Unit 8

Totalitarian State

A dictatorship where the government controls all aspects of people's lives, with no individual rights and strict obedience expected.

Propaganda

The spread of information to promote a specific cause, often used by totalitarian states to influence public opinion.

Cult of Personality

Glorification of a leader as a hero, often portrayed as superhuman, to maintain control and loyalty.

Collectivization

Policy where farmers are required to combine their land and resources into collective farms to increase production and support industrialization.

Five Year Plan

Economic strategy used by the Soviet Union to rapidly industrialize and modernize the economy, aiming to catch up with the West.

Containment

U.S. policy to prevent the spread of communism, applying political, economic, and military pressure on the Soviet Union and its allies.

Domino Effect

The fear that if one country falls to communism, neighboring countries will also fall, leading to a chain reaction.

Proxy Wars

Indirect conflicts between superpowers, using third-party nations as substitutes to avoid direct confrontation.

Great Leap Forward

China's second 5-year plan dividing the country into communes, leading to severe hunger due to crop destruction and poor harvests.

Cultural Revolution

Mao's movement to revive revolutionary spirit by attacking old customs, habits, and those not supporting his beliefs, resulting in millions of deaths and a lost generation.

Deng Xiaoping

Leader of China (1978-1997) who introduced the Four Modernizations, Rural Responsibility System, and encouraged foreign investment and education abroad.

One-Child-Per-Family Policy

Chinese policy limiting families to one child to receive benefits, leading to female infanticide and abolished in 2016.

Tiananmen Square Uprising

1989 protest in China where gov't suppressed demands for freedom, resulting in casualties and arrests, showcasing the power of nationalism.

Hong Kong

Formerly independent from China, faced crackdown on pro-democracy riots in 2019-2020, losing political freedom.

Uighurs

Muslim minority in China accused of being placed in reeducation camps and sterilization, highlighting human rights concerns.

Fall of the Iron Curtain

Collapse of Soviet Union due to economic struggles, military defeats, and loss of faith in the government, leading to the emergence of new nations in Eastern Europe.