The Cold War Begins
This term, coined by Winston Churchill in a 1946 speech, described the metaphorical boundary dividing Europe into democratic West and communist East.
What is the Iron Curtain?
Following Stalin’s death, Nikita Khrushchev embarked on these policies intended to ease political restrictions and denounce previous abusive practices.
What is de-Stalinization?
This term refers to the common currency used by many member states of the European Union, which first went into circulation in 2002.
What is the euro?
This physical barrier, which had divided a major German city since 1961, was opened in November 1989, symbolizing the collapse of communism
What was the Berlin Wall?
Beginning in the 1960s, this phase of the feminist movement moved beyond voting rights to address issues like domesticity, sexuality, and professional equality.
What is second-wave feminism?
Announced in 1947, this U.S. policy provided $13 billion in economic support to help Western European countries rebuild their infrastructure and prevent the spread of communism.
What was the Marshall Plan?
This was the name of the Soviet-controlled nations of Eastern Europe that were closely bound to the USSR militarily and economically.
What was the Soviet bloc?
his British Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party worked to cut taxes and limit social welfare programs during the 1980s.
Who is Margaret Thatcher?
Led by Lech Walesa, this independent trade union in Poland became a mass movement that challenged communist rule in the 1980s.
What was Solidarity?
This term refers to an intense fear or dislike of people from other countries, which fueled the rise of anti-immigrant political parties in late 20th-century Europe.
What is xenophobia?
This 1949 defensive military alliance between Western European nations, the United States, and Canada pledged mutual support if any member was attacked by the Soviet Union.
What is NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)?
In this type of economic system, common throughout the Soviet bloc, a central committee determined what goods were produced and in what quantity.
What is a planned economy (or centrally planned economy)?
This 1991 treaty formally established the European Union and paved the way for the creation of a common currency.
What is the Maastricht Treaty?
This Soviet policy, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the late 1980s, means "openness" and allowed for greater freedom of the press.
What is glasnost?
During the violent disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, this term was used to describe the systematic removal or murder of ethnic groups.
What is ethnic cleansing?
In response to West Germany joining NATO, the Soviet Union established this 1955 military alliance with its Eastern European satellite nations.
What is the Warsaw Pact?
This 1968 period of liberalization in Czechoslovakia was crushed when Warsaw Pact troops invaded to prevent the country from leaving the Soviet sphere.
What was the Prague Spring?
This term refers to the comprehensive "cradle-to-grave" social assistance programs, such as health care and pensions, adopted by many postwar European states.
What is the welfare state?
This Gorbachev policy involved the "restructuring" of the Soviet economy to make it more efficient and flexible.
What is perestroika?
This 20th-century philosophy, championed by Jean-Paul Sartre, suggests that God is absent and individuals must create their own meaning through their actions.
What is existentialism?
This U.S. foreign policy focused on preventing the further expansion of communism into new territories through diplomatic, economic, and military aid.
What is containment?
This doctrine asserted the Soviet Union's right to use military force to intervene in any socialist country where "capitalist forces" threatened the government.
What is the Brezhnev Doctrine?
This 2016 event saw the citizens of the United Kingdom vote to withdraw from the European Union, leading to years of complex negotiations.
What is Brexit?
This set of 1975 agreements saw 35 nations, including the USSR, pledge to respect sovereign equality and human rights, later used by dissidents to pressure communist regimes.
What were the Helsinki Accords?
Spurred by the 1973 oil crisis, these political parties emerged in the 1970s and 1980s to focus on environmental conservation and sustainable lifestyles.
What are Green Parties?