| A | B |
|---|
| Churchill, Sir Winston | (1874-1965) British politician and Prime Minster of Great Britain from 1940 to 1945, and 1951 to 1955. He is regarded as the finest British leader of the 20th century and was instrumental in leading Britain to victory during World War II. |
| Clemenceau, Georges | (1841-1929) French Premier during World War I. He was one of the formulators of the Treaty of Versailles. |
| Commonwealth of Independent States | Nation created after the breakup of the Soviet Union. It includes Russia and several smaller former Soviet republics. |
| communism | A system of government in which a single, totalitarian, party holds power. It is characterized by state control of the economy, and restriction on personal freedoms. It was first proposed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in The Communist Manifesto. |
| Confucianism | Confucius lived in China during the Chou Dynasty, when there was mass disorder and confusion and degrading moral standards. Confucius was appalled by what appeared to be the fracturing of Chinese society. He believed that the only cure was to stress a sense of social order and mutual respect, a philosophy that later became known as Confucianism. Confucianism teaches that there is a natural social order to society which can best be explained through the Five Relationships. |
| conquistadors | Spanish conquerors who came to the New World in search of gold and other riches. |
| containment | A cold war policy that called for containing communism to areas already under its influence. This policy was proposed by U.S. President Harry Truman. |
| Counter-Reformation | The movement initiated by the Catholic Church to contain the Protestant Reformation and, if possible, end it. |
| coup d etat | The acting of overthrowing a government in favor of another, usually through violent means. |
| Cromwell, Oliver | (1599-1658) Leader of the English Revolution that deposed the Stuart monarchs in favor of a short lived Republic. Cromwell acted as Lord Protector until the restoration of the Monarchy in 1660. |
| Cuban Missile Crisis | (1961) Crises that developed as a result of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro’s decision to allow the Soviet Union to base nuclear missiles in Cuba. Upon discovery, the United States confronted the Soviet Union and demanded the missiles be removed. For nearly two weeks, nuclear war was imminent. Fortunately, diplomacy succeeded and crisis was averted. |
| Cultural Revolution | (1966-1976) Political policy in started in China by Mao Zedong to eliminate his rivals and train a new generation in the revolutionary spirit that created communist China. The Cultural Revolution resulted in beatings, terror, mass jailings, and the deaths of thousands. |
| de Santa Anna, Antonio López | (1794-1876) Mexican general and dictator who controlled Mexico for more than 25 years. Lost war against the United States which cost Mexico present day California, Nevada, and New Mexico. |
| Declaration of the Rights of Man | Revolutionary document of the French Revolution. Written in 1789, it spelled out certain rights believed to be universal to all mankind. Patterned on the American Declaration of Independence. |
| détente | A policy during the Cold War which was aimed at relaxing tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. The policy calls for increase diplomatic and commercial activity. |
| divine right | The justification of monarchy through the word of God. |
| domino theory | The idea that countries bordering communist countries were in more danger of falling to communism unless the United States and other western nations worked to prevent it. |
| Duma | Name of the Russia Parliament. |
| encomienda system | A system of production in Spain’s New World possessions which granted permission to conquistadors to enslave as many people needed to work a plantation. |
| Engels, Friedrich | (1820-1895) German socialist and co-author of The Communist Manifesto. |
