History final

Potsdam Conference

A 1945 meeting where Stalin agreed to allow observation of elections in Eastern Europe and divided Germany into two sections.

Containment

Strategy of fighting Communism without attempting to eliminate it where it already existed.

Truman Doctrine

US policy to assist any government or group fighting Communism.

Rectification campaigns

Public mockery and arrest of individuals accused of not being Communists until they conformed.

Satellite states

Countries under the influence of the Soviet Union that lack autonomy.

Mao

Leader who aimed to establish Marxism in China.

Pan Africanism

Movement for independence in Africa, advocating for governance by Africans themselves.

Gandhi

Leader advocating for Indian independence through peaceful means.

Sun Yatsen

Founding leader of the Chinese Republic.

Easter Rising

Proclamation where British military killed over 500 civilians in 1916.

Authoritarianism

Political system concentrating power in a small group of elites not accountable to the people.

Mussolini

Leader of the Fascist Party and dictator of Italy.

Fascism

Political ideology drawing on language and creating Futurism.

Nuremberg Laws

Laws prohibiting intermarriage between Jews and Germans and banning Jews from employment.

Kristallnacht

A two-day event where Germans attacked Jewish businesses and homes without government repercussions.

Militarist government of Japan

Government that equated military strength with national strength.

Lebensraum

Term used by Hitler to justify German expansion into Central and Eastern Europe.

February Revolution

Bread riot in Russia that was not suppressed by the military.

D-Day

The Allied invasion of Western Europe, signaling the beginning of the end of WWII in Europe.

Island hopping

Military strategy to capture key islands to advance toward Japan.

Hiroshima

The first city targeted by an atomic bomb on August 6, 1945.

Total War

War that affects all aspects of society, including civilians not living near the front.

Arsenal of Democracy

The US's role in supplying resources to the Allies during WW2.

The Blitz

Germany's daily bombing campaign against British cities during early WWII.

Holocaust

The systematic genocide of Jewish people in concentration and death camps.

Soviets

Workers' councils that took control of factories in Russia.

Bolsheviks

Communist party led by Vladimir Lenin that formed the Red Army.

Stalin

Leader who supported state capitalism and bureaucracy in the Soviet Union.

Collectivization

Elimination of private farmland ownership, forcing people onto government-run collective farms.

Treaty of Versailles

Post WW1 treaty that blamed Germany for the war and imposed severe penalties.

Self Determination

The principle that nations should have the right to choose their own government.

Bright Young Things

British flappers known for their gender-bending style and violence.

Under-consumption

Economic condition where consumers purchase fewer goods than are produced.

Keynesian economic policy

Policies aimed at boosting consumer demand to stimulate economic growth.

Lord Mountbatten

The last British leader of India.

Mohammed Ali

Leader who opposed a united India, advocating for separate nations based on religion.

Jinnah

Leader who proposed separate countries for Hindus and Muslims.

Calcutta killings

Violent riots in which Muslims and Hindus killed each other following political gatherings.

Kwame Nkrumah

Independence leader of Ghana and its first president.

Non-Aligned movement

A coalition of countries committed to remaining independent from both the US and USSR.

Nehru

Indian leader who advocated for a united India.

Zionist

Movement for a Jewish homeland in the Middle East that began in the 1880s.

Arab-Israeli War

Conflict where Arab nations opposed the establishment of Israel.

Ho Chi Minh

Leader of the Viet Minh and the ruler of North Vietnam post-1954.

Viet Cong

South Vietnamese communist insurgency that gained significant numbers during the Vietnam War.

Gulf of Tonkin

Resolution granting the US authority to combat communism in Southeast Asia.

Colon

Christian Algerians of European descent who opposed Algerian independence.

FLN

National Liberation Front, the guerilla movement for Algerian independence.

Baby boom

Period of increased birth rates leading to an average of 4 children per family in the US.

Kitchen debate

Televised debate between US and Soviet leaders on the merits of their respective economies.

Stasi

Secret police of East Germany.

Second Red Scare

Era of heightened suspicion towards anyone deviating from American societal norms.

Prague Spring

1968 movement for political reform in Czechoslovakia suppressed by Soviet military intervention.

Red Guards

Youth mobilized by Mao to report on individuals opposing Communist ideology.

Mohammed Reza Shah

Ruler of Iran from 1941 to 1979.

Ayatollah Khomeni

Religious leader of the Islamist revolution in Iran.

Détente

Period of reduced tension and arms reduction between the US and USSR.

MPLA

Communist group formed by Portuguese communists during the 1950s.

Solidarity

Anti-communist movement in Poland that emerged in the 1980s.

Perestroika

Economic reform aimed at modernizing the Soviet economy and allowing some profit.

Gorbachev

Leader of the USSR from 1985 to 1991 who sought to improve life for Soviet citizens.

Glasnost

Policy of openness allowing for criticism of the Communist Party.

Tiananmen Square

Protests in 1989 led by students in China that were violently suppressed.

Four Modernizations

Program in China aimed at modernizing agriculture, industry, science, and military.

Soviet-Afghan War

Conflict where Afghan resistance groups fought against the Soviet invasion.

Osama bin Laden

Founder of Al Qaeda in 1988, known for his strict adherence to the Quran.

EU

European Union, which promotes economic growth through a common market.

Rwanda

Country where violence erupted between Hutus and Tutsis over land access issues.

World Bank

International organization providing loans for development projects in poorer countries.

Balkan War

Conflicts in the Balkans that arose after the Cold War ended.