Unit 8: Global Conflict, Cold War, and Decolonization (c. 1900–Present)

The Cold War

A state of geopolitical tension between the US (Capitalism/Democracy) and the USSR (Communism/Authoritarianism) without direct military conflict.

Decolonization

The process by which former colonies gained independence from European powers.

First World

The United States and its allies during the Cold War.

Second World

The Soviet Union and the Soviet Bloc countries.

Third World

Non-aligned, newly independent, or developing nations.

Containment Policy

A US strategy to stop the spread of communism without actively engaging in military invasion.

Truman Doctrine

US promise of military aid to countries resisting communism, initiated in 1947.

Marshall Plan

US initiative providing $12 billion to help rebuild Western European economies after WWII.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization; a military alliance of Western nations formed during the Cold War.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance of Eastern Bloc countries led by the Soviet Union.

Bandung Conference

The 1955 conference that established the Non-Aligned Movement, focusing on the rights of newly independent nations.

Berlin Blockade

The 1948 Soviet cutoff of access to West Berlin, countered by the US's Berlin Airlift.

Berlin Wall

A wall built in 1961 to prevent East Germans from fleeing to the West; a symbol of Cold War repression.

Korean War

A conflict from 1950 to 1953 between North Korea (communist) and South Korea (democratic), resulting in a stalemate.

Vietnam War

Conflict lasting from 1955 to 1975, where the US supported South Vietnam against communist North Vietnam.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 1962 confrontation over Soviet missiles in Cuba that brought the US and USSR close to nuclear war.

Proxy Wars

Indirect conflicts where superpowers supported opposing sides, avoiding direct military confrontation.

Zionism

The movement advocating for a Jewish homeland, which led to the establishment of Israel.

Israel

A nation created in 1948, following the UN's partition of Palestine, leading to regional conflict.

Apartheid

A system of institutionalized racial segregation enforced by the white minority government in South Africa.

Nelson Mandela

Leader of the ANC who fought against apartheid and became the first black president of South Africa.

Great Leap Forward

Mao's campaign to rapidly industrialize China that resulted in massive famine and death.

Cultural Revolution

Mao's campaign to eliminate capitalist and traditional elements in Chinese society from 1966 to 1976.

Perestroika

Gorbachev's policy of restructuring the Soviet command economy in the 1980s.

Glasnost

Gorbachev's policy of openness and transparency in government and media.

Soviet Collapse

The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, ending the Cold War.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

A doctrine of military strategy wherein both sides possess nuclear capabilities to deter each other.

Algeria's Independence

Achieved through violent struggle from 1954 to 1962 against French colonial rule.

India's Independence

Led by Gandhi, achieved in 1947 through non-violent civil disobedience against British rule.

Partition of India

The division of British India into India and Pakistan based on religious majorities in 1947.

Khmer Rouge

Communist regime in Cambodia led by Pol Pot that enforced extreme policies resulting in genocide.

Cuban Missile Crisis Resolution

Khrushchev removed missiles from Cuba; the US secretly agreed to remove missiles from Turkey.

US-backed Contras

Counter-revolutionaries supported by the US to overthrow Nicaragua's Sandinista government.

East Germany

The communist portion of Germany that built the Berlin Wall to prevent emigration to the West.

Fidel Castro

Cuban revolutionary leader who overthrew Batista and established a communist regime.

Proxy conflict

Indirect warfare where two opposing powers support rival factions in different countries.

Satyagraha

Gandhi's philosophy of non-violent resistance to tyranny through civil disobedience.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Landmark legislation in the U.S. that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Civil rights leader who advocated for non-violent protest against racial segregation in the U.S.

Asian Tigers

Economically successful regions in Asia known for high growth rates in the late 20th century.

Eastern Bloc

The group of socialist states in Central and Eastern Europe during the Cold War under Soviet influence.

Nehru

The first Prime Minister of India and a key leader in the Indian independence movement.

Ho Chi Minh

Leader of North Vietnam and prominent figure in the Vietnamese struggle for independence.

Counterculture Movement

A social movement in the 1960s challenging established norms, particularly in Western countries.

Berlin Airlift

The US and allied operation to supply West Berlin during the Soviet blockade in 1948.

Reagan's military buildup

US strategy in the 1980s to counter the Soviet Union by increasing military spending.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

The symbolic end of the Cold War and the beginning of German reunification in 1989.

Sun Yat-sen

Chinese revolutionary leader known as the Father of Modern China and founder of the Republic of China.