Post WW II Vocabulary World War II

Non- aggression pact: Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin signed a 10 year non aggression pact with Hitler on August 23rd, 1939, to never attack each other. Blitzkrieg: The German invasion of Poland was the first test of Germanys newest military strategy called blitzkrieg (lightning war). It involved fast moving airplanes and tanks followed by an army of troops. Charles de Gaulle: French general who fled to London and set up a government in exile there to get France back. Winston Churchill: New British Prime Minister when Germany attacks Britain after France Battle of Britain: The air battle between the German air force Luftwaffe and the Royal air force of Britain. Hitlers plan was called Operation sea lion. German air force began bombing Great Britain and they even bombed important cities like London. The battle ended on May 10, 1941 because Hitler was surprised by the resistance they had. Atlantic charter: Roosevelt and Churchill met secretly on a battleship off Newfoundland on August 9th. They issued a joint declaration called the Atlantic Charter. It upheld free trade among nations and the right of people to choose their own government. The charter served as the Allies peace plan at the end of WW II. Isoroku Yamamoto: Japans greatest Naval Strategist who planned the Pearl Harbor attack. Battle of Midway:

Cold War around the World

First World: USA and its allies, democratic government, free market economy Second World: soviet union and its allies, communists, Third world: all other countries, Asia and Africa, Egypt South America: aka Latin America was one of the developing nations Non- aligned nations: the third force that included countries which were not aligned with either of the superpowers. Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini: Leader of the religious opposition who was against the idea of westernization of the Middle East. India: one of the non aligned nations Fidel Castro: Spanish, Lawyer, led the Cuban revolution. Brought reforms to improve Cuban economy, literacy health and conditions for women. Anastasio Somoza: Nicaraguan Dictator CIA: Planned invasion of Cuba, engaged in covert affairs Daniel Ortega: leader of the Sandinistas

Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi: Iranian leader embraced western governments and wealthy western oil companies. Cold war strategies: Both the superpowers used techniques to het the third world under their control. Sandinistas: Aid given by Soviet Union, led by Daniel Ortega KGB: Soviet Unions spy agency (= to US CIA) Contras: Nicaraguan anti-communist rebel forces Covert : Secret affairs of the CIA and the KGB Violeta Chamorro: Defeated Ortega after the civil war when Ortega decided to hold free elections. Exiles/ Bay of Pigs: in 1960, CIA planned invasion of Cuba and began to train antiCastro Cuban exiles. April 1961, they landed on Bay of Pigs in Cuba JFK: US president at the time of the cold war Iran: Country in the middle east Nationalize: British owned oil company was nationalized by the Iranians Cuban Missile crisis/ Nikita Khrushchev: The failed B of Pigs invasion convinced Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev that the US wouldnt mind if they invaded in South America. They secretly began to build 42 sites. The US found out about this when they sent a spy plane over the sites. JFK immediately declared that that the sites should be closed because they were really close to the US. Fulgencio Batista: Cubas Unpopular dictator Ayatollahs: Irans Conservative Muslim leaders, who opposed the idea of limiting Islamic influence of religion. Mujahideen: Determined afghan rebel forces who outnumbered the soviet army Saddam Hussein: Military Leader who governed Iraq as a secular state. Muslim Fundamentalists (strict Believers): Encouraged by Khomeini in other countries to overthrow secular governments. Mikhail Gorbachev: US president who ordered his forces to leave Vietnam. Shia Muslims: Iranian Muslims Sunni Muslims: Iraqi Muslims

Secular: the type of government that was not appreciated by Khomeini and his followers. Afghanistan: Also involved in the cold war. Invaded by soviets in December 1979.