Cold War to the Present in Europe and Asia Practice Flashcards

A set of 70 vocabulary-style flashcards covering the Cold War, decolonization, and regional conflicts in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Superpowers

The United States and Soviet Union, which emerged after World War II as the two dominant global powers.

Capitalism

An economic system used by the United States that allows for personal freedoms and a market-based economy.

Command Economy

An economic system used by the Soviet Union where the government has control over the economy.

Yalta Conference

A meeting where the Allied Powers (US, Great Britain, France, and USSR) agreed to temporarily divide Germany into zones.

West Germany

A western capitalist country with a market economy formed after World War II.

East Germany

A communist country where citizens had little freedom and the government controlled the economy.

Iron Curtain

The imaginary line through Europe that divided the western democracies from the eastern communist countries.

Satellite nations

A smaller country that is economically or politically dependent on a more powerful country.

Containment

A Cold War policy aimed at limiting communism to areas already under Soviet control.

Truman Doctrine

Economic and military programs, specifically for Greece and Turkey, designed to help nations resist Soviet aggression.

Marshall Plan

Economic aid meant to strengthen democratic governments and lessen the appeal of communism.

Berlin Wall

A barrier built to divide the city of Berlin and prevent people in East Germany from escaping into West Berlin.

Berlin Blockade

An action where Soviet forces blocked western powers from having access to Berlin.

Berlin Airlift

An operation where western powers sent supplies to West Berlin using aircrafts in response to a blockade.

Arms Race

The competition between the US and Soviet Union to develop the most powerful weapons.

Space Race

The competition between the US and Soviet Union to see who could get to space the fastest.

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance including Western European countries, the United States, and Canada.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance including the Soviet Union and seven of its satellites in Eastern Europe.

Bay of Pigs

A United States invasion of Cuba that led to the Soviet Union sending missiles to the island.

Cuban Missile Crisis

The event during the Cold War that came closest to becoming a "hot war" after the USSR sent missiles to Cuba.

Hungarian Revolt

An uprising where Hungarians wanted to end one-party rule, which was suppressed by Soviet troops.

Invasion of Czechoslovakia

A Soviet military response to a leader's call for easing communist controls in his country.

Economic miracle

The rapid recovery and transition of a unified Germany to a market economy, making it one of the strongest in Europe.

European Coal and Steel Community

An organization created to regulate coal and steel industries and spur economic growth.

European Union

An economic union where most countries use a common currency and limit trade tariffs.

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

A costly conflict starting in $1979$ to help a pro-communist government, resulting in withdrawal in $1989$.

SALT

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, which were talks between the US and western countries on decreasing major arms.

Detente

A period of lessening tension involving arms control talks, cultural exchanges, and trade agreements.

Perestroika

Gorbachev's economic reform that sought to stimulate the economy by allowing for some capitalism.

Glasnost

A policy that ended censorship and encouraged people to discuss Soviet problems openly.

The 38th Parallel

The demilitarized zone that divides North and South Korea following the $1953$ armistice.

Republic of Korea

The democratic-based government established in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula in $1945$.

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

The communist-style government set up in the north of the Korean Peninsula.

Kim Jong-un

The communist leader of North Korea who maintains one of the world's largest standing armies.

Vietminh

A communist group that fought the Japanese during World War II and later the French.

Ho Chi Minh

The Vietminh and communist leader who declared Vietnam free.

1954 Geneva Convention

An agreement that led to the division of Vietnam into a communist north and a noncommunist south.

Domino theory

The US fear that if one nation in a region fell to communism, others would follow, leading to US involvement in Vietnam.

Ngo Dinh Diem

The leader of the South Vietnam government supported by US troops and advisors.

Boxer Rebellion

A push to remove westerners from China.

Sun Yixian

The first president of the Chinese Republic named in $1911$, also known as Sun Yat-sen.

Three Principles of the People

Sun Yixian's focus on nationalism, democracy, and economic security for everyone.

Mao Zedong

The leader who gained power in China after the Long March and established a communist revolution.

Long March

A military retreat by the Communists that eventually led to Mao Zedong gaining power.

Great Leap Forward

Mao Zedong’s failed plan to increase agricultural and industrial output through communes.

Communes

Large collective farms in China that had high production quotas during the Great Leap Forward.

Cultural Revolution

A failed movement in China intended to reestablish loyalty to communism.

Red Guards

Students during the Cultural Revolution who attacked professors, officials, and skilled workers.

Deng Xiaoping

The Chinese leader who introduced the Four Modernizations and allowed for some capitalism.

Four Modernizations

A plan to improve China's farming, industry, science/technology, and defense systems.

Tiananmen Square

The site of a $1989$ demonstration where students demanding rights were attacked by government troops and tanks.

Mohandas Gandhi

An Indian leader who used civil disobedience and nonviolent protests to seek independence from Britain.

Civil disobedience

The refusal to obey certain laws as a peaceful form of political protest, used by Gandhi.

Salt March

A protest where Gandhi and his followers picked up salt from the sea to defy British law.

Partition of India

The division of the Indian subcontinent into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan.

Muslim League

An organization led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah that demanded a separate Muslim state.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

The leader of the Muslim League who pushed for the creation of Pakistan.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

The leader who westernized Turkey's schools, language, and clothing to prevent European takeover.

Westernization

The process of adopting western culture and systems, as seen in Turkey and under Reza Shah Pahlavi in Iran.

Reza Shah Pahlavi

The leader of Iran who tried to modernize and westernize the country like Ataturk.

Ayatollah Khomeini

The leader who rose to power during the Iranian Revolution, ending westernization in Iran.

Iranian Revolution

An uprising that replaced the monarchy with a theocracy and Islamic Fundamentalism.

Theocracy

A system of government in which priests or religious leaders rule in the name of God.

Islamic Fundamentalism

A movement toward a strict interpretation of Islamic law, which gained ground after the Iranian Revolution.

Palestine

The land claimed by both Jews and Palestinian Arabs, leading to long-term conflict.

1947 UN Partition Plan

A United Nations proposal to divide Palestine into an Arab state and a Jewish state.

Israel

A Jewish state created in $1948$ following increased support after the Holocaust.

Palestinian Arabs

The group that claimed right to the land of Palestine because they had lived there since Roman times.

Arab-Israeli Wars

A series of conflicts triggered by Arab nations vowing to drive Jews out of the newly created state of Israel.

Economic Powerhouse

A term describing South Korea's status due to it exporting high-priced goods like automobiles and computers.