World vocabs

Khmer Rouge

Communist regime that ruled Cambodia (1975-1979) and carried out a genocide killing about 1.7 million people.

Ho Chi Minh

Vietnamese nationalist and communist leader who fought French colonial rule and led North Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

Green Revolution

Agricultural transformation using high‑yield seeds, fertilizers, and irrigation that increased food production, especially in Asia.

Global warming

Long‑term rise in Earth's average temperature caused mainly by greenhouse gas emissions.

Lech Walesa

Polish labor leader who founded Solidarity, helped end communism in Poland, and later became president.

Perestroika

Gorbachev's policy of restructuring the Soviet economy to allow limited market reforms.

Glasnost

Gorbachev's policy of openness, allowing more freedom of speech and transparency in the USSR.

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)

Organization formed to represent Palestinian interests and seek an independent Palestinian state.

Ethnic cleansing

Forced removal or killing of an ethnic group to create a homogenous region.

Vladimir Putin

Russian leader (president/prime minister) known for authoritarian rule, nationalism, and centralizing power.

Muslim League

Political group in British India that pushed for Muslim rights and eventually the creation of Pakistan.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 Cold War confrontation when the USSR placed missiles in Cuba, bringing the world close to nuclear war.

Mohandas Gandhi

Indian independence leader who used nonviolent resistance to challenge British rule.

European Union (EU)

Political and economic union of European countries promoting free trade, open borders, and cooperation.

Gamal Nasser

Egyptian president who nationalized the Suez Canal and promoted Arab nationalism.

African Union (AU)

Continental organization promoting unity, development, and peace among African nations.

Ghana

First sub‑Saharan African nation to gain independence (1957), led by Kwame Nkrumah.

Kenya

East African nation that gained independence from Britain after the Mau Mau uprising.

Rwanda

Central African nation where a 1994 genocide killed around 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

Apartheid

System of racial segregation and discrimination enforced in South Africa until the early 1990s.

"Good Neighbor" Policy

U.S. policy under FDR to improve relations with Latin America by reducing military intervention.

Bay of Pigs

Failed 1961 U.S.‑backed invasion of Cuba by anti‑Castro exiles.

Six Day War

1967 conflict where Israel defeated Arab states and gained territory including the West Bank and Gaza.

Nelson Mandela

Anti‑apartheid leader who became South Africa's first Black president.

Arab‑Israeli War

Series of conflicts between Israel and neighboring Arab states beginning in 1948.

Opium Wars

Conflicts between Britain and China over opium trade and Chinese sovereignty (1839-1842, 1856-1860).

Boxer Rebellion

Anti‑foreign uprising in China (1899-1901) aimed at expelling Western influence.

Sepoy Rebellion

1857 revolt of Indian soldiers against British rule, leading to direct British control of India.

Self‑Strengthening Movement

Chinese reform effort to modernize military and industry while preserving Confucian values.

Matthew Perry

U.S. naval officer who forced Japan to open to Western trade in 1853.

Taiping Rebellion

Massive Chinese civil war (1850-1864) against the Qing dynasty, causing millions of deaths.

Boer War

Conflict (1899-1902) between Britain and Dutch settlers in South Africa over land and resources.

Meiji Restoration

Period when Japan rapidly modernized and industrialized after ending feudal rule (1868).

Open Door Policy

U.S. policy calling for equal trading rights in China and protection of its territorial integrity.

Berlin Conference

1884-1885 meeting where European powers divided Africa without African input.

Muhammad Ali (Egypt)

Ottoman governor who modernized Egypt's military and economy in the 1800s.

Suez Canal

Man‑made waterway in Egypt connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas, crucial for global trade.

Spanish‑American War

1898 conflict where the U.S. defeated Spain and gained territories like the Philippines and Puerto Rico.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Founder of modern Turkey who secularized and westernized the nation.

Monroe Doctrine

U.S. policy opposing European interference in the Americas (1823).

Fourteen Points

Woodrow Wilson's plan for post‑WWI peace, including self‑determination and the League of Nations.

British East India Company

Trading company that controlled large parts of India before British government rule.

Panama Canal

U.S.‑built canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Nicholas II

Last tsar of Russia, overthrown during the Russian Revolution.

Urbanization

Movement of people from rural areas to cities, often due to industrialization.

Indian National Congress

Political party that led India's independence movement.

Vladimir Lenin

Leader of the Bolshevik Revolution and first head of the Soviet Union.

Gavrilo Princip

Assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, sparking World War I.

Treaty of Versailles

1919 treaty ending WWI, punishing Germany and redrawing borders.

League of Nations

International organization formed after WWI to maintain peace; failed to prevent WWII.

Benito Mussolini

Fascist dictator of Italy who allied with Hitler during WWII.

Fascism

Authoritarian ideology emphasizing nationalism, dictatorship, and suppression of opposition.

Great Purge

Stalin's campaign of political repression, executions, and labor camps in the 1930s.

Munich Conference

1938 meeting where Britain and France appeased Hitler by giving him the Sudetenland.

New Economic Policy (NEP)

Lenin's partial return to capitalism to revive the Soviet economy.

Third Reich

Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler (1933-1945).

Manchukuo

Japanese puppet state established in Manchuria in 1932.

Final Solution

Nazi plan to exterminate the Jewish population during WWII.

Great Depression

Global economic crisis beginning in 1929.

United Nations

International organization formed in 1945 to promote peace and cooperation.

Truman Doctrine

U.S. policy to contain communism by providing aid to threatened nations.

Yalta Conference

1945 meeting of Allied leaders to plan post‑WWII Europe.

Containment

Cold War strategy to stop the spread of communism.

Warsaw Pact

Military alliance of communist nations led by the USSR.

Non‑Aligned Movement

Group of countries that stayed neutral during the Cold War.

Mao Zedong

Communist leader who founded the People's Republic of China.

Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

1968 treaty to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

Sun Yat‑sen

Chinese revolutionary who helped overthrow the Qing dynasty.

Tiananmen Square

1989 pro‑democracy protest in China violently suppressed by the government.

Chiang Kai‑shek

Leader of the Chinese Nationalists who fled to Taiwan after losing to Mao.

Great Leap Forward

Mao's failed economic plan that caused widespread famine.

Five‑Year Plans

Government‑directed economic goals used by the USSR and China.

Cultural Revolution

Mao's campaign to eliminate opposition and revive communist ideology.

Korean Peninsula

Region divided into North (communist) and South (capitalist) after WWII.

Germany

European nation central to both World Wars and later reunified in 1990.

Social Contract

Enlightenment idea that governments exist with the consent of the governed.

French and Indian War

North American conflict between Britain and France (1754-1763).

Adam Smith

Economist who promoted capitalism and free markets.

Napoleon Bonaparte

French military leader who expanded the French Empire.

Divine Right

Belief that monarchs rule by God's authority.

French Revolution

1789 uprising that overthrew the French monarchy.

Second Agricultural Revolution

Improvements in farming technology that increased food production before industrialization.

Congress of Vienna

1815 meeting to restore stability after Napoleon's defeat.

Eli Whitney

Inventor of the cotton gin and interchangeable parts.

Alexander II

Russian tsar who freed the serfs in 1861.

Latin American Revolutions

Independence movements against Spanish and Portuguese rule.

Voltaire

Enlightenment writer who promoted freedom of speech and religion.

John Locke

Enlightenment thinker who argued for natural rights and government by consent.

Social Darwinists

People who applied 'survival of the fittest' to justify imperialism and inequality.

Henry Ford

Industrialist who used assembly lines to mass‑produce automobiles.

Balfour Declaration

1917 British statement supporting a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

James Watt & Robert Fulton

Inventors who advanced steam engine and steamboat technology.

Toussaint L'Ouverture

Leader of the Haitian Revolution.

Nationalism

Strong loyalty to one's nation or ethnic group.

Labor Unions

Organizations formed to protect workers' rights.

Karl Marx

Philosopher who founded communism and criticized capitalism.

Thomas Paine

Writer of Common Sense, encouraging American independence.

Unification

Process of merging states into one nation (e.g., Germany, Italy).

No Taxation Without Representation

Colonial slogan protesting British taxes without political rights.

White Man's Burden

Imperialist idea that Europeans had a duty to 'civilize' other peoples.