Historical Terms Flashcards
abolitionism
The movement to abolish slavery in the United States.
Allies
Nations that united against the Germans, Italians, and Japanese (Axis) forces during World War II. Mainly comprised of the United States, England, and France. Russia joined later.
apartheid
A former policy of South Africa in which the races were separated by law.
Axis
Nations opposed to the Allies during World War II, including Germany, Italy, and Japan.
Balfour Declatarion
Great Britain’s 1917 proclamation supporting the establishment of a separate homeland for Jews in Palestine.
blitzkreig
“Lightening War” in which surprise attacks by aircraft are immediately followed by massive attacks by ground forces, as in Hitler’s 1939 invasion of Poland.
bourgeoisie
According to Marx and Engels, the middle class; and prerevolutionary France, a portion of the Third Estate comprised of a middle class of artisans and merchants.
caste
One of the four hereditary classes of society in Hinduism.
Code of Hammurabi
Babylonian legal code that established governmental responsibility for criminal justice.
Cold War
Long-term period of poor relations between the United States and the Soviet Bloc from the end of World War II until the early 1990s.
colony
A territory under direct control of a stronger country.
communism
Economic system in which the workers (the proletariat) control the means of production.
Communist Manifesto
Seminal work by Karl Marx and in Friedrich Engel in which the basic principles of communism are outlined.
Constitution
The US Constitution, “the law of the land,” was drafted in 1787 and ratified in 1789.
Cultural Revolution
Campaign carried out by the Chinese Red Guards 1966-1976 with the goal of revitalizing the Chinese Communist Party and consolidating Mao Zedong’s leadership.
cuneiform
Sumerian system of writing.
Cyrillic alphabet
The alphabet of the Russian language and other Slavic languages.
czar (or tsar)
A Russian emperor.
Declaration of Independence
Written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, this document proclaimed the American colonies’ independence from Great Britain.
détente
A cooling of Cold War tensions initiated during the administrations of Nixon and Brezhnev.
diaspora
The scattering of specific ethnic groups throughout various parts of the world.
dictator
A sole ruler with absolute power.
domino theory
An idea prevalent during the Cold War that if one nation fell to Communism, neighboring nations would likewise fall.
Five-Year Plans
Economic plans to increase industrial and agricultural productivity in the Soviet Union, China, and India.
Fourteen Points
Post-World War I peace plan proposed by Woodrow Wilson; major points included the principle of self-determination and the establishment of an association of nations.
Geneva Conference
Conference held in 1954 that divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel.
glasnost
A Soviet policy introduced in 1985 by Mikhail Gorbechev emphasizing “openness” in the sharing of information and ideas.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Resolution passed by the US Congress in 1964 authorizing President Johnson to send troops into Vietnam.
hieroglyphics
Ancient Egyptian picture writing.
Huns
A nomadic group from Central Asia who undertook a mass migration to the Roman Empire in the 400s C.E.
imperialism
The political, economic, or social domination of a strong nation over another nation or territory.
laissez-faire capitalism
Economic system in which no governmental regulation of the market is advocated.
Lend-Lease Act
A policy passed by the US Congress in 1941 allowing President Roosevelt to give arms and other supplies to any nation considered vital to the security of the United States.
Magna Carta
Document drafted in 1215 that specifies English political and civil liberties. It forms the basis of the English common law.
Manhattan Project
The US plan to develop an atomic bomb during World War II.
Manifest Destiny
Belief first articulated in the mid-1800s that it was the destiny of the United States to continue to expand to the west and the Pacific Ocean.
Marshall Plan
Plan put forth by US Secretary of State George C. Marshall describing how to rebuild Europe after the conclusion of World War II.
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
A 1949 defense alliance initiated by the United States, Canada, and 10 Western European nations.
New Deal
Set of domestic programs set forth by FDR’s administration to help the United States overcomes the Great Depression.
Prussia
Old name for current-day Germany. Ruled by Frederick the Great at its height of power.
republic
Government in which citizens are ruled by elected representatives.
suffrage
The right or privilege of voting; franchise.
teetotaler
One pledged to abstinence from all intoxicating drinks.
totalitarianism
One-party political system with the goal of supporting the welfare of the state above all else.
Versailles
Palace near Paris that was the seat of power for many French kings, including Louis XIV. Also the site of the Treaty of Versailles, which marked the conclusion of World War I.
Warsaw Pact
In 1955 defense alliance organized by the Soviet Union and several Eastern European nations.
Waterloo
Site where Napoleon suffered his greatest defeat.
Yalta
Island where Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin met to discuss the partitioning of Europe at the conclusion of World War II.
