Conflict in the 20th Century

Question 1

What do communists believe in?

Answer 1

Communists believe that:

1. Communism is natural and inevitable.
2. Private property causes poverty and war.
3. All private property should be confiscated by the state. And it should be shared amongst everyone equally.
4. Workers will become the most important people, and will take charge of the “means of production” (factories).
5. The workers need to have a revolution, and establish communism.
6. Eventually all governments will be overthrown by the workers, and there will be no national boundaries.
7. The workers will control the country. “A dictatorship of the proletariat” - no other political parties will be allowed.

Question 2

What is an autocrat?

Answer 2

(Someone who has total power) with a God given right to rule.

Question 3

Why was there a revolution in Russia? Who was unhappy with the system?

Answer 3

There was a growing industrial class who were unhappy with the poor living conditions.

There was a growing middle class that wanted a say in the running of the country.

Question 4

Why did the Tsar create the Duma? When and What was it? Did it help?

Answer 4

After Bloody Sunday, 1905, (When soldiers opened fire on demonstrators) the Tsar created the Duma. A sort of Parliament. But the Tsar refused to listen to it.

Question 5

Why and when did the Tsar abdicate?

Answer 5

In February 1917, there was mass rioting in St Petersburg because of Russia’s failure in WW1 and food shortages. Troops were sent in to restore order, but they were unwilling to open fire. This is the first revolution of Russia.

Eventually, the Tsar had to abdicate and the Duma formed a provisional government. The Duma decided to carry on fighting in the war, which proved unpopular with the public.

Question 6

When and what was the second revolution in Russia?

Answer 6

In October 1917, the Bolsheviks seized power in the final (second) revolution. Russia became the first communist state. The USSR. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Question 7

What do fascists believe?

Answer 7

Fascists believe that:

1. That democracies that favour equality will ultimately lead to crises.
2. Darwinism takes hold. Only the strong will thrive.
3. Countries should be unified under one genetic banner. “Purity”. “Perfect genes”. Hitler used this ideology against Jews.
4. Totalitarism. Total control. A one party state.
5. Fascism is fine with the concept of private enterprises, unlike communism. Volkswagon was set up by the Nazis.
6. Fascist countries try to be completely self-sufficient. Independent. Not dependant on any other countries. Autarky.
7. Abortion is illegal. But deformed and disabled foetuses had to be aborted.

Question 8

When does Mussolini visit Germany?

Answer 8

1937

Question 9

When did Austria, Poland and Russia invaded by Germany? When do the other power get involved?

Answer 9

Austria - March 12th 1938.
Poland - September 1st 1939.
Britain and France declare war on Germany - on September 3rd.
Russia - 1941.

Question 10

When does the US become involved in WWII

Answer 10

When Japan attacks Pearl Harbour on 7th December 1941, the US declare war on Japan.

Question 11

Who was Charles de Gualle?

Answer 11

A French general who led the French against Germany. After WWII, he became president of France.

Question 12

Who was Joseph Stalin?

Answer 12

A communist dictator of the USSR. He killed many people during the 1930s. Communist and Russian.

Question 13

Who was Franklin D.Roosevelt?

Answer 13

US president during WWII. He was allowed 4 terms as president.

Question 14

Who was Mussolini?

Answer 14

He was the dictator of Italy, he wanted to control regions in Africa. He was against Hitler. Opposed Hitler. Fascist.

Question 15

Who was Hideki Tojo?

Answer 15

He was the Japanese Prime minister. Directly responsible for Pearl Harbour. Fascist.

Question 16

What is an atomic bomb?

Answer 16

An atomic bomb is a bomb which releases destructive energy by splitting atoms.

Question 17

What plane dropped the first atomic bomb? What was the bomb called? Where was it dropped? When?

Answer 17

Enola Gay dropped the atomic bomb called “Little boy”. It was dropped on Hiroshima on the 6th of August 1945.

Question 18

When was the second atomic bomb dropped? What plane dropped it. Where? What was the bomb called?

Answer 18

It was dropped on Nagasaki, dropped by a plane called Bockscar. The atomic bomb was called “Fat Man”. It was dropped on the 9th of August 1945.

Question 19

What were the arguments for and against dropping the bombs?

Answer 19

For:

1. It was a war-winning weapon.
2. Saved American soldiers. 50,000 US soldiers already died in the Japan/American conflict.
3. Japan refused to surrender.

Against:

1. Japan was already ruined and starving.
2. Japan wanted peace negotiation.

Question 20

When did the Korean War start and end?

Answer 20

1950-1953

Question 21

Who was the Chair leader of China during the Korean war?

Who was the leader of North Korea?

Who was the leader of South Korea?

Answer 21

China - Mao Zedong.
North Korea - Kim IL Sung.
South Korea - Syngman Rhee.

Question 22

Illustrate a timeline of events for the Korean War?

Answer 22

1. After the South was invaded by North Korea, the UN sent soldiers to the Korean Peninsula to stop a communist victory.
2. Initially, UN forces, under General MacArthur, succeeded in driving back the North Korean forces to the Chinese border.
3. Communist China, became increasingly alarmed by the presence of US troops so near its border. Believing the UN troops were about to attack, they sent forces to attack the UN soldiers.
4. The UN forces are forced back to the 38th parallel. The place where all the fighting began.
5. A truce was declared, and the fighting came to an end. The 38th parallel became a heavily-guarded demilitarized zone.
6. The Korean War set the pattern for other proxy wars. e.g. Vietnam.

Question 23

When does Hitler become chancellor?

Answer 23

1933 - Adolf Hitler becomes the Chancellor of Germany. He later destroys all opposition to become the undisputed dictator of Germany.

Question 24

When did the Cuban Missile Crisis occur?

Answer 24

16th–28th October 1962

Question 25

When did the Vietnam war start and end? When did US involvement stop?

Answer 25

1955-1975

The Vietnam War. After the French defeat, US involvement escalated from 1964 onwards, until they withdrew, and then South Vietnam was defeated by North Vietnam.

Question 26

What propaganda and arguments did Hitler use in his manifestos?

Answer 26

Nationalism - Hitler used propaganda to convince to convince many Germans that Germany was the natural leader of Europe. The Treaty of Versailles (28 June 1919) was destroyed piece by piece. This made Hitler very popular.

Lebrensruam - Hitler argued that Germany needed Lebrensruam or “living space”. He used this as excuse to take back territories lost in in the Treaty of Versailles and also to expand into countries that have never been part of Germany. Such as Czechoslovakia, Poland and Russia.

Race - Jews were seen as an inferior race to the Aryan race, which meant that they were persecuted, then systematically murdered by the nazis. It also helps to explain the invasion of of the Soviet Union in 1941, which Hitler’s view was inhabited by racially inferior people.

Economics - One of Hitler’s solutions to unemployment was spending huge amounts of money on the armed forces, which created jobs. However, in the long-term, it made war more likely, as Germany faced economic ruin unless it took resources from other countries.

Question 27

When did the Soviet Union test its own nuclear weapon?

Answer 27

1949.

Question 28

How far was Cuba from America?

Answer 28

Cuba was only 90 miles away from Florida (a US state).

Question 29

Why did the Cuban Missile Crisis occur? What happened?

Answer 29

In the late 1950s (ended 26th July 1959), a civil war broke out between the American capitalist regime of Cuba and a group of communists led by Fidel Castro. When Castro won and took over Cuba, he began to nationalise all the US equipment there. The US was also worried because there was a large military base present in Cuba.

But most of all, the US had a communist regime in its backyard. The USSR’s missiles and weapons were too far away from America to reach. But if these weapons were placed in Cuba, the problem of range for the USSR missiles would be solved.

Question 30

When did the US find out that the USSR had begun to make missile bases on Cuba?

Answer 30

In 1962, a U-2 plane sent photos of a missile base being constructed in Cuba by the USSR.

Question 31

When did Kennedy launch his assault on Cuba? With what forces? How many? Where? What happened?

Answer 31

Kennedy sent a force of 1500 men to the Isle of Pigs (in Cuba) on the 17th of April 1961. Kennedy’s force comprised of fleeing Cubans (Cubans who fled Cuba after the civil war). Kennedy didn’t want the USSR to know that the US was directly involved in the assault on Cuba, so they used ex-Cubans instead of Americans.

However, in just two days, the entire force was either captured or killed. The Bay of Pigs housed a radio station nearby and was filled with the marsh. Making it hard to navigate. The radio station meant that the attack on Cuba was quickly broadcasted and the alert was raised.