AP Euro Unit 9 Key Terms

Key Terms for Unit 9 of AP Euro

Containment

A strategic policy adopted by the United States during the Cold War to prevent the spread of communism beyond where it already existed. This approach aimed to counter Soviet influence by supporting allies and opposing communist movements worldwide.

Truman Doctrine

A US policy established in 1947 to provide economic and military support to countries resisting communism, originally aimed at Greece and Turkey.

Greek Civil War

A conflict from 1944 to 1949 in Greece between government forces and communist guerrillas, influenced by the broader context of the Cold War and containment policy. The U.S. sent military aid to the anti-communistic government as part of the Truman Doctrine.

Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA or Comecon)

An economic organization formed in 1949 by the Soviet Union and several Eastern Bloc countries to promote economic cooperation and planning among socialist states. It aimed to facilitate economic integration and development within the communist sphere, blocking Western economic influence.

Marshall Plan

A U.S. initiative enacted in 1948 to provide aid for the economic recovery of European countries after World War II, aimed at preventing the spread of communism and promoting political stability.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

A military alliance formed in 1949 comprising Western nations to provide collective defense against aggression, particularly from the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Division of Germany

Post-World War II separation of Germany into East and West, with the East becoming a communist state and the West a democratic state, symbolizing the ideological split during the Cold War.

Berlin Airlift

An operation during 1948-1949 to supply West Berlin by air after Stalin blocked all ground routs to the city, demonstrating Western commitment to countering communist influence.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance formed in 1955 of Eastern European communist states in response to NATO, aimed at mutual defense and uniting member countries.

Korean War

A conflict from 1950 to 1953 between North Korea, supported by China and the Soviet Union, and South Korea, supported by United Nations forces led by the United States. This war left Korea divided into a communist North and capitalist South and underscored the global tensions of the Cold War.

Space Race

Competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over which nation could reach outer space, with the Sputniks first orbiting Earth in 1961 and NASA sending astronauts to the Moon by 1969.

transistor

A semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electronic signals, foundational to modern electronics and computer technology. Breakthrough of Big Science during the 1940s.

nuclear arms race

The competition between nations to achieve superior military capabilities, particularly in nuclear weapons, during the Cold War period.

• Involved the buildup of missiles in both the U.S. and the Soviet Union as each worried about the other’s capabilities.

• Climaxed in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Christian Democrats

Major centrist political party in the West that advocated for free-market economics, social benefits, and some government intervention. Influenced by Christian values and took over most European governments after 1945.

Labour Party

Major center-left political party in the United Kingdom that supported “cradle-to-grave” assistance for citizens and establishing a welfare state through nationalization of key industries and social justice initiatives.

Economic Coal and Steel Community

An administrative agency established to unite Western European nations’ coal and steel industries.

• Proposed by political economist Jean Monnet and French foreign minister Robert Schuman in 1950.

European Economic Community (EEC/Common Market)

An international organization established in 1957 between West Germany, the Low Countries, Italy, and France to promote economic integration among its member states.

• Reduced tariffs and encouraged the transmission of goods and capital between members.

• Britain initially refused to join, wanting less involvement in European affairs, but then joined in 1973 due to public opinion

International Monetary Fund

An international organization created to facilitate free markets in Western Europe, unifying economic policies and financial stability among member nations.

After the Cold War, it now serves to provide loans to underdeveloped countries on the condition that they accept neoliberal economic reforms.

World Bank

An international institution that helped expand trade between nations in Western Europe to unify them economically.

After the Cold War, it now serves to provide loans to underdeveloped countries on the condition that they accept neoliberal economic reforms.

Postwar Consumer Revolution

The rise of the consumer economy after Would War II in Western Europe as a result of economic growth and increased disposable income.

• Popular goods included radios, record players, and TVs.

Nikita Khrushchev

Leader of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, known for his de-Stalinization efforts and confrontations with the West.

• Authorized the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 as an attempt to prevent East Germans from entering West Germany.

• Secretly met with Fidel Castro of Cuba to discuss the potential deployment of nuclear missiles in Cuba, leading to a diplomatic crisis with the U.S.

Leonid Brezhnev

Leader of the Soviet Union following Khrushchev, known for his policies of détente with the West and military buildup during the Cold War (Re-Stalinization). His era, which lasted from 1977 to 1982, was marked by “developed socialism”: economic stagnation and the invasion of Afghanistan.

• Poor allocation of funds; i.e. continued to invest into heavy industry and nationalized industries despite the need for consumer goods and reforms.

• Collectivized agriculture completely

• Leveled class differences, welfare system

• Invaded Afghanistan, reviving Cold War tensions

De-Stalinization

The policy initiated by Nikita Khrushchev to reduce the repressive measures and cult of personality associated with Joseph Stalin's regime, promoting reforms in the Soviet Union.

Decolonization

The withdrawal of European colonial powers from their colonies due to the economic collapse after World War II, rising Cold War tensions, and nationalist movements for independence in the colonies.

National Liberation Front (FLN)

A group of nationalist Algerian rebels that wanted to overthrow French colonial rule and establish an independent Algeria.

Ho Chi Minh

A Vietnamese revolutionary communist leader who played a key role in the struggle for Vietnamese independence from French colonial rule (French Indochina) and later led North Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

• Used guerilla warfare to defeat French and American forces

• Supported by China and the Soviet Union

Joseph Stalin

Leader of the Soviet Union during World War II and a few years into the Cold War until his death in 1953. In the postwar era, maintained his authoritarian regime with a centralized economy, control over satellite states (except in Yugoslavia), and mass censorship.

self-determination

The right of peoples to determine their own political status and pursue their own economic, social, and cultural development. Many colonial peoples sought this through rebellions, such as the FLN.

Vietnam War

The war for independence from French colonial rule that escalated into a conflict involving the United States in support of South Vietnam against communist North Vietnam, lasting from 1955 to 1975.

nonalignment policy

A neutral stance taken by newly independent nations during the Cold War to receive aid from both sides and avoid conflict.

"Iron Curtain"

term coined by Winston Churchill in 1946 to describe the ideological conflict between democratic Western Europe and communist Eastern Europe during the Cold War

White-collars

Refers to workers in professional, managerial, or administrative roles, typically associated with office environments and higher education levels. Grew significantly after World War II, reflecting economic recovery, consumerism, welfare policies, and the rise of a service-oriented economy.

guest worker programs

Programs allowing foreign workers, especially from underdeveloped nations like Italy, Spain, and Yugoslavia, to fill labor shortages in Western European economies, often used to support industries requiring low-skill labor.

• Ethnic diversity added to Europe’s culture

• However, they often faced xenophobia/discrimination

“Double burden”

Societal expectation of women working a job outside of the home while taking care of children in the post-WWII era. Point of critique in feminist movement.

Youth Counterculture / New Left

A social movement in the 1960s and 1970s prominent among the younger generations (baby boomers) that rejected both American capitalism and Soviet communism

• Advocated for colonial independence movements, like in Vietnam

• Wanted to end nuclear arms race

• Called for world peace

Ostpolitik

A leftist policy developed by West Germany in the 1960s to improve relations with Eastern Europe, particularly East Germany, in light of Cold War tensions.

Détente

The easing of hostile relations between the United States and the Soviet Union during the 1970s, characterized by negotiations and agreements to reduce arms.

Helinski Accords

Signed by U.S., Canada, the Soviet Union, and the majority of European nations in 1975, these agreements held that European countries would respect each other's sovereignty (borders) and human rights. Part of détente in 1970s.

Magaret Thatcher

The first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, serving from 1979 to 1990, known for her strong conservative policies and her role in the Cold War.

• Implemented free-market policies

• Shut down heavy industries to shift to consumer goods

• Privatized state-owned enterprises

• Lost popularity over time due to recessions and rising unemployment

Simone de Beauvoir

A French existentialist philosopher and feminist, best known for her book "The Second Sex," a foundational text in feminist philosophy that analyzed all the ways in which women were limited in society.

Solidarity

A democratic trade union formed by Polish workers after protesting the Soviet-controlled government for workers' rights, freedom of speech, and economic reforms in 1980.

Mikhail Gorbachev

The last General Secretary of the Soviet Union, he is known for his policies of glasnost and perestroika, which aimed to reform the Soviet system and ultimately led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.

• Democratization - held first free elections in April 1989, allowing people to express political thought, which often criticized Gorbachev’s reforms

• Foreign policy - withdrew troops from Afghanistan, pledged to respect self-determination with America

Perestroika

Gorbachev’s complete restructuring of the Soviet economy to cater to consumer needs, including decreasing price controls and creating private companies, but ultimately too weak

Glasnost

Gorbachev’s policy of increasing transparency from the government, including lifting bans on anti-communistic writers

Ethnic Cleansing

In Yugoslavia, a series of ethnic conflicts after its communist leader died in 1980 resulted in the ethnic cleansing of non-Serbs, particularly Bosniaks and Croats, in an attempt to create a ethnically homogeneous Serbian state.

• NATO intervened with bombings to stop the conflict, sparking criticism for its civilian casualties and for being too late to prevent genocide.

World Trade Organization

An international organization that sets trade and tariff policies for more than 150 nations.

Revolutions of 1989

People of East Bloc nations like Poland, Hungary, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia revolted against communist regimes and broke off from the Soviet Union’s control.

Caused by:

• Demand for personal and political freedoms

• Economic stagnation from continued investment into outdated industries (coal, steel)

• Accumulation of debts to the West from welfare systems

Globalization

The process of increased interconnectedness and interdependence among countries, primarily driven by trade, investment, and technological advancements, impacting economies, cultures, and politics worldwide.

European Union (EU)

Formed from the Common Market, is a political and economic union of member states located primarily in Europe, aimed at promoting integration and cooperation in trade, law, and policies among its members.