Vocab Quiz 4/14 Flashcards
- Banana Republics
A. Definition: Small nations in Latin America controlled by foreign businesses and corrupt leaders.
B. Significance: These countries show how U.S. businesses influenced foreign governments to protect profits. This helps us understand U.S. economic and political intervention in Latin America.
C. Example: Guatemala became a banana republic when the United Fruit Company dominated its economy.
- CIA
A. Definition: The Central Intelligence Agency gathers foreign intelligence and conducts secret missions.
B. Significance: The CIA played a major role in U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War. It helped overthrow leaders seen as threats to U.S. interests, shaping global politics.
C. Example: The CIA helped remove Iran’s Prime Minister Mossadegh in 1953.
- Mutually Assured Destruction
A. Definition: A Cold War idea where both the U.S. and USSR could destroy each other with nukes.
B. Significance: This kept both sides from starting nuclear war, creating a tense but stable peace. It highlights how fear controlled Cold War decisions.
C. Example: The Cuban Missile Crisis showed the danger of Mutually Assured Destruction.
- Plausible Deniability
A. Definition: When U.S. leaders could deny involvement in secret or illegal CIA actions.
B. Significance: It allowed presidents to avoid blame for covert operations. This policy shows how the U.S. used secrecy during the Cold War.
C. Example: The U.S. denied involvement in the 1954 coup in Guatemala, despite CIA support.
- New Look Policy
A. Definition: Eisenhower’s defense strategy focusing on nuclear weapons over large ground forces.
B. Significance: It reduced military costs but increased nuclear risks. The policy shaped how the U.S. prepared for global threats.
C. Example: The U.S. expanded its nuclear arsenal under the New Look to deter Soviet attacks.
- Domino Theory
A. Definition: The belief that if one country fell to communism, nearby countries would follow.
B. Significance: This theory was used to justify U.S. involvement in Asia, especially Vietnam. It shaped Cold War foreign policy by increasing American intervention.
C. Example: The U.S. feared if Vietnam fell, Laos and Cambodia would also become communist.
- Import Substitution Industrialization
A. Definition: A policy where countries make their own goods instead of relying on imports.
B. Significance: Many Latin American nations used this to reduce foreign influence and build strong economies. It reflects attempts to gain independence from global powers like the U.S.
C. Example: Brazil followed import substitution to grow its auto and steel industries in the 1950s.
- United Fruit Company
A. Definition: A U.S. company that controlled banana trade and land in Latin America.
B. Significance: It symbolized U.S. economic power and caused political tensions in the region. Its influence led to U.S. involvement in several Latin American coups.
C. Example: United Fruit backed the 1954 U.S.-led coup in Guatemala to protect its land.
- Fulgencio Batista
A. Definition: A Cuban dictator supported by the U.S. before Fidel Castro’s revolution.
B. Significance: Batista’s corrupt rule increased Cuban anger and led to the 1959 revolution. His fall shifted U.S.-Cuba relations and helped start Cold War tensions in the region.
C. Example: Batista fled Cuba in 1959 after Castro’s forces took control of Havana.
- Ho Chi Minh
A. Definition: Leader of North Vietnam and a symbol of communist resistance against the U.S.
B. Significance: He led the fight for Vietnamese independence and reunification under communism. Understanding Ho’s role is key to understanding the Vietnam War.
C. Example: Ho Chi Minh led the Viet Minh in defeating the French at Dien Bien Phu in 1954.
- Geneva Accords
A. Definition: A 1954 peace agreement that split Vietnam at the 17th parallel into North and South.
B. Significance: It temporarily ended French colonial rule and set the stage for U.S. involvement. The failure to hold promised elections led to conflict between North and South Vietnam.
C. Example: The Geneva Accords led to Ho Chi Minh controlling the North and Ngo Dinh Diem the South.
- Viet Cong
A. Definition: Communist guerrilla fighters in South Vietnam who supported North Vietnam.
B. Significance: They used surprise attacks and knew the land well, frustrating U.S. forces. Their success shows the challenges of fighting guerrilla wars.
C. Example: The Viet Cong played a key role in the 1968 Tet Offensive.
- Ngo Dinh Diem
A. Definition: U.S.-backed leader of South Vietnam from 1955 until his assassination in 1963.
B. Significance: Diem was unpopular for his corruption and repression, weakening U.S. support in Vietnam. His death marked deeper U.S. involvement in the conflict.
C. Example: Diem was killed during a U.S.-approved coup in November 1963.
- ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam)
A. Definition: The military force of South Vietnam, backed and trained by the United States.
B. Significance: ARVN struggled with poor leadership and low morale, relying heavily on U.S. help. Their performance affected U.S. strategies during the war.
C. Example: ARVN forces often fought alongside U.S. troops during Operation Rolling Thunder.
- Gulf of Tonkin Incident
A. Definition: Alleged attacks on U.S. ships by North Vietnam in August 1964.
B. Significance: It gave President Johnson the excuse to escalate U.S. military involvement. It marked the official start of major U.S. combat in Vietnam.
C. Example: Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving LBJ broad war powers.
- Great Society
A. Definition: President Lyndon B. Johnson’s domestic program to reduce poverty and racial injustice.
B. Significance: While focused on helping Americans, it was overshadowed by spending on the Vietnam War. It shows how war affected domestic progress.
C. Example: Medicare and Medicaid were created under the Great Society in 1965.
- Operation Rolling Thunder
A. Definition: A long bombing campaign against North Vietnam launched by the U.S. in 1965.
B. Significance: It failed to break enemy morale and increased anti-war protest in the U.S. The operation showed the limits of air power in guerrilla warfare.
C. Example: Operation Rolling Thunder lasted over three years but did not stop the Viet Cong.
- Tet Offensive
A. Definition: A major surprise attack by North Vietnam and the Viet Cong in January 1968.
B. Significance: Though a military loss for communists, it shocked Americans and reduced U.S. support for the war. It marked a turning point in public opinion.
C. Example: The Viet Cong attacked over 100 cities, including the U.S. Embassy in Saigon.
- Vietnamization
A. Definition: Nixon’s plan to withdraw U.S. troops and let South Vietnam lead the war.
B. Significance: It aimed to reduce U.S. casualties but couldn’t stop North Vietnam’s eventual victory. It represents America’s effort to exit the war.
C. Example: U.S. troop numbers dropped sharply between 1969 and 1973 under Vietnamization.
- Kent State Massacre
A. Definition: The killing of four students by the National Guard during a Vietnam War protest in 1970.
B. Significance: The event increased national anger and mistrust toward the government and war. It symbolized deep divisions over Vietnam.
C. Example: The protest was against Nixon’s decision to invade Cambodia during the war.
