History Final Terms and Names

existentailism

A philosophical movement that emphasizes individual existence, freedom, and choice, asserting that individuals create their own meaning in a seemingly indifferent universe.

surrealism

a 20th-century avant-garde cultural and artistic movement that aimed to unleash the creative potential of the unconscious mind

jazz

a genre of music originating in the African American communities, characterized by swing and blue notes, call and response vocals, polyrhythms, and improvisation.

coalition government

a government formed by multiple political parties that often results from elections where no single party gains an outright majority, typically aiming to create stability and enable broader representation.

fascism

a far-right, authoritarian political ideology that prioritizes the nation or race over the individual citizen. It is typically led by a powerful dictator

lebensraum

a German term meaning "living space," used to justify territorial expansion in Nazi ideology, asserting that a nation needs room to grow and thrive.

theory of relativity

Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity is a foundational framework in physics that redefined our understanding of space, time, and gravity.

appeasement

a diplomatic strategy of making political, material, or territorial concessions to an aggressive power in order to avoid conflict

isolationism

a national foreign policy of avoiding political and military entanglements with other countries, prioritizing domestic development and self-sufficiency

nonaggression pact

An international treaty between 2 or more countries where they promise not to engage in military action against each other.

blitzkrieg

a military doctrine emphasizing speed, surprise, and concentrated force

ghettos

distinct, often walled or isolated residential quarter within a city where a specific minority or marginalized group is confined

genocide

the deliberate and systematic destruction of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, in whole or in part.

kamikaze

the Japanese suicide pilots who flew explosive-laden aircraft into Allied naval vessels during the closing stages of World War II

demilitarization

the reduction or elimination of a state's military forces, weapons, or fortifications in a specific area

iron curtain

the ideological, political, and physical boundary that divided Europe into two separate regions from the end of World War II until the end of the Cold War in 1991

containment

a geopolitical foreign policy pursued by the United States during the Cold War

brinkmanship

a war strategy where the danger is pushed to the edge of the war zone forcing the enemy to back down.

commune

a localized, self-governing community, an intentional society based on shared property and labor, or the smallest administrative district of local government

domino theory

a Cold War-era U.S. foreign policy concept suggesting that if one nation fell to communism, its neighboring countries would inevitably follow, like a row of falling dominoes

nonaligned nations

countries that chose to remain independent of both the Western bloc (led by the U.S.) and the Eastern bloc (led by the Soviet Union) during the Cold War.

destalinization

political and social reforms initiated in the mid-1950s by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. It aimed to dismantle the oppressive state terror, the "cult of personality," and the totalitarian policies that defined Joseph Stalin’s rule

Détente

the easing of strained political relations. The era of improved relations and reduced tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, lasting roughly from 1967 to 1979.

intifada

popular resistance movements against oppression

mujahideen

Islamic guerrilla fighters engaged in jihad (translated as holy struggle or striving) to defend their faith, community, or territory against foreign invasion and oppression

glasnost

a policy of political and governmental transparency introduced in the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s by leader Mikhail Gorbachev

perestroika

political and economic reform movement implemented in the Soviet Union during the mid-1980s by General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev

reunification

the political and historical process of bringing together a divided territory, country, or people to re-establish a single, sovereign state

shock therapy

a historical psychiatric treatment involving electrically or chemically induced seizures to treat mental illness

ethnic cleansing

systematic, forced removal of an ethnic, racial, or religious group from a specific geographic area