Unit 7: A New Story Study Guide

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from Unit 7.

postmodernism

A belief that science and institutions have failed to provide meaning, requiring humans to create their own meaning and purpose.

classical liberalism

Philosophy based on individual rights, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, the right to private property, and equality before the law.

nationalism

A theological concept in certain Christian belief systems suggesting that the saved are not bound by moral laws or commandments.

realism in international relations

Theory where nations are primarily concerned with self-preservation.

liberalism in international relations

Theory where nations emphasize connections to minimize conflict.

idealism in international relations

Advocacy for peace, justice, and human rights through international cooperation and the rule of law.

international agreements

Agreements between states or between states and international organizations, governed by international law.

Harry Truman

U.S. president who articulated a doctrine of containment towards the USSR.

Dwight Eisenhower

U.S. president during WWII.

Joseph Stalin

Leader of Soviet Russia.

Yalta Conference

Meeting of Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin to discuss postwar reorganization of Europe and the establishment of the UN.

Atlantic Charter

Outlined a vision for the post-war world emphasizing self-determination, free trade, and disarmament.

Truman Doctrine

Policy aimed at containing communism in Greece and Turkey.

Containment

Foreign policy principle established by Truman to contain communism.

Marshall Plan

Economic aid provided to rebuild Western Europe after WWII.

Berlin Airlift

U.S. operation to supply West Berlin cut off from the allies.

Berlin Wall

Wall built to separate East and West Berlin.

Ngo Dinh Diem

First president of South Vietnam.

Viet Cong

Communist rebels attempting to overthrow the South Vietnamese government.

Agent Orange

Herbicide used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.

Pentagon Papers

47-volume study of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization; a military alliance for defense against USSR attacks.

Warsaw Pact

Military alliance between the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries during the Cold War.

Chiang Kai-shek

Chinese nationalist focused on eliminating communists from China.

Chinese communism

Total control over the people's lives in terms of economy, politics, and physical liberty.

Mao Zedong

Chinese communist leader who won the civil war and established the People’s Republic of China.

Syngman Rhee

Korean nationalist who sought a united Korea supported by America.

Kim Il-sung

Ruler of North Korea.

Korean War

First major application of the policy of containment, with conflict between North (communist) and South (democratic) Korea.

Domino Theory

The idea that if one nation falls to communism, neighboring nations will follow.

John F. Kennedy

U.S. president during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Nikita Khrushchev

Premier of the Soviet Union after Stalin.

Cuban Missile Crisis

The closest moment in the Cold War when the U.S. and USSR came to nuclear war.

Bay of Pigs

Failed operation to overthrow Fidel Castro's government in Cuba.

Fidel Castro

Cuban dictator.

Vietnam War

Conflict between communist North Vietnam and U.S.-backed South Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh

Founder of the Indochinese Communist Party.

Tet Offensive

Surprise attack by North Vietnamese forces on South Vietnam.

The Long March

Military retreat by the Chinese Red Army during the Chinese Civil War.

Perestroika

Restructuring of the political economy of the Soviet Union.

glasnost

Increased openness and transparency in Soviet government institutions.

Chernobyl

Nuclear accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.

Gorbachev

Last leader of the Soviet Union.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

Event triggered by Gorbachev's reforms and East German protests.

Pan-Africanism

Project advocating for unity and liberation of people of African descent.

African National Congress

Organization that opposed apartheid and led the struggle for majority rule in South Africa.

apartheid

System of racial segregation in South Africa.

Nelson Mandela

Leader of the ANC who opposed apartheid laws through peaceful resistance.

Indian National Congress

Platform for educated Indians to voice concerns during British rule.

Gandhi

Leader of India's independence movement through nonviolent resistance.

Muhammed Ali Jinnah

Founding leader of Pakistan, achieved partition from British India.

Partition of India

Created the nations of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

Zionism

Movement advocating for the creation of a Jewish state.

Theodore Herzl

Founder of modern political Zionism.

Chaim Weitzmann

Zionist leader and first president of Israel.

Balfour Declaration

British government's support for a Jewish state while affirming rights of non-Jewish residents in Palestine.

Sikes-Picot Agreement

Division of the Middle East into mandates post-World War I.

Pan-Arabism

Movement for Arab unity, backed by Egypt.

Six Day War

Israel's preemptive strike against Arab nations, destroying their air forces.

Saddam Hussein

President of Iraq known for human rights abuses.

Persian Gulf War

International conflict triggered by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.

9/11

Terrorist attacks on U.S. soil involving hijacking commercial airplanes.