ap world vocab

A. Panama Canal: A man-made waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean through the Isthmus of Panama. It greatly shortened the distance and time required for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

B. Kurds: An ethnic group primarily inhabiting a mountainous region spanning Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Armenia, with aspirations for self-determination and the establishment of an independent Kurdish state.

C. Cuban Missile Crisis: A 13-day confrontation in 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union over Soviet ballistic missiles deployed in Cuba, which brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.

D. Joseph Stalin: The leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953, known for his totalitarian rule, industrialization policies, and significant role in World War II.

E. Bay of Pigs: A failed invasion of Cuba by a CIA-backed paramilitary group of Cuban exiles in 1961, aiming to overthrow Fidel Castro's communist regime.

F. League of Nations: An international organization established after World War I to promote peace and cooperation among nations, but ultimately failed to prevent the outbreak of World War II.

G. Zealot: A person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals.

H. Malign: To speak about someone or something in a critical or harmful manner.

I. Socialism: A socio-economic system characterized by social ownership and democratic control of the means of production, distribution, and exchange, aiming for a more equitable distribution of wealth and resources.

J. Capitalism: An economic system based on private ownership of the means of production and the pursuit of profit, with minimal government interference in market activities.

K. Great Depression: A severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s, leading to widespread unemployment, poverty, and economic hardship.

L. Mexican Revolution: A major armed struggle that took place in Mexico from 1910 to 1920, resulting in the overthrow of the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz and the establishment of a constitutional republic.

M. Total War: Warfare that mobilizes all available resources and aims at the complete destruction of the enemy's ability to wage war, often involving civilian populations and infrastructure.

N. Pearl Harbor: A surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, leading to the United States' entry into World War II.

O. Detract: To diminish the worth or value of something.

P. Xenophobia: The fear or hatred of foreigners or people from different cultures.

Q. Globalization: The process of increasing interconnectedness and interdependence among countries, economies, and cultures through trade, technology, and communication.

R. Cold War: A period of geopolitical tension between the United States and its NATO allies and the Soviet Union and its allies, lasting from the end of World War II in 1945 until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

S. McDonaldization: The process by which the principles of the fast-food industry, such as efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control, are applied to various aspects of society and culture.

T. Global Warming: The long-term increase in Earth's average surface temperature due to human activities, primarily the emission of greenhouse gases.

U. Iranian Revolution: A series of events in Iran in 1978–1979 that led to the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Khomeini.

V. Great Leap Forward: A campaign initiated by Mao Zedong in China in 1958 to rapidly transform the country from an agrarian society into an industrialized socialist society, resulting in economic disaster and famine.

W. Pervade: To spread throughout and be present in every part of something.

X. Alleviate: To make suffering, pain, or a problem less severe or more bearable.

Y. Warsaw Pact: A military alliance formed in 1955 among the Soviet Union and several Eastern European countries in response to the formation of NATO by Western powers.

Z. Usurp: To seize power or control unlawfully or by force.

AAA. World Health Organization (WHO): A specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health, coordinating responses to health emergencies, setting norms and standards, and providing technical assistance and support to countries.

BBB. V-E Day: Victory in Europe Day, celebrated on May 8, 1945, marking the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allied forces, ending World War II in Europe.

CCC. Cultural Revolution: A sociopolitical movement launched by Mao Zedong in China in 1966 to purge the country of bourgeois and capitalist elements and to reassert Maoist ideology.

DDD. Berlin Wall: A barrier that divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating East Berlin (controlled by the Soviet Union) from West Berlin (controlled by the United States, United Kingdom, and France) during the Cold War.

EEE. 38th Parallel: The line of latitude that roughly demarcates North Korea and South Korea.

FFF. Holocaust: The systematic, state-sponsored persecution and genocide of six million Jews, along with millions of other targeted groups, by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II.

GGG. Iran Contra Affair: A political scandal in the United States during the Reagan administration in the 1980s, involving the illegal sale of arms to Iran to fund Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

HHH. V-J Day: Victory over Japan Day, celebrated on August 15, 1945, marking the surrender of Japan to the Allied forces, effectively ending World War II.

III. Central Powers: A coalition of nations led by Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire that fought against the Allies in World War I.

JJJ. Marshall Plan: An American initiative launched in 1948 to aid Western Europe in rebuilding its economies after World War II, aiming to prevent the spread of communism and foster economic stability and growth.

KKK. Nelson Mandela: A South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, following the end of apartheid.

LLL. Iranian Revolution: (See U)

MMM. Civil Disobedience: The deliberate refusal to comply with certain laws or governmental demands as a peaceful form of protest, often with the aim of achieving social or political change.

NNN. Che Guevara: An Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, and major figure of the Cuban Revolution.

OOO. Iran Hostage Crisis: A diplomatic standoff between Iran and the United States that began in 1979 when Iranian revolutionaries seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.

PPP. Viet Cong: A communist-led guerrilla force and political organization in South Vietnam that fought against the South Vietnamese government and the United States during the Vietnam War.

QQQ. Suffragist: A person advocating for the extension of the right to vote, especially to women.

RRR. Enfranchise: To grant the right to vote to a person or group.

SSS. Iron Curtain: A term used to describe the ideological and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas after World War II, representing the divide between Western Europe (aligned with the United States and NATO) and Eastern Europe (aligned with the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact).

TTT. Antebellum: Referring to the period before a war, particularly the American Civil War.

UUU. AIDS: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which damages the immune system and makes individuals more susceptible to opportunistic infections and certain cancers.

VVV. European Union: A political and economic union of 27 member states located primarily in Europe, formed to promote economic integration, cooperation, and stability among its members.

WWW. Pol Pot: The leader of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, responsible for one of the most brutal genocides in history, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 1.5 to 2 million people.

XXX. African Union: An organization consisting of 55 member states in Africa, established to promote political and economic integration and cooperation among African nations.

YYY. Persian Gulf War: A conflict in 1990–1991 between Iraq and a coalition of countries led by the United States, following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.

ZZZ. Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD): A military doctrine and strategic concept during the Cold War era, whereby both the United States and the Soviet Union possessed enough nuclear weapons to inflict unacceptable damage on each other, thereby deterring any nuclear attack.

AAAA. G7: Group of Seven, an intergovernmental organization consisting of the world's seven largest advanced economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

BBBB. Third Reich: The Nazi regime in Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, from 1933 to 1945.

CCCC. Subjugate: To bring under domination or control, often by force.

DDDD. Battle of Britain: The military campaign of the Second World War in which the Royal Air Force defended the United Kingdom against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force, the Luftwaffe.

EEEE. Star Wars: A proposed space-based missile defense system developed by the United States during the Cold War, officially known as the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI).

FFFF. Fundamentalism: A strict adherence to the basic principles of any subject or discipline, often used to describe religious movements that emphasize a literal interpretation of sacred texts and a rejection of modern secularism and liberal values.

GGGG. USSR: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, a former federal socialist state in Eurasia, established in 1922 and dissolved in 1991.

HHHH. Anonymity: The state of being anonymous, or of having an unknown or unacknowledged identity.

76 terms