Cuba, Vietnam, and Detente

The Long March

the 1934-1935 military retreat of the Chinese Red Army and Communist Party (CCP) led by Mao Zedong, covering approximately 6,000 miles (10,000 kilometers) to evade the nationalist forces led by Chiang Kai-Shek

The Cultural Revolution

a sociopolitical movement in the People’s Republic of China launched by Mao Zedong with the goal of preserving Chinese socialism by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society

The 100 Flowers Campaign

a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) program that encouraged China’s intellectuals to submit different ideas, opinions, and suggestions, even criticism of the party and its policies

The Little Red Book

a compilation book of quotations from speeches and writings by Mao Zedong

Sun Yatsen

a Chinese physician, revolutionary, statesman, and political philosopher who founded the Republic of China and its first political party, the Kuomintang

Chiang Kiashek

a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and general who led the Republic of China from 1928 until his death in 1975

Communes

large, rural organizations in China established in 1958, intended to collectivize farming and other aspects of life

The Red Guard

a mass, student-led, paramilitary social movement mobilized by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 until their abolition in 1968, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted

Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance

formalized an alliance between the People’s Republic of China and the USSR aiming to strengthen their political, military, and economic ties, and promote mutual defense

5-Year Plan

a centralized, long-term economic development strategy, setting targets for industrial and agricultural production over a 5 year period

New Marriage Law

a landmark piece of legislation that aimed to reshape Chinese society by promoting gender equality and modernizing marriage practices, including outlawing arranged marriages and granting women the right to divorce

Agrarian Law

Cuba’s agrarian reform, initiated by this piece of legislation, aimed to redistribute land, eradicate large estates, and nationalize foreign-owned property, ultimately leading to a state controlled agricultural sector

Che Guevara

an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist; a major figure of the Cuban Revolution, serving as a military commander and political advisor to Fidel Castro

Moncada Assault (1953)

an armed attack on military barracks by a small group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro, widely accepted as the beginning of the Cuban Revolution

July 26th Movement

a Cuban vanguard revolutionary organization and later a political party led by Fidel Castro

Granma expedition

the transportation of 82 fighters of the Cuban Revolution from Mexico to Cuba in November 1956 to overthrow the regime of Fulgencio Batista

Sierra Maestra Mountains (1956-1959)

a mountain range that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province in southeast Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast; falls mainly within the Santiago de Cuba and in Granma Provinces

Revolutionary Offensive (1968)

a political campaign in Cuba starting in 1968 to nationalize all remaining private small businesses, which at the time totaled to be about 58,000 small enterprises

The “Year of the 10 Million” /”10 Million Ton Harvest”(1970)

a failed attempt to produce 10 million tons of sugar in 1970, with only 8 million tons produced, bringing Cuba’s economic development to a halt; led to a realization of the need for more pragmatic economic policies

Bay of Pigs

a failed 1961 military operation involving Cuban exiles, who were trained and supported by the CIA, landing on the southwestern coast of Cuba to overthrow Fidel Castro, but it ultimately resulted in a Cuban victory and strengthened Castro’s ties to the USSR

Cuban Missile Crisis

a 13 day standoff in October 1962 that brought the US and the USSR to the brink of nuclear war after the Soviets secretly began deploying nuclear missiles to Cuba, prompting the US to impose a naval blockade around the island

Jupiter Missile

a US Air Force intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) deployed in Italy and Turkey during the Cold War, intended to be a theater-based system for striking strategic targets

EXCOM (Executive Committee of the National Security Council)

a body of US government officials that convened to advise President JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962

Operation Mongoose

a covert CIA program, authorized in 1961, aimed at destabilizing and overthrowing the Fidel Castro government in Cuba through sabotage, intelligence gathering, and other covert actions

DeGaulle

Charles de Gaulle, president of France, known for asserting French independence during the Cold War and distancing France from U.S. influence.

Ho Chi Minh

Vietnamese revolutionary leader who founded the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and led the fight against French and U.S. forces.

Bao Dai

The last emperor of Vietnam, who collaborated with the French and was ousted by Ho Chi Minh’s forces.

Dien Bien Phu

A 1954 battle where Vietnamese forces defeated the French, leading to the end of French colonial rule in Indochina.

Geneva Accords

The 1954 agreement that ended the First Indochina War and temporarily divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel.

Ngo Diem

The first president of South Vietnam, whose authoritarian rule and anti-communism made him a U.S. ally but unpopular domestically.

SEATO

The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, formed in 1954 to prevent the spread of communism in Southeast Asia.

Sino-Soviet Split

The deterioration of political and ideological ties between China and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Khrushchev

Leader of the Soviet Union (1953–1964) known for de-Stalinization, involvement in the Cuban Missile Crisis, and domestic reforms

Secret Speech

A 1956 speech by Khrushchev denouncing Stalin’s cult of personality and initiating de-Stalinization.

Gulf of Tonkin

The site of alleged attacks on U.S. ships in 1964, used by President Johnson to justify escalating U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Escalation

The increase in U.S. military involvement in Vietnam during the 1960s, particularly under President Johnson.

Tet Offensive

A major 1968 Viet Cong and North Vietnamese attack on South Vietnamese cities that shifted U.S. public opinion against the war.

Vietnamization

U.S. policy under Nixon to gradually withdraw American troops and transfer combat responsibilities to South Vietnamese forces.

Rolling Thunder

A U.S. bombing campaign (1965–1968) aimed at weakening North Vietnam’s will and supply lines.

Nixon Doctrine

U.S. policy stating that allies would be expected to take care of their own military defense, with U.S. support but not direct involvement.

Pentagon Papers

Classified documents leaked in 1971 revealing that the U.S. government had misled the public about the Vietnam War.

French Indo-China

A French colony in Southeast Asia (modern-day Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) that was the site of resistance and war.

Viet Cong

Communist guerrilla fighters in South Vietnam who supported North Vietnam and fought against U.S. and South Vietnamese forces.

Camp David Accords

1978 peace agreement between Egypt and Israel brokered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

Helsinki Accords

A 1975 agreement among 35 nations promoting human rights, cooperation, and security in Europe, despite Cold War tensions.

Brezhnev Doctrine

A Soviet foreign policy stating that the USSR could intervene in any socialist country threatened by internal or external forces, used to justify actions like the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.

Berlin Ultimatum 1

Khrushchev's demand that Western powers withdraw from West Berlin and make it a "free city," which heightened Cold War tensions but was ultimately dropped.

Berlin Ultimatum 2

Renewed Soviet demand for Western withdrawal from Berlin, contributing to the crisis that led to the construction of the Berlin Wall.

Khmer Rouge

A radical communist regime led by Pol Pot that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, responsible for the genocide of nearly 2 million people through forced labor, starvation, and executions.

Detente

A period of eased tensions and improved relations between the U.S. and USSR during the 1970s.

SALT I

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks agreement (1972) between the U.S. and USSR to limit the number of nuclear weapons and launchers.

SALT II

A second agreement between the U.S. and USSR (1979) to further limit nuclear arms, though never ratified due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Nuclear Accident Agreement

Requires states to notify the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and affected countries about nuclear accidents that could lead to an international transboundary release of radioactive material and establishes a framework for international cooperation to provide assistance in the event of a nuclear accident

Willy Brandt

German politician and statesman who was leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany from 1964 to 1987 and served as the chancellor of West Germany from 1969 to 1974

Ostpolitik

West Germany’s policy in the late 1960s–70s to normalize relations with Eastern Bloc countries, especially East Germany