ap euro period 4 pt 2

Tehran Conference

A 1943 meeting between Roosevelt (USA), Churchill (UK), and Stalin (USSR) during WWII to plan the final defeat of Nazi Germany and discuss postwar Europe.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

A military alliance formed in 1949 between Western nations to counter Soviet expansion, pledging mutual defense against aggression.

UN Security Council

A primary body of the United Nations responsible for maintaining international peace and security, with 5 permanent members (USA, UK, France, Russia, China) and 10 rotating members.

Sputnik

The first artificial satellite launched into orbit by the Soviet Union in 1957, sparking the Space Race.

Konrad Adenauer

The first Chancellor of West Germany (1949–1963), who helped rebuild Germany after WWII and strongly aligned it with the West.

Margaret Thatcher

British Prime Minister (1979–1990), known for her conservative policies, free-market reforms, and strong opposition to Soviet communism.

Charles De Gaulle

Leader of Free France during WWII and later President of France (1959–1969), known for asserting French independence in foreign affairs.

Algerian Crisis

A violent conflict (1954–1962) between France and Algerian nationalists seeking independence, leading to Algeria’s eventual liberation.

Dirigisme

An economic system where the government exerts strong directive influence over investment and industrial planning, especially in postwar France.

Prague Spring

A brief period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia in 1968 under Alexander Dubček, crushed by a Soviet-led invasion.

Kwame Nkrumah

First Prime Minister and President of Ghana, leading its independence from Britain in 1957 and advocating for Pan-Africanism.

Gamal Abdel Nasser

President of Egypt (1956–1970), known for nationalizing the Suez Canal and promoting Arab nationalism and socialism.

Modernism

An artistic, cultural, and intellectual movement that broke with traditional forms, emphasizing innovation and new perspectives, especially in the early 20th century.

Existentialism

A philosophical movement stressing individual freedom, choice, and responsibility in a meaningless or absurd world, associated with thinkers like Jean-Paul Sartre.

Pop Art

An art movement of the 1950s–60s that used imagery from popular and mass culture (like advertising and comics), often with irony or criticism.

Mikhail Gorbachev

The last leader of the Soviet Union (1985–1991), known for reforms like glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring), which contributed to the USSR’s collapse.

Velvet Revolution

The peaceful 1989 protest movement that ended communist rule in Czechoslovakia.

Vladimir Putin

Russian leader who first became president in 2000, known for centralizing power, restoring Russian influence, and leading during a period of tension with the West.

Preemption

A strategy of striking first when a threat is imminent to prevent an attack, notably used to justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Supranational Organization

An entity formed by multiple countries that cede some sovereignty to achieve common goals, like the European Union.

Slobodan Milosevic

Serbian leader involved in the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s, accused of war crimes and ethnic cleansing before dying during his trial.

Chechnya

A region in Russia that fought brutal wars for independence in the 1990s and early 2000s, facing heavy repression.

Enlargement Fatigue

A slowdown or skepticism toward expanding organizations like the EU due to concerns about governance, costs, and integration.

European Union (EU)

A political and economic union of European countries aimed at fostering economic cooperation, political stability, and free movement.

Irish Republican Army (IRA)

A paramilitary organization seeking to end British rule in Northern Ireland and unite Ireland, known for both political activism and armed struggle.