AP World History 8.3 Flashcards

proxy war

Conflict instigated by a major power, where it supports opposing factions but does not engage directly in fighting.

Berlin Airlift

Operation to deliver supplies to West Berlin during the Soviet blockade from 1948 to 1949.

Berlin Wall

Structure erected in 1961 to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin, symbolizing Cold War division.

Korean War

Conflict from 1950-1953 arising from North Korea's invasion of South Korea, resulting in a stalemate and division along the 38th parallel.

Vietnam War

Conflict involving U.S. military intervention to prevent communist takeover in South Vietnam, leading to significant casualties and eventual U.S. withdrawal.

Bay of Pigs

Failed U.S.-backed invasion of Cuba in 1961 intended to overthrow Fidel Castro's government.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 confrontation over the Soviet deployment of nuclear missiles in Cuba, prompting U.S. response and a near-nuclear conflict.

Angola

Country that experienced a civil war post-independence in 1975, influenced by superpower support for different ethnic factions.

Contra War

Conflict in Nicaragua from 1981 to 1988, where the U.S. supported anti-Sandinista rebels, resulting in significant casualties.

NATO

Military alliance formed in 1949 for mutual defense against potential Soviet aggression.

Warsaw Pact

Military alliance established in 1955 among communist countries in response to NATO.

communist bloc

Group of Eastern European nations under Soviet influence and control during the Cold War.

John F. Kennedy

U.S. President during the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Nikita Khrushchev

Soviet leader during the Cuban Missile Crisis who faced off against Kennedy