Chapter 13 Flashcards
Marshall Plan
A U.S. program to rebuild Western Europe after WWII by providing over $12 billion in aid. It aimed to prevent the spread of communism by stabilizing economies and promoting democracy.
European Economic Community (EEC)
An economic alliance formed in 1957 to promote free trade and economic integration among Western European countries. It later evolved into the European Union.
Mao Zedong
Leader of the Chinese Communist Revolution and founding father of the People’s Republic of China (1949). He led major campaigns like the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.
Great Leap Forward
A radical campaign launched by Mao (1958–1962) to rapidly industrialize China and collectivize agriculture through communes. It failed disastrously, causing famineand 20–30 million deaths.
Cultural Revolution
A campaign (1966–1976) launched by Mao to purge capitalist and traditional elements. Red Guards (mainly youth) attacked teachers, officials, and intellectuals, leading to chaos and repression.
How did communism differ in the Soviet Union and China?
Soviet Union (Russia):
- Focused on urban industrial workers as the revolutionary base
- centralized economic planning and state ownership of all industry and agriculture
- Relied on a large, bureaucratic government
- Suppressed dissent (enemies of the state) but did not mobilize society in the same radical way as China
- Maintained strict control over the economy until the late 1980s
China:
- Based its revolution on rural peasants
- Launched radical mass campaigns like the Great Leap Forward(with communes) and Cultural Revolution (involving Red Guards and teachers)
- Used constant mobilization of society to enforce ideological purity and revolutionary zeal
- Experienced massive upheaval and violence, especially during the Cultural Revolution
- Began major economic reforms under Deng Xiaoping in the late 1970s, moving toward market socialism while retaining political control
How did China and the USSR eliminate enemies during their revolutions?
Both regimes used purges, labor camps, and executions. In China, landlords and class enemies were publicly humiliated and killed, especially during land reforms and the Cultural Revolution. In the USSR, Stalin used secret police, gulags, and show trials to eliminate dissenters and rivals.
What was the global significance of the Cold War?
It shaped global politics for decades, dividing the world into capitalist and communist blocs. It led to military alliances, proxy wars, and nuclear arms races, and influenced domestic policies and economies worldwide.
What were NATO and the Warsaw Pact?
NATO was a 1949 military alliance of Western nations to counter Soviet expansion.
The Warsaw Pact (1955) was the Eastern Bloc’s response, led by the USSR.
Both alliances intensified Cold War divisions.
What happened during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
In 1962, the USSR placed nuclear missiles in Cuba. The U.S. blockaded the island, demanding removal. After tense negotiations, the USSR withdrew the missiles. The crisis ended peacefully, but marked the closest point to nuclear war.
What were the proxy wars of the Cold War?
These included the Korean War, Vietnam War, and Soviet-Afghan War. In Korea, the war ended in stalemate with country still divided. In Vietnam, communists won. In Afghanistan, U.S.-backed forces resisted Soviet occupation, leading to Soviet withdrawal and eventual Taliban rise.
How did nuclear weapons impact the Cold War?
They led to a tense balance known as Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), preventing direct conflict between superpowers. Both sides amassed arsenals and avoided war through deterrence.
What was decolonization?
The process by which colonies in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean gained independence after WWII, as European powers weakened and local nationalist movements gained strength.
How did India gain independence?
India’s Path to Independence:
- Led by the Indian National Congress and Mohandas Gandhi, who promoted nonviolent resistance (satyagraha) against British colonial rule
- Utilized tactics like civil disobedience, boycotts, and peaceful protests to challenge British authority
- Gained independence from Britain in 1947
- Independence came with the partition of British India into India and Pakistan, due to demands from the Muslim League for a separate Muslim state
- Partition triggered mass migrations of Hindus and Muslims across new borders
- Resulted in widespread communal violence and the displacement of millions
How did India and China differ after WWII?
India became a secular democracy (separated religion and state) with mixed economy (key industries controlled by state (railways & energy) while allowing private enterprises) and non-alignment (aka NAM).
China became a communist one-party state with radical reforms and authoritarian rule.
India pursued gradual change, China used revolution.
What did Deng Xiaoping do in China after Mao?
Deng ended Maoist campaigns and opened China’s economy. He allowed private business, foreign investment, and Special Economic Zones while maintaining one-party rule. His reforms spurred rapid economic growth.
What caused the fall of the Soviet Union, and what were the effects?
Gorbachev’s reforms — glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) — aimed to fix the economy and increase transparency but weakened the system. Nationalist movements, economic decline, and failed reforms led to the USSR’s collapse in 1991. 15 new countries emerged. In Russia, capitalism brought oligarchs and instability, later replaced by Putin’s authoritarian regime.
What is the globalization of democracy?
After the Cold War, many countries in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and parts of Africa transitioned to democracy, influenced by global norms and reduced superpower interference.
What is the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?
A long-standing dispute over land, statehood, and refugees after the creation of Israel in 1948. Violence and peace efforts have continued for decades.
What was the Iranian Revolution?
In 1979, Islamic clerics overthrew the U.S.-backed Shah. Iran became an Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Khomeini, opposing Western influence.
What happened in the Syrian Civil War?
Beginning in 2011 during the Arab Spring, the conflict turned into a multi-sided civil war with Assad’s regime, rebels, ISIS, and global powers involved. It caused massive destruction and millions of refugees.
Why was the Cold War globally significant?
It influenced nearly every region through military alliances, economic aid, ideological battles, and proxy wars. It delayed or shaped development and politics across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
How did post-colonial Asia and Africa compare?
Asia generally had stronger institutions, larger populations, and industrial bases. Africa had more ethnic divisions, artificial borders, and a weaker economy, making unity and development harder. Cold War rivalries also destabilized parts of Africa more severely.
What problems did new nations face after independence?
Challenges included ethnic conflict, poverty, weak governments, and Cold War involvement. Some fell into dictatorship or civil war, while others struggled with nation-building and development.
What was the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), and what role did it play during the Cold War?
The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was a group of states that chose not to formally align with either the U.S.-led Western bloc or the Soviet-led Eastern bloc during the Cold War
It was founded in the 1950s–1960s by leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru (India), Tito (Yugoslavia), and Nasser (Egypt)
NAM promoted peaceful coexistence, anti-colonialism, economic development, and independent foreign policy
Allowed countries to receive aid or cooperate with both sides without joining military alliances like NATO or the Warsaw Pact
