Decolonization and Conflict in the Middle East

Economic Dependency

dependent on developed nations for economic support and trade, etc.

Neocolonialism

A new form of global power relationships that involves not direct political control but economic exploitation by multinational corporations

Nationalization

Changing something from private to state ownership or control

Bandung Conference

Conference in Indonesia (1955) at which twenty-nine nonaligned nations met. The conference denounced colonialism in all its manifestations and said that all countries in attendance would not align with either communism (USSR) or capitalism (US)

Algerian war for independence

conflict between Algeria and France, as Algerians fought to end French colonial rule. Led by the National Liberation Front (FLN), the war involved guerrilla warfare, urban battles like the Battle of Algiers, and significant civilian casualties. The conflict ended with the Évian Accords in 1962, granting Algeria its independence.

Biafran civil war

also known as the Nigerian Civil War, took place from 1967 to 1970. It was fought between Nigeria and the secessionist state of Biafra, which declared independence in 1967.

African union

(AU) is a continental organization established in 2002, succeeding the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). It consists of 55 member states across Africa and aims to promote unity, economic development, and political cooperation among African nations

FLN (National Liberation Front)

revolutionary political organization in Algeria, established in 1954 to lead the fight for independence from French colonial rule. It played a central role in the Algerian War for Independence (1954-1962)

Kenya

East Africa (Swahili Coast)

Nigeria

West Africa, igbos

Partition of India

After gaining independence from Great Britain in 1947, India was separated into two countries Pakistan for Muslims and India for Hindus; led to conflict as well as population displacement and resettlement

Igbos

Indigenous linguistic and cultural people of southern Nigeria

Kwame Nkrumah

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

Charles De Gaulle

a French military leader, statesman, and the architect of modern France's Fifth Republic. During World War II, he led the Free French Forces in resistance against Nazi Germany. Later, as President of France (1959-1969), he implemented significant reforms, strengthened France's independence, and withdrew from NATO's military command to assert French sovereignty.

Kofi Annan

a Ghanaian diplomat and the 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations, serving from 1997 to 2006. He was the first person from sub-Saharan Africa to hold this position. Annan and the UN were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for their efforts to promote peace and human rights.

Jomo Kenyatta

a Kenyan anti-colonial activist and the first President of Kenya, serving from 1964 until his death in 1978. He played a key role in Kenya's independence movement and led the Kenya African National Union (KANU)

Muslim League

All-India Muslim League, was a political party founded in 1906 in British India to represent the interests of Muslims

West Pakistan

this section of Pakistan houses the central government. in the northwest, was home to diverse ethnic groups

East Pakistan

East Pakistan, located in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent, was predominantly Bengali speaking. culminating in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, after which East Pakistan became the independent nation of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh

South Asia

Kashmir

a region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. It is divided among three countries: India, Pakistan, and China. The region has been a focal point of territorial disputes, particularly between India and Pakistan

Benazir Bhutto

a Pakistani politician and the first woman to lead a democratic government in a Muslim-majority country. She served as Prime Minister of Pakistan twice, from 1988 to 1990 and 1993 to 1996.

Nelson Mandela

a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist. He became the first Black president of South Africa (1994-1999) and played a pivotal role in dismantling apartheid, promoting racial reconciliation, and establishing a multiracial democracy

Apartheid

system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s. It enforced strict separation of racial groups in all aspects of life, favoring the white minority while oppressing the Black majority and other non-white communities.

Passbooks

identity documents used in apartheid-era South Africa to control the movement of Black South Africans. Black individuals were required to carry them at all times, and failure to produce a valid passbook could result in arrest

Afrikaans

a West Germanic language that originated in South Africa and Namibia

Homelands

Under apartheid, areas in South Africa designated for ethnolinguistic groups within the black African population; such areas tend to be overpopulated and poverty-stricken.

Bantustans

also known as "homelands," were territories in South Africa designated for Black South Africans during apartheid. These areas were created to enforce racial segregation and strip Black citizens of South African citizenship, confining them to ethnically defined regions.

Freedom Charter

a historic document adopted in 1955 by the Congress of the People in South Africa. It outlines the core principles and vision for a democratic, non-racial, and equal society, opposing apartheid and advocating for human rights, land redistribution, and social justice. It became a cornerstone of the anti-apartheid movement.

Soweto

short for "South Western Townships," is an urban area in Gauteng, South Africa, near Johannesburg. It was originally established during apartheid to segregate Black South Africans

FW de Klerk

the last president of apartheid-era South Africa, serving from 1989 to 1994. He played a pivotal role in ending apartheid by initiating reforms and negotiating a peaceful transition to majority rule

Divest

to strip; deprive; rid

African National congress

An organization dedicated to obtaining equal voting and civil rights for black inhabitants of South Africa. Founded in 1912 as the South African Native National Congress, it changed its name in 1923. Eventually brought greater equality.

Stephen Biko

Anti apartheid activist who was banned by the South African government. Founded the Black Consciousness Movement, and was killed in prison (beaten to death) by security agents in 1977.

Jim crow laws

Laws designed to enforce segregation of blacks from whites

Indian national congress

Indian nationalist group formed to work for rights and power for Indians under British rule.

Pan-Africanism

A movement that stressed unity among all Africans

Gold coast

Region of the Atlantic coast of West Africa occupied by modern Ghana; named for its gold exports to Europe from the 1470s onward.

Civil disobedience

A nonviolent, public refusal to obey allegedly unjust laws.

Salt march

Gandhi led a march over 240 miles to protest the British monopoly on salt in India

Pakistan

South Asia, wanted its own land/nation than India

Amritsar Massacre

an incident in 1919 in which British troops fired on an unarmed crowd of Indians

Satyagraha Movement

Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violent political action against British rule, which went on to influence future non-violent movements, including the American Civil Rights movement and Martin Luther King Jr's political philosophy

Quit India movement

was a mass protest launched by Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress on August 8, 1942, during World War II. It called for an end to British colonial rule in India.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Indian statesman who was the founder of Pakistan as a Muslim state (1876-1948)

Mohandas Ghandi

A 20th-century Indian who helped lead his country to independence by using nonviolent resistance to colonial rule.

Jawaharlal Nehru

Indian statesman. He succeeded Mohandas K. Gandhi as leader of the Indian National Congress. He negotiated the end of British colonial rule in India and became India's first prime minister (1947-1964).

La Matanza

in El Salvador in 1932, when the government violently suppressed a peasant uprising led by Indigenous and communist groups. This resulted in the deaths of 10,000 to 40,000 people

Populism

support for the concerns of ordinary people

Good Neighbor Policy

President Franklin Roosevelt's policy intended to strengthen friendly relations with Latin America

progressive policy

refers to political or social policies aimed at promoting reform, equality, and social justice

Salvador Allende

a Chilean socialist politician and the first Marxist to be democratically elected as president in Latin America.

Sykes-Picot Agreement

a secret deal between Britain and France to divide Ottoman Empire territories in the Middle East after World War I.

Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)

This organization formed in 1964 with the purpose of creating a homeland for Palestinians in Israel

Arab League

a regional organization of Arab states, formed in 1945, to promote political, economic, and cultural cooperation.

Suez Crisis

a conflict where Egypt's nationalization of the Suez Canal led to an invasion by Israel, Britain, and France, later pressured to withdraw.

Zionism

a movement advocating for the establishment and support of a Jewish homeland, primarily in Israel.

Arab spring

a wave of pro-democracy protests and uprisings across the Arab world, challenging authoritarian regimes.

Intifada

Palestinian uprisings against Israeli occupation, notably in 1987 and 2000, seeking independence and rights.

Anglo-Iranian Oil Company

founded in 1908, was a British company that extracted oil in Iran, later becoming BP after Iran nationalized its oil industry.

Iranian Revolution

(1978-1979) overthrew the monarchy, replacing it with an Islamic Republic led by Ayatollah Khomeini.

Ayatollah Khomeini

Shiite religious leader of Iran led the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran and ordered the invasion of the US Embassy.

"The Great Satan"

a term used in Iranian rhetoric to criticize U.S. policies and influence, originating during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Secularism

the principle of separating religion from government, ensuring freedom of religion and equal treatment for all beliefs.

Israel

A Jewish state on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, both in antiquity and again founded in 1948 after centuries of Jewish diaspora.

6 day war

(1967) was a conflict where Israel defeated Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, capturing key territories like the West Bank and Gaza.

Palestine

A territory in the Middle East on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Disputed with Israel.

Yom Kippur War

a conflict where Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel during the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, aiming to reclaim lost territories.

Gamal Abdel Nasser

Egypt's president (1956-1970), a leader of Arab nationalism, and key in the Suez Crisis and Pan-Arabism.

Balfour declaration

a statement by the British government supporting the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine

Pan-Arab Nationalism

an ideology advocating for the unification of Arab nations based on shared language, culture, and history, aiming to strengthen Arab identity and independence.

Non-Alignment policy

Policy of not supporting either side in a conflict - such as India during the Cold War

Mohammad Mossadegh

the Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953. He is best known for nationalizing Iran's oil industry, which had been controlled by the British-owned Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.

Shah Reza Khan

also known as Reza Shah Pahlavi, was the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty and ruled as the Shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941.

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

the last Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 until the Iranian Revolution in 1979. He implemented modernization and economic reforms, including the White Revolution, but faced criticism for authoritarianism and ties to Western powers

9/11

A series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001.

Al-Qaeda

a militant Islamist organization founded by Osama bin Laden in the late 1980s. It gained global notoriety for orchestrating the September 11, 2001, attacks and has been involved in numerous other acts of terrorism. The group aims to establish a global Islamic caliphate and opposes Western influence in Muslim-majority countries.

Osama Bin Laden

(1957-) Founder of al Qaeda, the terrorist network responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001, and other attacks.

Taliban

an Islamist militant group that ruled Afghanistan (1996-2001) and regained power in 2021.

George W Bush

43rd president of the US who began a campaign toward energy self-sufficiency and against terrorism in 2001

Islamism

a political ideology seeking to implement Islamic principles in governance and society.

Saddam Hussein

President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003. Waged war on Iran in 1980-1988. In 1990 he ordered an invasion of Kuwait but was defeated by United States and its allies in the Gulf War (1991). Defeated by US led invasion in 2003.

The gulf war

A War (1990-1991) that took place between Iraq and the U.S./Kuwait started by Iraq invading Kuwait; First non-containment based war since WWII; Often referred to as Operation Desert Storm; Primarily an aerial war (huge amounts of missiles and bombs) in the first stages, followed by an infantry march that pushed Iraqi forces back into Iraq

Operation Enduring Freedom

President George W. Bush: the United States and its allies invade the country of Afghanistan in order to remove the Taliban from power after the 9/11 attacks.

ISIS

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

The Patriot act

This law passed after 9/11 expanded the tools used to fight terrorism and improved communication between law enforcement and intelligence agencies

The department of homeland security

Cabinet department created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to coordinate domestic security efforts