communism around the world

• Communism


  A political and economic system in which the government owns the major means of production and the distribution of goods, and in which goods are distributed, not according to demand, but according to the needs of the people
• Communism in Africa

  • Communist guerrillas and revolutionaries stirred up trouble
  • Terrorism and subversion used to demand immediate emancipation from European colonial powers
• Events in Africa


  • Congo civil war, with Soviets providing aid to pro-communist rebels
  • Marxist-supported terrorists executing thousands and holding Christian missionaries hostage
• Communism in Latin America

  • Fidel Castro's revolution in Cuba, leading to a communist state
  • Allende's socialist policies in Chile leading to economic chaos and a military coup
• US-Cuba relations

  • US broke diplomatic relations with Cuba due to Castro's actions
  • US supported anti-Castro revolutionary group but did not provide promised air support at Bay of Pigs
• Cuban Missile Crisis


  Soviet Union placed missiles in Cuba, leading to US blockade and confrontation with the Soviet Union
• Communism in the Middle East


  • Conflict between Israel and Arab nations, with Soviet support for Egypt and Syria
  • Iranian revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini, conflicting with Iraq's Saddam Hussein
• Eisenhower Doctrine allowed US to use military force to aid any nation fighting against communism
• PLO under Yasser Arafat desired to establish a Palestinian state in Israel by force, using Lebanon as a base for raids against Israel
• US marines sent to Beirut to restore order, but terrorist bombings resulted in the death of 241 Americans and the withdrawal of all US and Israeli forces from Lebanon
• What was the goal for African colonies after World War II?


  Gradual Independence
• What happened in the Congo in 1964? (Choose all that apply.)

  Christian missionaries were taken hostage by a terrorist group

  Twenty-nine Christian missionaries were killed before US paratroopers could save them.
• What did Castro do after taking control of Cuba? (Choose all that apply.)

  He seized American-owned businesses.

  He established a communist regime.

  He instituted social reforms.
• What ended the conflict over the Suez Canal? (Choose all that apply.)

  The withdrawal of British, French, and Israeli forces.

  The establishment of a multinational peacekeeping force.
• Which Iranian leader closed the US embassy and held Americans hostage?

  Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini