Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Radio Free Europe (RFE), broadcasting organization established in 1950 with the stated mission of promoting democratic values and institutions. Its original purpose was to broadcast news to countries ...

(Encyclopedia) Chancellorsville, battle of, May 2–4, 1863, in the American Civil War. Late in Apr., 1863, Joseph Hooker, commanding the Union Army of the Potomac, moved against Robert E. Lee, whose Army of Norther...

(Encyclopedia) Craxi, Bettino bətēˈnō krăˈksē [key], 1934–99, Italian political leader. Craxi joined the Italian Socialist party in 1957, eventually becoming deputy secretary (1970) and general secretary (1...

(Encyclopedia) Rusk, Dean (David Dean Rusk), 1909–94, U.S. secretary of state (1961–69), b. Cherokee co., Ga. After teaching (1934–40) and serving in World War II, he entered (1946) the Dept. of State. In 1950...

(Encyclopedia) Gromyko, Andrei Andreyevich grōmēˈkō, Rus. əndrāˈ əndrāˈyəvĭch grəmĭˈkə [key], 1909–89, Soviet diplomat. A member of the Communist party from 1931, he entered (1939) the diplomatic s...

(Encyclopedia) Rio Treaty (Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance), signed Sept. 2, 1947, and originally ratified by all 21 American republics. Under the treaty, an armed attack or threat of aggression again...

(Encyclopedia) Lukács, György dyörˈdyə lo͞oˈkäch [key], 1885–1971, Hungarian writer, one of the foremost modern literary critics. Converted to Communism in 1918, Lukács served (1919) in the cabinet of Bé...

(Encyclopedia) Costa, António Luís Santos da, 1961–, Portuguese lawyer and political leader, b. Lisbon. A Socialist, he served on Lisbon's municipal council in the 1980s, then in the national assembly (1991–20...

(Encyclopedia) Cincinnati, University of, at Cincinnati; coeducational; founded 1819 as Cincinnati College, incorporated 1870 as a municipal university, opened 1873, affiliated with the state university system 1968....

(Encyclopedia) Afghanistan War, 1978–92, conflict between anti-Communist Muslim Afghan guerrillas (mujahidin) and Afghan government and Soviet forces. The conflict had its origins in the 1978 coup that overthrew A...