Unit 4 (1900-Present) Vocabulary

Mohandas Gandhi

Leader of Indian independence movement who advocated non-violent civil disobedience to achieve political and social change.

Indian National Congress

Political party founded in 1885 in India, played a crucial role in India's struggle for independence from British colonial rule. It was an association of educated Indians who initially sought greater inclusion in the political, military and economic life of India to better protect Indian interests (fairly moderate).

Indian Constitution of 1950

Document that lays down the framework for governance in India after independence from Great Britain. It outlines the rights, duties, and powers of the government and citizens. It abolished untouchability

Salt March

Event led by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930 as a nonviolent protest against British salt monopoly in India. It involved a 240-mile walk to the Arabian Sea to collect salt. The march was a significant moment in India's independence movement and sparked international attention.

Civil Disobedience

A form of protest that involves breaking laws in a nonviolent manner to bring attention to an unjust government policy or law.

India/Pakistan Partition

Event that led to the division of British India into two independent nations: India and Pakistan. It occurred on August 14-15, 1947, and resulted in widespread violence, displacement, and loss of life. The partition was based on religious lines, with India becoming a predominantly Hindu nation and Pakistan a predominantly Muslim nation.

Muslim League

• Political organization founded in 1906 in India.

• Aimed to safeguard the rights of Muslims in India.

• Demanded a separate Muslim state, which led to the creation of Pakistan in 1947.

• Played a significant role in the Indian independence movement.

Pan-Arabism

A political ideology advocating for the unity of Arab nations, culture, and language. It aims to create a single Arab state, promoting cooperation and solidarity among Arab countries. Promoted by Nasser following decolonization.

Zionism

A political movement advocating for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. It emerged in the late 19th century in response to rising anti-Semitism.

Israeli-Palestian Conflict

Ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine over land and political control. Rooted in historical and religious tensions, including disputes over borders, settlements, and the status of Jerusalem. Has resulted in violence, displacement, and political instability in the region.

Iranian Revolution of 1979

Event that led to the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty and established an Islamic Republic in Iran. It was marked by protests, strikes, and violent clashes between demonstrators and government forces. The revolution was led by Ayatollah Khomeini and resulted in the exile of the Shah of Iran.

Ayatollah Khomeini

Iranian Shia Muslim religious leader who led the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and became the country's first Supreme Leader. He promoted Islamic fundamentalism and opposed Western influence in Iran.

Fundamentalist Movements

A religious movement that emphasizes strict adherence to traditional beliefs and practices. Fundamentalists reject modern secularism and often view it as a threat to their faith. They seek to return to what they believe are the foundational principles of their religion and resist any attempts to reinterpret or modernize those principles.

Al-Qaeda

Terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden in 1988. Responsible for numerous attacks, including the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Seeks to establish a global Islamic caliphate and operates through a decentralized network of cells. Designated as a terrorist organization by many countries.

Armenian Genocide

The systematic extermination of the Armenian population by the Ottoman Empire during World War I, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians through mass killings, starvation, and forced deportations.

Gamal Abdel Nasser

Egyptian president and Arab nationalist who led the 1952 revolution, nationalized the Suez Canal, and promoted pan-Arabism. He died in 1970.

Anti Nuclear Movement

• Japan began it in 1954 in opposition to U.S. testing of nuclear weapons in the Pacific Ocean.

• In the late 1970s and 1980s, the antinuclear movements expanded to the U.S. and Western Europe

• Opposes the build up of some nuclear technologies

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

• Formed in 1949 following World War II

• Members: USA, Britain, France, Italy, Portugal

• Collective self-defense against Soviet threat in North Atlantic

• Expanded the role of the US in European affairs

• Today its membership has expanded

Warsaw Pact

Military alliance formed in 1955 by the Soviet Union and its satellite states in response to NATO. Dissolved in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Cold War

A period of political tension and military rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States, lasting from the end of World War II until the early 1990s. It was characterized by proxy wars, nuclear arms race, and ideological struggles between capitalism and communism.

Holocaust

Tragic event during WWII in which millions of Jews and other minorities were systematically murdered by the Nazi regime.

Nuremberg Trials

Series of trials in 1945 conducted by an International Military Tribunal in which former Nazi leaders were charged with crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, and war crimes

Fourteen Points

Plan of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson to establish lasting peace at the end of World War 1; although Wilson's views were popular in Europe, his vision largely failed.

League of Nations

International peacekeeping organization created after World War 1; first proposed by U.S. president Woodrow Wilson as part of his Fourteen Points. The US did not join the organization, despite it being Wilson’s idea.

Treaty of Versailles

1919 treaty that officially ended World War 1; the immense penalties it placed on Germany are regarded as one of the causes of World War 2.

Trench Warfare

A form of warfare in which opposing armies fight each other from trenches dug in the battlefield. Primary method of warfare in World War I.

Total War

War that requires each country involved to mobilize its entire population in the effort to defeat the enemy

Propaganda

The dissemination of information, ideas, rumors, etc. in order to make people feel a certain way towards a certain culture, political ideology, etc.

Totalitarianism

A new kind of government in the 20th century that exercised massive, direct control over virtually all activities of its subjects; existed in Germany, Italy & Soviet Union

Joseph Stalin

Bolshevik revolutionary, head of the Soviet Communists after 1924, and dictator of the Soviet Union from 1928 to 1953. He led the Soviet Union with an iron fist, using Five-Year Plans to increase industrial production and terror to crush opposition

Communism

A political system in which the government owns all property and dominates all aspects of life in a country. Karl Marx created this theory and it was first implemented in the USSR.

Great Purge

A brutal political campaign led by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin to eliminate dissenting members of the Communist Party and anyone else he considered a threat

Five Year Plans

Plans that Joseph Stalin introduced to industrialize the USSR rapidly, beginning in 1928. They set goals for the output of steel, electricity, machinery, and most other products and were enforced by the state

Russian Revolution of 1917

The revolution that resulted in the abdication of Tsar Nicholas and brought the Bolshevik Communist party to power.

Bolsheviks

Russian revolutionary party led by Vladimir Lenin and later renamed the Communist Party

Adolf Hitler

The leader of the German Nazi party and eventually the leader of Germany from 1933 until 1945. He created a fascist government, led Europe into WWII, and committed the atrocities of the Holocaust.

Fascism

A political movement that promotes an extreme form of nationalism, a denial of individual rights, and a dictatorial one-party rule. Italy under Mussolini and Germany under Hitler are examples of this.

Appeasement

Satisfying the demands of dissatisfied powers in an effort to maintain peace and stability. This took place leading up to WWII when leaders of Great Britain, France, and Italy signed the Munich Agreement allowing Nazi Germany to annex the Sudetenland.

Non-Aligned Movement

A movement of third world states, led by India and Yugoslavia, that attempted to stand apart from the US Soviet rivalry during the Cold War.

Ho Chi Minh

Vietnamese leader who appealed to nationalist feelings to oppose the United States troops and to unite the country under a single Communist government

Nanjing Massacre

An episode of mass murder and mass rape committed by Japanese troops against the residents of Nanjing (Nanking), then the capital of the Republic of China, during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.

“The Way”

A text produced by the Ministry of Education in Japan in 1937 that focused on the uniqueness of Japan and the philosophical foundation of its totalitarian government. It reinforced nationalist ideas.

Mao Zedong

A Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China, which he led as the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party from the establishment of the PRC in 1949 until his death in 1976

Great Leap Forward

Economic policy of Mao Zedong introduced in 1958; proposed small-scale industrialization projects integrated into peasant communities; led to economic disaster and ended in 1960.

Mao’s Cultural Revolution

Initiated by Mao Zedong in 1965 to restore his dominance over the pragmatists; disgraced and even killed bureaucrats and intellectuals; called off in 1968. The revolution's goal was to enforce communism and remove any foreign, capitalist, or traditional cultural elements from Chinese society

Deng Xiaoping

"ultimate pragmatist" communist leader who took power after Mao Zedong, and established economic reforms, such as the Four Modernizations, that improved the economy of China and brought an end to Mao's rigid communism

Tiananmen Square Protests

The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 were student-led popular demonstrations in Beijing which took place in the spring of 1989 and received broad support from city residents. They were demanding political openness and democratic changes.

Containment

US President Harry Truman’s policy following WWII - contain/stop the spread of communism as much as possible.

Truman Doctrine

Established by US President Harry Truman in 1947. Established that U.S. will aid and support any country or peoples threatened by communist insurrection, and support any countries that rejected communism It is significant because it ends American isolationism and gets U.S. involved in a variety of world conflicts (Korea, Vietnam, etc)

Marshall Plan

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US assistance program to needy nations after WWII. It provided more than $15 Billion in monetary support and focused on rebuilding European infrastructure

Isolationism

A policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries - US policy until after WWII

Great Depression

The worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world, lasting from the stock market crash of 1929 to 1939.

Martin Luther King Jr.

A social activist and Baptist minister who played a key role in the American civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968

New Deal/FDR

President of the US during the Great Depression and the series of programs, public works projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted from 1933-39

Mexican Revolution 1910

A long and bloody struggle among several factions in constantly shifting alliances which resulted ultimately in the end of the 30-year dictatorship in Mexico and the establishment of a constitutional republic.

Rwandan Genocide

A mass extermination of the Tutsi ethnic group and moderate Hutus by the Hutu-dominated government, known as the Interahamwe, and the military of Rwanda that occurred in 1994

Nelson Mandela

A South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999

Apartheid

A social policy or racial segregation involving political and economic and legal discrimination against non-whites in South Africa established by Afrikaners.

Decolonization

The process by which colonial empires, especially those of European powers, granted independence to their colonies in the aftermath of World War II.

Biafra Secessionist Movement

A secessionist state in West Africa. They unilaterally declared their independence from Nigeria in May 1967. It constituted the former Eastern Region of Nigeria and was inhabited principally by Igbo (Ibo) people. Biafra ceased to exist as an independent state in January 1970

Environmentalism

A broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements.

Globalization

The growing interaction between different parts of the world. As technology and medicine have improved, the population has grown. The world has been more interconnected not only in terms of money, but in terms of people

Global Warming

A worldwide scientific consensus that the increased burning of fossil fuels and the loss of trees have begun to warm the earth's atmosphere artificially and significantly, causing climate change and leading to possibly catastrophic results if the problem is not addressed

Green Revolution

A series of agricultural innovations from the late 1940s to the 1960s which dramatically increased the amount of food that could be produced by humanity

Vaccines (Polio)

(1995) created by Dr. Jonas Salk. worked by introducing killed or weak pieces of the virus to allow body to develop antibodies thus preventing polio

antibiotics

a medicine (such as penicillin or its derivatives) that inhibits the growth of or destroys microorganisms.

1918 Influenza Epidemic

Also called Spanish influenza pandemic or Spanish flu, the most severe influenza outbreak of the 20th century and, in terms of total numbers of deaths, among the most devastating pandemics in human history. The flu became an epidemic disease in the 20th century.

Ebola

An infectious and frequently fatal disease marked by fever and severe internal bleeding. This disease became an epidemic disease in the 20th century.

HIV/AIDS

Virus that destroys the immune system that should protect the body from diseases. The disease is passed from person to person through sexual acts, blood transfusions, used hypodermic needles, or from mother to child during birth. This disease became an epidemic disease in the 20th century.

Malaria

An intermittent and remittent fever caused by a protozoan parasite that invades the red blood cells. The parasite is transmitted by mosquitoes in many tropical and subtropical regions. (diseases associated with poverty became a significant issue in the 20th century)

Cholera

An infectious and often fatal bacterial disease of the small intestine, typically contracted from infected water supplies and causing severe vomiting and diarrhea. It was a large issue during the Industrial Revolution and then again as urbanization was taking place in developing countries in the late 20th century. (diseases associated with poverty became a significant issue in the 20th century)

Tanks

They were long and rhomboidal in shape with tracks encircling the body to aid in crossing deep and wide trenches. Weapon used in both WWI and WWII.

Airplanes

At the beginning of WWI these were used mostly for reconnaissance. By the end of WWI plane to plane combat took place. During WWII many battles were fought completely using these machines.

Atomic Bomb

A bomb that derives its destructive power from the rapid release of nuclear energy by fission of heavy atomic nuclei, causing damage through heat, blast, and radioactivity. Dropped by the US over Japan to end WWII.

International Monetary Fund/World Bank

Economic institutions that were created as a result of globalization following WWII. This is an example of how changing economic institutions and regional trade agreements reflected the spread of principles associated with free market economies.

NAFTA - North American Free Trade Agreement

An agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States which created a trilateral trade in North America. This is an example of how changing economic institutions and regional trade agreements reflected the spread of principles associated with free market economies.

United Nations

An international organization founded in 1945 to promote world peace and cooperation. It replaced the League of Nations. It had two main bodies, the General Assembly and Security Council

Bollywood

Indian version of Hollywood (film industry), centered in Mumbai (formerly Bombay). It is an example of arts/entertainment reflecting a globalized society.

World Cup Soccer

A soccer tournament held every four years in which nations compete to determine the world champion. It is an example of arts/entertainment reflecting a globalized society.

Cricket

An outdoor game played with bats, a ball, and wickets by two teams of 11 players each. It is an example of arts/entertainment reflecting a globalized society.

Olympics

The Olympic Games are considered the world's foremost sports competition with more than 200 teams, representing sovereign states and territories, participating. It is an example of arts/entertainment reflecting a globalized society.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a document that was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948. The document consists of 30 articles that outline the fundamental rights that every person is entitled to, regardless of their race, religion, nationality, or any other status

Global Feminism

An example of right-based discourse. It promotes the rights of women around the world.

Islamic Renewal Movements

Large number of movements in Islamic lands that promote a return to strict adherence to the Quran and the sharia in opposition to key elements of Western culture

US Civil Rights Act of 1965

Voting Rights Act - outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting.