Section IV: Arab Crisis - Collapse of the Soviet Union

Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)

• Founded in 1964.

• Organization representing the Palestinian people.

• Sought the creation of a Palestinian state.

• Led for many years by Yasser Arafat.

 Six-Day War

• Fought in June 1967 between Israel and neighboring Arab states.

• Lasted six days.

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

Resolution 242

• Passed after the Six-Day War in 1967.

• Called for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories.

• Called for recognition of every state's right to live in peace.

• Became a basis for later peace negotiations.

Yom Kippur War

• Began in October 1973.

• Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on Yom Kippur, a Jewish holy day.

• Ended with a ceasefire.

• Led to later peace talks in the Middle East.

Camp David Accords

• Peace agreement signed in 1978.

• Negotiated by Jimmy Carter.

• Between Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin.

• Led to peace between Egypt and Israel.

Balfour Declaration

• Statement issued by the United Kingdom in 1917.

• Supported the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine.

• Became an important document in Middle Eastern history.

Prague Spring (1968)

• Reform movement in Czechoslovakia in 1968.

• Led by Alexander Dubček.

• Tried to create "socialism with a human face."

• Ended when Warsaw Pact troops invaded.

Ronald Reagan

• Served from 1981–1989.

• Strong anti-communist leader.

• Increased military spending and challenged the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Glasnost

• Policy introduced in the Soviet Union during the 1980s.

• Means "openness."

• Allowed greater freedom of speech and information.

• Encouraged public discussion of government issues.

Perestroika

• Economic and political reform program in the Soviet Union.

• Means "restructuring."

• Tried to improve the Soviet economy.

• Introduced some market-oriented reforms.

Mihail Gorbachev

• Leader of the Soviet Union from 1985–1991.

• Introduced Glasnost and Perestroika.

• Played a major role in ending the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.