Arab Crisis - Collapse of the Soviet Union

Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)

• Founded in 1964 to represent Palestinians and seek an independent Palestinian state.

• Led by Yasser Arafat; used political negotiations and armed struggle.

Six-Day War

• 1967 war where Israel defeated Egypt, Syria, and Jordan in six days.

• Israel captured Gaza, Sinai Peninsula, West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Golan Heights.

United nations Security Council Resolution 242

• UN resolution after the Six-Day War calling for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories.

• Introduced the idea of “land for peace.”

Yom Kippur war

• Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel in 1973.

• Led to oil embargoes and later peace negotiations.

Camp David Accords

• Peace agreement between Egypt and Israel brokered by Jimmy Carter.

• Egypt became the first Arab country to recognize Israel.

Balfour Declaration

• 1917 British declaration supporting a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

• Increased tensions between Jews and Arabs in the region.

Prague Spring

• Reform movement in Czechoslovakia under Alexander Dubček promoting greater freedoms.

• Crushed by Soviet invasion in 1968.

Ronald Reagan

• U.S. president (1981–1989) known for strong anti-communist policies.

• Increased military and economic pressure on the Soviet Union.

Glasnost

• Gorbachev’s policy allowing more openness, free speech, and criticism of the government.

Perestroika

• Gorbachev’s economic reform policy introducing limited market reforms in the USSR.

Mikhail Gorbachev

• Last leader of the Soviet Union.

• Introduced Glasnost and Perestroika, contributing to the collapse of the USSR in 1991.