Gt Humanities AL Vocab

Marshall Plan

A U.S. program providing financial aid to Western European countries after WWII to rebuild economies and prevent the spread of communism.

Great Leap Forward

A Chinese economic and social campaign led by Mao Zedong (1958–1962) aimed at rapid industrialization and collectivization but resulted in widespread famine.

Cultural Revolution

A movement (1966–1976) launched by Mao Zedong to reinforce communist ideology, purge capitalist elements, and maintain his power, leading to social and economic chaos.

Cold War

A geopolitical conflict (1947–1991) between the U.S. and Soviet Union marked by ideological rivalry, arms races, and proxy wars, without direct military confrontation.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

A military alliance formed in 1949 between the U.S., Canada, and Western European nations to counter Soviet expansion.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance established in 1955 between the Soviet Union and its satellite states in Eastern Europe in response to NATO.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 1962 confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, bringing the world close to nuclear war.

Decolonization

The process by which former colonies gained independence from European powers, particularly after WWII.

Indian National Congress

A political party in India that led the independence movement against British rule and played a major role in post-independence governance.

Mohandas Gandhi

An Indian nationalist leader who advocated for nonviolent resistance against British rule, leading to India's independence in 1947.

Muslim League

A political group in British India that advocated for the creation of Pakistan as a separate Muslim state, leading to the partition of India in 1947.

Mao Zedong

The communist leader of China (1949–1976) who founded the People's Republic of China and initiated policies such as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.

Deng Xiaoping

Chinese leader after Mao Zedong who introduced economic reforms and opened China to global markets, shifting from strict communism to a mixed economy.

Mikhail Gorbachev

The last leader of the Soviet Union (1985–1991) who implemented reforms like glasnost (openness) and perestroika (economic restructuring), leading to the USSR's collapse.

Syrian Civil War

An ongoing conflict (since 2011) between the Syrian government and various rebel groups, with foreign interventions and a humanitarian crisis.

Iranian Revolution

A 1979 revolution that overthrew the pro-Western Shah of Iran and established an Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Khomeini.

Truman Doctrine

A U.S. policy (1947) aimed at containing communism by providing economic and military aid to countries resisting Soviet influence, such as Greece and Turkey.

Iron Curtain

A term coined by Winston Churchill to describe the ideological and physical division between communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe during the Cold War.

Prague Spring

A 1968 movement in Czechoslovakia that sought to introduce political and economic reforms but was crushed by Soviet military intervention.

Proxy War

A conflict in which major powers support opposing sides without directly fighting, such as the Korean War and Vietnam War during the Cold War.

Jomo Kenyatta

A leader of Kenya’s independence movement and the first president of Kenya (1963–1978), who played a key role in ending British colonial rule.