AP World History - ALL UNITS

Abdicate

to resign; formally give up an office or a duty

Allies

alliance of nations joining together to fight a common enemy

Armaments

weapons and supplies of war with which a military unit is equipped

Armistice

state of peace agreement between opponents so they can discuss peace terms

Atomic Energy

energy created when the nucleus of atoms join together or split apart; used in atomic bombs

Capitalism

economic system based on private property and free enterprise

Cold War

period of time following World War II; ideological struggle between communism (Soviet Union) and capitalism (United States) for world influence.

Collectivization

Stalin's economic and political plan; creation of large, state-run farms instead of individual holdings; allowed more efficient control over peasants

Communism

form of socialism that abolishes private ownership; activities directed by the state

Conservative

favoring traditional values and views

Containment

U.S. foreign policy adopted by President Harry Truman in the late 1940s; goal of stopping spread of communism by creating alliances and helping weak countries to resist Soviet advances

Decolonization

to free a colony to become self-governing or independent.

Deposed

removed from office or power

Democratization

creating a government elected by the people

Doctrine

belief or system of beliefs accepted as authoritative by some group or school

Egalitarian

a person who believes in the equality of all people

Ethnic Cleansing

the expulsion, imprisonment, or killing of ethnic minorities by a dominant majority group

Exodus

journey by a large group to escape a hostile environment

Fascism

strong, centralized government with strict social and economic control; usually headed by a dictator. First found in Italy by Mussolini.

First World

largely democratic and free-market states of the US and Western Europe

Front Line

line along which opposing armies face each other

Globalization

trend toward increased cultural and economic connectedness between people, businesses, and organizations throughout the world.

Global Warming

increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere causing climate changes

Guerilla

member of a loosely organized fighting force that makes surprise attacks on enemy troops

Intervention

deliberate act of a nation or a group of nations to introduce its military forces into the course of an existing conflict. "The World's Policeman"

Isolationism

national policy of avoiding involvement in world affairs

Jihad

holy war undertaken as a sacred duty by Muslims

Legislature

persons who make, amend or repeal laws

Liberal

Someone who favors federal government action to bring about social and economic reform

Militarism

policy of building up strong armed forces to prepare for war

Nationalism

pride in or devotion to one's country

Nationalize

to take over ownership by a national government

Nation-State

independent nation of people having a common culture and identity

Natural Resources

materials and energy in nature that are essential or useful to humans

National Socialist Party

Nazi party led by Adolf Hitler in Germany; picked up political support during the economic chaos of the Great Depression; advocated authoritarian state under a single leader, aggressive foreign policy to reverse humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles; took power in Germany in 1933.

Nuclear Weapons

deriving destructive energy from the release of atomic energy

Radical

opinions and actions that are far beyond the norm

Recession

economic slowdown of the economy; results in rising unemployment, increased business failures, declining economic growth and higher personal bankruptcies.

Reform

make changes for improvement in order to remove abuse and injustices

Reparations

payments for war damage such as demanded of Germany in Treaty of Versailles after WWI

Revolution

the overthrow of a government by those who are governed

Rivalry

competing against each other for something

Secular

worldly; not pertaining to church matters or religion

Sectarian

limited to the beliefs of a small group such as a religious sect; narrow in scope

Terrorism

calculated use of violence against civilians in order to attain political, religious or ideological goals

Third World

Collective name for underdeveloped/developing countries of Asia and Africa and Latin America

Totalitarian

single party and leader who suppress all opposition and control all aspects of people's lives

Westernization

Adoption of western ideas, technology, and culture.

Apartheid

policy of racial segregation and oppression in the Republic of South Africa 1948-1994

Asian Tigers

Collective name for South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore-nations that became economic powers in the 1970s and 1980s.

Aswan Dam

Dam across Nile River completed in 1970; Created Lake Nasser; increased Egypt's farmland by 50%

Kemel Mustafa Ataturk

"Father of the Turks"; helped to create Republic of Turkey and wanted to modernize [westernize] Turkey as well as separate religion and government

Ayatollah Khomeini

Shiite religious leader of Iran; overthrew Shah of Iran in 1979 Islamic Revolution; ordered the invasion of the US Embassy

Balfour Declaration

British document that promised land in Palestine as homeland for Jews in exchange for Jews help in WWI

Berlin Airlift

airlift in 1948 that supplied food and fuel to citizens of west Berlin when the Russians closed off land access to Berlin

Bolshevik Party

Founded by Vladimir Lenin, this party later became known as the Communist Party

Fidel Castro

led revolution and took control of Cuba in 1959; established a Marxist socialist state (communist)

Chiang Kai Shek

Leader of the nationalist government in China from 1925 until WWII; focused on defeating the communists in China during the Long March

Winston Churchill

prime minister of Britain during world war II; coined term "iron curtain"; powerful speechmaker; rallied Allied morale

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 confrontation bewteen US and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles in Cuba

Cultural Revolution

Campaign in China by Mao Zedong to purge the Communist Party of his opponents and instill revolutionary values in the younger generation

Deng Xioaping

leader after Mao Zadong; led a group of practical minded reformers, ended cultural revolution; shift towards family traditions, clothing changed, names not patriotic

Eastern Bloc

Soviet allies in eastern Europe; Bulgaria, Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Hungary.

European Economic Community

EEC; Organization established in Western Europe by the Treaty of Rome in 1958; also known as the common market.

European Union

international organization of Western European countries to promote free trade among members

Fourteen Points

list of Wilson's terms for resolving WWI and future wars

Mahatma Gandhi

led nonviolent resistance to win India's freedom from British colonial rule; believed in resisting injustice despite a threat of jail or enduring violent attacks.

Marcus Garvey

1920's African American leader; founded Universal Negro Improvement Association and advocated mass migration of African Americans back to Africa.

Great Leap Forward

Mao's five-year failed plan; aimed to speed up economic development while developing a socialist society; resulted in mass starvation between 1958 and 1960.

Adolph Hitler

German fascist leader of Nazi Party 1933-1945. rose to power by promoting racist and national views; Mein Kampf

Ho Chi Minh

Communist leader of North Vietnam; he and his Viet Minh/Viet Cong allies fought French and American forces to a standstill in Vietnam, 1946-1973.

Holocaust

mass slaughter of Jews and other civilians, carried out by the Nazi government of Germany before and during World War II.

Saddam Hussein

President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003; Waged war on Iran in 1980-1988. In 1990 he ordered an invasion of Kuwait but was defeated by United States and its allies in the Gulf War (1991). Defeated by US led invasion in 2003.

IAEA

International Atomic Energy Agency; responsible for monitoring global nuclear activities

Intifada

uprising by Palestinian Arabs (in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank) against Israel in the late 1980s and again in 2000

Iran-Iraq War

1980-1988: Hussein vs. Khomeini; Iraq attacks Iran; over 1 mil. killed and war ends in a stalemate; USA backs Iraq; secret deal with Iran

Iron Curtain

Term by Churchill to describe the East-West divide in postwar Europe between communist and democratic nations

Israel

Jewish republic in southwestern Asia at eastern end of Mediterranean; formerly part of palestine

Korean War

1950-1953; conflict between Communist North Korea and Non-Communist South Korea. The United Nations (led by US) helped South Korea.

League of Nations

organization of nations formed after World War I to promote cooperation and peace.

Vladimir Lenin

Russian founder of the Bolsheviks (later communist party); leader of the Russian Revolution and first head of the USSR (1870-1924)

Mao Zedong

Leader of the Chinese Communist Party; led the Communists on the Long March (1934-1935); rebuilt the Communist Party and Red Army during the Japanese occupation of China (1937-1945).

Marshall Plan

United States program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe (1948-1952)

NAFTA

North American Free Trade Agreement; allows open trade with US, Mexico, and Canada

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an alliance made to defend one another if they were attacked by any other country; US, England, France, Canada, Western European countries

OPEC

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries; founded in 1960 of nations that export large amounts of petroleum; formed to establish oil-exporting policies and set prices.

Shah of Iran

Muhammad Reza Pahlovi, Leader of Iran with goals to nationalize their oil and improve economy; pro-western; sparked Iranian Revolution; overthrown by Khomeini

Palestine

region at eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea that became the ancient home of the jews; former name of the area that today includes israel

Rape of Nanjing

Japanese attack on Chinese capital from 1937-1938 when Japanese slaughtered thousands of civilians and raped thousands of women in order to gain control of China

Six Days War

1967 clash between Israel and the Arab world; Israel was victorious

Josef Stalin

dictator of the USSR; Successor to Lenin; 5 years plans, collective farms, purges, totalitarian rule, command economy

Sun Yat Sen

Overthrew old regime in China in 1911 and tried to replace it with democratic, liberal and moderate socialist principles.

Third Reich

Third empire/republic of Germany; began by Hitler in 1933 and ended with his defeat in 1945

Treaty of Versailles

treaty imposed on Germany by the Allied powers in 1920 after WWI; Germany ordered to pay fines to the Allies to repay the costs of the war; lead to a severe depression in Germany.

Trench Warfare

fighting from ditches protected by barbed wire, as in WWI

Leon Trotsky

Russian revolutionary (communist); helped Lenin gain his power and win the civil war by leading the Red army

Truman Doctrine

President Truman's policy of providing economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism.

USSR

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or soviet union; formed in 1922 by the communists; dissolved in 1991

United Nations

organization founded after World War II to promote international peace and cooperation.

Vietnam War

long war between North and South Vietnam; goal to prevent communisum in South Vietnam; US usuccessfully assisted South Vietnam