AP World History Unit 8 Vocabulary

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms related to the Cold War and significant historical events and figures.

Cold War

The ideological conflict between the US and USSR.

Iron Curtain

A term used to describe the division between Eastern and Western Europe.

Superpowers

Dominant global powers, specifically the US and USSR.

Containment

The US strategy to stop the spread of communism.

Marshall Plan

Aid provided to Europe to help contain communism.

Truman Doctrine

US policy to support countries resisting communism.

NATO

A Western alliance for collective defense.

Berlin Airlift

Supplies flown into West Berlin during a blockade.

Satellite Country

A country that is largely influenced or controlled by a major power.

Military-Industrial Complex

The relationship between military and business interests.

Korean War

Conflict between communist North Korea and US-supported South Korea.

Angolan Civil War

A conflict in Africa influenced by Cold War dynamics.

Domino Theory

The belief that if one country falls to communism, neighboring ones will too.

Non-Aligned Movement

Countries that did not align with either the US or USSR during the Cold War.

Partition of India/Pakistan

The religious division of India that led to the creation of Pakistan in 1947.

Gamel Abdel Nasser

Egyptian leader who sought to promote Arab nationalism.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance of communist nations in Eastern Europe.

Berlin Wall

A barrier separating East and West Berlin.

Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)

A doctrine of military strategy where both sides possess enough nuclear weapons to destroy each other.

Proxy War

An indirect conflict supported by major powers in other countries.

Vietnam War

A conflict between communist North Vietnam and US-backed South Vietnam.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A nuclear standoff between the US and USSR in 1962.

Decolonization

The process of colonies gaining independence.

Bandung Conference (1955)

A conference promoting Afro-Asian cooperation.

Kwame Nkrumah

Leader of Ghana and advocate for African independence.

Ho Chi Minh

Vietnamese communist leader.

Algerian War of Independence

Conflict between France and Algerian rebels.

Great Leap Forward

Mao's failed industrial and agricultural reform in China.

Cultural Revolution

A socio-political movement initiated by Mao in China.

Apartheid

A system of institutionalized racial segregation in South Africa.

Deng Xiaoping

Chinese leader known for economic reforms towards market socialism.

Nelson Mandela

Leader against racial segregation in South Africa.

Glasnost

A policy of greater openness and free expression in the USSR.

Fall of the Soviet Union

The collapse of the USSR in 1991.

Mikhail Gorbachev

Reform leader of the USSR during its final years.

Richard Nixon

US president known for his role in ending the Vietnam War.

Perestroika

Economic restructuring in the USSR under Gorbachev.

Invasion of Afghanistan (1979)

A significant military intervention by the Soviet Union.

Ronald Reagan

US president known for his anti-communism stance.

Nikita Khrushchev

Soviet leader known for his policy of détente during the Cold War.