Unit 6: The Contemporary World – Flashcards

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question
What was the role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in helping Latin American countries?
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Correct offered loans to Latin American countries that encouraged free-market economies
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Which was a major challenge in Mexico in the early twenty-first century?
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ongoing violence caused by Mexico's drug cartels
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Why didn't Latin American nations develop an industrial base during the nineteenth century?
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Their economies remained rooted in agriculture.
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How did many Latin American leaders attempt to make their countries more self-sufficient after World War II?
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by promoting the growth of industry
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What is a developing nation?
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Correct a country with low levels of industry and commerce
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How did poor people respond when Latin American governments encouraged industry?
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Millions of poor people flocked to cities in hopes of finding well-paying jobs.
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Why did U.S. intervention in Latin America increase during the Cold War?
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The U.S. government feared that the Soviets would spread communism in Latin America.
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What effect did Salvador Allende's policies have on Chile's economy?
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His policies ruined the Chilean economy.
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Which country remains the longest-lived communist dictatorship in Latin America?
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Cuba
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Which leader instituted changes in Argentina to improve the lives of workers, including a minimum wage and an eight-hour workday?
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Juan Perón
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Which leader stepped down after holding and losing a plebiscite asking the Chilean people whether they wanted him to continue in power?
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Augusto Pinochet
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What action did the United States take when Castro's government seized the property of U.S. companies?
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instituted an embargo of Cuba, forbidding Americans to trade with the country
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Which Central American nation has the most successful and longest-lived democracy in Latin America?
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Costa Rica
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Which international organization helped Latin American nations become more democratic by sending observers to member states to see that elections were conducted fairly?
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Organization of American States
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Which Latin American country was part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the United States and Canada?
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Mexico
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Which remains one of the biggest problems facing Latin America?
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illegal drug trade
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In the 1960s and 1970s, some Catholic priests and nuns in Latin America practiced the belief that Christians should work on behalf of the poor and oppressed. What is this belief called
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liberation theology
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What was the goal of Mao's Great Leap Forward?
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quickly modernize China
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Which of the following statements is true about life in China today?
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There are no free elections.
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Which was an underlying cause for the partition of India by Great Britain in 1947?
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India's Hindus and Muslims had a history of conflict.
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Which accurately describes India's economic progress in the late twentieth century?
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economic growth resulting in a large new middle class
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The United States began sending large numbers of military advisers to South Vietnam after which had occurred?
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Ho Chi Minh began supplying and supporting communists in the south.
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The development of which industry helped revive Indonesia's economy?
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oil
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Which was an important event in the rise of the Communist Party in China?
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Mao Zedong became the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party in the 1930s.
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What kept nearly an entire generation of Chinese students from receiving an education?
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Cultural Revolution
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How is life in China today the same as it was when Mao Zedong died?
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People cannot vote in free elections.
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Which was a result of Britain's plan to decolonize India?
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two new nations—a Hindu India and a Muslim Pakistan
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Which accurately describes India's economic progress in the late twentieth century?
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economic growth resulting in a large new middle class
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Which was the outcome of the Vietnam War?
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a single communist state
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Which best describes Vietnam's economy today?
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Market economy policies have led to a sizable middle class.
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Which is a major cause of conflict in Indonesia today?
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ethnic and religious differences
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Which helped Japan rise to become an economic power after World War II?
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the U.S. occupation and the Korean War
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Which is true of North Korea's economy?
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The government controls the production of goods.
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In which way did North Korea and South Korea differ the most in the decades following the Korean War?
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economic development
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Both North Korea and Vietnam are communist states, yet Vietnam's economy is stronger than North Korea's. What best explains this?
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Vietnam liberalized its economy by adopting some free-market policies.
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What issue of concern is most often seen in countries with communist governments or military regimes?
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human rights violations
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What happened in both China and Vietnam when the government liberalized the economy by adopting free-market policies?
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The economy improved, as did the standard of living.
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Which describes South Africa's policy of apartheid?
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a systematic policy of racial discrimination
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What took place in Rwanda that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people?
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The Hutu mounted a campaign of extermination against the Tutsi.
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What marked the beginning of the Arab-Israeli conflict?
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Israel defended itself from attack and then took Palestinian land.
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What is the Palestine Liberation Organization?
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a group with the goal of destroying the state of Israel
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What happened after World War II that changed the economic and political makeup of the Middle East?
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The discovery of oil made some Middle Eastern nations wealthy.
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What was the outcome of the Iranian revolution in 1978?
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An Islamic ruler established repressive rule and denounced Western values.
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Why did some African nations transition smoothly to independence while others experienced conflict?
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Nations in which different ethnic groups vied for power often experienced conflict.
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Who was Nelson Mandela?
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a South African leader who worked to end apartheid
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Which two groups were involved in the conflict in Darfur in Sudan?
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Muslims and Christians
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Which was a key cause of the Arab-Israeli conflict?
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the founding of a Jewish state in Palestine
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Who was Yasser Arafat?
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a Palestinian leader of a terrorist group
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What is OPEC?
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a cartel of oil-producing nations whose goal was to fix oil prices and limit competition
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Which was one cause of the revolution in Iran in 1978?
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Some Iranians believed the government aligned too closely with Western values.
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Why did Islamists believe that many Middle Eastern nations were in decline?
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They thought that Middle Eastern nations were not following the moral teachings and laws of Islam.
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What is one reason that the United States invaded Iraq after the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001?
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U.S. leaders believed that Iraq was harboring terrorists and weapons of mass destruction.
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Which was committed to the creation of a Jewish homeland in the Middle East?
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Zionism
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Which Latin American nation was controlled by Fidel Castro?
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Cuba
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Which was not a result of U.S. intervention in Latin America during the Cold War era?
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Argentina surrendered its claims to the Falkland Islands.
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Which actions were taken by many African nations following World War II?
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demanded independence from colonial rulers
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Which best describes change in Japan since World War II?
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strengthened ties with the United States
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Which issue presents a major obstacle to settling the Arab-Israeli conflict?
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conflicting claims to territory
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Which accurately describes reforms undertaken by China in an attempt to compete with other Asian nations in the early twenty-first century?
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economic reforms to allow limited free enterprise
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Which is not a recent consequence of ethnic rivalries in African nations?
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rapid industrialization
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Which economic problem did many Latin American nations face in the years following World War II?
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lack of investment capital
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Which group used terrorism in the late twentieth century?
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al-Qaeda
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Which was a response to the terrorist attack against the United States on September 11, 2001?
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invasion of Afghanistan
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Which describes a cause of the war in Vietnam?
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power struggle between communist and noncommunist governments
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For which is Mohandas Gandhi best known?
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use of passive resistance to achieve independence
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Which was not a reason for U.S. intervention in Latin America during the Cold War era?
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Argentina s invasion of the Falkland Islands
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Which presents the most serious ongoing challenge to modern Bangladesh?
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poverty
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Which best describes the period of apartheid in South Africa?
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The ruling minority instituted a policy of racial discrimination.
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Which best describes a challenge in the Middle East resulting from oil production?
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Wealth produced by oil enriches powerful elites.
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Which best describes the rise to power of Mao Zedong?
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Leading an army of rural peasants, he launched a communist revolution.
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Which best describes the role of Nelson Mandela in ending apartheid?
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His imprisonment led to worldwide condemnation of the government's policies.
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What role have religious differences played in ongoing challenges in the Middle East?
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Conflict between secularism and religion led to revolution in Iran.
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Which was an effect of industrialization in Latin American nations during the postwar years?
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relocation of millions of workers to cities
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Which was not an outcome of the war in Vietnam?
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victory for Western-style government
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Which does not describe China's Great Leap Forward?
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a relaxation of economic control by the government
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Which best describes recent changes in South Korea?
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growth of democracy
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Who was a key leader in India's independence movement?
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Mohandas Gandhi
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Which describes the main purpose of the Organization of American States (OAS)?
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provide a way to encourage regional cooperation in Latin America
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