history exam sg

9/11

September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and a plane in Pennsylvania; killed nearly 3,000 people; led to the War on Terror.

Al Qaeda

Militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden; responsible for the 9/11 attacks and other terrorist acts against the West.

Alliance

A formal agreement or pact between countries for mutual support, often military (e.g., NATO, Axis Powers).

Allied Powers during WW2

The alliance of Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and other nations that fought against the Axis Powers.

Anthrax

Biological weapon used in 2001 attacks in the U.S. shortly after 9/11; heightened fears of bioterrorism.

Apartheid

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

Armistice

An agreement to stop fighting in a war (e.g., the 1918 armistice ending WW1 combat).

Atomic Bomb

Nuclear weapon developed by the U.S. during the Manhattan Project; dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, ending WW2.

Axis Powers

Alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II.

Battle of the Bulge

Major German offensive in December 1944 (last major German offensive on the Western Front); Allied victory that hastened the end of WW2 in Europe.

Berlin Airlift

1948-49 operation in which the U.S. and Britain flew supplies into West Berlin after the Soviet blockade.

Berlin Blockade

1948 Soviet attempt to cut off West Berlin from supplies to force the Allies out; failed due to the Berlin Airlift.

Bin Laden

Osama bin Laden - founder of al-Qaeda; mastermind of the 9/11 attacks; killed by U.S. forces in 2011.

Blitzkrieg

German "lightning war" tactic using fast-moving tanks, infantry, and air support; used successfully in early WW2.

Central Powers

WW1 alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.

Cold War

Period of tension and rivalry (1945-1991) between the U.S. (and Western allies) and the Soviet Union without direct large-scale fighting.

Communism

Political and economic system based on Karl Marx's ideas in which the government owns the means of production and aims for classless society.

Containment

U.S. Cold War policy to prevent the spread of communism (e.g., Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan).

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 confrontation between the U.S. and Soviet Union over Soviet missiles in Cuba; brought the world close to nuclear war.

Czar Nicholas

Last emperor of Russia (Nicholas II); overthrown during the Russian Revolution of 1917.

Darfur

Region in Sudan where government-sponsored genocide and ethnic cleansing occurred in the 2000s.

D-Day

June 6, 1944 - Allied invasion of Normandy, France; major turning point that led to the liberation of Western Europe.

Decolonization of Africa

Post-WW2 process in which African nations gained independence from European colonial powers (mostly 1950s-1970s).

Destalinization

Policy under Khrushchev to reduce Stalin's cult of personality and reform the Soviet system after Stalin's death.

Détente

Period of relaxed tensions between the U.S. and Soviet Union in the 1970s.

Fall of the Soviet Union

1991 collapse of the USSR leading to the end of the Cold War and the creation of 15 independent countries.

Fascism

Authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology emphasizing strong central government, dictatorial power, and suppression of opposition (e.g., Mussolini's Italy).

Final Solution

Nazi plan for the systematic genocide of European Jews during the Holocaust.

First World Countries

During the Cold War: wealthy, industrialized, capitalist democracies aligned with the U.S. (NATO countries).

Five Year Plans

Soviet (and later Chinese) economic plans for rapid industrialization and collectivization under Stalin and Mao.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

U.S. President during the Great Depression and most of WW2; implemented the New Deal; died in 1945.

Franz Ferdinand

Archduke of Austria-Hungary; his assassination in 1914 sparked WW1.

Genocide

The deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic, racial, or religious group.

Gandhi

Mohandas Gandhi - leader of India's nonviolent independence movement against British rule.

Gorbachev

Mikhail Gorbachev - last leader of the Soviet Union; introduced glasnost and perestroika; key figure in the end of the Cold War.

Great Purge

Stalin's campaign of political repression in the 1930s that executed or imprisoned millions.

Harry Truman

U.S. President who made the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan and began the policy of containment.

Hiroshima

Japanese city destroyed by the first atomic bomb on August 6, 1945.

Hitler

Adolf Hitler - leader of Nazi Germany; dictator responsible for WW2 and the Holocaust.

Ho Chi Minh

Vietnamese communist leader who fought for independence from France and later against the U.S. in the Vietnam War.

Holocaust

Nazi genocide of approximately 6 million Jews and millions of others during WW2.

IMF

International Monetary Fund - organization that provides financial assistance and promotes global monetary cooperation.

Iron Curtain

Winston Churchill's term for the division between Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe and the democratic West.

ISIS

Islamic State in Iraq and Syria - extremist terrorist group that seized territory and carried out atrocities in the 2010s.

Karl Marx

Philosopher and economist whose ideas formed the basis of communism.

Leaders of Major World Powers in the 1900's

Key 20th-century leaders including Wilson, Roosevelt, Stalin, Hitler, Churchill, Mao, etc.

Lenin

Vladimir Lenin - leader of the Bolshevik Revolution; established the world's first communist state (Soviet Union).

Mandela

Nelson Mandela - anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa's first Black president.

Mao Zedong

Leader of the Chinese Communist Revolution; founded the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Mussolini

Benito Mussolini - fascist dictator of Italy; allied with Hitler.

Nagasaki

Japanese city destroyed by the second atomic bomb on August 9, 1945.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization - military alliance formed in 1949 to counter Soviet threat.

Nonaggression Pact

1939 pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that allowed Hitler to invade Poland without fear of a two-front war.

North and South Korea

Divided at the 38th parallel after WW2; led to the Korean War (1950-1953).

North and South Vietnam

Divided after French defeat; led to the Vietnam War.

Partition of India

1947 division of British India into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan; caused massive violence and displacement.

People's Republic of China

Communist China established by Mao Zedong in 1949.

Reparations

Payments demanded from Germany after WW1 (Treaty of Versailles) that contributed to economic hardship and resentment.

Roaring 20's

Period of economic prosperity, cultural change, and social liberation in the 1920s (especially in the U.S.).

Russian Revolution

1917 revolutions that overthrew the Czar and brought the Bolsheviks (communists) to power.

Rwanda

1994 genocide in which Hutu extremists killed approximately 800,000 Tutsis.

Second World Countries

During the Cold War: communist countries aligned with the Soviet Union.

Soviet Union

Communist superpower (USSR) that existed from 1922 to 1991.

Sputnik

First artificial satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1957; sparked the Space Race.

Stalin

Joseph Stalin - brutal dictator of the Soviet Union; responsible for millions of deaths through purges and famines.

Sustainable Development

Economic development that meets present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs.

Terrorism

Use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, to achieve political aims.

Third World Countries

During the Cold War: non-aligned, often developing nations not part of the First or Second World.

Totalitarian State

Government that exercises total control over all aspects of public and private life (e.g., Nazi Germany, Stalin's USSR).

Transnational Organization

Organization that operates across national boundaries (e.g., UN, World Bank, multinational corporations).

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

1918 treaty in which Russia withdrew from WW1 and ceded territory to Germany.

Treaty of Versailles

1919 peace treaty that ended WW1; imposed harsh penalties on Germany.

United Nations

International organization founded in 1945 to promote peace and cooperation.

Viet Cong

Communist guerrilla fighters in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

Vietminh

Nationalist/communist group led by Ho Chi Minh that fought for Vietnamese independence from France.

Vladimir Putin

President/leader of Russia since 1999 (with a brief interruption); former KGB officer.

Warsaw Pact

Soviet-led military alliance of Eastern European communist states formed in 1955 as a response to NATO.

Winston Churchill

British Prime Minister during WW2; famous for leadership and "Iron Curtain" speech.

World Bank

International financial institution that provides loans and grants for development projects.

World Trade Organization

International organization that regulates and promotes global trade.