World History Unit 10: Major Changes After WWII

Diet (not related to food)

Japanese Parliament formed after WWII and the creation of a new Japanese constitution.

Kim Il-Sung

First North Korea communist leader, backed by the USSR. Leader of North Korea from 1948-1994. Nicknamed by his people as the "Great Leader".

Jawaharlal Nehru

First Prime Minister of an independent India in 1947, and former leader of the Indian National Congress.

David Ben Gurion

First Prime Minister of the Jewish state of Israel, which was founded in 1948.

Syngman Rhee

First South Korean leader, backed by the US. Led South Korea from 1948-1960.

Security Council

15-country body inside the United Nations that votes on important security and war issues, with one vote per country. 5 countries are permanent members and 10 rotate in and out.

General Assembly

192-country body inside the United Nations that makes important decisions regarding world issues, with one vote per country.

Cultural Revolution

A 1966-1976 uprising in China led by the Red Guards, with the goal of establishing a society of peasants and workers in which all were equal, while purging capitalism and foreign ideology.

Little Red Book

A book of selected speeches and writings of Chinese Communist Chairman, Mao Zedong published and distributed during the Cultural Revolution

Jewish State

A country established by the Jewish nation.

Nuremberg Trials

A series of court proceedings held in Nuremberg, Germany, after WWII, in which Nazi leaders were tried for aggression, violation of the rules of war, and crimes against humanity.

Veto

A vote that strikes down a law or resolution to be passed.

Six Day War

A week-long war between the Arab states and Israel in 1967, in which Israel won, and claimed the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, and Jerusalem.

Crimes Against Humanity

Actions taken during war that violate the customs of humane treatment of people, and may include genocide, torture, rape, mutilation, scientific experimentation, and more.

War Crimes

Actions that violate the laws and customs of war, and may include unnecessary destruction of property and lives, injuring or killing prisoners of war, creating slave labor camps.

Occupation Zones

Areas of land where foreign countries hold military control.

Kashmir

Disputed Mountainous Northern Indian region that is claimed by India, Pakistan and China.

German Democratic Republic

During the Cold War, the name for Communist East Germany.

Anwar Sadat

Egyptian President from 1970-1981, who signed the Camp David Accords in 1979, bringing peace to Egypt and Israel.

Famine

Extreme scarcity of food.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Founder of Pakistan and first Governor-General, which was the highest office in Pakistan, from 1947-1948. Was the leader of the Muslim League during the era of British India

Jerusalem

Holy city in modern-day Israel that is considered sacred by Jews, Muslims and Christians.

Communes

In Communist China, a collective farm on which a great number of people work and live together.

United Nations

International Peacekeeping body created after WWII in 1945, and headquartered in New York City.

Sri Lanka

Island in South Asia, off the coast of Southeastern India, which gained independence from the British Empire in 1948. Was named Ceylon during the years of British India.

Formosa (Taiwan)

Island state, off the coast of mainland China, formed by the Nationalist Party after being defeated by the Communists in the Chinese Civil War in 1950.

Golda Meir

Israeli Prime Minister from 1969-1974, who was the leader during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and the Munich Massacre in Summer 1972

Menachem Begin

Israeli Prime Minister from 1977-1983 who won the Nobel Peace Prize because of the Camp David Accords, which he signed with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat

Sinai Peninsula

Large body of land connecting Israel and Egypt

Collective Farms

Large government-controlled farms formed by combining many small farms

Mao's Red Army

Mao Zedong's Communist army formed to fight and defeat the Nationalists in the Chinese Civil War.

Great Leap Forward

Mao Zedong's economic and social program (1958-1961) to transition China into an agricultural society by forcing the Chinese people to live on collective farms.

Red Guards

Militia units formed by young Chinese people in 1966 in response to Mao Zedong's call for a social and cultural revolution

Pakistan

Newly formed country in 1947, created for Muslims after the breakup of the British Empire in India.

Yasir Arafat

Palestinian leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) who used violence to fight against the state of Israel.

Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)

Palestinian organization founded in 1964 with the purpose of the "liberation of Palestine" through armed struggle

West Bank

Palestinian territory east of Israel that is home to Bethlehem, and Palestinians who hope to create their own state someday.

Gamal Nasser

President of Egypt from 1956-1970, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Key participant in the Camp David Accords, which brought peace between Egypt and Israel.

Bangladesh

South Asian country established in 1971 that was once part of British India, and East Pakistan after the Partition of India.

Partition

Splitting apart or division of some thing. In the case of British India, it was split into a Muslim Pakistan and mostly-Hindu India.

War of Independence

The first Israeli-Arab war that took place shortly after the creation of the Jewish state of Israel in 1948, in which Israel won.

Camp David Accords

The first signed agreement between Israel and an Arab country, leading to a peace treaty, in which Egypt recognized Israel as a legitimate state and Israel agreed to return the Sinai peninsula back to Egypt.

Federal Republic of Germany

The formal title of Germany today, and during the Cold War, the name of West Germany.

People's Republic of China

The name for Communist China, officially established in 1950.

38th Parallel

The north parallel line established by the US and USSR after WWII separating the communists in North Korea and capitalists in South Korea.

Gaza Strip

Tiny, coastal Palestinian territory that is under the control of Hamas and is frequently at war with Israel, which used to control it.

Jimmy Carter

US President from 1976-1980, who oversaw the Camp David Accords, as well as the Iran Hostage Crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Potsdam Conference

WWII conference held in August 1945 in Potsdam, Germany, where the Big Three leaders of the Allied Powers: Churchill, Truman, and Stalin, discussed the way to end WWII and a post-WWII world.

Yalta Conference

WWII conference held in February 1945, in Yalta, in the USSR, where the Big Three leaders of the Allied Powers: Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin, discussed the plan to divide Germany after WWII, and other key issues.

The 1956 Suez Crisis

War between Egypt against Israel, France, and England, after the Egyptians nationalized the Suez Canal.