AP World History Unit 8

The Cold War

A period of ideological, political, and economic tension (approx. 1947–1991) between the United States(capitalism/democracy) and the Soviet Union (communism). It was characterized by arms races, space races, and proxy wars, but no direct military conflict between the two superpowers.

Marshall Plan

An American initiative providing over $13 billion in economic aid to help rebuild Western European economies after World War II, aimed at preventing the spread of communism.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

A military alliance formed in 1949 by Western nations to provide collective security against the perceived threat of Soviet expansion.

Warsaw Pact

A collective defense treaty established in 1955 between the Soviet Union and seven other Soviet satellite states in Central and Eastern Europe in response to the integration of West Germany into Western alliances.

Non- Alignment Movement

A group of nations, led by India and Egypt, that attempted to remain neutral and avoid siding with either the United States (Capitalism) or the Soviet Union (Communism) during the Cold War.

Sukarno

The first president of Indonesia who helped lead the country to independence from the Netherlands; he was a prominent figure in the Non-Aligned Movement.

Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana)

The leader who guided Ghana to independence from Britain; he was a vocal advocate for Pan-Africanism and a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Proxy Wars

Conflicts in which third-party nations support opposing sides to advance their own interests without fighting each other directly (e.g., the U.S. and USSR during the Cold War).

Korean War

A conflict (1950–1953) between North Korea (supported by China/USSR) and South Korea (supported by the UN/U.S.) that ended in a stalemate and the continued division of the peninsula.

Vietnam War

A long conflict (1955–1975) where the communist North fought the U.S.-backed South; it resulted in a communist victory and the unification of Vietnam.

Angolan Civil War

A proxy war in Africa starting in 1975 between various liberation movements backed by the USSR/Cuba and the U.S./South Africa.

Sandinista- Contras Conflict

A Nicaraguan conflict where the U.S. backed the "Contras" (anti-communists) against the "Sandinistas" (socialist government).

Ho Chi Minh

The communist leader of North Vietnam who led the struggle for independence against French colonial rule and later against U.S. forces.

Communist Revolution in Vietnam

The movement led by the Viet Minh to overthrow colonial and capitalist influences, eventually establishing a unified communist state in 1975

White Revolution in Iran

A series of ambitious reforms launched in 1963 by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to modernize and Westernize Iran, which eventually fueled religious opposition.

Chinese Civil War

The conflict between the Kuomintang (Nationalists) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), ending in 1949 with a communist victory.

Mao Zedong

The leader of the Chinese Communist Party and founder of the People's Republic of China; he implemented radical social and economic changes.

Great Leap Forward

Mao’s unsuccessful economic campaign (1958–1962) aimed at rapidly transforming China into an industrial society, which resulted in a massive famine.

Cultural Revolution

A socio-political movement (1966–1976) launched by Mao to purge "capitalist" and "traditional" elements from Chinese society.

Deng Xiaoping

The leader of China after Mao who shifted the country toward "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" by introducing market reforms.

Deng’s 4 Modernization

A set of goals focused on improving agriculture, industry, defense, and science/technology to modernize the Chinese economy.

Gamal Abdel Nasser

The second President of Egypt who nationalized the Suez Canal and became a symbol of Pan-Arab nationalism.

Nelson Mandela

The leader of the African National Congress (ANC) who spent 27 years in prison before becoming the first Black president of South Africa.

Apartheid

A system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa that lasted from 1948 until the early 1990s.

Mohandas Gandhi

The leader of the Indian independence movement known for using nonviolent civil disobedience to end British rule.

Martin Luther King Jr.

An American civil rights leader who used nonviolent tactics, inspired by Gandhi, to fight for racial equality in the United States.

Augusto Pinochet

The military dictator of Chile (1973–1990) who overthrew the socialist government and implemented free-market reforms while suppressing political dissent.

Military- Industrial Complex

A term popularized by Dwight D. Eisenhower describing the relationship between a nation’s military and the defense industry that supplies it.

Al- Qaeda

A militant Islamist organization founded by Osama bin Laden that carried out global acts of terrorism, including the September 11 attacks.

Muslim League (India)

A political group led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah that advocated for the creation of a separate Muslim state (Pakistan) during the independence of India.

Partition of India

The 1947 division of British India into two independent dominions: India (Hindu majority) and Pakistan (Muslim majority), leading to massive displacement and violence.

Jawaharlal Nehru

The first Prime Minister of independent India and a key leader in the Non-Aligned Movement.

Indira Gandhi

The daughter of Nehru and Prime Minister of India who oversaw the "Green Revolution" and led India through several conflicts with Pakistan.

South Asian Migration to Britian

The movement of people from former colonies (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh) to the United Kingdom, significantly influencing British culture and demographics.

Zionism

The movement for the re-establishment and protection of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel.

Israel

A Jewish state established in 1948 in the former British Mandate of Palestine following the end of WWII.

Israeli- Palestinian Conflict

A long-standing struggle over land, sovereignty, and security between Jewish Israelis and Arab Palestinians.

Cuban Revolution

The 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro that overthrew the Batista dictatorship and established a communist state in Cuba.

Fidel Castro

The revolutionary leader of Cuba who allied with the Soviet Union and remained in power for nearly five decades.

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

A decade-long conflict (1979–1989) where the USSR supported a communist government against "mujahideen" rebels; often called the Soviet "Vietnam."

Mikhail Gorbachev

The final leader of the Soviet Union whose reforms were intended to modernize the USSR but ultimately led to its collapse.

Glasnost

A policy of "openness" introduced by Gorbachev that allowed more freedom of speech and transparency in the Soviet government.

Perestroika

A policy of "restructuring" the Soviet economy and political system to allow for some private enterprise and efficiency.

Berlin Crisis

A period of high tension between the USSR and the West (1958–1961) regarding the status of divided Berlin, culminating in the construction of the Berlin Wall.

Berlin Wall

A physical barrier erected by East Germany in 1961 to prevent its citizens from fleeing to the democratic West; it became the ultimate symbol of the "Iron Curtain."

Dwight D. Eisenhower

The U.S. President who championed the "Domino Theory" and warned against the growing influence of the Military-Industrial Complex.

John F. Kennedy

The U.S. President during the height of the Cold War, overseeing the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Ronald Reagan

The U.S. President in the 1980s who took a hardline stance against the Soviet Union (calling it the "Evil Empire") and increased military spending.

Nikita Khrushchev

The Soviet leader after Stalin who oversaw the Cuban Missile Crisis and began the process of "De-Stalinization."

Kitchen Debates

A series of impromptu exchanges between U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Leader Khrushchev in 1959 regarding the merits of capitalism vs. communism.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 13-day confrontation in 1962 between the U.S. and the USSR over the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba; it is considered the closest the world came to nuclear war.

Mohammad Mosadegh

The democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran who was overthrown in a 1953 CIA-backed coup after nationalizing the Iranian oil industry.

Shah Reza Pahlavi

The Western-backed monarch of Iran who was eventually overthrown during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Ayatollah Khomeini

The religious leader who led the 1979 Iranian Revolution, establishing a conservative Islamic theocracy.

Iran- Contra Affair

A political scandal during the Reagan administration involving the secret sale of weapons to Iran to fund the "Contra" rebels in Nicaragua.

Arab- Israeli War

The 1948 conflict that broke out immediately after the declaration of the state of Israel, involving neighboring Arab states.

Six- Day War

A 1967 conflict in which Israel decisively defeated an alliance of Arab states, resulting in Israel's occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Golan Heights.

Yom Kippur War

A 1973 war launched by Egypt and Syria against Israel on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar; it led to the 1973 oil embargo.

Camp David Accords

A 1978 peace treaty brokered by the U.S. between Egypt (Anwar Sadat) and Israel (Menachem Begin), marking the first peace treaty between Israel and an Arab neighbor.

Oslo Accords

A set of agreements in the 1990s aimed at achieving a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

Land Reform in Kerala

A successful state-level socialist movement in India that redistributed land to the landless and improved literacy and healthcare.

Mengistu Haile Mariam

The leader of the "Derg" in Ethiopia who established a Marxist-Leninist military government and oversaw the "Red Terror."

Pol Pot

The leader of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia whose radical agrarian socialism led to the Cambodian Genocide (the "Killing Fields").

Che Guevara

An Argentine Marxist revolutionary and key figure in the Cuban Revolution who became a global icon of anti-imperialism.

Fulgencio Batista

The U.S.-backed dictator of Cuba who was overthrown by Fidel Castro’s forces in 1959.

Algerian Independence from France

A violent decolonization struggle (1954–1962) that utilized guerrilla warfare and eventually led to Algerian sovereignty.

Quebecois Separatist Movement

A political movement in Canada seeking independence for the French-speaking province of Quebec.

Biafra Secessionists

A movement in Nigeria (1967–1970) where the Igbo people attempted to secede and form the Republic of Biafra, leading to a brutal civil war.

Julius Nyerere’s Modernization in Tanzania

A social and economic policy known as Ujamaa (collective farming) aimed at making Tanzania self-reliant.

Shining Path Movement

A Maoist guerrilla insurgent organization in Peru that launched a "people's war" in the 1980s, characterized by extreme violence.

Algerian Migration to France

The movement of Algerians to France following independence, creating a large North African diaspora and influencing French culture and politics.

Filipino Migration to the U.S.

The significant movement of people from the Philippines to the United States for economic opportunities and due to historical colonial ties.