Decolonization and Independence Movements

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

1948 UN document proclaiming inalienable rights

Atlantic Charter

1941 statement outlining postwar goals of Allied powers

Comintern

International organization promoting worldwide communist revolution

Containment

US Cold War strategy to prevent communism spread

Iron Curtain

Churchill's term for division between Eastern Europe and West

Truman Doctrine

1947 US policy supporting countries threatened by communism

National Fronts

Political coalitions for common goals or against a common enemy

COMINFORM

Soviet organization coordinating European communist parties

Berlin Airlift

Massive Western Allies operation to supply West Berlin

NATO

Military alliance for collective defense against aggression

COMECON

Soviet economic organization in Eastern Europe

People's Republic of China

Communist government established in China in 1949

NSC 68

1950 US document outlining Cold War containment strategy

Korean War

1950-1953 conflict between North and South Korea

De-Stalinization

Reform process initiated by Khrushchev in the mid-1950s

Peaceful Coexistence

Khrushchev's policy promoting cooperation between blocs

Sputnik

1957 Soviet artificial satellite launch marking the space age

Warsaw Pact

1955 military alliance by Soviet Union and Eastern Europe

Hungary 1956

Uprising against Soviet-backed government in Hungary

Berlin Wall

Barrier to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 US-USSR confrontation over Soviet missiles in Cuba

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

1963 agreement banning nuclear weapon testing

Viet Minh

Vietnamese communist organization founded by Ho Chi Minh

Dien Bien Phu

1954 battle leading to French withdrawal from Vietnam

Bandung Conference

1955 meeting promoting cooperation and opposing colonialism

Pan-Arabism

Advocacy for Arab unity and a single Arab state

Suez Canal Crisis

1956 crisis over Egypt nationalizing the Suez Canal

FLN

National Liberation Front of Algeria, socialist organization for independence

Battle of Algiers

Crucial urban guerrilla campaign in Algeria's capital during independence struggle

French Union

1946 political entity granting autonomy to French territories

Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (RDA)

Political party advocating African unity and independence in French West Africa

Mau Mau Uprising

Rebellion against British rule in Kenya by the Mau Mau

L'Exode (Algeria, 1962)

Mass departure of French settlers from Algeria post-independence

Pan-Africanism

Movement for African unity, independence, and progress globally

Service d'Action Civique

French paramilitary group combating nationalists in Algeria

Françafrique

France's political and economic influence over African ex-colonies

Arusha Declaration

Tanzanian socialist policy emphasizing equality and rural development

Biafran War

Conflict between Biafra and Nigeria leading to a humanitarian crisis

Keynesian Economics

Theory advocating government intervention in managing demand for stability

Bretton Woods

1944 conference establishing IMF, World Bank, and fixed exchange rates

European Recovery Program (Marshall Plan)

US initiative aiding post-WWII European economic recovery

Welfare Capitalism

Economic system combining capitalism with social welfare policies

European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)

Organization integrating coal and steel industries in Europe

Treaties of Rome

1957 treaties promoting economic cooperation in Europe

Le Grand "Non"

France's rejection of the European Constitution in 2005

Trentes Glorieuses

Three decades of post-WWII economic growth in Western Europe

Guided Capitalism

Economic system with government guidance for specific goals

Zaibatsu/Keiretsu

Japanese business conglomerates with cross-shareholding

Ministry for International Trade and Industry (MITI)

Japanese agency promoting industrial development post-war

The G7/G20

Groups of leading countries coordinating economic policies

Koumintang (KMT)

Major Chinese political party before Communist rise

Sino-Soviet Treaty, 1950

Alliance treaty between Soviet Union and China

Great Leap Forward

Mao's campaign for rapid industrialization in China

Sino-Soviet Split

Ideological rift between Soviet Union and China

One/Two China Policy

Diplomatic stance on recognizing Taiwan

Cultural Revolution

Mao's movement purging bourgeois elements in China

Little Red Book

Collection of Mao's quotes symbolizing Maoist ideology

Nixon Doctrine

US policy emphasizing allies' defense responsibility

Ping-Pong Diplomacy

Diplomatic engagement through table tennis matches

Democracy Wall

Beijing space for pro-democracy expression in the late 20th century

Monroe Doctrine

US policy against European colonization in the Western Hemisphere

Good Neighbor Policy

FDR's policy improving US-Latin American relations

Guatemala Coup

US-backed overthrow of President Árbenz in Guatemala in 1954 due to perceived communist ties

26th of July Movement

Revolutionary group in Cuba led by Fidel Castro, overthrowing Batista in 1959

Bay of Pigs

Failed 1961 CIA-backed invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles against Castro

Dominican Republic Intervention

US military action in 1965 to prevent leftist government in the Dominican Republic

Liberation Theology

Christian movement in Latin America advocating against social injustice and poverty

FARC and Shining Path

Revolutionary guerrilla groups in Colombia and Peru aiming for communist regimes

Operation Condor

Covert intelligence operation by South American dictatorships in the 1970s and 1980s

Second Wave Feminism

1960s-1970s feminist activism focusing on gender equality and reproductive rights

N.O.W.

Feminist organization advocating for women's rights and gender equality

Gulag Archipelago

Network of Soviet forced labor camps exposed by Solzhenitsyn

SNCC

Civil rights organization organizing protests and voter drives in the American South

Black Nationalism

Movement advocating for black empowerment and independence

Black Panthers

Socialist organization for black self-defense and community empowerment

Students for a Democratic Society

Student activist group advocating for social justice and opposing Vietnam War

COINTELPRO

FBI program surveilling and disrupting political organizations

March 22 Movement

Student-led protests in France in 1968 against capitalism and authoritarianism

Mexico City '68

Controversial 1968 Summer Olympics marked by political unrest and student protests

Prague Spring

1968 Czechoslovakia liberalization movement suppressed by Soviet invasion

Brezhnev Doctrine

Soviet policy allowing military intervention in threatened socialist countries

Baader-Meinhof Gang

Radical leftist group in West Germany pursuing anti-capitalist agenda

Khmer Rouge

Cambodian communist movement known for radical policies and genocide

Ostpolitik

West German policy improving relations with East Germany and Eastern Europe

Nixon Shock

Economic measures by Nixon in 1971 responding to economic challenges

OPEC and Oil Crisis

OPEC cartel and 1970s oil crisis leading to economic turmoil

SALT I and SALT II

US-Soviet talks limiting nuclear weapons proliferation

Helsinki Accords

Agreements promoting human rights and cooperation in Europe

Samizdat

Clandestine distribution of dissident literature in communist countries

Charter 77

1977 Czechoslovak human rights manifesto challenging government

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan sparking a decade-long conflict

Soviet-Afghan War

Decade-long conflict sparked by Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

Solidarity

Polish movement advocating for workers' rights and democracy

Glasnost

Soviet policy allowing freedom of speech and expression

Perestroika

Soviet policy to modernize and decentralize the economy

Chernobyl Disaster

Catastrophic nuclear accident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

Picnic at Sopron

Symbolic event near Hungarian-Austrian border aiding East German exodus

Velvet Revolution

Non-violent overthrow of communist rule in Czechoslovakia

German Reunification

Process of merging East and West Germany into one nation

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

Regional organization of former Soviet republics post-dissolution