WORLD HISTORY: 1871-PRESENT Flashcards

Question

events leading to the end of the Cold war and the dissolution of the Soviet Union - Gorbachev in power (1985) - INF treaty (1987) - fall of Berlin wall (1989) and unification (1990) - end of war (1991)

Answer 1

a. 1985: Gorbachev came into power - led the political movement for more openness and transparency - restructured the Soviet political and economic systems - believed the arms race needed to end to save the economy, which meant improving relation w/ the US b. the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was made (INF treaty): eliminated intermediate range missiles - signed on 1987 by Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan c. the Berlin wall fell on Nov. 9, 1989 and Germany was unified in 1990 - eventually all of the Eastern Bloc states were non-communist d. Gorbachev resigned from office in 1991, and the Cold War was officially put to an end

Answer 2

a. WW2 influenced independence movements in Asia b. this was a gradual process and various parts of Asia were decolonized between 1945-1997 c. the decolonization saw the US and USSR trying to influence the new-nations to assert their supremacy

Answer 3

a. 1950s-1975 - after WW2, EU found it difficult to maintain their African possessions b. during the independence phase, some African countries achieved it through non-violent means, but some countries did c. aftermath of decolonization: - civil wars erupted due to the fact that the borders were drawn in a way that hostile tribes were in the same nation - the economy suffered from political turmoil and revolts - although they were rich in cash crops and minerals, they couldn't process the goods themselves - lack of infrastructure, unorganized labor, and other issues impoverished the states

Answer 4

a. 1932-1971 b. the Middle East was the most unstable of the post-imperial regions after WW2 - the collapse of the Ottoman Empire led to a wave of Arab nationalism c. the region was fully independent of EU power by 1956 (the United Arab Emirates) - Turkey was the first country to gain independence in 1932

Answer 5

a. formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution - 1966-76 led by communist leader Mao Zedong to reassert his authority - nearly 2 million people were killed b. his economic campaign the "Great Leap Forward" (1958-60) failed which decimated the economy and his power c. to regain control, Mao partnered w/ a group of radicals, including his defense minister Lin Biao - they launched the Cultural Revolution in 1966 d. 1967: he shut down schools and mobilized youths into paramilitary units - Red Guards - they attacked and killed teachers, intellectuals, and anyone who they suspected of undermining the communist system e. 1969: Lin had taken power and wanted to institute China under martial law - but Mao launched a campaign to reduce Lin's power > dividing the ruling party - Lin died in 1971 and his military was purged f. a new leader took over, but revolutionaries were left disillusioned - the movement ended in 1976 when Mao died and his allies were purged from the ruling party

Answer 6

a. from the 1930s-40s, Cuba was under the power of Fulgencio Batista. he ran again for a second term in 1952, but was a loser → he overthrew the gov. and canceled the elections b. Fidel Castro, a young lawyer and activist, was also running for congress as part of the Cuban People's Party c. he sought to arm a revolutionary opposition to the Batista regime d. the first attempt of the revolution was in 1953, he led a raid against the Moncada army barracks in Santiago but failed - him and his brother Raul fled to Mexico and began building his army

Answer 7

a. Nov. 1956: Castro returned to Cuba, but were ambushed → fled to the Sierra Maestra Mountains b. Castro's group attracted new members and began a guerilla campaign against Batista - over the next 2 years the group built their army and political ideas c. Dec. 1958: Cuban people were extremely dissatisfied w/ Batista's gov. → Batista loses the support of the Cuban army and leaves the country for Spain and Portugal d. Castro arrived in Havana on Jan. 9 to take power e. the relationship between Cuba and the US deteriorated as Castro implemented a communist regime and forged close ties w/ the USSR - the US broke off diplomatic relations w/ Cuba in 1961 → Bay of Pigs invasion (1961) and the Cuban missile crisis (1962)

Answer 8

a. since 1937, Nicaragua was ruled under dictator Anastasio Somoza Garcia - ruled for the next 19 years - controlled the National Guard and appeased the US - he was assassinated in 1956 → his son Luis assumed power immediately b. the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) was established in 1961 by Carlos Fonseca, Silvio Mayorga, and Tomas Borge - goals: national sovereignty, end US imperialism, and achieve a socialist revolution that would end the exploitation of Nicaraguan workers and peasants

Answer 9

a. Dec. 1974: they held a group of elites hostage and forced the Somoza regime to pay a ransom and release FSLN prisoners - Jimmy Carter pressed the Somoza regime to end its abuse of peasants (using military aid as an incentive) → it failed, they violated it - this^ kicked off the final phase b. 1978: Sandinistas disguised as national guardsmen and assaulted the national palace and took the entire Nicaraguan congress hostage - they demanded $$ and the release of all FSLN prisoners, to which the regime agreed

Answer 10

a. the Sandinistas entered Managua victorious in 1979 and established a provisional gov. - the revolution was responsible for the death of 2% of the pop. b. w/ Carter in office, they were relatively safe from US aggression, bUT, when Ronal Reagan took office , economic assistance was halted in 1981 c. the US waged a war on the Sandinistas in the 80s d. as a result of the FSLN having to defend itself against the Contras (a group of rebels fighting against the Sandinistas), the party lost power in 1990

Answer 11

a. apartheid: refers to a set of laws enacted in South Africa in 1948 to ensure the strict racial segregation of South African society and the whites b. the white ruled Nationalist party legalized racism - forbade interracial marriage - separated schools and living areas c. in opposition to this, the African National Congress (ANC) was formed to lead the anti-apartheid movement - the end of the apartheid began in the early 90s d. the US enacted the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act that imposed substantial economic sanctions to be levied against South Africa - 1989: George H.W Bush declared full commitment to "full enforcement" of the anti-apartheid act e. 1989: the ban on the ANC and other Black liberation parties were lifted - Nelson Mandela was freed from prison in 1990 f. 1993: the first democratic election took place and the US lifted all sanctions of the anti-apartheid act and increased foreign aid to South Africa g. 1994: Nelson Mandela was elected as the first president of the nation's post-apartheid era

Answer 12

a. 1947: Israel was declared an independent state and the UN adopted the Partition Resolution (Resolution 181) - would divide Palestine into Jewish and Arab states in May 1948 and the region would remain under international control administered by the UN b. this resolution initiated conflict between Jewish and Arab groups within Palestine - the goal of the Arabs was to block the Partition Res and prevent the establishment of the Jewish state - goal of the Jews was to gain control over the territory that was given to them under the Partition c. May 1948: the Arabs launched an air attack on Tel Aviv and didn't end until 1949 - Arab armies = Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt d. 1949: Israel and the Arab states made armistice agreements - Israel: gained some territory granted to Palestinian Arabs under the UN Partition - Egypt and Jordan: the Gaza strip and West Bank

Answer 13

a. some of the leading industrial and cultural centers of Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Belgium were on the brink of famine b. transportation infrastructure suffered extensive damage c. the Marshall Plan: also known as the EU Recovery Program - a US program providing aid to Western EU following WW2 signed by Harry Truman - enacted in 1948 and provided more than $15 billion to help finance rebuilding efforts d. crafted as a 4 year plan to reconstruct cities, industries and infrastructure, as well as foster commerce between those countries and the US AND stop the spread of communism

Answer 14

a. 1957, the Treaty of Rome: France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg established the European Economic Community (EEC): - to create a common market among its members through the elimination of most trade barriers and the establishment of a common external trade policy b. the formation of European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) by France and West Germany in 1951 laid the groundwork for the EEC c. on Mar. 1957, reps of 6 EU nations signed 2 treaties: (1) the EU Atomic Energy Community for the common and peaceful development of EU's nuclear weapons and the (2) EEC d. in 1967, the 3 organizations merged as the European Community (EC) e. in 1993, the EC became the European Union through the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty - called for strengthened EU parliament, the creation of a central EU bank and common currency, and common defense policy - the EU currently has 27 member states

Answer 15

a. jobs were still segregated by gender, and routine repetitive work was categorized as women's work for women's wages (low pay) b. the welfare state created many jobs for "women's work": nurses, midwives, cleaners, etc. - the welfare state: the gov. provides a range of services to protect the health and well-being of its citizens c. campaign for equal pay ran through the 50s - the Equal Pay Act was enacted in 1970 - the Ford strike at Dagenham in 1968 led to ^^: women machinists went on strike for equal pay - they won a pay increase to 92% of men's wages d. the UK gov. encouraged the immigration of migrant workers to rebuild Britain - most were women, but they only found low-paid, unskilled jobs open for them

WORLD HISTORY: 1871-PRESENT Flashcards

(39 cards)