Cold War
the state of political hostility that existed between the Soviet bloc countries and the US-led Western powers from 1945 to 1990
1st/2nd/3rd World
1st: US, Britain, France
2nd : Soviet Union, Japan
3rd : Haiti, India, Colombia
Berlin Wall
a guarded concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989, cut off West Berlin from virtually all of surrounding East Germany and East Berlin
NATO
an association of European and North American countries, formed in 1949 for the defense of Europe and the North Atlantic against the perceived threat of Soviet aggression
Warsaw Pact
a treaty of mutual defense and military aid signed by communist states of Europe under Soviet influence, in response to the admission of West Germany to NATO
Mikhail Gorbachev
...
European Union
a political and economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe
Brexit
the prospective withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union
Great Leap Forward
an economic and social campaign by the Communist Party of China from 1958 to 1962, ed by Chairman Mao Zedong, aimed to transform the country from an agrarian economy into a socialist society through rapid industrialization and collectivization
Cultural Revolution
a sociopolitical movement in China from 1966 until 1976, goal was to preserve 'true' Communist ideology in the country by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society, re-impose Maoist thought as the dominant ideology withi
Tiananmen Square Protests
student-led demonstrations in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, in 1989, government declared martial law, number of civilian deaths has been estimated variously from 180 to 10,454
Mohandas Gandhi
an Indian activist who was the leader of the Indian independence movement against British rule, led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world
Civil disobedience
the non-violent protest of certain laws of the state, and/or demands, orders, and commands of a government
Jawaharlal Nehru
the first Prime Minister of India and a central figure in Indian politics before and after independence, advocated for a united Hindu and Muslim state
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
lawyer, politician, and the founder of Pakistan, served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until Pakistan's independence
Indira Gandhi
an Indian stateswoman and central figure of the Indian National Congress, first and only female prime minister of India
Partition
the action or state of dividing a country into parts, such as India and Pakistan
Fall of Berlin Wall
1989
Mao Zedong
chairman of the Communist Party of the Chinese People's Republic, cofounder of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921 and its effective leader from the time of the Long March, created the People's Republic of China in 1949
Deng Xiaoping
Chinese communist statesman, vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, became the leader of China in 1977`
Tank Man
the nickname of an unidentified man who stood in front of a column of tanks on June 5, 1989, the morning after the Chinese military had suppressed the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 by force
Nonalignment
a group of states that are not formally aligned with a major power, especially the former Soviet Union or the US
Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana)
a Ghanaian politician and revolutionary. He was the first prime minister and president of Ghana, having led it to independence from Britain in 1957
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Egyptian colonel and statesman; prime minister 1954-56 and president 1956-70, deposed King Farouk in 1952 and President Muhammad Neguib in 1954, nationalization of the Suez Canal brought war with Britain, France, and Israel in 1956, waged two unsuccessful
Apartheid
a policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race
Nelson Mandela
South African statesman, president 1994-99, sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964 as an activist for the African National Congress, became the country's first democratically elected president in 1994
Rwandan genocide
a genocidal mass slaughter of Tutsi in Rwanda by members of the Hutu majority government, estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 Rwandans were killed during the 100-day period
The Kurds
a Northwestern Iranic ethnic group in the Middle East, historically inhabited the mountainous areas to the South of Lake Van and Lake Urmia, a geographical area collectively referred to as Kurdistan
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the ongoing struggle between Israelis and Palestinians that began in the mid-20th century, Jews returning to homeland, displaced Palestinians
Saddam Hussein
Iraqi president; prime minister and head of the armed forces, invaded Kuwait 1990, from which Iraqi forces were expelled in the Gulf War of 1991, regime was known for its brutality, overthrown and later tried for crimes against humanity and executed
Syrian Civil War
an ongoing multi-sided armed conflict in Syria fought primarily between the Ba'athist Syrian Arab Republic led by President Bashar al-Assad, along with its allies, and various forces opposing both the government and each other in varying combinations
Bashar Al-Assad
the 19th and current President of Syria, holding the office since 17 July 2000, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces, Regional Secretary of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party's branch in Syria
Osama bin Laden
Islamic militant, the founder of al-Qaeda and the mastermind behind the September 11 terrorist attacks, went into hiding but was tracked down and killed by US special forces in Pakistan
Al-Qaeda
a militant Sunni Islamist multi-national organization founded in 1988 by Osama bin Laden, Abdullah Azzam, and several other Arab volunteers who fought against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s
ISIS
a Salafi jihadist terrorist organization and former unrecognized proto-state that follows a fundamentalist, Salafi doctrine of Sunni Islam
Liberation theology
a movement in Christian theology, developed mainly by Latin American Roman Catholics, that emphasizes liberation from social, political, and economic oppression as an anticipation of ultimate salvation
Globalization
develop or be developed so as to make possible international influence or operation
Indian independence
1947
Year of Africa
1960
Tiananmen Square protests
1989
End of apartheid
1994
date of Rwandan genocide
1994
Beginning of Arab Spring
2010