AP World History Unit 8 Flashcards

Ronald Reagan

U.S. president known for robust anti-communist stance and efforts to end the Cold War in the 1980s./

Mikhail Gorbachev

Soviet leader who implemented reforms that aimed to modernize the Soviet Union and reduce tensions with the West.

Détente

Period of eased tensions between the U.S. and Soviet Union characterized by diplomatic engagements and limited agreements.

SALT

Agreement to cap the number of nuclear missiles each superpower could possess, signed in 1972./

Perestroika

Economic policy aimed at restructuring the Soviet economic system to incorporate market-like reforms.

Glasnost

Policy promoting openness and transparency in government, allowing for increased political freedoms in the Soviet Union.

INF

1987 agreement that eliminated intermediate-range nuclear weapons between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

Strategic Defense Initiative

Proposed missile defense system intended to protect the U.S. from nuclear missile attacks, announced in 1983.

Prague Spring

1968 reform movement in Czechoslovakia aimed at increasing freedoms, ultimately crushed by Soviet intervention.

Brezhnev Doctrine

Policy justifying intervention by the Soviet Union in socialist countries to prevent threats of reform.

Irish Republican Army

Paramilitary organization fighting for Irish unification against British rule, engaging in violence and terrorism.

Nelson Mandela

Anti-apartheid activist in South Africa who promoted nonviolent protests and negotiations after initial support for armed resistance.

Six-Day War

A 1967 conflict resulting in territorial gains for Israel against Arab nations.

Camp David Accords

A 1978 peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, brokered by the U.S.

Palestinian Liberation Organization

A political and militant group formed to represent Palestinian interests and advocate for statehood.

Hamas

An Islamist militant organization governing Gaza, known for its opposition to Israel and a more confrontational stance than Fatah.

Khmer Rouge

A radical communist regime in Cambodia (1975-1979) responsible for mass genocide and societal upheaval.

Kashmir

A disputed region between India and Pakistan, leading to multiple conflicts since the partition in 1947.

Sirimavo Bandaranaike

First female prime minister of Sri Lanka and the world, serving three terms with a socialist agenda.

Indira Gandhi

Prime Minister of India who implemented significant economic reforms but faced political challenges and emergency rule.

Benazir Bhutto

First female prime minister of Pakistan, known for her attempts to address economic issues amid corruption accusations.

Julius Nyerere

First president of Tanzania, advocating for African socialism and self-reliance despite economic difficulties.

metropole

A large city in a former colonial power, serving as a destination for migrants from newly independent nations

Kwame Nkrumah

Ghana's first president, known for Pan-Africanism and state-led development, later embraced dictatorship.

Charles de Gaulle

French president who facilitated Algeria's independence, emphasizing direct appeals to the populace.

Ho Chi Minh

Vietnamese leader promoting nationalism and communism against colonial rule.

Gamal Abdel Nasser

Egyptian president who nationalized industries and advocated Pan-Arab unity, blending socialism with Islam.

Algerian War for Independence

A conflict from 1954 to 1962 between France and Algerian nationalists fighting for independence.

Algerian Civil War

A violent conflict beginning in 1991, rooted in political unrest over one-party rule and Islamist movements.

Suez Crisis

The 1956 international crisis following Egypt's nationalization of the Suez Canal, involving military intervention by Israel, Britain, and France.

Biafran Civil War

A conflict from 1967 to 1970 in Nigeria, sparked by the secession of the Igbo people seeking independence.

Quiet Revolution

A period in the 1960s in Quebec marked by significant social, economic, and political changes aimed at increasing French Canadian identity and independence.

Muslim League

Political group advocating for the rights of Muslims in India, leading to the creation of Pakistan.

theocracy

Government system where religion is the supreme authority.

Mao Zedong

Chinese communist leader who established the People’s Republic of China.

Great Leap Forward

Economic campaign aiming for rapid industrialization and agricultural collectivization in China.

Cultural Revolution

Movement initiated by Mao to reinforce communist ideology and eliminate dissent.

Red Guards

Youth groups mobilized by Mao to attack perceived enemies of the state.

White Revolution

Series of progressive reforms in Iran aiming to modernize and weaken traditional landowner power.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

Shah of Iran, known for his authoritarian rule and Western alliances.

Mohammad Mosaddegh

Iranian prime minister who sought to nationalize oil companies, eventually overthrown in a coup.

Mengistu Haile Mariam

Ethiopian military leader who established a socialist regime after deposing Selassie

proxy war

Conflict instigated by a major power, where it supports opposing factions but does not engage directly in fighting.

Berlin Airlift

Operation to deliver supplies to West Berlin during the Soviet blockade from 1948 to 1949.

Berlin Wall

Structure erected in 1961 to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin, symbolizing Cold War division.

Korean War

Conflict from 1950-1953 arising from North Korea's invasion of South Korea, resulting in a stalemate and division along the 38th parallel.

Vietnam War

Conflict involving U.S. military intervention to prevent communist takeover in South Vietnam, leading to significant casualties and eventual U.S. withdrawal.

Bay of Pigs

Failed U.S.-backed invasion of Cuba in 1961 intended to overthrow Fidel Castro's government.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 confrontation over the Soviet deployment of nuclear missiles in Cuba, prompting U.S. response and a near-nuclear conflict.

Angola

Country that experienced a civil war post-independence in 1975, influenced by superpower support for different ethnic factions.

Contra War

Conflict in Nicaragua from 1981 to 1988, where the U.S. supported anti-Sandinista rebels, resulting in significant casualties.

NATO

Military alliance formed in 1949 for mutual defense against potential Soviet aggression.

Warsaw Pact

Military alliance established in 1955 among communist countries in response to NATO.

communist bloc

Group of Eastern European nations under Soviet influence and control during the Cold War.

John F. Kennedy

U.S. President during the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Nikita Khrushchev

Soviet leader during the Cuban Missile Crisis who faced off against Kennedy

Iron Curtain

Metaphorical barrier symbolizing the division between Eastern (communist) and Western (democratic) Europe during the Cold War.

Containment

U.S. policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism beyond its existing borders.

Truman Doctrine

1947 U.S. policy declaring support for countries resisting communism, notably in Greece and Turkey.

Non-Aligned Movement

Alliance of countries in the 1950s-1960s that sought to avoid alignment with either superpower during the Cold War.

Mutual assured destruction

Military doctrine stating that both superpowers would be destroyed in a nuclear war, deterring direct conflict.

Marshall Plan

U.S. initiative launched in 1947 to provide economic aid for the reconstruction of European nations after WWII.

COMECON

Soviet-led economic organization established in 1949 to help Eastern European countries, less effective than the Marshall Plan

Sputnik

first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957, marking the beginning of the space race during the Cold War.

Harry Truman

U.S. President post-Roosevelt, known for his stance on free elections and the start of the Cold War.

Dwight Eisenhower

U.S. President warning against the military-industrial complex during Cold War tensions.

Hydrogen bomb

A nuclear weapon developed in the early 1950s, significantly more powerful than earlier atomic bombs.

Military-industrial complex

Alliance between government and defense contractors that grew in influence during Cold War.