Interwar Years Flashcards
Treaty of Versailles
Ended WWI, anti-Germany (reparations, can’t invade, etc)
The Great Depression
US stock market crash 1929, spread to Europe, high unemployment and poverty, overall economic instability
Mandate system
European countries (England, France) were “assigned” to Middle Eastern countries to help lead and maintain control
Sykes-Picot
1916 secret treaty between England and France establishing mandates in the Middle East
Balfour declaration
Document released by British officer expressing the desire to create a Jewish nation-state in Palestine, prompting many Jews to move to the area and creating conflict with Muslims, who also viewed Palestine as their homeland
Arab nationalism
Arab independence from Ottoman Empire declared in 1916 with British support, little loyalty to country but more to Arabia ( shared language, religion)
authoritarianism and totalitarianism
strict obedience to the gov (or other authority) in exchange for personal freedoms, tends to be dictatorial
Dictator
a leader with complete control over their country, normally won by force
Facism
characterized by militarism, violence and force, glorification of the past, nationalism, revolution, xenophobia, dictatorship
Collectivization
replacing individual ownership and operation with collective ownership typically done by the gov
Communism
all property is publicly owned, economic equality
Benito Mussolini
“il duce” Italian dictator 1920s-40s, creator of Fascism
Origins of Facism
a mix of left-wing (revolution) and right-wing (militarism, nationalism) ideas, grows when people are looking for structural change
Joseph Stalin
Leader of Russia 1920s-50s, authoritarian, communist, somewhat popular during his time, propaganda master
“Socialism in One Country”
Communist revolution was originally supposed to be a global movement, but Russia, not disagreeing, decided to strengthen socialism within their own country first
Collectivization (Ukraine)
farms brought under gov control, created famine and death, Ukraine considers it a genocide
Five Year Plan
Stalin’s improvement plan for Russia, included modernizing the economy, creating industry, industrializing, being able to defend itself
Gulags and Purges
Gulags were labor camps mostly for political prisoners in an attempt to purge possible enemies from the USSR
Weimar Republic
New German gov in the 1920s, democratic, economic problems, multi-party system
1933 Reichstag Fire
Fire at the German parliament building in Berlin, purposeful attack, Hitler blamed communists
1933 Enabling Act
Hitler got emergency power for 4 years, he has complete control, can override laws, constitution, parliament, etc
National Socialist German Workers’ (Nazi) Party
Political minority in early 1930s, gained popularity mid 1930s due to Hitler and desire for change, eventually became the only party, responsible for the Holocaust
Adolf Hitler
Leader (president and chancellor) of Germany in the 1930s-40s, leader of the Nazi Party, created anti-Semitic laws, concentration camps, responsible for the Holocaust
1935 Nuremberg Laws
Anti-Semitic legislation, Jews stripped of civil rights and citizenship, defined as separate race, intermarriage forbidden
