrier set up in 1961 to separate East and West Berlin

Iron Curtain

Winston Churchill's term for the Cold War division between the Soviet-dominated East and the U.S.-dominated West.

Jewish Zionism

National movement supporting Jewish people's establishment in Israel

Partition of India and Pakistan

the partition of British India and of the Dominion of Pakistan, promulgated in the Indian Independence Act 1947 and resulted in the dissolution of the British Indian Empire.

Gandhi

Leader of Indian Independence. Promoted non-violent resistance like the Salt March

MLK Jr.

United States charismatic civil rights leader and Baptist minister who campaigned against the segregation of African Americans through non violence

Kashmir

an area in southwestern Asia whose sovereignty is disputed between Pakistan and India after the Partition Plan.