Unit 3: Unresolved Global Conflict (1945-1991)

Vocabulary practice cards covering the key terms and concepts from Unit 3: Unresolved Global Conflict (1945-1991), including Cold War ideologies, major conflicts, and the transition of leaders.

superpower

An extremely powerful nation with dominant global influence, or an extremely powerful nation that has a worldwide influence.

hegemony

The dominance, leadership, or preponderant influence of one group, state, or entity over others, involving political, economic, cultural, or military power often secured via consent rather than purely force.

Cold War

A state of intense geopolitical rivalry between nations characterized by political maneuvering, military tension, propaganda, and economic warfare, without direct, large-scale armed conflict.

capitalism

An economic system where private individuals or businesses own and control the means of production, with resources and prices determined by competition in a free market.

communism

An economic system where all property and business is owned by the community with no private property, instead distributing resources based on individual need.

Karl Marx

A German philosopher, theorist, and economist who developed the theory of historical materialism, analyzed class struggle under capitalism, and predicted its overthrow by the proletariat in favor of communism.

The Communist Manifesto

A political pamphlet written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels; commissioned by the Communist League and published in London in $1848$.

arms race

A rapid, competitive buildup of military power or weaponry between rival states driven by mutual distrust and the security dilemma.

containment

A geopolitical strategy used by the United States during the Cold War to prevent the spread of communism, first articulated by American diplomat George F. Kennan in $1946$.

Domino Theory

A Cold War geopolitical concept suggesting that if one country in a region fell under the influence of communism, surrounding countries would inevitably follow like a row of falling dominoes.

proxy war

An armed conflict where a major power indirectly supports one or more combatants in a third-party country to advance strategic interests while avoiding direct military confrontation.

Kim-Il Sung

A North Korean revolutionary, military officer, and dictator who founded the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in $1948$ and led it until his death in $1994$.

Korean War

An armed conflict fought on the Korean Peninsula between North Korea (supported by China and the Soviet Union) and South Korea (supported by the United Nations led by the United States).

Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

A strip of land running $160\,\text{miles (250km)}$ across the Korean Peninsula near $38^\circ N$ that serves as a heavily guarded buffer zone between North and South Korea.

armistice

A formal agreement between warring parties to suspend active hostilities; a mandatory, legally binding military "time-out" that does not officially end a state of war.

Ho Chi Minh

A Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman colloquially known as Uncle Ho who founded the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in $1945$ and served as its first president.

Vietnam War

An armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia between North Vietnam (supported by the Soviet Union and China) and South Vietnam (supported by the United States).

Mujahideen

The plural form of mujahid, an Arabic term translating to "struggler" or "holy warrior," referring to Muslims engaged in jihad to defend the faith.

Soviet-Afghan War

A conflict in Afghanistan from December $1979$ to February $1989$ where the Soviet Union and Communist-led Afghan military fought against the rebelling Afghan mujahideen.

Yalta Conference

A meeting held $4\text{-}11\,\text{February 1945}$ by the heads of government of the U.S., U.K., and Soviet Union to discuss the postwar reorganization of Germany and Europe.

Berlin Wall

A concrete barrier built in $1961$ by East Germany to cut off West Berlin, intended to stop the mass emigration of East German citizens to the West.

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an intergovernmental military alliance established in $1949$ between $32$ member states in Europe and North America.

Warsaw Pact

A collective defense alliance established on May $14$, $1955$ by the Soviet Union and seven Eastern Bloc socialist republics as the communist counterpart to NATO.

sphere of influence

A spatial region or conceptual domain where an entity can exert significant power or authority without possessing direct formal control.

satellite nations

Officially independent and sovereign countries that are heavily influenced, controlled, or dominated by a more powerful nation.

détente

The easing of strained relations and geopolitical tensions between rival nations, such as the period of improved relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks

Bilateral conferences and international treaties (SALT I and SALT II) between the United States and the Soviet Union dealing with arms control.

Mikhail Gorbachev

The last leader of the Soviet Union from $1985$ until its dissolution in $1991$, serving as General Secretary of the Communist Party.

Glasnost

A Soviet policy meaning "openness" or "transparency" implemented by Mikhail Gorbachev in the mid-$1980$s to reduce censorship and allow political discussion.

Perestroika

Political and economic restructuring of the Soviet Union in the $1980$s that introduced small-scale free-market strategies to modernize the economy.

Boris Yeltsin

A Soviet and Russian politician who served as the President of Russia from $1991$ to $1999$ after the Soviet Union was dissolved.

Indian National Congress

A major center-left political party founded in $1885$ that led the Indian independence movement and dominated the landscape following independence in $1947$.

Mohandas Gandhi

An Indian lawyer and political ethicist who used nonviolent resistance to lead India's successful campaign for independence from British rule.

Amritsar Massacre

A tragic event on April $13$, $1919$ where British troops opened fire on an unarmed crowd of Indian civilians in Amritsar, Punjab, killing hundreds.

self-rule

Also known as autonomy or self-government, the ability of a nation to govern and control its own activities without interference from an outside power.

non-violence

The practice of working for social change without causing harm to others, stemming from a philosophy of abstention from violence.