Vocabulary #11 - AP World History: Modern

African National Congress

Black political organization within South Africa; pressed for end to policies of apartheid; sought open democracy leading to black majority rule; until 1990s declared illegal.

Afrikaner National Party

Emerged as the majority party in the all-white South African legislature after 1948; advocated complete independence from Britain; favored a rigid system of racial segregation called apartheid.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations

International organization of ten Southeast Asian nations formed to accelerate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development and to promote peace and security in Southeast Asia.

Asian Tigers

The economies of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, which underwent rapid industrialization and maintained exceptionally high growth rates between the early 1960s (mid-1950s for Hong Kong) and 1990s.

Berlin Wall

Barrier that surrounded West Berlin and prevented access to it from East Berlin and adjacent areas of East Germany during the period from 1961 to 1989.

Cold War

The tense diplomatic relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II.

Containment

Cold War policy of the United States whose purpose was to prevent the spread of communism.

Coup d'état

Sudden overthrow of a government.

Dien Bien Phu

Most significant victory of the Viet Minh over French colonial forces in 1954; gave the Viet Minh control of northern Vietnam.

European Economic Community

Economic organization of European states set up in March 1957 to coordinate their economic policies and to establish common policies for agriculture, transport, the movement of capital and labor, the erection of common external tariffs, and the ultimate establishment of political unification.

Free Officers Movement

Military nationalist movement in Egypt founded in the 1930s that led a coup to seize the Egyptian government from the khedive in July 1952.

Great Leap Forward

The disastrous economic policy introduced by Mao Zedong that proposed the implementation of small-scale industrial projects.

India Constitution of 1950

Constitution that replaced the Government of India Act of 1935 and established the Republic of India. It declared India a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic nation, assuring its citizens justice, equality and liberty (outlawed castes & included reservation), and endeavors to promote fraternity.

International Monetary Fund

An international organization founded in 1944 to promote market economies and free trade.

Irish Republican Army

Nationalist organization devoted to the integration of Ireland as a complete and independent unit. To accomplish their goals some of its members have resorted to bombing attacks and assassinations in both Ireland and England.

Iron Curtain

Term coined by Winston Churchill for the political barrier isolating Soviet dominated Eastern Europe from Western Europe.

Military Industrial Complex

Network of individuals and institutions involved in the production of weapons and military technologies. The military-industrial complex in a country typically attempts to marshal political support for continued or increased military spending by the national government.

Nonalignment

The policy of some developing nations to refrain from aligning with either the United States or the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Negritude

Cultural/literature movement launched in 1930s and 1940s by French-speaking black graduate students from France's colonies in Africa and the Caribbean territories. These black intellectuals converged around issues of race identity and black internationalist initiatives to combat French imperialism and assert their cultural identity.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

A defense alliance between nations of Western Europe and North America formed in 1949.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

Organization formed in 1960 by oil-producing countries to regulate oil supplies and prices.

Polio Vaccine

Vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk in 1953 that began the eradication of poliomyelitis, the virus that causes the disease of polio. By 1955, it was announced that the vaccine was effective and safe, and a nationwide (US) inoculation campaign began.

Prague Spring

A 1968 program of reform to soften socialism in Czechoslovakia; it resulted in the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Six-Day War

Brief war between Israel and a number of Arab states whereby Israel took over Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, the Sinai Peninsula, and the West Bank.

Truman Doctrine

A 1947 statement by a U.S. president that pledged aid to any nation resisting communism.

Tuberculosis

Infectious disease that primarily affects the lungs. It spreads from one person to another through tiny droplets released into the air via coughs and sneezes. It was a leading cause of death in the U.S. in the 20th century. Currently one-quarter of the world's population is believed to have the disease (WHO-2018).

United Nations

International organization formed in the aftermath of WW II that included all of the victorious Allies; its primary mission was to provide a forum for negotiating disputes.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

International document that states basic rights and fundamental freedoms to which all human beings are entitled. Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 it includes civil and political rights, like the right to life, liberty, free speech and privacy and well as economic, social and cultural rights, like the right to social security, health and education.

U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964

Landmark civil rights and U.S. labor law in the United States that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements, racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations.

Viet Cong

Name given by the Diem regime to the communist guerilla movement in southern Vietnam; It became the National Liberation Front with northern Vietnamese assistance in 1958.

Viet Minh

Communist-dominated Vietnamese nationalist movement; operated out of base in southern China during WW II; employed guerilla tactics similar to Maoists in China.

Warsaw Pact

The 1955 agreement between the Soviet Union and the countries of eastern Europe in response to NATO.

White revolution

Period in Iran from 1960-63 that marked a turning point in the development of the Iranian state. The Pahlavi regime promoted industrial expansion, land reform, liberalized laws concerning women, and secular courts and education.

World Bank

An agency of the United Nations that offers loans to countries to promote trade and economic development.

World Trade Organization

Global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. The goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business