BIG GLOBAL REGENTS REVIEW SHEET
Here’s nearly everything you’ve studied in Global History in a nutshell. The exam is JUNE 15!
Key terms you absolutely should know are in bold. Terms in italics are important, but not as important.
** Marks information that comes up in the Regents almost every test.
Social Sciences
There are several major social sciences. History is just one, though it incorporates elements of the others. In fact, all the social sciences overlap to some degree
· Economics
· Sociology
· Anthropology
· Archeology
· Geography
· Political Science
· History
Geography (key terms)
Desert/arid
Plains
Steppe/Savannah
Archipelago
Suez/Panama Canals – Carved through the earth by imperialist nations (US, Britain) to allow faster global shipping
Peninsulas (Korea, Yucatan)
Regions of the world
Religions
· Buddhism Buddha came up with the "Eightfold Path", and the "Four Noble Truths".
The core idea is that desire leads to suffering, so people should give up their worldly desires.
· Hinduism is the dominant religion in India.
Believe in Reincarnation and the Caste System.
Polytheistic
· Judaism was the worlds first monotheistic religion.
Their book (The Old Testament), is the foundation for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
· Confucianism is not really a religion but the dominant philosophy which guides the Chinese people.
Named after Confucius, who taught harmony can be achieved if one maintains good relationships with others.
He also taught a concept called Filial Piety, which urges people to respect their ancestors and elders.
· Islam. Muslims are people who practice Islam.
This religion was founded by Muhammad (Mohammed) about the year 600.
The Koran (Qu’ran) is its holy book and Mecca is its center.
It exploded throughout the Middle East after Muhammad’s death and is now the world’s 2nd largest religion.
**The Regents test often contains questions about the great influence Muslims had on math and science.
· Christianity was founded in Rome after Jesus died. It is based on his teachings and the belief that he is the son of God.
Is now the world’s largest religion.
The Religion first divided with the rise of the Eastern Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire. The Eastern Orthodox and Roman churches split for good in what was called the Great Schism.
Christianity split again in the early 1500's during The Reformation, which was started by a German monk named Martin Luther. Before the Reformation, all Christians were Catholic. After the Reformation, Protestants (Baptists, Methodists, Calvinists, Episcopalians, etc.) split off from the Catholics.
The two divisions of Christianity are very similar, but Protestants do not recognize the Pope.
Neolithic Revolution and Early River Valley Civilizations
The Neolithic Revolution was a time period about 10, 000 years ago when man changed from hunting & gathering (which was dangerous) to settling down and domesticating plants and animals – agriculture.
People changed from nomads to farmers. When people settled down and farmed, they had more food and populations grew. Eventually cities formed. These cities formed in river valleys because they had rich soil (silt) for farming.
There were 4 important river valleys: The Nile (Egypt/Africa), The Tigris-Euphrates (Mesopotamia), Yellow (China), and Indus (India) Rivers. These were the places where organized, advanced civilizations began.
Classical Civilizations
Ancient Greece was the birthplace of many Western traditions.
It was famous for the great battles between the two major polis (city-states): Athens (which was a direct democracy) and Sparta (which was a military dictatorship).
Athens experienced a "golden age" of culture because they excelled in government (the first democracy), sports (the first Olympics), architecture (buildings with pillars), and the arts (sculpture, theater, literature, philosophy).
**Athens was also the birthplace of democracy. It was a direct democracy, meaning all citizens had equal vote.
The Greeks are famed for philosophy (Socrates & Plato), epics (Homer), architecture (the Parthenon) and math (Pythagorean theorum, etc.)
Greece formed an empire under Alexander the Great that covered Greece, the Persian Empire and as far east as the edge of India. The culture that came from cultural diffusion between these regions was called Hellenistic Culture.
Rome was the largest civilization in the world at its time, with about 70 million people in the Roman empire at its peak, with 1 million in the city of Rome.
**The Romans had a great system of roads to transport goods, information, and soldiers around the empire.
**The Roman system of law, called the 12 Tables, was a very advanced system of law that greatly influenced the US legal system.
For a while, Rome was a Republic (a democracy in which people elect representatives to govern), a system that greatly influenced later democracies.
Rome experienced a Golden Age during the period called Pax Romana (Roman Peace). It began when Emperor Augustus changed Rome from a republic into a monarchy. During this period, there was peace, prosperity, widespread trade and great cultural development.
Qin/Han China China was first unified under the Qin Dynasty in 221 BCE. Unification came through war under the emperor Shi Huangdi, who believed in legalism (harsh law code of total control).
After the Qin dynasty came the Han Dynasty, during which China experienced its first Golden Age.
The Silk Road was a road that connected China to the Middle East and to Europe.
The Chinese were the only people in the world who knew how to make silk. Silk was traded on the Silk Road but it also spread ideas and culture between China and the Middle East.
Classical Empires & Golden Ages
The T'ang & Song Dynasties (618 - 902 CE). The Tang Dynasty of China claimed the "Mandate of Heaven" (divine right) from the Han after it collapsed after 220 CE. The Tang & Song expanded China’s territory, constructed canals and roads for international trade, expanded trade throughout Asia, redistributed land to peasants, and made advances in printing, porcelain making, medicine, time keeping and gunpowder.
The Gupta Empire (320 - 550 CE) marked India’s Golden Age. The Gupta Empire built roads for international trade, expanded trade in silk, spices and luxury goods to the Chinese, Persians, Byzantine and Roman Empires, and deepened the caste system - dividing the society but added stability and order.
The Byzantine Empire (330 - 1453 CE) rose in Eastern Europe & Turkey after the fall of Rome. It preserved Roman laws, in what was called Justinian's Code and which became the model for late European legal systems. The Byzantine Empire also expanded trade in silk, spices and luxury goods to Chinese, Persians and Western Europe, and was the center of the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church, which it passed to Eastern Europe and Russia.
Golden Age of Islam (700-1200 CE). After Muhammad’s death, the Islamic world was controlled by caliphs, or kings. They followed Sharia, the Islamic system of law. Under the caliphs, Islam expanded across the Middle East and beyond.
Islam split into two groups, Sunnis and Shiites, and is still divided today.
The Golden Age of Islam came under the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. Both expanded Islam’s area and power. They were very tolerant of people of other cultures and religions in their empires.
During Islam’s Golden Age, great advances were made in science (astronomy & engineering), medicine (hospitals & vaccines) and math. These advances were built on ancient Greek learning and were eventually passed back to Europe.
Expanding Zones of Exchange (500-1500)
The Middle Ages (500-1500 CE) of Europe (Medieval period) was dominated by Feudalism the Catholic Church.
**Feudalism is the idea that the King grants land to the Nobles. The Nobles had serfs (peasants) work the land and pay the king with what was produced on the land. Knights worked for the Nobles as a source of protection, kind of like a neighborhood army to protect the manor. When the King went to war with another king, he got all the knights from his Nobles to help him in battle. There was a strict social order, with the poor serfs on the bottom.
Knights were bound by the code of Chivalry - they had to be nice to the ladies and act with honor and dignity.
Since the serfs had very little to look forward to during their life, they placed a great emphasis on religion, which promised them a great life in heaven.
**The Catholic Church was very important during this time - it provided order and unity (a common Regents question)
The Crusades (1096-1291) started when Muslims defeated the weakening Byzantine Empire to take control of Jerusalem, the holiest site for Christians, Jews and a very holy site for Muslims. Inspired by Pope Urban II, the Christian Europeans decided to go on various "Crusades" - to free these holy sites from Muslim control.
The Crusades (there were several of them) didn't really work - the Christians never took lasting control of the Holy Land from the Muslims.
**But Europeans and Muslims gained new ideas and products as they traded with each other and were exposed to each others culture.
On the bad side, the Crusades led to lasting hatred between Christians and Muslims and the permanent split of the Catholic & Eastern Orthodox churches.
Early Japan. The first religion of Japan was Shinto, which taught worship of spirits of nature. Shinto is a form of Animism, the belief that every living and non-living things in nature has a spirit.
**Regents questions about early Japan usually involve comparing European and Japanese Feudalism.
They were similar systems, offering little social mobility. If you were born a peasant, you remained a peasant.
Daimyo were the lords of Japanese feudalism and Samurai the warriors.
Like knights, samurai lived by a code, called bushido.
Japan was a very isolated country: they kept to themselves and tried to minimize contact with others (pretty easy to do since it is a group of islands). But, Japan was still heavily influenced by China through the peninsula of Korea, which lies between China and Japan and through which Buddhism, Confucianism and Chinese writing reached Japan.
African Trade Kingdoms (800-1600). Outside of Egypt, complex civilizations took a while to develop in Africa because of its geography. Massive deserts, dry savannahs and dense rainforests, as well as the lack of many good natural harbors, made it hard for people to move across regions in Africa.
Southern Africa was populated from 500 BCE – 1500 CE by the Bantu Migration, the movement of people known as the Bantu, natives of West Africa, across the continent. They spread their technology and language.
**The great kingdoms of Ghana, Mali and Songhai rose in West Africa from 800-1600 CE based on the trade of gold & salt.
Through trade, Islam was introduced to the area. Mali King Mansa Musa made the pilgrimage to Mecca in the 1300s.
The Mongols (1200-1400). Most Regents Questions about The Mongols are based on maps.
The most important thing to remember about The Mongol empire is that it was the largest in world history, stretching from the East coast of China all the way to Eastern Europe.
The Mongols, led by Genghis Khan and later his grandson Kublai Khan, who ruled China as emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, were fierce warriors. They invented the stirrup, which allowed them to control their horses in battle.
The Mongols were famous for killing millions, but also for allowing the people they conquered to maintain their culture and identity.
**Trade flourished across Eurasia under the Mongols, and Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta traveled across the empire. But, the Mongols did cut Russia off from the rest of Europe, leading Russia to fall way behind Western Europe.
The Plague (Black Death) was a disease that spread through Europe and Asia during the middle of the 1300's.
Millions of people died, especially in crowded cities that had poor sanitation and poor knowledge of medicine.
It is estimated that one out of three people in Europe died of the Plague.
The disease was spread by flea-bearing rats and came from China along trade routes.
The Renaissance (late 1300s-1500s) was a re-birth of culture in Europe which started in Italy. Art, architecture, and literature all flourished during the Renaissance.
It started in Italy because Italian city-states were making a lot of money through trade (you need a lot of money to finance art).
Renaissance artists and thinkers looked back to the golden age of the Greeks for inspiration.
**Humanism, the idea that all people are capable of greatness and have value, was a big part of the Renaissance. Artists celebrated human achievement and form (think statue of David).
The Renaissance was mostly a secular (non-religious) movement.
The phrase "By any means necessary" came from Renaissance thinker Machiavelli's book "The Prince".
The Reformation (1500s) was a period of great change in the Catholic Church. It was started by the monk Martin Luther, who was upset over corruption within the Catholic Church, and the Church’s sale of indulgences, which were kind of like 'get into heaven free cards'.
He hung a list of 95 Theses, or ideas, protesting the Catholic Church, on the door of a church in Germany.
Because of the new printing press. these ideas were printed up and spread all over Europe.
**Because of this movement Protestants were born and the Catholic Church lost power.
Now Christians are split between Catholics and Protestants. There are many schools of Protestants, including Calvinists, Presbyterians, Baptists, etc.
The First Global Age (1450-1770)
MesoAmerica is the term for American civilizations before the arrival of Europeans. The main civilizations were the Aztecs, the Incas, and the Mayans. They had advanced math and calendars.
**The Regents Exam often has a questions relating to the fact that there were advanced, complex civilizations in the America's before the arrival of Europeans.
The Aztecs were in present day Mexico and giant ziggurats where they made human sacrifices to the Sun God.
The Incas lived in the Andes Mountains of South America (Peru & Chile) and were famous for their terraced farming.
But once the Europeans came with their guns, cannon, metal weapons and diseases, they quickly overran these civilizations.
European Exploration and Cortez (1400-1500s). With the invention of the compass and the astrolabe, (navigation tools) Europeans began sailing and exploring all over the world. And when they got to these far away places they realized they had better weapons than the local people, so they killed and enslaved them.
The Spanish (led by Columbus and then conquistadors like Cortez and Pissarro) easily defeated the native people in the New World and claimed the land as colonies for European countries.
They had better weapons, and they carried diseases like smallpox that devastated the New World people.
The Spanish used the encomienda system to control their colonies. Spanish colonists were granted right to use land in the New World, as well as right to use the natives that lived on the land as labor.
**Once they established contact in the New World - both sides started trading with each other. This is called the Columbian Exchange - Europeans got New World goods (corn, tomatoes, potatoes, chilies), and the New World people got Old World goods (grains, livestock, horses, diseases, and eventually slaves).
The Slave Trade When the Europeans went to the New World they enslaved many of the native people to work in gold mines and the sugar cane, cotton, and tobacco plantations. However, the natives died rapidly when exposed to European diseases. So the Europeans began importing slaves from Africa to work in their New World colonies.
African slaves were part of the Triangle Trade, a system of trade between Europe, the New World and Africa.
Many African slaves died on their way across the Atlantic in a brutal journey called "The Middle Passage".
Many think of African slavery as an American (US) event - but the vast majority of African slaves were brought to the Caribbean and South America.
Mercantilism is a concept that came out during the Age of Exploration. Under the system of Mercantilism the colonies exist for the benefit of the imperial power.
Mercantilism is the idea that a nation is more powerful and wealthy if it has overseas colonies. Overseas colonies provide gold and silver for the home country. The colonies also provide raw materials and will also buy manufactured goods from the home country.
Absolutism is the concept that a ruler has absolute rule over his nation. Absolute rulers are usually kings such as Louis XIV of France, Henry VIII of England, or Peter the Great of Russia.
Absolute rulers justified their total control through the idea of divine right, meaning their power came from God.
Louis XIV is the classic absolute ruler with his giant palace at Versailles and his famous quote, "I am the State".
Absolute rulers dominated Europe in the 1500s and 1600s.
Responses to Absolutism. People grew tired of Absolute Monarchs so they began to try and limit their power.
In England, the Magna Carta and then the English Bill of Rights created a Limited Monarchy. Parliament was created to balance out power in the British government.
This was an important step toward our modern world which is so dominated by democracy.
In England they even went so far as to execute (cut off his head) King Charles I - in public!
The Age of Revolutions (1750-1914)
The Scientific Revolution (1500-1600s) was a huge turning point in the creation of our modern world. It brought us from a world in which religion provided nearly all the answers to a world in which science provides answers.
Before the Scientific Revolution people got their ideas about science from the ancient Greeks (Aristotle), or the Catholic Church. **But then scientists such as Galileo, Copernicus, and Isaac Newton began using the Scientific Method in search of the real scientific truth. The Scientific Method is the use of experimentation and observation (over and over again) to come up with an accurate conclusion.
Galileo and Copernicus proved that the sun was the center of the universe, while the Catholic Church still believed that the earth was the center of the universe. The Church put Galileo on trial and made him say that he was wrong or they would kill him. He admitted he was wrong even though he knew he was right.
The Enlightenment (1600-1700s) was a movement of political ideas inspired by the scientists of the Scientific Revolution. Enlightenment Thinkers came up with new ideas about government by applying scientific theories to government. They were tired of kings ruling - they wanted to give political power to the people. They thought that people had the ability to govern themselves.
**John Locke is the most famous of the Enlightenment thinkers. He came up with the idea that "all men are created equal ... and have unalienable rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".
**The Enlightenment thinkers greatly influenced the American and French Revolutions and laid the groundwork for the modern democracies of today.
French Revolution & Napoleon (1789-1814) The French Revolution of 1789 happened when the lower and middle classes (the Third Estate), revolted and took power from the upper classes (First & Second Estates) who had ruled France for centuries. They eventually captured the king and queen and cut off their heads.
**The third estate (98% of the population) were inspired by the democratic ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers and by the American Revolution. They set up a government that focused on the rights of the people rather than the power of the king. The middle class gained a lot of power thanks to the revolution.
For a while, the revolution went bad, as the revolutionary leaders chopped off the heads of all their enemies (The Reign of Terror, led by a radical named Robespierre).
Later, order was restored when Napoleon Bonaparte became the leader of France. Using his military genius, France conquered most of Western Europe, spreading Enlightenment ideas and the ideas of the revolution across Europe.
Haitian & Latin American Revolutions (1790s-1830) were inspired by the American & French Revolutions and Enlightenment ideals. Haiti’s revolution, led by Toussaint L’Overture, gave it independence from France.
The revolutions in South America, mainly led by Simone Bolivar, led to independence from Spain, which had ruled most of Latin America for a couple hundred years. Latin American people wanted self-determination and greater power for common citizens.
European Nationalism rose in the 1800s. Nationalism is the desire among a people to have their own independent country and then the feeling of devotion to one’s country. The rise of nationalism in Europe, an impact of Napoleon’s conquests, led Italy to unify for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire, in the mid-1800s. The nationalist movement in Italy was led by Cavour and Garibaldi.
A similar movement happened in Germany in the 1860s. The strongest German-speaking state, Prussia, started to absorb German-speaking neighbors through wars (the policy of “blood & iron”) under leadership of Otto Von Bismarck.
The Industrial Revolution (1750-1850+) was a shift from small scale home manufacturing to large-scale industrial manufacturing done in factories. Many new machines were invented that could make products much faster; and new sources of power (steam and coal) helped to run these machines.
It started in England because it had lots of coal and lots of people looking for work.
**People began to move from farms to cities in order to work at these new factory jobs - urbanization. The sudden growth of these cities led to overcrowding, pollution and unsanitary conditions. Child labor was also a problem as factories hired children and paid them less than adults.
But the Industrial Revolution also allowed people to acquire more products as goods became cheaper and more plentiful.
Karl Marx and Communism. Karl Marx lived during the early days of the Industrial Revolution and did not like what he saw. Marx believed that these two classes; the working class (the Proletariat) and the owning class (the Bourgeoisie) would be constantly in conflict with each other. He felt that the rich would get richer and the poor poorer, and the common worker would be forever enslaved by industry and those who owned the industry.
Marx wanted the proletariat (workers) to rise up and start a worldwide revolution. He wanted the workers to take control of the means of production, then they would make only what they needed and share everything.
He called this system Communism. Under Communism the government would own all property and everyone would be paid the same. According to Marx, this would end the evils of Industrialization and Capitalism, and eventually lead to utopia, with no government needed at all.
Japan’s Meiji Restoration (1868-1912) For Centuries Japan was an isolated island country. The Japanese did not trade or associate with others.
But in the mid-1800's Commodore Perry, an American naval commander, sailed into Japan with a steam-powered ship to get the Japanese to open to trade. The Japanese were amazed at the technology of the ship and quickly realized that they better begin keeping up with the Western (European and American) nations, so they did open up.
Thus began the Meiji Restoration, during which the Japanese began to rapidly modernize and industrialize. The Japanese copied Western models of industry and began to become imperialistic to gain resources for their industries.
Japanese domination in the electronics industry is a product of the Meiji Restoration.
European Imperialism (1800s-mid-1900s)
During the Industrial Revolution Europeans began to mass produce goods. To do this they needed resources (coal, wood, gold, rubber, sugar, cotton), often resources that they did not have. They began to go oversees to Africa, India and China in search of these resources.
Since Europeans had better technology and better weapons, they easily defeated and controlled these areas, turning them into colonies that would provide resources – Imperialism.
**There was a racist component to Imperialism also as Europeans often felt it was there duty to civilize and Christianize the "savage" people they encountered in these lands. (The “civilizing mission” or “White Man’s Burden”)
Europeans took almost total control of Africa, and divided the continent up between themselves at the Berlin Conference of 1884 without talking to Africans or respecting traditional tribal boundaries.
The British even went so far as to trade opium that they bought in India to the Chinese so that the Chinese would become addicted to the drug and continue trading with the British. Previously China was an extremely isolated nation and did not trade with foreigners.
**In China & India, people tried to resist imperialism. In India, it was through the Sepoy Mutiny, an uprising of Indian soldiers. In China, it was through the Boxer Rebellion, an uprising of poor peasants. Both failed, and led to greater European control and influence over India and China.
Crises and Achievements (1900-1945)
World War I (1914-1918) began with the assassination of Franz Ferdinand - the Archduke of Austria. At the time Europe was a tense mix of nationalistic powers, tied up in alliances, so it only took a little incentive to set them off toward war. Europe was divided up between the triple alliance of Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary - and the triple entente of France, Britain and Russia.
These countries were building up their militaries in anticipation of war.
Remember our major causes of WWI: ENIMI
When war came it was devastating. Trench warfare and modern weapons (machine guns, tanks, planes, cannon, etc.) made causalities high.
The Russian Revolution of 1917 - also called the Bolshevik Revolution - was the first time a nation adopted communism as its political and economic system.
The Russian people were tired of fighting and dying during WW I. The German army was much better equipped than the Russians and millions of Russians were dying. The Russian people also resented the power of the Czar - who was becoming an ineffective ruler. Additionally, Russian peasants at home were starving.
Vladimir Lenin was the leader of the Communists (Bolsheviks) during the revolution.
**The Bolsheviks won popular support among the peasants by their motto of "Peace, Land, Bread." The Communists were able to take over because of their popular support, won by promises of giving land from the rich to the peasants.
Communism lasted in Russia from 1917 - 1989.
Joseph Stalin and Totalitarianism. Stalin took control of Russia after Lenin died. He became the classic totalitarian dictator. Stalin ruled Russia completely - he controlled the media and decided what information the Russian people should have. Freedom in Russia was very limited - Stalin also "purged" (killed) anyone that opposed him. Stalin used a force of secret police to control the nation.
Stalin also introduced a 5-Year Plan to rapidly industrialize Russia, which was mainly an agriculture-based society. The 5-Year Plan emphasized growth of heavy industry and farm production fell, leading millions to starve to death.
The Treaty of Versailles ended WW I, but one could say that it led to WWII.
Since Germany was the major power on the losing side of WW I, they took most of the blame. Germany was blamed for all of the loss and damage incurred by the allies (England and France) and for being the aggressor in the war.
The treaty forced Germany to pay huge fines, lose sections of land to France & Poland, & give up all colonies overseas.
**The Treaty of Versailles is very important because it punished Germany so much that it could never recover - and this defeated Germany became ripe for Adolph Hitler and his fascist politics of hate and blame. Hitler tried to regain the land and power that were taken away from Germany.
Rise of Fascism After WW I many European countries were devastated. The economies and social structures of nations like Germany, Italy, Spain were in ruins. The people were desperate for leadership that would offer a solution.
Into this void stepped the fascist governments of Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Fascism is the rule by a dictatorial government that is nationalistic and imperialistic. Fascism is very similar to totalitarianism.
These fascist dictators rebuilt their countries but were brutal and ruthless in doing so. They denied basic human rights and limited freedoms of their citizens. In Hitler’s case, he tried to take over the world.
Japanese Imperialism After Japan industrialized in the Meiji Restoration, it needed more resources for its industries. So it sought to become an empire and conquered Korea and Manchuria (northeast China) for raw materials. Eventually, the Japanese tried to take over all of East & Southeast Asia.
Japan’s expansion plans led it to attack the US at Pearl Harbor during WW II to control the Pacific Ocean.
World War II (1939-1945) was started by Adolph Hitler when he invaded Poland. He then took control of all of Europe except for England. He had plans to take over the world. At first Hitler was allied with Russia, but then he turned on Russia and attacked then. This proved to be his downfall as he was now forced to fight a war on two fronts (Russia on one side, and England and the US on the other side).
The US entered the war after they were bombed by Japan at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
D-Day was a huge invasion when American & British troops landed in France to take back Europe from the Germans.
Hitler eventually lost as he was sandwiched between two huge armies.
WWII finally ended when the US dropped two atomic bombs on Japan.
The Holocaust was Adolph Hitler's attempt to kill off all of the Jews in Europe. Trying to kill an entire group of people is called genocide. Hitler hated Jews, thought they were an inferior race, and blamed them for Germany's problems.
During WW II European Jews were put in death camps, where they were gassed and their dead bodies burned in ovens.
It is estimated that the Nazi's killed about 6 million Jews in Europe.
After WW II many Nazi's that took part in the genocide were put on trial and jailed/ executed at The Nuremberg Trials.
Sympathy for Jews after the Holocaust and WWII helped to create the nation of Israel in 1947.
The World Since The End of WWII
The Cold War (1946-1990) At the end of WWII Hitler was dead and Europe lay in ruins. Two superpowers dominated the scene: the US and Russia. The US was a capitalist/democratic nation; Russia was communist.
The two superpowers fought each other (without an actual war) for domination and influence.
There was an "Iron Curtain" across Europe that separated the capitalist nations from the communist nations.
**Nations that supported the US formed NATO; nations that supported Russia formed the Warsaw Pact. Countries that did not take a clear side were called non-aligned.
The conflict went worldwide through proxy wars in Korea, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Angola, Afghanistan, etc.
Other famous Cold War events & terms include: The Truman Doctrine
The Marshall Plan
The Berlin Wall
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Arms & Space Races
Collapse of Communism (1989-1992) For years during the Cold War the USSR was trying to keep up with the US in the nuclear arms race and the space race. But Communism proved to be a weaker economic system than capitalism and it eventually collapsed. The collapse started with Mikhail Gorbachev's policies of glasnost and perestroika. These policies tried to open up and reform the old fashioned system of communism.
Then Eastern European nations gained freedom from Communism and the Berlin Wall (the German symbol of the Cold War) fell in 1989. Communism ended in the USSR in 1991 and the USSR broke up.
Collapse of Imperialism. European powers were weakened by WW II and were no longer in a position to maintain their empires of Imperialism. India and Africa in particular won their independence after WW II. Nationalism played a big role in the independence of these former colonies.
Indian Independence was led by Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi, through his successful practice of civil disobedience. India gained independence in 1947, as did Pakistan, a nation created so Indian Muslims would have their own country.
Ghana was the first African nation to gain independence under leader Kwame Nkrumah. Kenya was led in its independence from Britain by Jomo Kenyatta.
South Africa had been independent, but ruled only by the small white minority under a system of racial division called apartheid. Even though he was thrown in jail, Nelson Mandela helped end Apartheid, and became South Africa’s first freely-elected president in 1994.
Modern China went Communist under leader Mao Zedong in 1949. Mao set 5-Year Plans like Stalin, including the Great Leap Forward, a plan for industrial development that led to famine that killed many millions. From 1966-1976, Mao led China into the Cultural Revolution, a campaign to renew the revolution and firm up Mao’s control. Schools and universities were shut down and the country tore itself apart for a decade.
After Mao died, Deng Xiaoping took power and set out to reform China through the Four Modernizations, which eased Communist economic policies and introduced some capitalist ideas. Students led peaceful protests against government corruption and for greater reform in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989. Deng’s government sent in the tanks, killing or wounding thousands. China’s reforms have continued since. Hong Kong returned to China in 1997.
Israel was created by the United Nations in 1947 to give the Jews a homeland. Before the state of Israel was created, there was a Jewish nationalist movement called Zionism. Israel was set up on Palestine, a British colony, in the Middle East. Palestine was divided between Muslim Arabs and Jews, and Israel declared itself independent in 1948.
As soon as Israel was created, Arabs vowed to drive the Jews out and restore Palestine as a nation and war broke out between the Jews and Arabs. Israel won, doubling its area through the war, and the Arabs lost, many becoming poor refugees. A group called the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), led by Yasir Arafat, rose with Arabs’ desire to have their own Arab Palestinian State. Israel fought more wars against Arab neighbors Egypt and Syria in the 1950s, 60s & 70s. Conflict continues between the Israelis and the Arab Palestinians, as witnessed by the battles in the Palestinian-majority Gaza strip today.
OPEC – Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, cartel that sets international oil prices
Iranian Revolution – Islamic Revolution of 1979 that overthrew US-supported ruler, the Shah; Iran became a theocracy (a state controlled by religious leaders) led by Ayatollah Khomeini. Today, Iran is a strong country in the Middle East, but one that has difficult relations with many of its neighbors because Iran is majority Shia Muslim, while most of the Middle East is Sunni Muslim. Iran’s President Ahmedinejad has said repeatedly that he wants Iran to develop the nuclear bomb, and the US and other countries have responded by placing heavy sanctions on Iran. Protests for government reforms have broken out of the past few years and been put down violently by Iran’s army and police.
Globalization – the process of the world being linked together economically, technologically, socio-culturally
Green Revolution - 1960s development of new wheat and rice strains that allowed much greater food production. The largest impact of this revolution has been felt in India, which has been able to feed its quickly growing population thanks to the Green Revolution.
Genocides of 20th Century – Cambodia (Khmer Rouge & Pol Pot), Yugoslavia (Serbs vs. Bosnians), Rwanda (Hutu v. Tutsis), Darfur (Arab Africans supported by Sudan government against southern non-Arab Africans)
