Key Historical Terms and Concepts

Flashcards covering key historical terms and concepts from U.S. and world history.

Al Qaeda

A network of Islamic terrorist organizations, led by Osama bin Laden, responsible for multiple attacks including the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998, and the World Trade Center and Pentagon in 2001.

Apartheid

A South African social policy involving racial segregation and discrimination against non-whites, which ended around 1994.

Cold War

An ideological conflict between the US and the Soviet Union from 1945 to 1992, characterized by threats, proxy wars, and a struggle between capitalism and communism.

Containment Theory

The US theory that if Communism in Asia could be contained, it would eventually die out.

Cultural Revolution

A political policy in China (1966-1976) initiated by Mao Zedong to eliminate rivals and instill revolutionary spirit, resulting in mass jailing and deaths.

Domino Theory

The theory stating that if one country fell to Communism, neighboring countries would also fall.

Glasnost

A policy initiated by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev promoting openness and relaxation of restrictions on Soviet citizens.

Great Leap Forward

An economic and social plan in China (1958-1961) aiming to transform the country into a modern industrial society, resulting in famine and millions of deaths.

Ho Chi Minh

Nationalist communist leader of North Vietnam who fought against colonization and used guerrilla warfare against the US.

Imperial metropoles

'Mother cities' where people from former colonies maintained cultural and economic ties; examples include South Asians in Britain and Algerians in France.

Indian National Congress

A political party founded in 1885 advocating for greater Indian participation in government, led by Gandhi after 1920.

Iron Curtain

Winston Churchill's term for the division between Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe and US-dominated Western Europe.

Land Redistribution

The policy of redistributing land from large landowners to those without, common in Communist nations.

Mao Zedong

The leader of the Communist Party in China (1949-1976) who initiated the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.

Marshall Plan

A US initiative providing $13 billion in aid to revive the economies of war-torn Europe, aimed at preventing the appeal of communism.

Martin Luther King Jr.

A civil rights leader known for nonviolent resistance against racial discrimination, assassinated in 1968.

Mohandas Gandhi

Leader of the Indian independence movement who advocated for nonviolent resistance against British rule.

Muslim League

An organization formed in 1906 to protect the interests of India's Muslims, advocating for a separate Muslim nation, Pakistan.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization; military alliance of capitalist nations formed for mutual defense.

Nelson Mandela

South African nationalist leader who opposed apartheid, utilized nonviolent protest, and became South Africa's first democratically elected president in 1994.

Non-Alignment Movement

A group of states that did not formally align with any major power bloc during the Cold War.

Partition of India

The separation of India into two nations, Pakistan for Muslims and India for Hindus, following independence from Great Britain in 1947.

Perestroika

A policy initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev involving economic restructuring toward a market-based economy.

Proxy War

A conflict where opposing powers use third parties as substitutes for fighting directly, common during the Cold War.

Truman Doctrine

A 1947 policy providing economic and military aid to countries threatened by communism, particularly Greece and Turkey.

United Nations

An international organization established post-WWII to promote peace, security, and cooperation among nations.

Warsaw Pact

An alliance formed between the Soviet Union and Eastern European communist nations in response to NATO.

White Revolution

A series of reforms in Iran initiated by the Shah in 1962 aimed at economic and political improvements.