Crisis of Communism

Crisis of Communism

Paradox of representing workers while repressing them.

Great Leap Forward

Mao's failed attempt to rapidly industrialize China.

Deng Xiaoping

Leader who replaced Mao and introduced reforms.

Cultural Revolution

Mao's campaign to eliminate perceived capitalist elements.

Red Guard

Youth militia mobilized during the Cultural Revolution.

Little Red Book

Mao's collection of quotes used for propaganda.

Tiananmen Square

Site of pro-democracy protests in 1989.

Berlin Wall Collapse

Event marking the decline of Soviet influence.

Soviet Union Leaders

Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Gorbachev.

Economic Challenges

Communist regimes struggled against Western economic superiority.

Mao's Cult of Personality

Mao's image and ideology dominated Chinese society.

Individual Plots

Small-scale farming introduced by Deng Xiaoping.

Struggle Sessions

Public humiliation and punishment during Cultural Revolution.

Beijing Opera Assault

Targeting traditional arts as bourgeois under Mao.

Mass famine, millions of deaths, and economic collapse in China.

Result of Great Leap Forward's failed policies.

Mao's Wife, Jiang Qing

Key figure in promoting Cultural Revolution.

Purging Officials

Removing government officials seen as capitalist.

Political Campaigns

CPC's conflicting aims led to public suffering.

Consumer Goods

West's economic advantage over Communist regimes.

Crisis Emergence

Result of Marx's dictatorship paradox.

Glasnost and perestroka policies

Gorbachev's policies aimed at adding freedoms.

Mao's Revolutionary Struggle

Mao's desire to maintain revolutionary fervor.

Cultural Revolution

Political movement initiated by Mao Zedong in 1966.

Gang of Four

Radical political faction led by Mao's wife.

Deng Xiaoping

Pragmatic leader who proposed economic reforms.

Four Olds

Old customs, culture, habits, and thoughts targeted for destruction.

Nixon Visit 1972

Opened diplomatic relations between the US and China.

Open Door Policy

1978 policy to attract foreign investment in China.

Four Modernizations

Goals to modernize agriculture, industry, science, and military.

Ten Year Plan

1978 initiative aimed at economic modernization.

Zhou Enlai

Premier who supported Mao and Deng Xiaoping.

Lin Biao

Mao's designated successor, died in 1971 crash.

Hua Guofeng

Mao's successor who denounced the Gang of Four.

Beijing Spring

Pro-democracy movement in late 1970s China.

Wei Jingsheng

Activist who called for democracy, imprisoned for 15 years.

Capitalist Roaders

Criticism of those favoring capitalist policies in China.

Economic Gains

Losses from the Great Leap Forward during the Cultural Revolution.

PLA

People's Liberation Army, military force of China.

Death of Mao 1976

Marked the end of radical policies in China.

Death of Zhou 1976

Significant event leading to political shifts in China.

Democracy Wall

Site for pro-democracy protests in late 1970s.

Fifth Modernization

Call for democracy proposed by Wei Jingsheng.

Pollution and Corruption

Negative consequences of rapid industrialization in China.

Deng Xiaoping

Chinese leader focused on trade in 1980s.

Tiananmen Square

Site of 1989 pro-democracy protests in China.

Gorbachev

Soviet leader promoting reforms in the USSR.

Glasnost

Policy of openness in Soviet Union under Gorbachev.

Perestroika

Economic restructuring policy in the USSR.

CCP Contradictions

Conflict between political liberalization and socialist values.

Goddess of Democracy

Symbol of the Tiananmen Square protests.

PLA

People's Liberation Army, China's military force.

June 3-4, 1989

Dates of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

Death Estimates

Various sources reported differing death tolls post-crackdown.

Tianemen Square Massacre

A violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijing, resulting in a tragic loss of life.

Amnesty International

Estimated deaths closer to 1,000 during protests.

Brezhnev Era

Period of Leonid Brezhnev's leadership in the USSR.

Political Stagnation

Lack of political reform and innovation under Brezhnev.

Brezhnev Doctrine

Soviet policy to maintain control over Eastern Europe.

Prague Spring

1968 reform movement in Czechoslovakia suppressed by USSR.

Virgin Lands Program

Khrushchev's initiative to increase agricultural production.

Sino-Soviet Split

Political rift between China and USSR in 1960.

Berlin Wall

Barrier separating East and West Berlin, erected in 1961.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 confrontation between US and USSR over missiles.

Cult of Personality

Promotion of an individual as an extraordinary leader.

Stability Cadres

Guarantees to leaders and workers to maintain order.

Economic Stagnation

Decline in economic growth and productivity in USSR.

Détente

Easing of tensions between USA and USSR.

SALT I

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, initiated in 1969.

ABM Treaty

1972 agreement limiting anti-ballistic missile systems.

Paris Peace Accords

1973 agreement to withdraw from Vietnam.

Helsinki Accords

1975 agreement focusing on human rights.

SALT II

1979 continuation of arms limitation talks.

UN Recognition

USA recognized China by UN in 1971.

Nixon Visit

1972 diplomatic visit to China by Nixon.

Sino-Soviet Split

1960 ideological and political rift between China and USSR.

Border Clashes

1969 military confrontations between China and USSR.

Anatoly Dobrynin

Soviet diplomat involved in US-Soviet negotiations.

Yom Kippur War

A surprise 1973 attack by Egypt and Syria on Israel, leading to a major Middle East conflict.

John Lewis Gaddis

Historian who analyzed the nature of détente.

Richard Pipes

Critic of détente, viewed it as a Soviet strategy.

Watergate Scandal

Political scandal that limited Nixon's diplomatic opportunities.

Daniel Ellsberg

Released Pentagon Papers revealing Vietnam War deceptions.

Kabul University

Site of communist ideology spread in Afghanistan.

PDPA

People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, seized power in 1978.

Mujahidin

Afghan resistance fighters against Soviet invasion.

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

1979 military intervention to support PDPA government.

Khyber Pass

Strategic mountain pass in Afghanistan's history.

Communist Revolution

1978 uprising welcomed by Kabul University students.

Soviet troops

Entered Kabul in 1979, marking war's start.

Mujahidin

Afghan resistance fighters against Soviet forces.

Operation Cyclone

CIA supplied Mujahidin with arms and equipment.

Brezhnev Doctrine

Justified Soviet intervention to maintain communist regimes.

Margaret Thatcher

Elected UK PM in 1979, known as 'Iron Lady'.

Reagan Doctrine

US policy aimed at rollback of communism.

SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative)

Proposed missile defense system announced in 1983.

US Stinger Missile

Shot down first Soviet helicopter in 1986.

KAL 747 incident

Soviet Air Force downed Korean Air flight in 1983.

Gorbachev era

Period of reform and change from 1985 to 1990.

Detente

Eased tensions between US and USSR during Cold War.

Evil Empire

Term used by Reagan to describe the Soviet Union.