World Relations After World War II

Vocabulary flashcards about the state of the world after WWII.

United Nations (UN)

Established in October 1945 to preserve peace and promote international cooperation.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

A crucial document outlining fundamental human rights and freedoms, adopted in 1948.

Key UN Bodies

The main bodies include the General Assembly, Security Council, and Secretariat.

Objectives of the UN

Includes preserving global peace, eliminating causes of war, and protecting human rights.

Paris Peace Treaties

Post-war agreements in Paris that restored Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania to their pre-war borders.

Germany's Post-War Conditions

Payment of war reparations and loss of territory.

Dominant Post-War Superpowers

Following war damages, the United States and the Soviet Union.

Peace Treaties of 1947

Treaties signed in Paris in 1947 with defeated nations, altering European borders and addressing war crimes.

Border Changes in Europe

Independent after the war, with Poland reduced in the east but expanded in the west.

Post-War Ideological Actions

The suppression of militarism and fascism after the war

War Crime Trials

Trials held in Nuremberg and Tokyo, marking the first prosecutions for war crimes in history.

Capitalist World

Characterized by private property, market economy, and multi-party democracy.

Socialist World

Characterized by state ownership, planned economy, and single-party dictatorship.

Cult of Personality

The promotion of an infallible image of state leaders, especially prevalent in communist regimes.

NATO Alliance

Military alliance associated with capitalism and liberal democracy.

Warsaw Pact

Military alliance associated with communism and single-party systems.

Beginning of the Cold War

The shift from post-war cooperation to rivalry between the USA and the USSR.

Marshall Plan

A plan offering financial aid to Western European countries to facilitate economic recovery and political stability, initiated in 1947.

Truman Doctrine

A policy aimed at preventing the expansion of communism, formulated under President Truman.

Iron Curtain

A guarded border dividing capitalist and communist countries in Europe.

Berlin Blockade

In 1948, the USSR closed road and rail to West Berlin, prompting the Allies to establish an air bridge.

Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)

Established in 1949, with the capital in Bonn.

German Democratic Republic (East Germany)

Established in 1950, with the capital in East Berlin.

European Coal and Steel Community

Founded in 1951, marking the beginning of European integration.

Proxy Wars

A conflict where the US and USSR supported different sides, leading to local wars.

Korean War (1950-1953)

Began when communist North Korea invaded South Korea.

38th Parallel

The border established after 3 years of conflict during the Korean war.

Cold War (1947-1990)

A period of military threats, arms race, and military base construction.

Berlin Crisis

A crisis involving the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, symbolizing the Cold War and global division.

Detente

A period of reduced tension and increased cooperation between the two blocs.

KESS (Helsinki)

Conference of European Security and Cooperation in Helsinki in 1975, promoting border inviolability and peaceful conflict resolution.

Resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis

Resolved through negotiations between Nikita Khrushchev and John F. Kennedy.

Indochina

Where France lost control, leading to the creation of North and South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

Viet Cong

A communist guerrilla group that led to US intervention and, eventually, a north vietnamese victory in 1975.

Hungarian Revolution

Revolution in 1956 seeking liberalization, crushed by Soviet forces.

Prague Spring

In 1968, Soviet intervention suppressed liberalization movements.

Middle East after WWII

After British withdrawal and the creation of independent states.

UN Resolution on Palestine

A UN resolution in 1947 divided Palestine into Arab and Jewish states.

Creation of Israel

Declared in 1948, leading to conflict and territorial expansion.

Decolonization

The effort to gain independence of colonies.

UN's Role in Decolonization

The UN's Declaration promoted independence for colonial states

Great Britain's Decolonization

After initial struggle, it granted independence to colonies like India in 1947.

British Commonwealth

Recognize the British monarch but maintain political independence.

Fundamental Human Rights

Human rights include personal, economic, social, and political rights.

UN Declaration on Human Rights (1948)

UN declaration for basic rights of humans

Martin Luther King Jr.

A Baptist minister and leader of civil rights movement.

Non-Aligned Movement

Movement for peaceful coexistence and addressing issues of developing countries, founded in 1961.

Founding Nations of the Non-Aligned Movement

Include Yugoslavia, Egypt, and India.

Market Economy

Economic system with private ownership and market competition.

Planned Economy

An economic system with state ownership and central planning.

Marshall Plan's Impact

Helped Western European countries, adopting mass production from USA.

Mikhail Gorbachev

Launched perestroika, introducing elements of market economy.

Transition Period

Transition from planned to market economies.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

Fall of Berlin Wall in 1989 symbolized end of division.

Gorbachev's Reforms

Perestroika emphasized economic changes, aiming for greater freedom of speech.

US-USSR detente

Agreement for missile limitation.

End of the Cold War

Dissolved Warsaw Pact and pushed for democratization.

Post-Stalin Era

After Stalin's death, intellectuals push for democracy.

Prague Spring

Launched in 1968 in Czechoslovakia.