Island School History
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  • Y7/8 MYP
  • Y9 History
    • 1. Innovation & Industry >
      • 1. Causes
      • 2. Innovations
      • 3. Conditions
      • 4. Changes
      • 5. Sources
      • 6-7. Assessment 1 >
        • The USA
      • 8. Reflection
    • 2. Empire and Expansion >
      • 1. What is an Empire?
      • 2. Benefits of an Empire
      • 3. Negatives of Empire expansion
      • 4. Perspectives on Empires
      • 5. Assessment
    • 3. Rebellion and Revolution >
      • 1. Why do people protest?
      • 2. What are the causes of revolutions?
      • 3. What are the methods of protest?
      • 4. What are the consequences of protests?
      • 5. Assessment
      • Student Work
    • 4. War and Conflict >
      • 1. Causes of WW2
      • 2. Did that really happen here? WW2 in Hong Kong
      • 3. Why did the War extend to Hong Kong?
      • 4. How did the War affect Hong Kong?
      • 5. Assessment
    • Old History >
      • 1. Hong Kong Story >
        • Further Reading
      • 2. The Slave Trade
      • 3. The First World War
      • 4. The Changing Role of Women
  • Elements
    • Big History Project >
      • 1. What is Big History? >
        • 1.0 - Welcome to Big History
        • 1.1 - Scale
        • 1.2 - Origin Stories
        • 1.3 - What are Disciplines?
        • 1.4 - My Big History
        • Glossary
      • 2. The Big Bang >
        • 2.0 - Changing Understandings
        • 2.1 - The Big Bang
        • 2.2 - Claim Testing
        • Glossary
        • Links & Resources
      • 3. Stars and Elements >
        • 3.0 - How were stars formed?
        • 3.1 - Creation of Complex Elements
        • 3.2 - Ways of Knowing: Stars & Elements
        • Glossary
      • 4. Our Solar System & Earth >
        • 4.0 - Formation of Earth & Our Solar System
        • 4.1 - What was young Earth like?
        • 4.2 - Why is Plate Tectonics important?
        • 4.3 - Ways of Knowing: Our Solar System and Earth
        • Glossary
      • 5. Life >
        • 5.0 - What is Life?
        • 5.1 - How did Life Begin and Change?
        • 5.2 - How do Earth and Life Interact?
        • 5.3 - Ways of Knowing: Life
        • Glossary
      • 6. Early Humans >
        • 6.0 - How Our Ancesters Evolved
        • 6.1 - Ways of Knowing: Early Humans
        • 6.2 - Collective Learning
        • 6.3 - How did the First Humans live?
        • Glossary
      • 7. Agriculture & Civilisation >
        • 7.0 - The Rise of Agriculture
        • 7.1 - The First Cities and States
        • 7.2 - Ways of Knowing: Agriculture & Civilisation
        • Glossary
      • 8. Expansion & Interconnection >
        • 8.0 - Expansion
        • 8.1 - Exploration & Interconnection
        • 8.2 - The Columbian Exchange
        • 8.3 - Commerce & Collective Learning
        • Glossary
      • 9. Acceleration >
        • 9.0 - Transitions, Thresholds & Turning Points in Human History
        • 9.1 - Acceleration
        • 9.2 - The Anthropocene
        • 9.3 - Changing Economies
        • 9.4 - Industrialism
        • 9.5 - Modern States and Identities
        • 9.6 - Crisis and Conflict
        • 9.7 - Acceleration: Demographic, Political, and Technological
        • Glossary
      • 10. The Future >
        • 10.0 - Looking Back
        • 10.1 - The Biosphere
        • 10.2 - Looking Forward
        • Glossary
      • Assessment Rubrics
      • Key Texts
      • Little Big History
      • Further Reading
      • Further Watching
      • Thresholds of Increasing Complexity
      • Student Work
    • Social History
  • IGCSE
    • Germany 1918-45 >
      • 1. The Establishment of the Weimar Republic & Its Early Problems
      • 2. The Recovery of Germany 1924-1929
      • 3. The Rise of Hitler and the Nazis 1919-1933
      • 4. Life in Nazi Germany 1933-1939
      • 5. Germany during the Second World War
      • Old Exam Questions
      • Further Reading
      • Further Watching
    • China 1900-89 >
      • 1. China 1900-1934
      • 2. Mao & the CCP 1934-1949
      • 3. Change under Mao 1949-1963
      • 4. The Impact of the Cultural Revolution
      • 5. China after Mao 1976-1989
      • Old Exam Questions
      • Further Reading
      • Further Watching
    • US Civil Rights 1945-74 >
      • 1. McCarthyism and the Red Scare
      • 2. Civil Rights in the 1950s
      • 3. The Impact of MLK & Black Power
      • 4. Protest Movements
      • 5. Nixon & Watergate
      • Old Exam Questions
      • Further Reading
      • Further Watching
    • Russia & the USSR 1905-24 >
      • Old Exam Questions
    • Past Papers
  • IBDP
    • Paper 1 >
      • Rights and Protest >
        • Exam Questions
      • The Move to Global War >
        • 1. Japanese Expansion >
          • 1. Impact of the Meiji Restoration
          • 2. Foreign Policy in the 1920s
          • 3. The Invasion of Manchuria
          • 4. The Sino-Japanese War
          • 5. The Road to War
        • 2. German and Italian Expansion >
          • 1. Causes of Italian Expansion
          • 2. Responses to Italian Expansion
          • 3. Causes of German Expansion
          • 4. Responses to German Expansion
          • 5. The Road to War in Europe
        • Exam Questions
    • Paper 2 >
      • Paper 2: The Cold War >
        • 1. Why did the Grand Alliance breakdown? >
          • 1. What role did ideology play in the Grand Alliance?
          • 2. How did wartime disagreements affect the alliance?
          • 3. Did Soviet expansionism end the alliance?
          • 4. Was US exceptionalism to blame?
          • 5. Did events in Asia exacerbate tensions?
          • 6. Were tensions over Germany the final straw?
          • 7. Assessment: Who was to blame for the Cold War?
        • 2. How did superpower competition unfold? >
          • 1. How did competition unfold in Asia?
          • 2. What conflicts emerged in Europe?
          • 3. How did the Cold War shape the Middle East?
          • 4. Were tensions in the Americas unexpected?
          • 5. Why did the Cold War spread to Africa?
          • 6. How did scientific change drive the conflict?
          • 7. Assessment: Who won the global struggle?
        • 3. Were attempts at detente a failure? >
          • 1. Did peaceful coexistence work?
          • 2. What did detente achieve?
          • 3. Why did detente fail?
          • 4. Were other forms of cooperation effective?
          • 5. Assessment: Was detente a failure?
        • 4. What role did China play in the Cold War?
        • 5. How did the Cold War end?
        • 6. What role did leaders, crises and nations play?
        • Exam Questions
        • Further Reading
        • Glossary
        • Historiography
        • Primary Sources
      • Paper 2: Authoritarian States >
        • 1. Emergence of Authoritarian States >
          • 1. Why do Authoritarian States emerge?
          • 2. Rise of Hitler
          • 3. Rise of Mao
          • 4. Rise of Castro
          • 5. Rise of Stalin
          • 6. Comparing the Emergence of Authoritarian States
        • 2. Consolidation & Maintenance of Power >
          • 1. Hitler's Germany 1933-45
          • 2. Mao's China 1949-1976
          • 3. Castro's Cuba 1959-Present
          • 4. Comparing the Rule of Authoritarian States
        • 3. Aims and Results of Domestic Policies >
          • 4. Comparing Domestic Policies
        • Exam Questions
    • Paper 3: Asia and Oceania >
      • Topic 9: Imperial Decline in East Asia 1860-1912 >
        • 1. The Tongzhi Restoration
        • 2. Effects of the Sino-Japanese War
        • 3. Impact of the Boxer Rebellion
        • 4. The 1911 Xinhai Revolution
        • 5. The Meiji Restoration
        • 6. Early Japanese Imperialism
        • 7. The Opening of Korea
        • Exam Questions
      • Topic 11: Japan 1912-1990 >
        • 1. Taisho Japan
        • 2. The Rise of Militarism
        • 3. The Move to Global War
        • 4. The Pacific War
        • 5. The US Occupation
        • 6. The 'Economic Miracle'
        • Exam Questions
      • Topic 12: China and Korea 1910-1950 >
        • 1. What accounts for the rise of nationalism? >
          • 1. Was Yuan Shikai a national hero or villain?
          • 2. What did Sun Yixian do to promote nationalism?
          • 3. What was the impact of WW1 on nationalism?
          • 4. How significant was the New Culture Movement?
          • 5. Did the May 4th Movement achieve anything?
          • 6. How did nationalism survive the warlords?
          • 7. Assessment: What accounts for the rise of nationalism?
        • 2. Did Guomindang rule achieve anything? >
          • 1. How did Chiang Kai-shek emerge as leader of the GMD?
          • 2. Why was the Northern Expedition successful?
          • 3. Was the Nanjing Decade a success?
          • 4. Assessment: Was GMD rule a success or failure?
        • 3. Was the rise of communism inevitable? >
          • 1. What were conditions like for peasants in China?
          • 2. How did the CCP benefit from the First United Front?
          • 3. Why did the First United Front fail?
          • 4. How did Mao become leader of the Jiangxi Soviet?
          • 5. To what extent was the Long March a turning point?
          • 6. How did Mao consolidate his position at Yan'an?
          • 7. Assessment: Was Communism inevitable?
        • 4. How did war and conflict benefit the CPC? >
          • 1. What were the turning points of the Sino-Japanese War?
          • 2. What accounts for GMD failures during the war?
          • 3. What were the turning points of the Civil War?
          • 4. Did the CPC win or GMD lose the civil war?
          • 5. Assessment: Where did the CPC win the civil war?
        • 5. What was the impact of Japanese occupation on Korea?
        • 6. Was martial law in Taiwan justified?
        • Exam Questions
      • Topic 14: The People's Republic of China 1949-2005 >
        • 1. How did the CPC consolidate power? >
          • 1. What form of government did the CPC take?
          • 2. What policies did Mao use to consolidate power?
          • 3. What methods of repression did Mao use?
          • 4. What does the Hundred Flowers Campaign reveal?
          • 5. Assessment: How successful was Mao's consolidation of power?
        • 2. Was the transition to socialism successful? >
          • 1. Did the First Five Year Plan achieve its goals?
          • 2. What happened during the Great Leap Forward?
          • 3. Who was responsible for the Great Famine?
          • 4. How did the economy change in the 1960s?
          • 5. Assessment: How successful was the socialist economy?
        • 3. Who benefited from CPC rule under Mao? >
          • 1. How did CPC rule change society?
          • 2. Assessment: Did CPC rule benefit society?
        • 4. What was the cultural revolution? >
          • 1. What caused the cultural revolution?
          • 2. How did the cultural revolution evolve?
          • 3. What was the impact of the cultural revolution?
          • 4. Assessment: How can we explain the cultural revolution?
        • 5. Did China become a global power under Mao? >
          • 1. How did the CPC change China's foreign policy?
          • 2. Why were Sino-Soviet relations so turbulent?
          • 3. How did Sino-American relations change?
          • 4. What other relations did China cultivate?
          • 5. Assessment: When did China become a global power?
        • 6. How did Deng Xiaoping win power? >
          • 1. How did the Gang of Four rise to power?
          • 2. Why did Hua Guofeng become leader?
          • 3. Assessment: How did Deng Xiaoping win power?
        • 7. What accounts for China's modern success? >
          • 1. How successful were Deng Xiaoping's reforms?
          • 2. Why wasn't there a fifth modernisation in China?
          • 3. What was the significance of Tiananmen Square?
          • 4. How did China develop under Jiang Zemin?
          • 5. Assessment: What accounts for China's modern success?
        • Exam Questions
        • Further Reading
        • Historiography
        • Primary Sources
      • Topic 15: Cold War Conflicts in Asia >
        • 1. How was Communism defeated in Malaya? >
          • 1. What triggered conflict in Malaya?
          • 2. How did the Emergency evolve?
          • 3. Why was the insurgency defeated?
          • 4. What was the impact of the Emergency?
          • 5. Assessment: Why was Communism defeated?
        • 2. Why was the Korean War a turning point? >
          • 1. What caused the Korean War?
          • 2. How did the Korean War evolve?
          • 3. How was the Korean War resolved?
          • 4. What was the impact of the war?
          • 5. Assessment: Was the war a turning point?
        • 3. Why did the French fail to defeat the Vietminh? >
          • 1. What caused the Indochina War?
          • 2. How did the Indochina War evolve?
          • 3. How was the war in Indochina resolved?
          • 4. What was the impact of the French Indochina War?
          • 5. Assessment: What accounts for the French defeat?
        • 4. Could the Vietnam War have been avoided? >
          • 1. What caused the Vietnam War?
          • 2. How did the Vietnam War evolve?
          • 3. How was the Vietnam War resolved?
          • 4. What was the impact of the Vietnam War?
          • 5. Assessment: Was the Vietnam War inevitable?
        • 5. How was Cambodia shaped by the Cold War?
        • 6. How were the Soviets defeated in Afghanistan?
        • Exam Questions
    • Internal Assessment >
      • Forming Questions
      • Researching Primary Sources >
        • New York Times Digital Archive
        • SCMP Digital Archive
      • Researching Secondary Sources >
        • Google Scholar
        • History Today
        • HK Public Library e-resources
        • jstor
        • questia
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      • Source Evaluation
      • Chicago Citation Format
      • IA Help Guide
    • Extended Essay >
      • 1. Title Page
      • 2. Abstract & Contents Page
      • 3. Introduction
      • 4. Body of the Essay
      • 5. Conclusion
      • 6. References, Bibliography & Appendices
    • Mark Schemes
    • Revision
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          • 1. Forming Questions
          • 2. Command Words
          • 3. Topic Analysis
          • 4. Essay Structure
        • Essay Writing >
          • 1. Introductions
          • 2. Conclusions
          • 3. Words and Phrases
          • 4. Quotations
          • 5. Sentences
          • 6. Width and Depth
          • 7. Citing Sources
          • 8. Spelling and Grammar
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THE COLD WAR: GLOSSARY

17th Parallel
Temporary division line of North and South Vietnam established by the 1954 Geneva Accords.
38th Parallel
The line of latitude chosen to divide Korea after the Second World War. The territory north of the line was put under Soviet administration whilst the lands south of the line was put under American administration. Initial intended to be a temporary division, after the Korean War the 38th parallel became the permanent dividing line between North and South Korea.
Able Archer
A 1983 NATO military exercise which almost started a nuclear war with the USSR as the Soviets believed it was cover for a pre-emptive nuclear strike.
ABM
Anti-ballistic missiles which are designed to intercept and destroy nuclear missiles.
A-Bomb
Weapon with huge explosive power that results from the sudden release of energy.
Agent Orange
Herbicide used by US military in Vietnam. The aim was to defoliate forested areas and expose guerrilla fighters. It had huge health effects on those exposed to it.
Allied Control Council (ACC)
Council setup to control the whole of Germany after the Second World War. Its members were the UK, USA, USSR and later France.
Allies (Allied Powers)
Name given to the grouping of the United Kingdom, USA and USSR who fought on the same side in the Second World War.
American-Japanese Security Treaty
Treaty first signed in 1951 (after the Peace Treaty of San Francisco) that made Japan a military protectorate of the USA.
Anarchy
When  there is no government or control in society, leading to disorder and confusion.
Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty
Treaty between the USA and USSR in 1972 on the limitation of anti-ballistic missile systems, which can be used to intercept and destroy nuclear missiles.
Anti-colonialism
Against the idea of countries having colonies and empires.
Anti-nuclearism
Opposition to nuclear weapons.
Apartheid
Racist system of 'apartness' which was introduced by the nationalist government of South Africa in 1948 to ensure white-dominated political rule.
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
A July 1975 joint US-Soviet space mission and symbol of detente. It marked the end of the space race.
Appeasement
Achieving peace by giving concessions or by satisfying demands. It was the policy used by the UK towards Germany before the Second World War (see Munich Agreement).
Arab League
Organisation of Arab countries formed in 1945, which aims to draw closer relationships between states.
Armistice
Agreement to end fighting.
Arms race
Competition to gain weapons superiority that took place between East and West during the Cold War.
Association Principle
UN principle that all 'peace-loving states' could be members.
Aswan Dam
Dam across the Nile in Aswan, Egypt. It was built between 1960 and 1970 to prevent flooding, provide people with water, and generate electricity. It helped to improve the Egyptian economy.
Atlantic Charter
Policy statement issued in 1941 that set out Allied goals after the Second World War, drafted by the US and UK.
Attorney General
In the USA, the top law enforcement officer and lawyer for the government.
Austrian State Treaty of 1955
This treaty was signed by the UK, France, the USA, and the USSR. At a conference, agreement was made to end the post-war occupation of Austria and to recognise the Austrian Republic.
Backyard Furnaces
Used by the Chinese during the Great Leap Forward, these were blast furnaces in the backyards of people's homes and communes, used to make steel.
Baggage Train Leaders
Men who had spent much of World War Two in Moscow, and were considered by the Soviets to be 'trustworthy'. They would thus ensure that the post-war governments of their respective countries would be dominated by Moscow-backed, 'Stalinist' Communists.
Balkans
Region in southeast Europe; Albania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia were governed by Communists during the Cold War.
Ballistic Missile
A rocket that follows a flightpath to deliver warheads to a target.
Bandung Conference
This conference in August 1955 in the Indonesian city of Bandung was the first international gathering of independent Asian and African countries. It inaugurated the Non-Aligned Movement.
Baruch Plan
A 1946 proposal for an organisation that would regulate atomic energy. The plan proposed that United States would destroy its weapons on the condition that the UN controlled all atomic development and that this would not be subject to veto in the Security Council. The plan was not accepted by the Soviet Union.
Basic Principles Agreement
Laid down rules for the conduct of nuclear war and development of weapons, and committed the USSR and USA to work together to prevent conflict and promote peaceful co-existence. Formed part of the 1972 SALT I agreement package. 
Berlin Airlift
After World War Two, the German capital city, Berlin, was located in the Soviet zone, but was also divided into four sections under the USA, UK, France and the USSR. The USSR closed all routes into Berlin in 1948 during the Berlin Blockade, but Britain, France and the US supplied their sectors by carrying out airlifts of supplies for a year.
Berlin Blockade
This was one of the first major crises of the Cold War and lasted from June 1948-May 1949. After World War Two, the German capital city of Berlin was located deep within the Soviet zone, but was also divided into four sections under the USA, UK, France and the USSR. In June 1948, the USSR closed all routes into Berlin in response to the introduction of the new currency into the Western sectors of the city. On 12th May 1949, Stalin abandoned the blockade, but the clash was to lead to the division of Germany into East and West and to the building of the Berlin Wall.
Berlin Crisis
This event lasted from 1958 to 1961. The USSR demanded that the Western powers in Berlin - UK, USA, France - withdrew from the city within six months. Tension continued to grow and more people moved from East to West Berlin. Khrushchev and Ulbricht closed the East German border in Berlin in August 1961. The initial barbed wire fencing was replaced by a concrete wall that separated East and West until 1989.
Bias
Opinion taking into consideration only one side of an argument.
Big Five
The first five permanent members of the UN Security Council; the USA, the USSR, France, Britain and China.
Big Three
Term used to refer to Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill at the Yalta Conference of 1945.
Bilateral Agreement
An agreement in which the parties exchange promises to do something for each other.
Bill of Rights
A document that sets out rights for individuals in a country.
Bizonia
The combined US and British zones of Germany in 1947.
Bloc
A group of countries or people that share the same interest or aims and usually act together.
Bolshevik
A Russian Communist; a member of the left-wing Leninist Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party.
Bolshevik Revolution
This took place in Russia in October 1917 when the Bolshevik Party, under the leadership of Lenin, overthrew the provisional government, which had been in power since the abdication of the Tsar in February 1917. In the aftermath of the revolution, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was established in 1922.
Bourgeois
Relating to the 'middle classes' (bourgeoisie) or associated with the middle classes of a country. It is usually used in a negative way in the context of Marxist writings where the bourgeoisie are contrasted with the superior proletariat, or working classes.
Boycott
When a group of people, or a country, refuses to take part in something, or do business/have contact with another group or government.
BRD
Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or West Germany. See FRG.
Bretton Woods System
Agreements about international economic relationships made between the UK, US, and other Allied countries in June 1944. It included the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. The USSR was originally involved but withdrew in 1945.
Brezhnev Doctrine
The doctrine expounded by Leonid Brezhnev in November 1968 affirming the right of the Soviet Union to intervene in the affairs of Communist countries to strengthen Communism.
Brinkmanship
Pushing dangerous events to the brink of disaster in order to achieve the most advantageous outcome. This tactic was used during the Cold War.
Brussels Pact
This was signed in 1949 between Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the UK. It was designed to organise a system of European mutual defence and was thus a precursor to NATO, which was set up later in 1949.
Camp David
The country retreat of the US president in Washington, DC.
Camp David Accords
Agreements signed by Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin (the Israeli leader) in 1978 at Camp David, which led to the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty.
Capitalism
An economic system where a great deal of trade and industry is privately owned and runs to make a profit.
Carter Doctrine
Announced in 1980, this doctrine committed the United States to intervention if the Soviets threatened Western interests in the Persian Gulf.
​Catalyst
Something that speeds up or causes the action of a process or event.
Censorship
Control by the government of the content of films, newspapers, books and so on, and by this action suppression of anything considered a threat to the power of the state.
Checkpoint Charlie
The name the Western Allies gave to the crossing point in the Berlin Wall between East and West Berlin.
Chernobyl
City in Ukraine, under Soviet authority, which was the site of a nuclear power plant disaster in 1986.
Chinese Civil War
After the Second World War ended in 1945, renewed civil war - ongoing since the 1920s - broke out between Mao Zedong's Communist followers and the Nationalist Party, the Guomindang, led by Jiang Jieshi. The war ended when Mao declared the creation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949.
Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
The ruiling political party of the PRC, founded in 1921. In 1949 it defeated the Guomindang and has been in power since.
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency, the main intelligence-gathering agency in the USA.
Civic Forum
Political movement established in 1989 during the Velvet Revolution that called for reform in Czechoslovakia.
Clique
Small, exclusive group of people that is apart from the main group.
Collective Security Principle
A UN principle of member states working together to stop aggressor states and potential conflict.
Collectivisation
Process by which all private farmland in the Soviet Union was put into large collective farms controlled by the state.
Colony
A state controlled by another country.
Collusion
Secret understanding, often for a dishonest purpose.
COMECON
The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, economic organisation from 1949 to 1991 under the leadership of the USSR and including Eastern Bloc countries and other socialist states.
Cominform
Communist Information Bureau set up in September 1947. This was the first official forum of the international Communist movement and increased Stalin's control over the Communist parties of other countries.
Comintern
The Communist International, an international Communist organisation begun in Moscow in 1919. It aimed to spread Communist revolution.
Committee of National Liberation
Group which later came to be known as the Lublin Committee, who stated that they were a coalition of democratic and patriotic forces who wished to work with the Soviet Union.
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
A free association of sovereign states of republics that were formerly part of the Soviet Union; formed in 1991.
Communique 
Official form of correspondence, such as a news report.
Communism
Political viewpoint that all businesses and farms should be owned by the state on behalf of the people. Only one leader and party is needed, and goods will be distributed to individuals by the state. Everyone will thus get what is needed and everyone will be working for the collective good.
Comsymp
A person sympathetic to Communist causes.
Conservatism
Political viewpoint that believes in maintaining the existing or traditional order. Conservatives believe in respect for traditional institutions, limiting government intervention in people's lives, and gradual and/or limited changes in the established order.
Constitution
Set of rules that lay down how an organisation or a country should be governed.
Containment
US policy towards Communism by which it would resist Communism anywhere in the world where it was perceived to be a threat. This would involve the USA fighting in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
Contras
Right-wing group who challenged the Sandanista regime in Nicaragua.
Conventional Arms
Weapons that are not of mass destruction, such as biological or nuclear.
Council of Foreign Ministers
Organisation agreed at Potsdam in 1945. It consisted of the foreign ministers of the UK, USSR, China, France and the USA, and had the job of drawing up peace treaties with various countries, sorting out territorial questions, and making a peace settlement for Germany.
Counter-insurgency
Type of military campaign which is used during an occupation or a civil war to put down rebellion.
Counterforce Strategy
Policy of Kennedy's Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, in which the objective would be to destroy the enemy's military forces, but not cities and thus not civilian populations.
Coup/Coup d'etat
Violent or illegal seizure of power by a small group or clique.
Covert
Secret or hidden.
Cruise Missile
Guided missiles that are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high accuracy.
Cuban Missile Crisis
Thirteen-day confrontation in 1962 between the USA and the USSR over Soviet missiles in Cuba. This was the closest the Cold War came to nuclear conflict.
Cuban People's Party
Party joined in 1947 by Castro, who was attracted to this new party's campaign against corruption, injustice, poverty, unemployment, and low pay.
Cult of Personality
The creation of a heroic and all-powerful leader by use of media, propaganda, especially in totalitarian states.
Cultural Genocide
Destruction of the culture of a nation, race or religious group. It follows from the word genocide, which is usually used to denote the physical destruction of a national, racial, religious or ethnic population.
Cultural Revolution
Launched in May 1966, Mao's programme to initiate a revolution at the very heart of traditional Chinese 'culture' in order to eliminate liberal and bourgeois thinking and behaviour.
Curzon Line
Demarcation line between Poland and Russia, proposed in 1919 after the First World War.
Czech Coup
Events of 1948 in Czechoslovakia, which was seen by the Soviets as moving towards the West. Twelve non-Communist politicians were forced to resign and a Communist-led government was installed. Truman used the events to implement the Marshall Plan in Europe.
DDR 
see GDR.
Decolonisation
Process by which colonies or lands that had been controlled by European powers regained their independence after 1945. 
Deconstructions
Taking things apart in order to look at them in more detail.
Defoliants
Chemical sprays that destroy plants; Agent Orange was a defoliant used in the Vietnam War to destroy the jungle.
Demilitarisation
Reduction of a nation's army, weapons, and/or military vehicles to an agreed minimum, often as part of a peace treaty.
Demobilisation
When an army disbands and goes home.
Democracy
Greek term, meaning 'rule of the people'; a form of government in which citizens choose the government through free and fair voting systems and elections.
Democratic Party
In US politics, one of the two main political parties, the other being the Republican Party. It promotes social-liberal, left-wing policies; a mixed economy; civil rights; welfare state systems; and equality. Other democratic parties have similar ideals.
Democratisation
The transition to a more democratic political system.
Despot
A ruler or other person who holds absolute power - typically one who exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way.
De-Stalinisation
Process of Soviet political reform after Stalin's death in 1953, which included the changing or removal of gulags, his cult of personality, and the bodies and institutions that he had set up to support his power.
Detente
Meaning 'relaxation' or 'thawing out', this is the easing of strained relations, especially in a political situation. It is a US term used mainly to refer to the easing of Cold War tensions between the USA and USSR from 1969 to the 1980s.
Deterrence
The idea that possession of nuclear weapons by a country will deter other states from attacking with nuclear force due to the effects of retaliation and the threat of mutually assured destruction (MAD).
Developing World
Countries in which there is a lower standard of living and less-developed industry than, for example, many Western countries such as the USA.
Diplomatic Isolation
Sometimes called international isolation, a penalty applied by an international organisation, such as the UN or a group of countries, towards a nation, group, or government, in effect cutting it off - isolating it - from the worldwide community.
Disarmament
The reducing, limiting, or abolishing of weapons.
Dollar Imperialism
Term used by Molotov (Soviet Foreign Minister) to express the belief that the USA was using the Marshall Plan to create a sphere of influence in the West and would extend this to the Eastern bloc.
Domestic
Concerned with what is going on inside a country itself, as opposed to its international relations.
Domestic Policy
Policy that concerns laws, government programmes, and administrative decisions, such as taxes, social welfare and legal rights, within a country's borders.
Domino Effect
Belief that if one country fell to Communism, then all countries in the area would also fall to Communism, like a row of dominoes falling over after one is knocked.
DPRK
Abbreviation for North Korea - the country's official name being the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
East Germany
see GDR.
Economic Sanctions
Sanctions imposed against a country in an attempt to force it to change it policies. It usually relates to trade, meaning that certain goods will not be sent to, or traded with, the country in question.
EEC
The European Economic Community, an international supra-national organisation created by the Treaty of Rome in 1957. It replaced the 1951 European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). Its aim was to bring about economic and political integration. In 1993 it was renamed the European Community (EC) and along with other European organisations, formed the European Union (EU).
Egalitarianism
The idea of equality for all people.
Eisenhower Doctrine
1957 policy that the United States would assist any country in the Middle East to fight against Communism.
Embargo
Partial or complete prohibition of commerce and trade with a particular country or a group of countries.
European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)
International organisation to unify European countries after World War Two established by the 1951 Treaty of Paris and signed by Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The ECSC was a precursor of the European Union (EU).
European Security Conference
Conference held in Helsinki in 1973 and the high point of detente. It was attended by 33 countries.
ExComm
The Executive Committee of the National Security Council (commonly referred to as simply the Executive Committee or ExComm); a body of US government officials that convened to advise President Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
Expansionist
Policy of expanding or increasing power or territory.
Fallout Shelter
Place built to protect people from a nuclear attack.
Fanaticism
Extreme opinions, usually referring to politics or religion.
Fascism
A political ideology that favours limited freedom of people, nationalism, and/or use of violence to achieve ends, and an aggressive foreign policy. Power is in the hands of an elite leader or leadership.
FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation, a US government agency that investigates crime and is an intelligence agency. It was established in 1908.
Feudalism
A way of structuring society around the loan of land in exchange for labour. A class- or caste-based system of power and privilege.
Final Act
The final agreement of the European Security Conference held in Helsinki in 1973, which took the form of three 'baskets'.
First Strike
Refers to the ability to launch the first nuclear strike in a nuclear war.
Five Revolutionary Laws
Fidel Castro's manifesto for Cuba, which promised that there would be a return of power to the people; land rights for those holding or squatting on smaller plots; workers to have a 30% share of profits; sugar plantation workers to have a 55% share of profits; and the end of corruption.
Five-Year Plan
Five-year plans for the development of the national economy of the Soviet Union were a series of nationwide economic development plans. Other Communist countries followed similar plans.
Flexible Response
President Kennedy's method of containing Communism - by expanding the available means of fighting against it.
Foreign Policy
Strategies chosen by a nation to guard its national interests and to maintain and manage international relations with other countries.
Formosa
Historical name for Taiwan.
Formosa Resolution
A bill of 1955 that said America had a commitment to defend Formosa (Taiwan) and which ended the first Taiwan crisis.
Four Modernisations
Deng Xiaoping's policies for modernisation in agriculture, defence and technology.
Free Market
Economic system often associated with Capitalism, in which the prices of goods and services are set by sellers and consumers and not by the government or other authority. 
Free Trade
Policy in international markets, in which governments do not restrict imports or exports.
FRG
The Federal Republic of Germany, or West Germany (in German: BRD, Bundesrepublik Deutschland)
G7
A group consisting of the finance ministers and banks of seven major, advanced economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the USA. The UN is also included.
Gaither Report
A 1957 report to President Eisenhower that recommended a significant strengthening of American military capabilities.
Gang of Four
Group that gained political power and influence during the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-76).
GDR
Abbreviation for East Germany, the German Democratic Republic. In German it is called the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik).
General Assembly
The main deliberative, policy-making and representative organ of the UN. All members have a vote in the General Assembly.
Geneva Accords
Peace agreement of 1954, after the French defeat at the Vietnamese battle of Dien Bien Phu, through which Indochina was freed from French colonial control, Vietnam was divided, and Laos and Cambodia became independent states.
Geneva Conference
Conference in Geneva in 1954 to end hostilities and create peace in Indochina. It produced the Geneva Accords.
Glasnost
Policy of 'openness' introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev when he became Soviet president in 1985.
GNP (gross national product)
Annual total value of goods and service produced in a country.
Grand Alliance
Name given to the alliance of the USA, UK and the USSR during World War Two.
Great Leap Forward
Policy of Mao, begun in 1958, to develop rapidly China's agricultural and industrial sectors simultaneously, via grain and steel production. In the process, Mao would also create the 'proletarian class' required for revolution by the Marxist model.
Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
Full name of Mao's Cultural Revolution, launched in May 1966. His declared aim was to initiate a revolution at the very heart of traditional Chinese 'culture' in order to eliminate liberal and bourgeois thinking and behaviour.
Great Society
US President Johnson's programme to improve civil rights, eradicate poverty, increase access to health and education, and create a cleaner environment.
Great Terror
Stalin's purges of all political opponents from 1936-40, as well as millions of ordinary people, who were executed or sent to the gulags.
Green Berets
US military counter-insurgency force trained in guerrilla fighting.
Guantanamo Bay
US naval base on Cuba, located on land leased for American use since 1903. Since 2002 it has also been the site of a military prison for those suspected of terror offences in the wake of the War on Terror.
Guerilla War
Form of warfare in which small groups of fighters use tactics such as launching sudden, unexpected attacks, raids and ambushes.
Gulag
A network of forced labour camps in the Soviet Union, or a camp in this network.
Gulf of Tonkin
Body of water off the coast of northern Vietnam and southern China. In August 1964 American ships were allegedly fired on by North Vietnamese patrol boats while patrolling and gathering intelligence in the Gulf of Tonkin, which President Johnson used to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
This authorised the US president to 'take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression'. The Tonkin Resolution was used as the legal basis for the war in Vietnam.
Guomindang (GMD)
The name of the Nationalist party of China led by Jiang Jieshi that fought against the Communists in the Chinese Civil War. After it lost to Mao Zedong's Communists in the Civil War, it set up a Chinese Nationalist government on the island of Taiwan.
Hallstein Doctrine
In 1955, Adenauer made a threat, which became known as the Hallstein Doctrine, by which the FDR (West Germany) would break off diplomatic relations with any country that established diplomatic relations with the GDR (East Germany).
H-Bomb
A thermonuclear bomb that is much more powerful than the A-bomb.
Hegemony
Leadership by one state over a group of states.
Helsinki Agreement/Accords
Diplomatic agreement signed in Helsinki in 1975 in an effort to reduce tension between the Soviet and Western blocs.
Hiroshima
Japanese city that was the first city in history to be targeted by a nuclear weapon, in 1945.
Historiography
Study of the writings of historians.
Ho Chi Minh Trail
This is the supply route between North Vietnam and South Vietnam that was used by the Vietcong. It ran through Laos and Cambodia in an attempt to avoid US bombing raids.
Humanitarian
Concerned with improving the lives of people and reducing suffering.
Hungarian Uprising
Event in 1956 in Hungary, inspired by the Polish Uprising. The Hungarians lived under the repressive regime of Matyas Rakosi and demanded that the more moderate Imre Nagy replace him. When Nagy announced that Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact and become a neutral state, the Soviets brought Hungary back under their control and set up a Hungarian government under Janos Kadar.
ICBM
Inter-continental ballistic missile, which as range of over 3000 nautical miles, and carries nuclear warheads. 
Ideological
Conforming to an ideology, which is a set of beliefs shared by a group of people. It is a means of explaining how society works or ought to work. For example, the Soviet ideology was based on Marxism and the American ideology was based on Capitalism and liberal democracy.
Imperialism
Policy of gaining colonies (control over other countries) and thereby creating an empire. The United States was accused of imperialism during the Cold War: in this case not by ruling directly over other countries, but by influencing them economically and ideologically.
IMF (International Monetary Fund)
International organisation formed in 1944, and based in Washington DC, comprised of 188 countries who work to ensure economic growth around the world as well as to secure financial stability, facilitate trade, retain high employment and reduce poverty.
Inauguration
Ceremony during which a US president officially takes office after having been elected.
Indo-Pakistan War
Military confrontation between India and Pakistan in 1971. It lasted for 13 days and concerned the liberation of Bangladesh.
Industrial Revolution
In modern history, the process of change from an agricultural society into an industrial one, based on the manufacturing of goods and services.
Industrialisation
Process in which a society transforms from an agricultural society into an industrial one, based on the manufacturing of goods and services.
INF Treaty
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force Treaty (INF Treaty), agreement made at the Washington Summit, December 1987, by which it was agreed to abolish land-based missiles of intermediate and shorter range.
Inflation
Economic term for an increase in the general price level of goods and services over a period of time.
Interim Treaty
Agreement of SALT I placing limits on the numbers of ICBMs and SLBMs.
Internationalism
Movement advocating greater economic and political co-operation among nations for the theoretical benefit of all.
IRMs
Intermediate range missiles, used by the US in Western Europe to counter the Soviet SS-20s during the Second Cold War.
Isolationist
When a country keeps out of conflicts in foreign affairs and does not get involved in military alliances. After World War one, the United States took an isolationist position.
Jackson-Vanik Amendment
A 1974 American legal provision that restricted US trade with Communist bloc countries.
Jesuit
A member of a Roman Catholic monastic order called the Society of Jesus.
Jihad
An Islamic term signifying a struggle. It has two meanings: one is an inner spiritual struggle and is often called the 'greater jihad' and the other, 'lesser jihad', is a defence of Islam in the form of a holy war. One who fights in the lesser jihad is called a mujahid (plural mujahidin).
Junta
Group of military officers who rule a country after taking power by force.
Katyn Forest Massacre
Mass executions of Polish citizens by the Soviet Secret Police, the NKVD, in 1940.
Khmer Rouge
Followers of the Communist Party in Cambodia/Kampuchea in 1968. It ruled from 1975-79 under Pol Pot and orchestrated genocide and the deaths of around a third of the population of Cambodia.
Korean War
War between North and South Korea from 1950-53 concerning divisions made to the country after World War Two. The USA and UN fought on the side of the South and China, and the Soviets fought for the North.
KPD
Communist Party of Germany.
Lander
The states of Germany (singular is Land.)
League of Nations
International organisation set up after World War One which was intended to maintain peace and encourage disarmament.
Left-wing
Political ideas or positions that promote social equality, reduce inequality, and that usually show concern for the disadvantaged.
Leninism
The Communist ideas and politics, economics, social thinking, and policies of Vladimir Lenin.
Liberalism
Political worldview or way of thinking founded on ideas of the liberty and equality of every person.
Little Red Book
A book of selected statements and writings by Mao Zedong published from 1964-76. It had a bright red cover, hence the (Western) name.
London Conference of Ministers
This was a meeting of British, French, American, and Soviet representatives in 1947. As agreed at the Potsdam Conference, ministers continued to meet to discuss post-war issues. At the London Conference, there was a marked deterioration in relations between the West and the Soviets.
Lublin Committee
A group set up in Lublin, Poland, in July 1944, who stated that they were a coalition of democratic and patriotic forces who wished to work with the Soviet Union.
Lushan Conference
A meeting of the top leaders of the Communist Party of China held between July and August 1959.
Macro and Micro Scales
Looking at a situation close up (micro) and in broader context (macro).
Mafia
An organised crime syndicate that will often practise drug trafficking, fraud, and loan sharking, whose members are bound by a code of silence. Although there are such organisation in many countries, the Mafia usually refers to the Italian-American or Sicilian Mafia.
Manchu Dynasty
Also called the Qing dynasty, this was the last imperial ruling dynasty of China.
Maoism
Political theory based on the thought of Mao Zedong; a form of Marxism-Leninism, which was the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party. It stressed the revolutionary potential of the peasant class.
Marshal
The highest military rank of the USSR, created in 1935 and abolished in 1991.
Marshall Plan
The American initiative to aid Europe, in which the United States gave $17 billion ($160 billion in current value) in economic support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War Two.
Martial Law
Military rule established in a country, usually as a temporary measure during a political crisis.
Marxism-Leninism
Stalinist term for his political ideology and that of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and Comintern. It is based on Marxism and Leninism, but with emphasis on the Leninist doctrine of class struggle and liberation of the exploited masses from imperialism.
McCarthyism
Term that means making accusations of actions such as subversion or treason without having proper evidence, or by using unfair methods. The term comes from the hunts for those believed to be Communists, or Communist sympathisers, led by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the USA in the 1950s.
MIG figher
A Soviet jet fighter plane.
Military Coup
The sudden seizure of a government by the military.
Military-Industrial Complex
Term first used by Eisenhower in 1961 to refer to the network of individuals and institutions involved in the production of weapons and military technologies.
MIRV
Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle, launched by a missile that allows several warheads to be used, each guided to a different target.
Missile Gap
The missile gap was the Cold War term used in the US for the perceived superiority of the number and power of the USSR's missiles in comparison with its own.
Modus Operandi
Particular way of working or dealing with a task.
Molotov Plan
A series of bilateral trade agreements that aimed to tie the economies of Eastern Europe to the USSR.
Monolithic
Describing a single huge organisation. The Americans believed that all Communists states were part of one massive organisation controlled by the Soviets.
Monopolize
To have or to take the greatest share of something so that others are prevented from a fair share.
Monroe Doctrine
A 19th Century American policy that stated efforts by European nations to colonise land in North or South America would be viewed as acts of aggression. It was named after President James Monroe.
Moscow Conference
A 1945 conference at which the United States and the Soviet Union dealt with how Japan and Korea were to be governed post-World War Two.
Most Favoured Nation Status
This is granted to a country as part of a trade agreement with another country in favour of better trading conditions.
Mujahidin
The people engaged in a jihad, especially as guerrilla warriors, such as during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s.
Munich Agreement
This 1938 agreement was signed between the UK, Germany, France and Italy. It forced Czechoslovakia to give an area called the Sudetenland (which contained German speakers) to Germany. This was part of the UK policy of appeasement. The then-prime minister of Britain, Neville Chamberlain, believed that by giving Hitler what he wanted, a European war could be avoided.
My Lai
Village in South Vietnam that was the scene of a massacre by the US Army in 1968.
Nagasaki
Japanese city that was the second target of a nuclear bomb during World War Two.
Napalm
Gel made from petrol that readily catches fire. It was used by US forces during the Vietnam War. It sticks to the skin and causes terrible burns.
National Union
Egyptian premier Nasser set up the National Union in 1957 to replace all political parties.
Nationalism
The belief that nations will benefit from acting independently rather than collectively; emphasising national rather than international goals.
Nationalisation
When a government takes over private industry or land so that it is owned by the state.
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, a military alliance founded in 1949. Its members agree to mutual defence if one is attacked. During the Cold War, rival nations joined the Warsaw Pact.
Nazi
A member of Hitler's National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP). The term is now often used to describe someone with far-right views.
Nazi-Soviet Pact
See Non-Aggression Pact
New Course
A Soviet economic policy to improve the standard of living in East Germany.
New Forum
A political resistance movement in East Germany formed in the lead up to the collapse of East and West Germany.
New Look
The name given to the USA's national security policy during Eisenhower's presidency. It stresses the deterrence effects of weapons and preventing the extension of Soviet Communism outside of the areas where it was already established.
Nixon Doctrine
1969 doctrine in which Nixon moved away from US policies followed in Asia since Truman. It stated that nations were responsible for their own defence.
NLF
The National Liberation Front; the political arm of South Vietnamese groups of Communists (the Vietcong).
Non-Aggression Pact 1939 (Nazi-Soviet Pact)
This was the agreement signed between the Soviets and the Germans in August 1939, in which they agreed not to attack each other. Secret clauses of the agreement provided for joint military action against Poland.
Non-Aligned Movement
Group of countries that pursued a neutral position in the Cold War.
NSC-68
A report by the US National Security Council, produced in 1950, which warned that all Communist activity could be traced back to Moscow. It encouraged military and economic aid to be given to any country perceived by the USA to be resisting Communism.
Nuclear Arms Race
Competition for supremacy in nuclear warfare between the USA, USSR and their allies during the Cold War.
Nuclear Holocaust
Term used for what would happen if there was a nuclear war, such as total destruction and great loss of human life.
Nuclear Parity
When opposing forces possess equal-strength nuclear offensive and defensive systems.
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Treaty of 1968 that prevented signatories from transferring weapons, or knowledge of how to make them, to non-nuclear powers.
OAS
Organisation of American States; an inter-continental organisation founded in 1948 to ensure regional solidarity and cooperation among its members. Members include South and Central American countries, Canada, and Caribbean Islands as well as the USA.
Oder-Neisse Line
The border between Germany and Poland drawn up after World War Two.
OPEC
The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries; an international organisation with its base in Vienna, founded in 1960, to ensure the stabilisation of oil markets.
Open-door Policy
The economic policies of Deng Xiaoping, which from 1978 opened up China for foreign business investment.
Open Skies
Eisenhower's proposal that the USA and Soviets would exchange plans of military installations and allow aerial surveillance of each other's installations.
Operation Barbarossa
The code name for Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union in World War Two.
Operation Overlord
The code name for the Allied operation that invaded Nazi-occupied Europe in World War Two.
Operation Rolling Thunder
The name of a sustained US bombing campaign against North Vietnam from 1965-68.
Orthodox View
The position also known as the 'Traditional view', which generally holds that the Soviet Union was responsible for the Cold War. This was the position taken by historians writing in the 1950s and early 1960s.
Ostpolitik
Policy followed by West German Chancellor Willy Brandt, in the 1970s, which aimed to improve West German relations with East Germany.
Pacifist
Someone who does not believe in fighting in a war.
Panmunjom Armistice
The armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953.
Paradigm
Philosophical or theoretical framework or model.
Paradigm Shift
A radical change in a belief or theory.
Paranoia
Abnormal tendency to be suspicious of and lack trust in other people.
Paris Peace Accords
Intended to establish peace in Vietnam, the accords ended direct US military involvement and temporarily stopped the fighting between North and South Vietnam. A peace agreement was signed in 1973.
Paris Peace Talks
Negotiations that led to the Paris Peace Accord, which ended the Vietnam War, beginning in 1972.
Paris Summit
A 1960 summit that aimed to establish better relations between the USA and Soviets, but which collapsed due to Gary Powers' U2 spy plane being shot down over Russia.
Parity
The state of having similar capability to another - in Cold War terms, the USSR having nuclear parity with, or the same capability as the United States.
Peaceful Co-existence
Theory developed and applied by the Soviets at times during the Cold War, which said that Socialist states could co-exist with Capitalist ones.
Percentages Agreement
An agreement made in 1944 between Stalin and Churchill about how to divide various European countries (regarding the influence and control the Western powers and the USSR would want to have) after World War Two.
Perestroika
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's policy of 'restructuring' the economy of the Soviet Union.
Perimeter Speech
Speech made by Dean Acheson in 1950 in which both South Korea and Taiwan were publicly excluded from the American defensive perimeter in the Western Pacific.
Ping-Pong Diplomacy
A term that refers to the exchange of table tennis players between the USA and PRC in the 1970s. It marked a thaw in relations.
Platt Amendment
1902 amendment to a treaty outlining US-Cuban relations. The Platt Amendment outlined the role of the United States in Cuba and the Caribbean.
Polemic
Speech or piece of writing which contains very forceful arguments for or against something.
Polish Peasant Party
Sometimes called the Polish People's Party, this party existed in Poland from 1945-1949, led by Stalinslaw Mikolajczyk.
Polish Revolt
Event in Poland in June 1956 when workers in the industrial city of Poznan revolted and the Polish Communist Wladyslaw Gomulka, who had been imprisoned under Stalin, was brought back to political prominence as First Secretary. This took place without Khrushchev's approval, but he agreed to allow Gomulka to remain in power.
Politburo
The highest policy-making authority of the Soviet Communist Party, founded in 1917 and which ended in 1991 with the break up of the USSR.
Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA)
Political party founded in the 1950s that has ruled Angola since 1975 and independence from Portugal.
Post-Revisionist
School of thought which stresses that neither the USA nor the USSR can be held solely responsible for the origins of the Cold War. Gaddis is one of the key figures of this group.
Potsdam Conference
Conference in Germany in 1945 between the UK, USA, and USSR. The delegates (Stalin, Truman and initially Churchill, who was replaced by Attlee) met to discuss how to deal with the defeated Nazi Germany and other post-World War Two issues.
Prague Spring
A time of political liberalisation in Czechoslovakia in 1968 with the election of Dubcek as First Secretary. It ended with an invasion by Warsaw Pact countries, who feared Dubcek's moves.
Pravda
Russian political newspaper that began in 1912 and which was an official state-backed newspaper until the demise of the USSR. It is still published. Pravda means truth in Russian.
Pre-emptive Strike
A surprise attack launched in order to prevent the enemy from attacking first.
Private Ownership
Non-governmental ownership of property.
Proletariat
The working class; wage earners who must earn their living by working.
Propaganda
Information, usually biased or misleading, that promotes a political cause or idea. In war, it is used to create a false image of an enemy or cause.
Proxy
The authority to represent another.
PSP
Abbreviation for the Cuban Communist Party (Partido Socialista Popular​)
Puppet Regime/Puppet State
Terms used for a government or rule that is actually being controlled by an outside power.
Purges
Term used to describe the mass killings carried out in the USSR by Stalin from the mid-1930s.
Quagmire Theory
A theory used to explain the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War. It suggests that successive presidents became increasingly involved in the war, and the US became more and more stuck in Vietnam.
Quarantine
A state or area of forced isolation.
Radio Free Europe
Also called Radio Liberty, a broadcasting organisation that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, parts of Asia, and the Middle East. It was founded as an anti-Communist news sources during the Cold War in 1949. Its coverage of the Poznan riots of 1956 inspired the Hungarian Uprising.
Rapprochement
A rapprochement, from the French rapprocher, 'to bring together', is the re-establishment of cordial relations between countries.
Reactionary
Political term for someone who is opposed to progress or reform, or who wants to put things back to the way they were.
Realpolitik
Approach to politics which is based on practical concerns and the actual circumstance of the time rather than on ideology.
Reconnaissance
When one side checks out or surveys the strength of the other side - for example, using aircraft.
Red Army
Soviet army created by the Communist government after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.
Red Scare
The promotion of fear of a potential rise of Communism or radical leftism.
Red Square
A city square in Moscow, Russia.
Reagan Victory School
This view credits President Reagan's policies with ending the Cold War.
Reasonable Sufficiency
Gorbachev's idea that the Soviet Union should have only enough weapons to defend itself, rather than enough to launch a pre-emptive strike or fight a preventative war.
Re-Education
Chinese Cultural Revolution process sending anyone considered bourgeois (such as intellectuals, artists, and musicians) to camps to be re-educated through forced labour, which would give them empathy for the labourer and common worker.
Regime Change
When there is a change in the government of the country.
Regional Principle
UN Principle allowing for the development of regional arrangements or agencies for dealing with threats to peace.
Reparations
Payments that are imposed on countries that have been defeated in a war by the victors, in order to pay for the costs of the war incurred by the victors.
Repatriation
Sending someone back to his or her own country.
Republican
Someone who advocates a republic - a form of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship.
Republican Party
American political party founded by anti-slavery activists in 1854. Policies are usually conservative rather than liberal and include free market Capitalism and opposition to unions. A supporter is a Republican.
Revisionist
Perspective on the Cold War that holds US policies responsible.
Revisionists
Critical term used by Communist governments to describe those they believed had deviated from the true Marxist path.
Right Wing
Groups or individuals who favour free market Capitalism and place an emphasis on law and order, limited state interference, and traditional values in society; those who believe that things are better left unchanged.
Roll-back
A 1952 US Presidential election campaign term that meant liberating countries held by the Soviets in Eastern Europe. Roll-back never happened - under Eisenhower, the US administration developed a policy of containment it called the 'New Look'.
Russian Civil War
This war followed on from the Russian Revolution and involved many different groups, all vying to determine Russia's political future. The two main groups were the Red Army and the White Army, the former were Bolsheviks in favour of socialism and the latter were against it. By 1921 the Bolsheviks were in control and Russia became a Communist state.
Russian Revolution
This refers to a number of revolutions that took place in Russia after the end of Tsarist rule in 1917 and which led to the creation of the Communist Soviet Union.
Russo-Polish War
This 1921 war was started by the Poles to gain land from the new Soviet Bolshevik state. After the Poles' initial progress had been checked by the Red Army (which nearly captured Warsaw), the Curzon Line was proposed as the frontier between the two states. However, this was never ratified and the Poles were actually able to get much more Russian territory through the Treaty of Riga. The Soviet Union only reacquired this land as a consequence of the Nazi-Soviet Pact and its invasion of Poland in 1939.
Saboteurs
People who secretly and deliberately damage something.
Salami Tactics
Term used by Hungarian Communist leader Matyas Rakosi, commenting on how the USSR secured Communist control in Eastern Europe - 'like slicing off salami, piece by piece'.
SALT I/II
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT), two rounds of talks and treaties between the USA and USSR about arms control. They took place in Helsinki between 1969-1979.
Sandinistas
Members of a socialist party in Nicaragua that established a revolutionary government from 1979-1990. A CIA-funded militia, the Contras, was formed in 1981 to overthrow the Sandinista government.
Satellite Empire/State
A political term that designates a country that is nominally independent but that is under the heavy political, economic, and military control of another country.
SCAP
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers; a post given to General Douglas MacArthur after Japan's 1945 defeat that allowed him great powers to devise and execute policies there.
SDI
Abbreviation for Strategic Defense Initiative
Search-and-Destroy-Missions
Key part of US strategy in Vietnam. US soldiers would look for the Vietcong (often by helicopter) and then destroy their bases or the areas in which they believed that the Vietcong were hiding.
SEATO
The Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation, an international organisation for collective defence in Southeast Asia, signed in September 1954 in the Philippines.
Second Cold War
Period in the 1980s when the USA and the USSR were again hostile towards each other.
Secretary General
The chief officer and head of the United Nations.
Secretary of State
Senior official in the US government, mainly concerned with foreign affairs and policy.
Security Council
One of the six principal organs of the UN, which is charged with the maintenance of international security and peacekeeping.
Shanghai Communique
An important diplomatic document issued by China and the USA during Nixon's visit in 1972. It pledged that the two countries would pursue a good relationship.
Show trial
Public trials used in the Soviet Union in the 1930s for propaganda purposes to show to the world that key political opponents of the ruling elite were indeed guilty.
Siberia
A vast territory in Russia and the site of many gulags and labour camps.
Single Polar
One source of influence, where only one country dominates. This is as opposed to bi-polar or multi-polar.
Sino-Soviet Treaty of Alliance
The first treaty between the USSR and China, signed in 1950.
Six-Day War
Also known as the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. The war was fought in 1967 by Israel against Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. 
SLBM
Submarine-launched ballistic missiles - missiles with nuclear warheads that are carried on submarines. 
Socialism
Political theory of social organisation stressing shared or state ownership of production, industry, land, and so on.
Solidarity
Polish trade union founded in 1980 by Lech Walesa; the first non-Communist-controlled union.
Space Race
20th Century (1955-1972) competition between the USA and USSR for supremacy in space flight.
Sphere of Influence
Area over which a country has influence. For example, Eastern Europe was within the Soviet Union's sphere of influence after 1945. Both the Soviet Union and the United States tried to increase their spheres of influence during the Cold War.
Sputnik
The first artificial satellite, launched by the Soviets in 1957, which began the space race.
SS-20
A Soviet nuclear warhead.
Stalinism
Political viewpoint/government policies based on those of Joseph Stalin, including one-country socialism, industrialisation, collectivisation, a cult of personality, and purges.
Star Wars
see Strategic Defense Initiative
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security; the official state security service or secret police, of East Germany.
State Department
The United States Department of State, responsible for the USA's international relations.
Status Quo
The existing condition or state of affairs.
Stinger Missile
A surface-to-air missile that can be fired from ground vehicles or helicopters, developed in the USA.
Strategic Arms Limitation Interim Agreement
See SALT I/II
Strategic Bombers
Planes capable of carrying and delivering nuclear weapons.
Strategic Defense Initiative
Reagan's aim to set up a space-based missile system that could intercept and destroy missiles before they reached the United States (also known as 'Star Wars')
Strategic Hamlets Program
A plan by South Vietnam and the United States to combat Communist insurgency by population transfer during the Vietnam War.
Suez Canal
An artificial waterway in Egypt that connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea, opened in 1869. Use of the canal cuts around 7000 miles off a voyage from Europe and Asia. It is a key route for oil supplies. In 1956 the Suez became a point of crisis when Nasser nationalised it to raise funds for building the Aswan Dam.
Suez Crisis
An invasion of Egypt in late 1956 by Israel, Britain and France to regain control of the Suez Canal (which was of vital importance to shipping) and remove Egyptian President Nasser. The French, Israeli and British actions caused a storm of protest; UN, US and Soviet pressure forced their withdrawal and a UN peacekeeping force was sent to the region to restore order.
Summit
Conference or meeting of high-level leaders, usually called to shape a programme of action.
Superpowers
Term given to USSR and USA (and eventually the PRC) after the end of World War Two. It signifies their immense economic, political, and military power compared to other countries.
Tehran Conference
Meeting held between Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill in 1943 to discuss key areas of World War Two.
Test-Ban Treaty
A treaty concerning nuclear weapons testing. The Limited Test-Ban Treaty, 1963, prohibited nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere, in outer space, and underwater. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) banned all nuclear explosions in all environments.
Tet Offensive
A large military campaign of surprise attacks during the Vietnam War, begun in 1968 by Communist forces against targets in South Vietnam.
Tiananmen Square
A large city square in Beijing, scene of pro-democracy protests in 1989.
Total War
War in which the government of a country uses all the economic and human resources it has in order to win.
Trade Embargo
Government order imposing a trade barrier on any regulation or policy that restricts international trade.
Treaty of Friendship
A generic name for any treaty establishing close ties between countries.
Treaty of San Francisco
US-Japan treaty signed in 1952 that enabled the United States to maintain military bases in Japan.
Treaty of Versailles
Peace treaty with Germany at the end of the First World War, signed in 1919.
Triangular Diplomacy
Term employed by Henry Kissinger to describe the relationship he was trying to establish between Washington, Moscow, and Beijing.
Trotskyist
Someone supporting the ideas of Leon Trotsky. Trotsky had been a rival to Stalin for the leadership of the Soviet Union after the death of Lenin. Stalin used the term Trotskyist in the 1930s to attack his political opponents.
Truman Doctrine
Truman's doctrine that the United States would provide political, military, and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat.
Tsar
An emperor of Russia before 1917.
Tsarist
The Russian Tsarist government hinged on the supreme authority of the Tsar and the ministers, governors, and bureaucrats who implemented his orders.
'Two Camps' Doctrine
Soviet doctrine developed by Andrei Zhdanov, which said that the world was divided into 'two camps'; the imperialistic US-led camp and the democratic Soviet-led camp.
U-2
A single-engine, ultra-high altitude reconnaissance plane operated by the United States Air Force and used by the CIA.
UN Charter
The foundational treaty of the UN, signed in San Francisco in 1945.
Unconditional Surrender
A surrender in which no guarantees are given to the surrendering party.
Unequal Treaties
A series of treaties signed with Western powers and China in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Uni-Polar
Term used after the Cold War meaning that international politics became 'uni-polar' with the USA as the only country now capable of having a military alliance with other countries around the world.
United Nations
Intergovernmental organisation founded in 1945 to promote international relations and co-operation. It now has almost 200 members.
Velvet Revolution
Non-violent transition of power in Czechoslovakia in 1989 that ended Communist rule.
Veto
Right to reject or forbid a decision.
Vienna Summit
Meeting of President Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev in 1961 to discuss Cold War issues associated with the relationship between their countries, including Berlin.
Vietcong (VC)
A political organisation and army in South Vietnam that was on the side of the USA in the Vietnam War.
Vietminh
A national independence movement in Vietnam founded in 1941, to gain independence from French rule, and revived by Ho Chi Minh against the Japanese and French hold over Vietnam.
Vietnam War
War from 1955-1975 between North (supported by the USSR and China, and Communist allies) and South (supported by the USA and non-Communist allies) Vietnam.
Vietnamisation
A policy introduced by Nixon during the Vietnam War to end the USA's involvement by training the South Vietnamese in combat.
Warsaw Ghetto
The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of all the Jewish ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War Two.
Warsaw Pact
A defence treaty between eight Communist European states during the Cold War, formed in 1955.
Warsaw Uprising
A major World War Two Polish resistance operation to liberate Warsaw from the Nazis.
West Bank
A disputed territory to the west of the Jordan River, occupied by Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.
West Germany
see FRG.
White Paper
Government report outlining policy.
Whites
Anti-Communists who fought the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War.
'X Article'
An article written by George Kennan that outlined the US's Cold War policy of containment toward the Soviet Union.
Yalta Conference
Yalta was called to help the Allied powers decide what would happen to Europe, and in particular Germany, at the end of World War Two. At Yalta, in early 1945, one of the main decisions was to split Germany into four zones of occupation after the war.
Yom Kippur War
Also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War; this war, led by Egypt and Syria, aimed to expel Israeli forces occupying Sinai. (Yom Kippur is a Jewish festival.)
Zaibatsu
Elite and powerful Japanese families that controlled industry and finance.
Zealot
A fanatically committed person.
Zero Option
The name given to an American Reagan administration proposal for the withdrawal of Soviet missiles from Europe, later used to talk about the elimination of all nuclear weapons.
Zhongnanhai
An imperial garden in central Beijing. It serves as the central headquarters for the Communist Party of China and the State Council of the People's Republic of China.

Y7-9 MYP

Y7 Humanities
Y8 Humanities
Y9 History

Y10-11 IGCSE

IGCSE History
Big History
Social History

Y12-13 IBDP HISTORY

Paper 1 SL/HL
Paper 2 Cold War / Paper 2 Authoritarian States
Paper 3 HL Only
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Y7/8 MYP
  • Y9 History
    • 1. Innovation & Industry >
      • 1. Causes
      • 2. Innovations
      • 3. Conditions
      • 4. Changes
      • 5. Sources
      • 6-7. Assessment 1 >
        • The USA
      • 8. Reflection
    • 2. Empire and Expansion >
      • 1. What is an Empire?
      • 2. Benefits of an Empire
      • 3. Negatives of Empire expansion
      • 4. Perspectives on Empires
      • 5. Assessment
    • 3. Rebellion and Revolution >
      • 1. Why do people protest?
      • 2. What are the causes of revolutions?
      • 3. What are the methods of protest?
      • 4. What are the consequences of protests?
      • 5. Assessment
      • Student Work
    • 4. War and Conflict >
      • 1. Causes of WW2
      • 2. Did that really happen here? WW2 in Hong Kong
      • 3. Why did the War extend to Hong Kong?
      • 4. How did the War affect Hong Kong?
      • 5. Assessment
    • Old History >
      • 1. Hong Kong Story >
        • Further Reading
      • 2. The Slave Trade
      • 3. The First World War
      • 4. The Changing Role of Women
  • Elements
    • Big History Project >
      • 1. What is Big History? >
        • 1.0 - Welcome to Big History
        • 1.1 - Scale
        • 1.2 - Origin Stories
        • 1.3 - What are Disciplines?
        • 1.4 - My Big History
        • Glossary
      • 2. The Big Bang >
        • 2.0 - Changing Understandings
        • 2.1 - The Big Bang
        • 2.2 - Claim Testing
        • Glossary
        • Links & Resources
      • 3. Stars and Elements >
        • 3.0 - How were stars formed?
        • 3.1 - Creation of Complex Elements
        • 3.2 - Ways of Knowing: Stars & Elements
        • Glossary
      • 4. Our Solar System & Earth >
        • 4.0 - Formation of Earth & Our Solar System
        • 4.1 - What was young Earth like?
        • 4.2 - Why is Plate Tectonics important?
        • 4.3 - Ways of Knowing: Our Solar System and Earth
        • Glossary
      • 5. Life >
        • 5.0 - What is Life?
        • 5.1 - How did Life Begin and Change?
        • 5.2 - How do Earth and Life Interact?
        • 5.3 - Ways of Knowing: Life
        • Glossary
      • 6. Early Humans >
        • 6.0 - How Our Ancesters Evolved
        • 6.1 - Ways of Knowing: Early Humans
        • 6.2 - Collective Learning
        • 6.3 - How did the First Humans live?
        • Glossary
      • 7. Agriculture & Civilisation >
        • 7.0 - The Rise of Agriculture
        • 7.1 - The First Cities and States
        • 7.2 - Ways of Knowing: Agriculture & Civilisation
        • Glossary
      • 8. Expansion & Interconnection >
        • 8.0 - Expansion
        • 8.1 - Exploration & Interconnection
        • 8.2 - The Columbian Exchange
        • 8.3 - Commerce & Collective Learning
        • Glossary
      • 9. Acceleration >
        • 9.0 - Transitions, Thresholds & Turning Points in Human History
        • 9.1 - Acceleration
        • 9.2 - The Anthropocene
        • 9.3 - Changing Economies
        • 9.4 - Industrialism
        • 9.5 - Modern States and Identities
        • 9.6 - Crisis and Conflict
        • 9.7 - Acceleration: Demographic, Political, and Technological
        • Glossary
      • 10. The Future >
        • 10.0 - Looking Back
        • 10.1 - The Biosphere
        • 10.2 - Looking Forward
        • Glossary
      • Assessment Rubrics
      • Key Texts
      • Little Big History
      • Further Reading
      • Further Watching
      • Thresholds of Increasing Complexity
      • Student Work
    • Social History
  • IGCSE
    • Germany 1918-45 >
      • 1. The Establishment of the Weimar Republic & Its Early Problems
      • 2. The Recovery of Germany 1924-1929
      • 3. The Rise of Hitler and the Nazis 1919-1933
      • 4. Life in Nazi Germany 1933-1939
      • 5. Germany during the Second World War
      • Old Exam Questions
      • Further Reading
      • Further Watching
    • China 1900-89 >
      • 1. China 1900-1934
      • 2. Mao & the CCP 1934-1949
      • 3. Change under Mao 1949-1963
      • 4. The Impact of the Cultural Revolution
      • 5. China after Mao 1976-1989
      • Old Exam Questions
      • Further Reading
      • Further Watching
    • US Civil Rights 1945-74 >
      • 1. McCarthyism and the Red Scare
      • 2. Civil Rights in the 1950s
      • 3. The Impact of MLK & Black Power
      • 4. Protest Movements
      • 5. Nixon & Watergate
      • Old Exam Questions
      • Further Reading
      • Further Watching
    • Russia & the USSR 1905-24 >
      • Old Exam Questions
    • Past Papers
  • IBDP
    • Paper 1 >
      • Rights and Protest >
        • Exam Questions
      • The Move to Global War >
        • 1. Japanese Expansion >
          • 1. Impact of the Meiji Restoration
          • 2. Foreign Policy in the 1920s
          • 3. The Invasion of Manchuria
          • 4. The Sino-Japanese War
          • 5. The Road to War
        • 2. German and Italian Expansion >
          • 1. Causes of Italian Expansion
          • 2. Responses to Italian Expansion
          • 3. Causes of German Expansion
          • 4. Responses to German Expansion
          • 5. The Road to War in Europe
        • Exam Questions
    • Paper 2 >
      • Paper 2: The Cold War >
        • 1. Why did the Grand Alliance breakdown? >
          • 1. What role did ideology play in the Grand Alliance?
          • 2. How did wartime disagreements affect the alliance?
          • 3. Did Soviet expansionism end the alliance?
          • 4. Was US exceptionalism to blame?
          • 5. Did events in Asia exacerbate tensions?
          • 6. Were tensions over Germany the final straw?
          • 7. Assessment: Who was to blame for the Cold War?
        • 2. How did superpower competition unfold? >
          • 1. How did competition unfold in Asia?
          • 2. What conflicts emerged in Europe?
          • 3. How did the Cold War shape the Middle East?
          • 4. Were tensions in the Americas unexpected?
          • 5. Why did the Cold War spread to Africa?
          • 6. How did scientific change drive the conflict?
          • 7. Assessment: Who won the global struggle?
        • 3. Were attempts at detente a failure? >
          • 1. Did peaceful coexistence work?
          • 2. What did detente achieve?
          • 3. Why did detente fail?
          • 4. Were other forms of cooperation effective?
          • 5. Assessment: Was detente a failure?
        • 4. What role did China play in the Cold War?
        • 5. How did the Cold War end?
        • 6. What role did leaders, crises and nations play?
        • Exam Questions
        • Further Reading
        • Glossary
        • Historiography
        • Primary Sources
      • Paper 2: Authoritarian States >
        • 1. Emergence of Authoritarian States >
          • 1. Why do Authoritarian States emerge?
          • 2. Rise of Hitler
          • 3. Rise of Mao
          • 4. Rise of Castro
          • 5. Rise of Stalin
          • 6. Comparing the Emergence of Authoritarian States
        • 2. Consolidation & Maintenance of Power >
          • 1. Hitler's Germany 1933-45
          • 2. Mao's China 1949-1976
          • 3. Castro's Cuba 1959-Present
          • 4. Comparing the Rule of Authoritarian States
        • 3. Aims and Results of Domestic Policies >
          • 4. Comparing Domestic Policies
        • Exam Questions
    • Paper 3: Asia and Oceania >
      • Topic 9: Imperial Decline in East Asia 1860-1912 >
        • 1. The Tongzhi Restoration
        • 2. Effects of the Sino-Japanese War
        • 3. Impact of the Boxer Rebellion
        • 4. The 1911 Xinhai Revolution
        • 5. The Meiji Restoration
        • 6. Early Japanese Imperialism
        • 7. The Opening of Korea
        • Exam Questions
      • Topic 11: Japan 1912-1990 >
        • 1. Taisho Japan
        • 2. The Rise of Militarism
        • 3. The Move to Global War
        • 4. The Pacific War
        • 5. The US Occupation
        • 6. The 'Economic Miracle'
        • Exam Questions
      • Topic 12: China and Korea 1910-1950 >
        • 1. What accounts for the rise of nationalism? >
          • 1. Was Yuan Shikai a national hero or villain?
          • 2. What did Sun Yixian do to promote nationalism?
          • 3. What was the impact of WW1 on nationalism?
          • 4. How significant was the New Culture Movement?
          • 5. Did the May 4th Movement achieve anything?
          • 6. How did nationalism survive the warlords?
          • 7. Assessment: What accounts for the rise of nationalism?
        • 2. Did Guomindang rule achieve anything? >
          • 1. How did Chiang Kai-shek emerge as leader of the GMD?
          • 2. Why was the Northern Expedition successful?
          • 3. Was the Nanjing Decade a success?
          • 4. Assessment: Was GMD rule a success or failure?
        • 3. Was the rise of communism inevitable? >
          • 1. What were conditions like for peasants in China?
          • 2. How did the CCP benefit from the First United Front?
          • 3. Why did the First United Front fail?
          • 4. How did Mao become leader of the Jiangxi Soviet?
          • 5. To what extent was the Long March a turning point?
          • 6. How did Mao consolidate his position at Yan'an?
          • 7. Assessment: Was Communism inevitable?
        • 4. How did war and conflict benefit the CPC? >
          • 1. What were the turning points of the Sino-Japanese War?
          • 2. What accounts for GMD failures during the war?
          • 3. What were the turning points of the Civil War?
          • 4. Did the CPC win or GMD lose the civil war?
          • 5. Assessment: Where did the CPC win the civil war?
        • 5. What was the impact of Japanese occupation on Korea?
        • 6. Was martial law in Taiwan justified?
        • Exam Questions
      • Topic 14: The People's Republic of China 1949-2005 >
        • 1. How did the CPC consolidate power? >
          • 1. What form of government did the CPC take?
          • 2. What policies did Mao use to consolidate power?
          • 3. What methods of repression did Mao use?
          • 4. What does the Hundred Flowers Campaign reveal?
          • 5. Assessment: How successful was Mao's consolidation of power?
        • 2. Was the transition to socialism successful? >
          • 1. Did the First Five Year Plan achieve its goals?
          • 2. What happened during the Great Leap Forward?
          • 3. Who was responsible for the Great Famine?
          • 4. How did the economy change in the 1960s?
          • 5. Assessment: How successful was the socialist economy?
        • 3. Who benefited from CPC rule under Mao? >
          • 1. How did CPC rule change society?
          • 2. Assessment: Did CPC rule benefit society?
        • 4. What was the cultural revolution? >
          • 1. What caused the cultural revolution?
          • 2. How did the cultural revolution evolve?
          • 3. What was the impact of the cultural revolution?
          • 4. Assessment: How can we explain the cultural revolution?
        • 5. Did China become a global power under Mao? >
          • 1. How did the CPC change China's foreign policy?
          • 2. Why were Sino-Soviet relations so turbulent?
          • 3. How did Sino-American relations change?
          • 4. What other relations did China cultivate?
          • 5. Assessment: When did China become a global power?
        • 6. How did Deng Xiaoping win power? >
          • 1. How did the Gang of Four rise to power?
          • 2. Why did Hua Guofeng become leader?
          • 3. Assessment: How did Deng Xiaoping win power?
        • 7. What accounts for China's modern success? >
          • 1. How successful were Deng Xiaoping's reforms?
          • 2. Why wasn't there a fifth modernisation in China?
          • 3. What was the significance of Tiananmen Square?
          • 4. How did China develop under Jiang Zemin?
          • 5. Assessment: What accounts for China's modern success?
        • Exam Questions
        • Further Reading
        • Historiography
        • Primary Sources
      • Topic 15: Cold War Conflicts in Asia >
        • 1. How was Communism defeated in Malaya? >
          • 1. What triggered conflict in Malaya?
          • 2. How did the Emergency evolve?
          • 3. Why was the insurgency defeated?
          • 4. What was the impact of the Emergency?
          • 5. Assessment: Why was Communism defeated?
        • 2. Why was the Korean War a turning point? >
          • 1. What caused the Korean War?
          • 2. How did the Korean War evolve?
          • 3. How was the Korean War resolved?
          • 4. What was the impact of the war?
          • 5. Assessment: Was the war a turning point?
        • 3. Why did the French fail to defeat the Vietminh? >
          • 1. What caused the Indochina War?
          • 2. How did the Indochina War evolve?
          • 3. How was the war in Indochina resolved?
          • 4. What was the impact of the French Indochina War?
          • 5. Assessment: What accounts for the French defeat?
        • 4. Could the Vietnam War have been avoided? >
          • 1. What caused the Vietnam War?
          • 2. How did the Vietnam War evolve?
          • 3. How was the Vietnam War resolved?
          • 4. What was the impact of the Vietnam War?
          • 5. Assessment: Was the Vietnam War inevitable?
        • 5. How was Cambodia shaped by the Cold War?
        • 6. How were the Soviets defeated in Afghanistan?
        • Exam Questions
    • Internal Assessment >
      • Forming Questions
      • Researching Primary Sources >
        • New York Times Digital Archive
        • SCMP Digital Archive
      • Researching Secondary Sources >
        • Google Scholar
        • History Today
        • HK Public Library e-resources
        • jstor
        • questia
        • Worldcat
      • Source Evaluation
      • Chicago Citation Format
      • IA Help Guide
    • Extended Essay >
      • 1. Title Page
      • 2. Abstract & Contents Page
      • 3. Introduction
      • 4. Body of the Essay
      • 5. Conclusion
      • 6. References, Bibliography & Appendices
    • Mark Schemes
    • Revision
    • Hall of Fame
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    • History Help >
      • Blog
      • Historical Content
      • Historical Concepts
      • Historical Skills >
        • Essay Planning >
          • 1. Forming Questions
          • 2. Command Words
          • 3. Topic Analysis
          • 4. Essay Structure
        • Essay Writing >
          • 1. Introductions
          • 2. Conclusions
          • 3. Words and Phrases
          • 4. Quotations
          • 5. Sentences
          • 6. Width and Depth
          • 7. Citing Sources
          • 8. Spelling and Grammar
    • Resources >
      • About Us
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      • 5 C's - Skills Framework >
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      • ChronoZoom
      • Further Listening
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      • Further Watching
      • ICT Design Resources
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      • questiaschool.com
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    • Links >
      • Island School Explorations
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      • Mr Budd History