Amnesty

the act of granting pardon to a large group of people

Bilingualism

the practice of teaching immigrant students in their own language

Brinkmanship

the willingness to go to the brink of war to force an opponent to back down

Communism

an economic system in which the central government directs all major economic decisions

Confederacy

a loose union of independent states; name of government used by the southern states that seceded during the Civil War

Conservative

a person who believes government power, particularly in the economy, should be limited in order to maximize individual freedom

Containment

the policy designed to keep the Soviet Union from expanding its power

Corporation

an organization that is authorized by law to carry on an activity but treated as though it were a single person

Détente

relaxation of tensions between the United States and its two major Communist rivals, the Soviet Union and China

Downsizing

reducing a company in size by laying off workers and managers to become more efficient

Ethnic Cleansing

the expulsion, imprisonment, or killing of ethnic minorities by a dominant majority group

Euro

the basic currency shared by the countries of the European Union since 1999

Fascism

a political system headed by a dictator that calls for extreme nationalism and racism and has no tolerance for opposition

Flexible Response

the buildup of conventional troops and weapons to allow a nation to fight a limited war without using nuclear weapons

Impeachment

a formal accusation of misconduct in office against a public official

Imperialism

the actions used by one nation to exercise political or economic control over smaller or weaker nation

Insurrection

an act of rebellion against the established government

Internationalism

a national policy of actively trading with foreign countries to foster peace and prosperity

Isolationism

the avoidance of involvement in world affairs

Liberal

a person who generally believes the government should take an active role in the economy and in social programs but that the government should not dictate social behavior

Multinational Corporation

large corporation with overseas investments

Nuclear Proliferation

the spread of nuclear weapons to new nations

Nullification

the failure or refusal of a U.S. state to aid in the enforcement of federal laws within its state limits

Political Machine

an organization linked to a political party that often controlled local government

Segregation

the separation or isolation of a race, class, or group

Self-Determination

belief that people in a territory should have the ability to choose their own government

State Sponsored Terrorism

violent acts against civilians that are secretly supported by a government in order to attack other nations without going to war

Subversion

a systematic attempt to overthrow a government by using persons working secretly from within

Suffrage

the right to vote

Terrorism

the use of violence by non-governmental groups against civilians to achieve a political goal by instilling fear and frightening governments into changing policies