AP World History - Cold War and Decolonization

Flashcards based on key vocabulary and concepts from Unit 8 of AP World History focusing on the Cold War and Decolonization.

Cold War

A state of political hostility between countries characterized by threats, propaganda, and other measures short of open warfare.

Self-determination

The right of people to determine their own political status and pursue their economic, social, and cultural development.

Bipolar world

A global structure dominated by two superpowers, typically referring to the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Non-Aligned Movement

An organization of states that chose not to align with either NATO or the Soviet Bloc during the Cold War.

Iron Curtain

The political and military barrier that isolated Eastern Europe from the West from the end of World War II until the end of the Cold War.

Proxy wars

Conflicts where two opposing countries or parties support combatants that serve their interests instead of waging direct war.

Great Leap Forward

A Chinese economic and social campaign led by Mao Zedong from 1958 to 1962 aimed at rapidly transforming China from an agrarian society into an industrialized nation.

Cultural Revolution

A sociopolitical movement in China from 1966 to 1976 to enforce communism by removing capitalist, traditional, and cultural elements from Chinese society.

Indian National Congress

A political party in India that played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement against British rule.

All-Muslim League

A political party in India that played an important role in the Indian Independence Movement and advocated for the establishment of a separate Muslim state.

Partition of India

The division of British India into two independent dominions, India and Pakistan, in 1947.

Pan-Africanism

A worldwide intellectual movement that aims to strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora ethnic groups of African descent.

Pan-Arabism

An ideology that promotes the political, cultural, and economic unity of Arab countries.

Suez Crisis

A diplomatic and military confrontation in 1956 between Egypt on one side and Israel, the United Kingdom, and France on the other.

Shining Path

A revolutionary organization in Peru that used guerrilla warfare and terrorism to achieve its goals.

Al-Qaeda

A militant Islamist organization founded by Osama bin Laden in the late 1980s, known for several high-profile terrorist attacks.

Satellite countries

Nations that are formally independent but under heavy political and economic influence or control by another country.

Containment

A United States policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism abroad.

Truman Doctrine

The American foreign policy established in 1947 stating that the U.S. would support countries resisting communism.

Domino theory

The idea that if one country falls to communism, nearby countries will also fall, like a row of dominos.

Marshall Plan

An American initiative passed in 1948 to aid Western Europe in economic recovery after World War II.

M.A.D. (Mutually Assured Destruction)

A doctrine of military strategy in which the use of nuclear weapons by one superpower would result in the annihilation of both the attacker and the defender.

Decolonization

The process by which colonies gained independence from colonial powers, occurring widely after World War II.

Détente

A period of improved relations between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Perestroika

A political movement within the Soviet Union during the 1980s aimed at reforming the political and economic system.

Glasnost

A policy introduced in the Soviet Union in the 1980s that meant increased openness and transparency in government.

INF Treaty

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a 1987 agreement between the U.S. and the Soviet Union to eliminate their intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles.

Kuomintang

The Nationalist Party of China, which governed China before the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

Theocracy

A form of government in which a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler, and religious leaders control the government.

Khmer Rouge

A communist regime led by Pol Pot in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979 known for its brutal genocide.

National Liberation Front (FLN)

A nationalist movement in Algeria that fought for independence from France.

Điện Biên Phủ

A decisive battle in 1954 that resulted in France's withdrawal from Indochina.

Balfour Declaration

A statement issued by the British government in 1917 expressing support for a 'national home for the Jewish people' in Palestine.

Zionism

A movement for the re-establishment of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel.

Imperial Metropoles

The central states that exert control over colonies and exploit their resources.

Apartheid

A policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race, especially in South Africa.

Military Industrial Complex

The relationship between a country's military and the defense industry, seen as influencing public policy.

SALT Treaty

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, agreements between the U.S. and the Soviet Union aimed at curtailing the manufacture of strategic missiles.

Sukarno

The first President of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967.

Kwame Nkrumah

The first President of Ghana and a prominent advocate for Pan-Africanism.

Chiang Kai-shek

A Chinese political and military leader who served as the head of the Republic of China.

Mao Zedong

The founding father of the People's Republic of China and a key figure in the Chinese Communist Party.

Haile Selassie

Emperor of Ethiopia and a significant figure in the African liberation movement.

Mengistu Haile Mariam

Leader in Ethiopia known for his Marxist-Leninist government and the Red Terror campaign.

Ho Chi Minh

A Vietnamese revolutionary leader who declared Vietnam's independence from France.

Ngo Dinh Diem

The first President of South Vietnam, known for his anti-communist stance.

Gamal Abdel Nasser

The second President of Egypt, known for his role in the 1952 revolution and Pan-Arabism.

Augusto Pinochet

A Chilean general who led a military coup against President Salvador Allende in 1973.

Salvador Allende

The first Marxist to become President of Chile through open elections.

Francisco Franco

The Spanish dictator who ruled from 1939 until his death in 1975.

Idi Amin

A Ugandan military officer who became President of Uganda in 1971 and was known for his brutal regime.

M.K. Gandhi

Leader of the Indian independence movement known for his philosophy of nonviolent resistance.

Mohammad Ali Jinnah

The founder of Pakistan and its first Governor-General.

Jawaharlal Nehru

The first Prime Minister of India, serving from 1947 to 1964.

Indira Gandhi

The first and, to date, the only female Prime Minister of India.

Sirimavo Bandaranaike

The world's first female head of government, serving as Prime Minister of Ceylon/Sri Lanka.

Julius Nyerere

The first President of Tanzania, known for his leadership in the African liberation movement.

Jomo Kenyatta

The first President of Kenya and a key figure in the nation's independence movement.

Martin Luther King Jr.

An influential American civil rights leader advocating nonviolent protest against racial segregation.

Nelson Mandela

The first black President of South Africa and a key figure in the anti-apartheid movement.

Fidel Castro

The Cuban revolutionary leader who established a one-party socialist state in Cuba.

Fulgencio Batista

The Cuban dictator overthrown by Fidel Castro in 1959.

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

The last Shah of Iran, whose regime was overthrown during the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Ruhollah (Ayatollah) Khomeini

The leader of the Iranian Revolution who became the country's Supreme Leader.

Ronald Reagan

The 40th President of the United States, known for his conservative policies and role in ending the Cold War.

Mikhail Gorbachev

The last General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, known for his reforms of glasnost and perestroika.

Pol Pot

The leader of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, responsible for the Cambodian genocide.

Charles de Gaulle

The French general and statesman who led France during World War II and later served as President.

Richard Nixon

The 37th President of the United States known for ending American involvement in the Vietnam War.

Leonid Brezhnev

The General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and leader during a period of stagnation.

Berlin Blockade

An event during the Cold War where the Soviet Union blocked Western Allies' access to Berlin.

Berlin Wall

A barrier that divided Berlin from 1961 until 1989, preventing East Berliners from escaping to the West.

Korean War

A conflict between North Korea (with support from China and the Soviet Union) and South Korea (supported by UN forces) from 1950 to 1953.

Vietnam War

A conflict in which North Vietnam fought against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States.

Bay of Pigs

A failed military invasion of Cuba by CIA-sponsored paramilitary group in 1961 aimed to overthrow Castro.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 13-day confrontation in 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union over missile deployment in Cuba.

Angolan Civil War

A multi-party civil conflict in Angola that lasted from 1975 to 2002.

Sandinista-Contra conflict

A conflict in Nicaragua during the 1980s between the Sandinista government and Contra rebels funded by the U.S.

White Revolution in Iran

A series of reforms initiated by the Shah to modernize and Westernize Iran in the 1960s.

Algerian Wars of Independence

A war fought between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front from 1954 to 1962 for Algerian independence.

Soviet-Afghan War

A conflict during the late 1970s to 1989 in which Soviet forces intervened in Afghanistan.

Chinese Civil War

A conflict between the Nationalists (Kuomintang) and the Communists, which resulted in the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Quebecois in Canada

The movement among Quebec's Francophone population seeking greater autonomy and rights within Canada.

Biafra in Nigeria

A secessionist state in southeastern Nigeria that existed from 1967 to 1970, leading to a civil war.

United Nations

An international organization founded in 1945 to promote peace, security, and cooperation among countries.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance established in 1949 for mutual defense against aggression.

Warsaw Pact

A collective defense treaty established in 1955 among the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries.

WTO

World Trade Organization, an intergovernmental organization that regulates international trade.

EU

European Union, a political and economic union of member states located primarily in Europe.