Unit 8 Vocab AP World

38th Parallel

The line that separated Soviet occupied North Korea and US occupied South Korea

Al-Qaeda

Originally founded to fight off the Soviet Union, which supported the communist Afghan government

Berlin Airlift

The effort by the United States and Britain to ship by air 2.3 millions tons of supplies to the residents of the Western- controlled sectors of Berlin as a response to a Soviet Blockade

Berlin Wall

Wall built in 1961 to keep people in East Germany from fleeing to West Germany

Big Three

Great Britain, United States, and the Soviet Union

Cold War

A conflict that does not involve any direct military confrontation between two or more rival states

Containment

A policy of not allowing communism to spread

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 13-day confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States that occurred after Soviet missiles were discovered in Cuba

Cultural Revolution

Mao’s attempt to reinvigorate China’s commitment to Communism in 1966

A relaxation of strained relations by verbal communication

Détente

Domino Theory

The notion that one nation falling to communist rule will result in neighboring nations falling to communist rule

Great Leap Forward

The economic policy of Mao Zedong introduced in 1958 which proposed small scale industrialization projects integrated into peasant communities and resulted in economic disaster; ended in 1960

Ho Chi Minh

Communist leader of North Vietnam who opposed the French of South Vietnam after World War II

Iron Curtain

A political barrier that isolated the peoples of Eastern Europe after World War II, restricting their ability to travel outside the region

Korean War

1950-1953; Began when North Korea invaded South Korea in an attempt to reunite the country under its leadership

Mao Zedong

Declared the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and supported the Chinese peasantry throughout his life

Marshall Plan

Offered $12 billion in aid to European countries to modernize industry, reduce trade barriers, and rebuild infrastructure

Nelson Mandela

Socialist lawyer who led the black resistance to apartheid in South Africa

An alliance between the US, England, France, Canada, and Western European countries made to defend one another if they were attacked by any other Country

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Proxy War

A war in which a major power helps bring about conflict between other nations but does not always fight directly

Space Race

A competition of space exploration between The United States and The Soviet Union

Negotiations between The United States and The Soviet Union that were aimed at curtailing the manufacture of strategic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons

Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT)

Dubbed “Star Wars”, this was a missile defense system that was supposed to be able to destroy any Soviet nuclear missiles that targeted the US or it’s allies

Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)

Suez Canal

Military attack on Egypt by Britain, France, and Israel in 1956 after Egypt seized the Suez Canal from British administration

Truman Doctrine

1947 speech by US President Harry Truman that outlined what the US needed to do to stop the spread of Communism, specially in Turkey and Greece

United Nations

Established in 1945 to promote world peace and cooperation; replaced The League of Nations

Viet Cong

The name given to the Communist guerilla movement in Southern Vietnam