AP World History

Radio

From the 1900's, this brought news, music, and cultural events to a wide range of people

Green Revolution

A possible long term response to hunger. This included the development of new varieties of grains that had higher resistance pest diseases and drought and were made through cross breeding and genetic engineeering

Antibiotics

Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, the first one of these that became useful in killing bacteria

Birth control

Developed in the early 1950's by Gregory Pincus, this pill was used to help limit fertility rates

Vaccines

Existing since 1796, these didn't become widely available until the 1900's when governments and nonprofits began spreading them globally to help stop the spread of disease

Pandemics

epidemic diseases that spread across national borders

Deforestation

The loss of earth's forests as a result of cutting down trees so that the land can be used for agriculture

Fossil fuels

energy made from coal, oil, petroleum, and natural gas which isn't considered renewable or sustainable

Global warming

The increase in the average temperature in the world caused by burning of fossil fuels

Kyoto Protocol

The first major international agreement made to reduce carbon emissions was signed in 1997. Developed nations argued that developing countries needed to curb their emissions, but the US never ratified it, so India and China weren't required to follow protocol.

Knowledge economy

Creation, distribution, and use of knowledge and information from the economy. This economy is where workers use their knowledge to create ways for other people to use theirs through technology, communication, innovation, and collaboration

Multinational corporation

A company that is legally incorporated in one country but makes or sells goods in one or more other countries

NAFTA

The North American Free Trade Agreement, which encouraged industries to hire low wage Mexican labor to produce tariff-free goods for foreign export.

World Trade Organization (WTO)

The organization which took over GATT made rules governing 90% of all international trade. It was a controversial organization, as most board members represented corporate interests and ruled in favor of trade over issues of moral concerns

Tiananmen Square

A peaceful protest of students in China for political and economic reforms was met by force from the government, killing hundreds of people

United Nations (UN)

An organization dedicated to establishing world peace, conducting international law, and making cooperation between nations easier.

UNICEF

Created by the UN in 1946 to provide food for children in Europe who were still suffering a year after WWII

Refugees

People who fled their home countries in times of war, famine and natural disasters

Arab Spring

A wave of pro-democracy protests that started in late 2010 across the Middle East and North Africa, sparked by socioeconomic grievances and spread rapidly through social-media platforms.

Feminism

The movement advocating for women's rights and equality

Nelson Mandela

Leader of the ANC (African National Congress) who was imprisoned for agitation against apartheid. His imprisonment inspired a global movement to end the apartheid and to replace white domination with a multiracial South Africa

Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Created by the Government of National Unity and scheduled public hearings to expose the truth of human rights violations and to restore and establish an atmosphere of trust.

Caste reservation system

This system was established to guarantee that a percentage of government and public sector jobs as well as education would be set aside for those of lower castes.

Earth Day

Created in the 1970 United States, this day was designated to focus on environmental awareness by highlighting recycling, alternative energy, eating locally produced foods, and passing antipollution legislation.

Greenpeace

Founded in 1971, this organization was created to advocate for the environment and battles deforestation, desertification, global warming, and overfishing

Cultural Diffusion

Bollywood, Anime, Reggae, K-pop, World Cup, are all examples of this and emersion of different styles as a result of a more globalized, interconnected world

Social media

This changed communication. People debate if its creation was for ill or good as it can be used to inspire, but also to manipulate.

Amazon

This company featured harsh working conditions even while being situated in America. Workers described intense pressure to complete their task that they felt that if they went to the bathroom they would be fired.

NGOs

Organizations that work independently of governments. Some may include financial NGO's, which are controversial, but some are used to help maintain world peace and improve communication.

Shipping containers

A standardized metal box used to transport goods by ship, truck, or train that revolutionized global trade by drastically reducing the cost and time of loading and unloading cargo. Their adoption after WWII is considered one of the key drivers of economic globalization.

Genetic engineering

The direct manipulation of an organism's DNA to alter its characteristics, used in agriculture to create crops that are more resistant to pests and disease. It has dramatically increased food production but also sparked ethical debates about its long-term effects on ecosystems and human health.

Malaria

A life-threatening disease spread through the bites of infected mosquitoes that kills hundreds of thousands of people annually, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. Efforts to combat it have included insecticide-treated bed nets, antimalarial drugs, and ongoing vaccine research.

Tuberculosis (TB)

An airborne bacterial infection which attacks the respiratory system and is capable of attacking other vital systems. It remains one of the leading infectious disease killers in the world, particularly in developing nations.

Cholera

A bacterial disease spread through contaminated water that causes severe dehydration and can kill within hours if untreated. It has historically spread rapidly in areas with poor sanitation and has caused multiple global pandemics.

Polio

A highly infectious viral disease that can cause permanent paralysis or death, primarily affecting children. A global vaccination campaign launched in the 20th century has brought the disease to the brink of eradication.

HIV/AIDS

Spreads through shared needles, unprotected sex and blood transfusions which attacks the immune system. It became a global pandemic in the 1980s and has killed tens of millions of people, disproportionately affecting sub-Saharan Africa.

Ebola

Spreads through fluids from infected humans or animals and causes extensive bleeding, organ failure, and death. Major outbreaks in West Africa in 2014 and the Democratic Republic of Congo highlighted the challenges of containing deadly diseases in regions with limited healthcare infrastructure.

Heart disease

The leading cause of death worldwide, caused by the buildup of plaque in arteries which restricts blood flow to the heart. Its rise as a global killer is linked to modern lifestyle changes including poor diet, physical inactivity, and increased stress.

Alzheimer's disease

A progressive neurological disorder that destroys memory and cognitive function, becoming more common as global life expectancy has increased. It places an enormous burden on healthcare systems and families and currently has no cure.

Heart transplant

A surgical procedure in which a diseased heart is replaced with a healthy donor heart, first successfully performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard in 1967. It represented a landmark achievement in modern medicine and opened the door for organ transplant programs worldwide.

Desertification

The process by which fertile land gradually becomes desert as a result of drought, deforestation, and unsustainable agricultural practices. It is a growing environmental crisis that threatens food security and displaces millions of people, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Economic liberalization

The loosening of government restrictions on trade, investment, and industry to allow market forces to operate more freely. It became a dominant global economic policy in the late 20th century, championed by institutions like the IMF and World Bank, though critics argue it increased inequality.

Free markets

An economic system in which prices and production are determined by supply and demand rather than government control. Supporters argue it drives innovation and prosperity while critics point to its tendency to produce inequality and environmental damage.

Tiananmen Square protests

A peaceful protest of students in China for political and economic reforms was met by force from the government, killing hundreds of people. The crackdown became a symbol of the Chinese government's willingness to use violent repression to maintain its hold on power.

Asian Tigers

The nickname for the four rapidly industrializing economies of South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore that achieved extraordinary economic growth between the 1960s and 1990s. Their success was driven by export-oriented manufacturing, strong education systems, and government investment in industry.

Dalits (untouchables)

The lowest group in the Hindu caste system, historically assigned the most degrading labor and excluded from temples, schools, and social life. Despite legal protections in modern India including the caste reservation system, discrimination against Dalits remains widespread.

Consumer culture

A society in which the buying and selling of goods and services is the dominant activity and personal identity is strongly tied to what one owns. It became a defining feature of the 20th century, fueled by mass production, advertising, and rising middle class incomes.

Americanization

The spread of American cultural values, products, and media across the world as a result of globalization. Critics argue it erodes local cultures and traditions while supporters see it as the natural spread of popular demand.

Malala Yousafzai

A Pakistani activist who survived a Taliban assassination attempt in 2012 after speaking out for girls' right to education. She became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate in history and a global symbol of resistance against the oppression of women and girls.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

A landmark document adopted by the United Nations in 1948 that outlined the fundamental rights and freedoms to which all people are entitled regardless of nationality, race, or religion. It became the foundation for international human rights law and inspired constitutions and treaties around the world.

Tehran Conference

A conference held in Iran in 1943 where the Soviets agreed to free Eastern Europe while the US and GB would focus on Western Europe

Yalta Conference

A conference held by the Black sea in 1945 where Russia demanded influence over Eastern Europe in exchange for helping fight against Japan, where they would also get control over islands in Japan and railroads.

Potsdam Conference

The final meeting between the big three in 1945 Germany in which Truman demanded free elections in Eastern Europe but Stalin denied it, creating tension between the two countries and a lack of trust between one another

Franklin Roosevelt

Wanted free democratic elections in Eastern Europe

Cold War

A conflict that does not directly involve military confrontation. This played out between the US and Soviet Union in propaganda campaigns, secret operations, and an arms race

Dwight Eisenhower

Feared the competition for nuclear armaments and also feared for establishing an alliance with defense contractors

Military industrial complex

An informal alliance between the government and large defense contractors

Containment

George Kennan advocated for this to limit the spread of communism

Truman Doctrine

A statement made by President Truman saying that the US will do whatever it takes to stop the spread of communism, specifically in Greece and Turkey

Marshall Plan

Enacted in 1947, was an economic plan aimed at rebuilding Europe by sending $12 billion in aid to all nations

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

Both countries realized that they had become so powerful that regardless of who started the war both would be obliterated. Because of this, neither country had the incentive to start a war

Space Race

The race between the US and Soviet Union to become the first with a manned satellite and eventually the first man on the moon

Sputnik

The first artificial satellite launched from Earth in 1957 by the Soviet Union

Non-Aligned Movement

Nations not wanting to take sides in the Cold War which prompted this movement

Berlin Airlift

The allies flew supplies into the Western zone of Berlin from February 1948 to May 1949 because of a blockade from the Soviet Union

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

An organization created as a way to coordinate defensive positions in case of a conflict with the Soviet Union. This treaty pledged alliance and cooperation within the alliance against conflicts and wars.

Warsaw Pact

The communist response to NATO in which the nations combined their armed forces and based their army leaders in Moscow

Communist bloc

The nations involved in the Warsaw Pact

Korean War

The attempt for the Soviet north to reunite the peninsula by reclaiming the US run south. After three years of fighting, the war ended in stalemate with the two parts of Korea remaining divided and a demilitarized zone in between.

Vietnam War

Similar to the Korean war, US forces were sent in to prevent a communist north takeover of the south.

Lyndon Johnson

He sent more US troops to South Vietnam to fight in the war due to the domino theory

Domino theory

President Johnson believed that if Vietnam became communist, than other countries in the region would also follow them and become communist

John Kennedy

He had concerns of a communist nation 90 miles off the coast of Florida, so he supported the failed overthrow of Fidel Castro

Bay of Pigs

The new government of Cuba began to show signs of communism, in which the US responded by cutting off diplomatic ties. After they turned to the Soviets for aid, the US supported an invasion and overthrow of Castro, which failed miserably and further cemented Cuba's relations with the Soviet Union

Cuban Missile Crisis

Following the failed overthrow, the Soviet Union began supplying nuclear missiles to Cuba in 1961. By 1962, it was learned that more missiles were on their way, so Kennedy ordered a "quarantine" since a blockade was an act of war. It seemed inevitable that nuclear war was imminent but the two leaders came to an agreement to remove their nukes from Turkey and Cuba respectively.

Hot Line

After the Cuban Missile Crisis, the establishment of a direct telegraph line between the White House and Moscow was created

Non-Proliferation Treaty

Nuclear powers were responsible for limiting the spread of nuclear technology and materials to non-nuclear countries.

Theocracy

A country where a religious figure is the lead

Ho Chi Minh

The communist leader of North Vietnam who wished to unite all of Vietnam, triggering the US to enter into the Vietnam war to prevent the spread of communism

Suez Crisis

After the establishment of the republic of Egypt, the president sought to implement socialism and when the Suez canal was seized by Egypt, it prompted Israel to invade them on behalf of France and Britain. The Suez canal was later converted into an international waterway used by all nations after an intervention by the US and Soviet Union.

Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)

Wanted for the land taken by Israel to be returned and the creation of an independent nation of Palestine

Hamas

One of two factions of Palestinians which controlled Gaza

Khmer Rouge

A communist guerrilla organization which overthrew the Cambodian government that imposed a ruthless form of communism

Pol Pot

Leader of the Khmer Rouge who overthrew Cambodia

Zionist movement

The desire for a Jewish homeland stemming from the Dreyfus Affair

Irish Republican Army (IRA)

A catholic group who fought in the catholic-protestant conflict in ireland. They engaged in acts of terrorism in England as a way for violent means to have political implications

Nelson Mandela

A socialist lawyer who helped lead the resistance against apartheid in South Africa

Ronald Reagan

The president of the US who helped to negotiate the limiting of nuclear missiles between the two power houses

Mikhail Gorbachev

A more progressive leader of the Soviet Union who helped negotiate for the limit of nuclear missiles, issuing greater freedom, and leading to the dismantling of the soviet union

Perestroika

an attempt to restructure the Soviet Union economy to allow for free enterprise

Glasnost

The policy of opening up soviet society and political process by granting greater freedom

Big Three

The three main Allied leaders during WWII: Franklin Roosevelt of the US, Winston Churchill of Britain, and Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union. They met at the Tehran, Yalta, and Potsdam conferences to coordinate the war effort and plan the postwar world.

Harry S. Truman

The American president who made the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan, ending WWII. He also issued the Truman Doctrine in 1947, pledging US support to nations threatened by communist expansion and setting the tone for the entire Cold War.

United Nations

An international organization founded in 1945 after WWII to promote peace, security, and cooperation between nations. It replaced the failed League of Nations and now includes nearly every country in the world.

Capitalism vs. Communism

The central ideological conflict of the Cold War, pitting the US-led capitalist system of private ownership and free markets against the Soviet-led communist system of state ownership and planned economies. This conflict shaped global politics, military alliances, and proxy wars for nearly half a century.

Democracy vs. Authoritarianism

A fundamental tension of the 20th century between governments that derive their power from free elections and popular consent versus those that rule through force and repression. The Cold War was partly framed as a struggle between these two systems, with each side claiming moral superiority.

Iron Curtain

A term coined by Winston Churchill to describe the dividing line in Europe between the democratic West and the communist East controlled by the Soviet Union. It symbolized the division of Europe into two hostile blocs during the Cold War.

Satellite countries

Nations in Eastern Europe that were nominally independent but were effectively controlled by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. These included Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and East Germany, all of whom had Soviet troops stationed on their soil.

Turmoil in Iran (Iranian Revolution context)

The 1979 Iranian Revolution overthrew the US-backed Shah and established an Islamic theocracy under Ayatollah Khomeini. This dramatically shifted the balance of power in the Middle East and created lasting tensions with the United States that persist to this day.