FINAL IDS Flashcards
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was an American foreign policy strategy made after WWII that expressed a broad commitment to contain communism around the world, no matter the source. It was given to Congress as a response to British inability to combat Turkey and Greece’s domestic communism and led to the misperception that the US was being aggressive to the USSR directly- since Stalin had already abandoned communists in Britain’s sphere of influence(Greece). This led to escalating tensions between the US and USSR, and set the stage for many more misunderstandings throughout the Cold War.
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was the US announcement of an economic relief package to Europe that helped to accelerate European rehabilitation, improve humanitarian conditions, and open markets to US surplus goods. This not only split the European continent into two distinct economic spheres(which bolstered Us economic imperialism in Europe), but also allowed a guise under which the spread of communism could be stopped. Again, eventually caused higher conflict with USSR.
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw pact was a military alliance between the Soviets and Eastern Europe against NATO (which contained the rest of Europe against the USSR) Came to be seen as a potential militaristic threat, a sign of Communist dominance, and definite opponent to American capitalism
Cominform
The cominform was the coordination of soviet communist activity with communists in other European nations to stiffen the back of communists as a defensive measure against the US. The creation of this group led the US to believe that their suspicions of USSR aggression and expansionism policies were well-grounded, since the USSR was now holding other Communist parties to Soviet standards. Overall, the creation of the cominform deepened the Cold War.
Great Leap Forward
Mao’s plan to transform China into a society capable of competing with other industrialized nations(namely the US and GB) in five years, led to a disaster where peasants stopped working and agricultural and industrial production decreased to the point of causing a famine. Led Mao(part of the Reds) to be pushed aside as the Experts took power and reversed all Mao’s previous policies by consolidating infrastructure.
People’s Communes
A fusion of earlier collective farms formed to raise economic production by 100% in one year(to double the size of the Chinese economy) based on Mao’s Great Leap Forward. Led to famine when there is no longer an incentive for peasants to work and work brigades drain agricultural labor force(take men away from agriculture to build dams and irrigation canals instead). Failure of this plan led the Reds to fall to the Experts during the period of Moderation.
Chinese Cultural Revolution
The resurgence of Mao’s/the Red’s ideologies for revolution after the Great Transformation. Mao’s aphorisms were put into the Little Red Book(the inspiration behind the revolution- propagandized as building new, but in reality focused on destroying the old) and followed by a military force called the Red Guards. This led to a great purge of writers and economic/bureaucratic chaos. Overall, Mao’s success as a guerilla military leader gave him prestige, because he adapted Marxist-Leninism and inspired revolutionaries around the world(especially in agrarian societies); this ensured that two variants of revolutionary socialism would shape the Cold War world- showing the ideological splits within communism.
GATT
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade made in order to promote international trade by lifting trade barriers like tariffs or quotas. Signed in 1947 in order to further regulate trade to aide in the world’s economic recovery. It was significant because it helped bring the world to a more stable economy.
IMF
The International Monetary Fund is an international organization working to ensure financial stability and international trade by fostering monetary cooperation. It was significant because it helped ensure all money was secured through the merits of the others.
Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee was the person put into power by the US after getting rid of the Japanese imperialists and became the 1st President of South Korea. He was highly anti-Communist and became a dictator that ordered killings of communist supporters in South Korea. He fought against North Korea in the Korean war but the US wouldn’t give him any offensive weapons because if he had the opportunity he would have invaded North Korea. He was important because he was the South Korean leader during the Korean War and pressured the US to help in the fight against North Korea by citing Communism and striking that nerve of the US.
Kim Il Sung
In the Soviet zone north of the 38th parallel, the Soviets created a civilian government. Kim Il Sung was a dedicated Stalinist. He had acquired military skills and fought against the Japan with the Chinese communists. He aimed to consolidate his power and unite Korea under his revolutionary vision. He admired Mao’s revolutionary exploits in China and wanted to do the same to unite Korea under his rule.
Significance: This need to unite Korea under Sung’s communist rule pushed him to strive towards a civil war, which the Korean telegrams and the essay we wrote reflects. Stalin was against this, for various reasons such as not wanting to be involved in another war, etc.
National Congress
The National Congress refers to the Indian National Congress that was the first Indian political party that led the Indian independence movement. It was also the political party of Nehru and followed Gandhian social policy which wanted to lift up all sections of society. It was important in its role of gaining independence from the British Raj.
Muslim League
The All-India Muslim League was a political party that advocated for a Muslim majority state and successfully partitioned India and made Pakistan. It was the political party of Jinnah. They were important because they wanted an independent nation for the Muslims and were unable to come to a negotiation with the National Congress and thus the partition was formed. This in turn caused mass violence against Hindus and Hindus against Muslims.
Communalism
The ensuing chaos and violence that followed Great Britain’s declaration that they would decolonize India, then again after they actually left India; the social antagonism that divided religious communities. Led to a power struggle between not only Hindus and Muslims but also between Hindus and Sikhs, with the aim of protecting their respective groups from being politically shut out. Lead to the desire for a separate state of Palestine and cooperation between the two leaders, Jinnah and Nehru, to advocate for minority rights. Although people like Gandhi pressed for tolerance and restraint, communalism escalated tensions between the states and transformed into full blown war over Kashmir.
The Third World
India was the first force to attempt a third world status- which meant international nonalignment, an economic course separate from either superpower(US-first world or USSR-second world); indicated a new competition ground. India had a mixed economy that contributed to this separation, where both socialist and capitalist system characteristics were present(for example, capitalist ideas of private property and socialist ideas of state oversight of public health and education).
Jawaharlal Nehru
Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India after being the leader of the Indian independence movement. He was important because though Gandhi was the moral leader of the independence movement, Nehru was the political leader for the independence movement by the Hindus. Nehru was opposed by Jinnah and negotiations between them for sharing power failed and thus gave way to a bloody partition of India.
French Community
Under Charles de Gaulle of France, some of the former French territories were interested in maintaining ties with their former colonizers. The offer of joining this French community of independent states that were previously controlled by France was national liberation along with an offer or financial aid, military advisors, etc. Former French colonies had the choice between taking the offer or declining. Opponents to establishing this community called it a form of neocolonialism, in which former colonizers would still be able to exploit their former empires. However, because the offer was appealing, nearly all of the French colonies accepted.
Significance: France ended up maintaining the strongest remaining presence in Africa.
Hutu
Ethnic group split by the borders of Burundi, Rwanda, and Democratic Republic of the Congo. They were significant because the random drawing of borders split them up and caused ethnic tensions that resulted in genocide and were used as an example of white superiority but really it was the colonizers fault. The Hutus exemplify the problems with Decolonization.
Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh was a proponent of Vietnam’s liberation, which he covered in his Vietnamese Declaration of Independence. Minh refers not only to the US Declaration of Independence, but also the French Declaration of Independence to push for equality all around and criticize France(who was imperializing Vietnam) for taking their freedoms to oppress other people. He brings up French tactics to keep Vietnamese people in poverty, such as high taxes and surrendering of land to Japan.
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was the largest military campaign of the Vietnam War by the Viet Cong/North Vietnamese/Communists against South Vietnam and the US. It started on the Tet holiday aka the Vietnamese New Year. It was important because the news coverage of the attack shocked the American public and got rid of the support for the war effort. Before the Tet offensive the Johnson administration had been claiming they were close to the end of the war but this offensive showed them that there was still a long struggle to come and an anti-war sentiment picked up on the home front. This also meant Johnson decided to stop the escalation of the Vietnam War any more after this.
New Left
A radical political movement comprised of philosophers and social theorists that attempted to adopt Marxism into modern society without being aligned to Stalin-Leninism(in France- existentialism/Marxism). Sprung up as a new form of social protest in the US and Europe after the Vietnam war’s heightening of social unrest.
Monroe Doctrine
The policy announced in the midst of independence movements stating that the US would oppose any European expansion into the Americas. This policy demonstrated the conceptions that the US was responsible for Latin welfare and that the US was committed to remaining the only major power in the Western hemisphere.
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the US and the USSR because the US had started development of missile silos in Italy and Turkey so the USSR started making some in Cuba. It was significant because it was the closest the Cold War ever came to becoming hot and escalating into a full scale nuclear war. Cuba is very close to continental US and even to Washington D.C. and preventing the development of nuclear missile silos that close was a scary task. It scared the population as well and had a big impact on day to day society.
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the US and the USSR because the US had started development of missile silos in Italy and Turkey so the USSR started making some in Cuba. It was significant because it was the closest the Cold War ever came to becoming hot and escalating into a full scale nuclear war. Cuba is very close to continental US and even to Washington D.C. and preventing the development of nuclear missile silos that close was a scary task. It scared the population as well and had a big impact on day to day society.
