Cold War vocab (simplified) 

Mikhail Gorbachev:

He was the last leader of the Soviet Union, from 1985 to 1991. He tried to fix the country by introducing reforms called glasnost and perestroika. These changes were supposed to modernize the Soviet system, but they also helped cause the USSR to fall apart.

Glasnost:

This word means “openness.” Gorbachev created this policy to let people talk honestly about problems in the government. It allowed freedom of speech and less censorship. Newspapers and TV could finally report the truth, even if it criticized the leaders.

Perestroika:

This means “restructuring.” It was a way to fix the economy by letting businesses and local governments have more control, instead of just the Communist Party running everything from Moscow.

Secessionists:

These were people in countries like Ukraine or Latvia who wanted to break away from the Soviet Union and become independent. They helped the USSR fall apart.

Commonwealth of Independent States:

After the USSR broke up in 1991, Russia and 11 other former Soviet republics created a new group to stay loosely connected. They weren’t one country anymore, but they worked together on trade and military cooperation.

Sayyid Qutb:

He was an Egyptian writer who believed in following Islam very strictly. His ideas helped start a movement called Islamic fundamentalism.

Islamic Fundamentalism:

This is the belief that every rule in the Quran should be followed exactly. Most Muslims don’t think this way. A small number of people who do may turn violent and even become terrorists.

Ayatollah Khomeini:

He was a religious leader in Iran. He led a revolution in 1979 that turned Iran into an Islamic theocracy, a country ruled by religious law.

Mullah Omar:

He was the leader of the Taliban in Afghanistan. He believed in ruling by Islamic law and protected Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

Taliban:

This is a group that ruled Afghanistan. They were very strict, following Islamic fundamentalism. They punished people harshly and supported terrorists like al-Qaeda.

Sharia:

This is Islamic religious law based on the Quran. Under the Taliban, it controlled things like clothing, behavior, and even punishments.

Mujahideen:

These were fighters in Afghanistan who used small sneak-attack tactics to fight against the Soviet Union between 1979 and 1992. The U.S. supported them at the time.

Osama bin Laden:

He started al-Qaeda, the terrorist group responsible for the 9/11 attacks. He planned many terrorist actions around the world and was later killed by U.S. forces.

Ramzi Yousef:

He was an al-Qaeda terrorist who planned the first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993.

Jihad:

This word means “struggle.” For most Muslims, it means a personal spiritual struggle. But extremists use it to mean a violent “holy war” against people they see as enemies of Islam.

U.S.S. Cole:

This was a Navy ship attacked by al-Qaeda in 2000 while docked in Yemen. Seventeen American sailors were killed.

Saddam Hussein:

He was the dictator of Iraq. He ruled very harshly, and the U.S. removed him from power in 2003.

Ayman al-Zawahiri:

He became the leader of al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden was killed. He helped plan major terrorist attacks like 9/11.

Afghanistan:

Important terms include Mullah Omar, Taliban, Mujahideen, Sharia, and al-Qaeda.

Yemen:

The U.S.S. Cole was bombed here.

Iraq:

Saddam Hussein was the leader.

Egypt:

Sayyid Qutb came from here and started Islamic fundamentalism.

Iran:

Ayatollah Khomeini led the Islamic Revolution.