Supporters credit him with driving imperialism out, modernizing his nation and building it into a world power. 

Opponents accuse him of being a dictator who killed 40-70 million people and destroying religion/cultural.

Free enterprise

An economic system in which things are privately owned and operated and therefore private individuals profit or fail according to their abilities. 

The United States is an example of a nation that subscribes to this belief set. 

Tends to be associated with democracy and freedom.

Famous for the protests that took place here in Beijing China 1989. 

The Chinese Army was deployed to clear the area and many were killed. The most famous image of the protest is one of a man standing in front of several tanks.

A state of political and military tension between the Western world, led by the USA and NATO, and the communist world, led by the Soviet Union and the smaller nations it controlled. 

This began after the two sides had been allies against the Nazis in WWII, but emerged as super powers from WWII, however, they had profound economic and political differences (communism vs. capitalism). 

It lasted from to 1945-1991. 

It is so named because there was never direct fighting, because both sides possessed nuclear weapons and the their use would probably guarantee mutual destruction.

Political and economic confederation of 28 member states. 

Its goal is to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital within the continent. 

Most of its members share the same common currency and don’t require passport controls.

 It was formed in 1958, and has largely succeeded in its goal that when countries trade freely with each other they don’t go to war with each other.

The undoing of the control and dominion of dependent territories. 

This occurred primarily in the years after World War II when the pre-WWI empires were dismantled. 

It represents the return of control to the indigenous populations who occupy a certain area (self-determination). 

Examples of this include throughout Africa, Asia, Caribbean Islands, Pacific Islands, and the Middle East as especially Britain and France lost dominion over several territories.

Also referred to as the Soviet Union, or even simply as Russia (though it included several other Eastern European countries). 

It roots are in the Russian Revolution led by Lenin and later Stalin. 

They were our opponent throughout the Cold War until they collapsed and broke apart around the year 1990.

He fought hard to end apartheid (systematic discrimination against blacks in South Africa). 

He spent 27 years in prison before finally being released and becoming South Africa’s first black president.

An international organization that aims to provided international law, security, economic development, human rights, and world peace. 

It was founded in 1945 after WWII to stop wars between countries. 

Its headquarters are based in New York City, and all but three countries in the world are members.

Many consider it to be the number one issue facing our planet in the 21^st century, as we consider rising sea levels and  more frequent extreme weather events.

A gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere since the 1950’s. 

This is generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by pollutants, although there is a debate over whether or not it is man-caused. 

Its origins date back to research by the US government in the 1960s, and the modern version we know and use took shape in the early 1990s. 

One could make the argument that nothing has changed exchange of information and, therefore, the world as much since the advent of the printing press.

The global system of interconnected computer networks.

Comprised of four treaties and three protocols that establish international laws of war. 

Usually refers specifically to the 1949 agreement negotiated after WWII. 

It deals primarily with the rights of POWs, protections for wounded and sick, and protections for civilians.

Term that arose during the Cold War to describe countries that weren’t allied with the USA or Russia. 

Most commonly understood to refer to countries in Africa, Latin America, Oceania, and Asia with colonial pasts. 

This term has been used interchangeably with the least developed countries who are stereotypically “poor”.

A social, political, and economic movement that aims at the establishment of a society without rich or poor, but that everyone would own everything (common ownership). 

Karl Marx was one of its early leaders in the 1850’s. 

It is in opposition to capitalism. 

China, Cuba, and the USSR are examples of countries that have subscribed to this belief set.

Russian leader since the year 2000. 

He served as a KGB officer during the Cold War. 

Many fear he seeks to restore Russia to its former Cold War super power identity, a fear that has been exacerbated by his annexing the Crimea and intervention in Ukraine.

Condition caused by the infection with the HIV virus which has killed an estimated 39 million people worldwide. 

It is spread primarily by unprotected sex and exchanging contaminated needles. 

It has especially ravaged Africa, where almost 75% of all infections have happened and it has dropped life expectancy by 20 years.

Barrier constructed by East Germany in 1961. 

They claimed it was to protect its population from fascists from the West from preventing the will of the people, in reality it was to prevent those from the East getting out. 

Serves as a symbol of the Iron Curtain, or the ideological boundary between NATO and Warsaw Pact nations.

An Indian activist who was the leader of India’s movement for independence from British rule. 

He used nonviolent civil disobedience, often fasting both for purification and protest. 

In 1947, Britain granted independence to both India (Hindu majority) and Pakistan (Muslim majority). He was assassinated as a result of the religious tension between the Muslims and Hindus in 1948.

The use of intentionally indiscriminate violence as a means to create fear to achieve a financial, political, religious or ideological aim.

 In our modern world, it is commonly connected with actions by radical Muslims who use this against Western countries in order to obtain their goals in the Middle East.

The increasing interaction of people, states, or countries through the growth of the international flow of money, ideas, and culture. 

Most trace its history to the Age of Exploration when the countries of the world began to interact with each other. 

Modern inventions like the steam engine, telegraph, television, and internet obviously have accelerated this process over the past century and a half.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (or Syria). 

It is a jihadist terrorist organization that follows a fundamentalist doctrine of Sunni Islam. 

They are known for beheadings (often shown on the internet), destroying historical landmarks, and the enormous amount of refugees they have created.

A nation that was created in 1948 as a home place for the Jews. 

The day after it was created, neighboring Arab nations upset about the displacement of Arab Palestinians, invaded and a war between Israel and many of the Muslim nations of the Middle East has been waged ever since. 

The West Bank, Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, and Jerusalem are all areas that have been controversial. 

Our involvement in this country’s creation and our continued support and friendly alliance with them is arguably the principal reason for the conflict between the USA and many of the Middle Easterners during the past several decades.

An economic system somewhere between capitalism and communism. 

Many of the modern countries in Europe support this system where wealth is redistributed between the rich and the poor. 

Rich pay high taxes which provides the money to offer services to the poor. 

After the capitalists lost the Chinese Civil War to the communists after WWII, they fled to this island off the coast of China. 

China has consistently claimed sovereignty over this place and it continues to be a touchy subject in international relations. 

The USA has to be very careful in how it deals with them, because China has made it clear that they will not tolerate other countries treating this country as if they were independent.