APWH Unit 8 Vocab

Big Three

allies during WWII; Soviet Union - Stalin, United Kingdom - Churchill, United States - Roosevelt

Tehran Conference

First major meeting between the Big Three (United States, Britain, Russia) where they agreed that the Soviet Union would focus on freeing Eastern Europe while Britain and the United States focused on Western Europe.

Yalta Conference

1945 Meeting with US president FDR, British Prime Minister(PM) Winston Churchill, and and Soviet Leader Stalin during WWII to plan for post-war, knowing Germany was close to defeat.

Potsdam Conference

Final meeting between the Big Three. July 26, 1945 - Allied leaders Truman, Stalin and Churchill met in Germany to set up zones of control and to inform the Japanese that if they refused to surrender at once, they would face total destruction.

Harry Truman

Became president when FDR died; gave the order to drop the atomic bomb

Cold War

A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years.

Dwight Eisenhower

United States general who supervised the invasion of Normandy and the defeat of Nazi Germany

self-determination

Concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves

hydrogen bomb

One thousand more times more powerful than the atomic bomb. Truman ordered the development of it to outpace the Soviets.

military-industrial complex

Eisenhower first coined this phrase when he warned American against it in his last State of the Union Address. He feared that the combined lobbying efforts of the armed services and industries that contracted with the military would lead to excessive Congressional spending.

United Nations

An international organization formed after WWII to promote international peace, security, and cooperation.

Iron Curtain

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

satellite countries

Eastern European countries that remained under the control of the Soviet Union during the Cold War era. Most were drawn together militarily by the Warsaw Pact; satellite nations that attempted political or cultural rebellion, such as Hungary in 1956 or Czechoslovakia in 1968, faced invasion by Soviet forces.

world revolution

a belief that organized workers would overthrow capitalism in all countries

containment

A U.S. foreign policy adopted by President Harry Truman in the late 1940s, in which the United States tried to stop the spread of communism by creating alliances and helping weak countries to resist Soviet advances

Truman Doctrine

a strong statement that the United States would do what it had to do to stop the spread of communist influence, specifically in Greece and Turkey

mutually assured destruction

A doctrine of military strategy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two opposing sides would effectively result in the destruction of both the attacker and the defender.

Sputnik

First artificial Earth satellite, it was launched by Moscow in 1957 and sparked U.S. fears of Soviet dominance in technology and outer space. It led to the creation of NASA and the space race.

Marshall Plan

A United States program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe (1948-1952)

Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON)

An economic organization of Communist states meant to help rebuild East Bloc countries under Soviet auspices.

proxy war

a war in which the powers in conflict use third parties as substitutes instead of fighting each other directly

Berlin Aircraft

operation that moved supplies into West Berlin by American and British planes during a Soviet blockade in 1948-1949

Korean War

The conflict between Communist North Korea and Non-Communist South Korea. The United Nations (led by the United States) helped South Korea.

Vietnam War

A prolonged war (1954-1975) between the communist armies of North Vietnam who were supported by the Chinese and the non-communist armies of South Vietnam who were supported by the United States.

domino theory

A theory that if one nation comes under Communist control, then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control.

Bay of Pigs

An unsuccessful invasion of Cuba in 1961, which was sponsored by the United States. Its purpose was to overthrow Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 crisis that arose between the United States and the Soviet Union over a Soviet attempt to deploy nuclear missiles in Cuba

Angola

French colony in Southwest Africa that won its independence in 1975

Contra War

Covert (secret) military operation against anti-Western Sandinista rebels in Nicaragua. The stated goal was to stop flow of arms through El Salvador. Congress refused to support military action in either country; thus In 1986, Reagan secretly approved a deal to sell weapons to Iran in exchange for the release of hostages. The money was then to be used by Marine Colonel Oliver North to to purchase weapons for the Contras. The decision directly violated the ban Congress enacted on such aid.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

1949 alliance of nations that agreed to band together in the event of war and to support and protect each nation involved

Warsaw Pact

An alliance between the Soviet Union and other Eastern European nations. This was in response to the NATO

communist bloc

The group of Eastern European nations that fell under the control of the Soviet Union following World War II.

Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)

1954-1977

*Created to oppose the spread of Communism in Southeast Asia after France's withdrawal from Indochina

*Original members included the US, Britain, France, Pakistan, Thailand, and the Philippines

*The organization was meant to justify an American presence in Vietnam, though some members did not support America in this effort

*Dismantled in 1977

Central Treaty Organization (CENTO)

Members were the U.S., Great Britain, Turkey, Iran and West Pakistan. Treaty to improve U.S. relations and cooperation with Latin and South America. Fairly successful, similar to ANZUS.

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

1963 nuclear-weapons agreement, which banned aboveground nuclear tests

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

nuclear powers would prevent the spread of nuclear technology to non-nuclear countries

Hot Line

a communication link established in 1963 to allow the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to contact each other. Established after the Cuban Missile Crisis

Antinuclear Weapons Movement

consists of more than 80 anti-nuclear groups that oppose nuclear power, nuclear weapons, and/or uranium mining.

Douglas MacArthur

United States general who served as chief of staff and commanded Allied forces in the South Pacific during World War II

Lyndon Johnson

president during the Vietnam War after JFK was shot

John F Kennedy

President of the US during the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis

Nikita Khrushchev

A Soviet leader during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also famous for denouncing Stalin and allowed criticism of Stalin within Russia.

land reform

Breakup of large agricultural holdings for redistribution among peasants

commune

large agricultural communities where the states held the land

theocracy

A government controlled by religious leaders

Mao Zedong

Chinese Communist leader from 1949 to 1976.

Red Guards

the Radical youth of the Cultural Revolution in China starting in 1966. Often wore red armbands and carried Mao's Little Red Book.

White Revolution

The term used by the shah to describe reforms in Iran between the end of World War II and the downfall of his regime in 1979 (white because it came with no bloodshed)

Kwame Nkrumah

founder of Ghana's independence movement and Ghana's first priesident

Charles de Gaulle

french President who planned out how Algeria would gain independence, but then Algeria broke out into war

Ho Chi Minh

1950s and 60s; communist leader of North Vietnam; used geurilla warfare to fight anti-comunist, American-funded attacks under the Truman Doctrine; brilliant strategy drew out war and made it unwinnable

Gamal Abdel Nasser

Arab leader, set out to modernize Egypt and end western domination, nationalized the Suez canal, led two wars against the Zionist state, remained a symbol of independence and pride, returned to socialism, nationalized banks and businesses, limited economic policies

one-party state

a political system in which one party controls the government and actively seeks to prevent other parties from contesting for power

Algerian War for Independence

French colony insisted that Algeria should remain French while the FLN waged a fight for Algeria's independence

Algerian Civil War

A conflict starting in 1991, in reaction to one-party rule. Religious conflict between Muslims and Hindus

Suez Crisis

July 26, 1956, Nasser (leader of Egypt) nationalized the Suez Canal, Oct. 29, British, French and Israeli forces attacked Egypt. UN forced British to withdraw; made it clear Britain was no longer a world power

Biafran Civil War

1967-1970; a movement by the Igbo to fight for their independence from the new country of Nigeria; created more violence and ethnic-based conflict

Quiet Revolution

A period of intense social, political, and economic change in Quebec. During this period, which lasted from about 1960 to 1966, Quebecois began to assert their rights and affirm and promote their language and culture.

Muslim League

an organization formed in 1906 to protect the interests of India's Muslims, which later proposed that India be divided into separate Muslim and Hindu nations

Organization of African Unity

An establishment founded after the Pan-African meeting in 1963 aimed to create a sense of unity among Africans.

Viet Cong

A Communist-led army and guerrilla force in South Vietnam that fought its government and was supported by North Vietnam.

Six Day War

(1967) Short conflict between Egypt and her allies against Israel won by Israel; Israel took over the Golan Heights , The West Bank of the Jordan River; and the Sanai Peninsula.

Yom Kippur War

(RN), , This was a war fought by Israel and neighboring Arab nations where the Arabs launched a surprise attack during Yom Kippur. U.S. support for Israel during the war led to OPEC boycotting the U.S., creating an energy crisis.

Camp David Accords

The first signed agreement between Israel and an Arab country, in which Egyptian president Anwar Sadat recognized Israel as a legitimate state and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin agreed to return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt.

Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)

an organization founded in 1964 with the purpose of the "liberation of Palestine" through armed struggle

Fatah

a Palestinian political and military organization founded by Yasser Arafat in 1958 to work toward the creation of a Palestinian state

Hamas

a militant Islamic fundamentalist political movement that opposes peace with Israel and uses terrorism as a weapon

Khmer Rouge

A group of Communist rebels who seized power in Cambodia in 1975.

Kashmir

A region of northern India and Pakistan over which several destructive wars have been fought

metropole

a large city of a former colonial ruler where large numbers of refugees and immigrants move to

Wladyslaw Gomulka

Communist leader who attempted to pursue an independent domestic policy in Poland while continuing to be loyal to the Soviet Union

Imre Nagy

Hungarian Communist Party leader who attempted to end association with the USSR which lead to the 1956 Hungarian revolt.

Prague Spring

The term for the attempted liberation of Czechoslovakia in 1968.

Alexander Dubcek

The First Secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party, who tried to lessen the Soviet Union's control over Czechoslovak. His attempts led to the "Prague Spring." He was later replaced when the Soviet Union sent troops to force a return of Communist control.

Brezhnev Doctrine

Soviet Union and its allies had the right to intervene in any socialist country whenever they saw the need.

Irish Republican Army (IRA)

a militant organization of Irish nationalists who used terrorism and guerilla warfare in an effort to drive British forces from Northern Ireland and achieve a united independent Ireland

Ulster Defence Association

is the largest Ulster loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland.

Basque Homeland and Freedom (ETA)

A revolutionary group of northern Spain who used terrorist attacks to force the government to grant territorial independence.

Abimael Guzman

Known as "Presidente Gonzalo." Founder of the Shining Path. Built a revolutionary organization based on the ideas of Mao Zedong and Cambodia's Khmer Rouge

Shining Path

a terrorist group formed in Peru in the late 1960s as a splinter group from the communist party of Peru

Martin Luther King Jr

U.S. Baptist minister and civil rights leader. A noted orator, he opposed discrimination against blacks by organizing nonviolent resistance and peaceful mass demonstrations. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Nobel Peace Prize (1964)

Nelson Mandela

ANC leader imprisoned by Afrikaner regime; released in 1990 and elected as president of South Africa in 1994.

Kent State University

An Ohio university where National Guardsmen opened fire on students protesting the Vietnam War on May 4, 1970, wounding nine and killing four

Ronald Reagan

US president who appealed to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev two years before the Berlin Wall fell in 1989

Mikhail Gorbachev

Head of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. His liberalization effort improved relations with the West, but he lost power after his reforms led to the collapse of Communist governments in eastern Europe.

detente

A policy of reducing Cold War tensions that was adopted by the United States during the presidency of Richard Nixon.

Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty

series of meetings in the 70s, in which leaders of the US and the Soviet Union agreed to limit their nations' stocks of nuclear weapons

perestroika

A policy initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev that involved restructuring of the social and economic status quo in communist Russia towards a market based economy and society

glasnost

a policy of the Soviet government allowing freer discussion of social problems

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

Ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. Had to be destroyed by USSR and US after making a treaty for it.

Strategic Defense Initiative

Popularly known as "Star Wars," President Reagan's SDI proposed the construction of an elaborate computer-controlled, anti-missile defense system capable of destroying enemy missiles in outer spaced. Critics claimed that SDI could never be perfected.