Midterm Flashcards
Autarky
“self-sufficient”
Abyssinian Crisis
1935-1936
Italy occupies Abyssinia (modern day Ethiopia). League of Nations condemned the action and attempted to pose sanctions, but the sections were half-hearted as some nations didn’t follow through.
Anschluss
German and Austrian unification
Austrian-Prussian War
1866
War between Austria (w German Alliance) and Prussia (w Italian Alliance). Bismarck wins for Prussia. Concluded by the Treaty of Prague.
Balkan Crisis/Russo-Turkish War
1876-78
Atrocities by the Ottomans in the Balkans, which led to a war between Russia and the Ottomans. Joint intervention between Germany/AH/Russia. Britain stops Russia before reaching Constantinople -> Treaty of San Stefano
Bosnian Crisis
1908-1909
International tension caused by the annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina by AH
Congress of Berlin
1878
Diplomatic meeting of the great powers which replaced the Treaty of San Stefano with the Treaty of Berlin. Characterized by secret deals. Britain backs AH occupation of Bosnia.
Congress of Vienna
1814-1815
Meeting of Great Powers following Napoleon’s defeat to reestablish the balance of power
Crimean War
1854-1856
Military conflict where Russia lost to an alliance between the Ottoman Empire, GB, France and Sardinia
Franco-Prussian War
1870-1871
Bismarck vs Napoleon III. France loses and its the end to its hegemony
Great Depression
1930’s
Depression of the US triggered by the crash of the stock market. Sent shockwaves throughout the international economy.
Munich Conference
1938
Between Germany, GB, and France. Supposed to end the Sudeten Crisis and ensure peace. Six months later, Hitler violated it.
Russian Revolution/Civil War
1917-1922
Uprising and the defense of the newly empowered Bolsheviks
Russo-Japanese War
1905
Development of the rivalry over dominance of Korea. Japanese victors.
Sudeten Crisis
1938
Germany invades Czechoslovakia. GB and France upset, but eventually give Germany the Sudetenland to avoid confrontation.
World War I
1914-1918
War between the Central Powers and the Allied Powers sparked by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo. Harsh German reparations/League of Nations.
Articles 231 and 232
Within the Treaty of Versailles.
Article 231, or the War Guilt Clause, led Germany to be solely responsible for the reparations of war. Article 232 limited German liability.
Concert of Europe
Consensus among European Great Powers focused on preserving the status-quo and maintaining the balance of power
Holy Alliance
1815
Prussia, Austria, Russia
Preserve the domestic status-quo
Kellogg-Briand Pact
1928
Agreement signed to outlaw war
Sits at the heart of the UN Charter
League of Nations
Proposed during the Paris Peace Conference. Based largely on American ideals. Did not include Germany, Russia, or the US. Failed.
Locarno Treaties
1925
Mutual peace agreement between Germany, Belgium, and France. German “flagrant violation” w occupation of Rhineland.
Mediterranean Agreements
1887
A series of agreements between GB, Italy, and AH with the aim to preserve the status quo
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
1939
Mutual non-agression pact between the Germans and the Soviets
Peace of Westphalia
1648
Brought an end to the Thirty Years’ War and the Eighty Years’ War
Quadruple Alliance
1815
GB, Prussia, Austria, and Russia
Prevent French revisionism
Reinsurance Treaty
1887
Secret agreement between Germany and Russia to remain neutral in conflict w another country, unless Germany got in a war w France or Russia got in a war w Austria
Stresa Coalition
1935
Coalition between France, GB, and Italy to formally oppose Hitler. Coalition soon dissolved after Italy invaded Ethiopia.
(Second) Three Emperors’ League
1881
Revival of the former Three Emperors League between Germany/AH/Russia. Characterized by “benevolent neutrality.” Prevention against entering an alliance w France.
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
1918
Peace treaties signed between the Central Powers, the Ukrainian Republic, and Soviet Russia to end hostilities during WWI.
Treaty of Versailles
1919
Brought an end to WWI. Placed harsh reparations on Germany.
Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
1919
One of the treaties of the Paris Conference. Registered the breakup of the Habsburg Empire. Forbid Anschluss unless under League consent.
Triple Alliance
1882
Secret alliance between Germany, Italy, and AH promoting mutual defense. “Balancing act.”
Triple Entente
1907
FRIENDLY AGREEMENT between France, GB, and Russia
Alsace-Lorraine
Area between France and Germany that was highly fought over by both nations
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Played a large role in WWI, as Archduke Ferdinand was shot in Sarajevo. Formerly ruled by the Ottoman Empire and then AH.
East Prussia
research
Polish Corridor
Strip of land that provided Poland access to the Baltic Sea. Poland’s refusal to give the land to Germany caused the start of WWII.
Rhineland
Area of land between Germany and France that was highly fought over. Occupation was banned following WWI, though Germany reoccupied it under Hitler’s rule.
Ruhr Valley
German river valley occupied by France and Belgium from 1923 to 1925 as a result of failure to pay reparations
Sudetenland
Part of Germany that was annexed and incorporated into Czechoslovakia
the “Straits”
Russian desire to secure a warm water port
Adolf Hitler
Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945. Had idealistic views for the rise of Germany and viewed the German people as the most elite.
Archduke Ferdinand
Presumptive heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne assassinated in 1914. Assassination sparked WWI.
Cardinal Richelieu
Influential French political leader. Invented raison d’etat.
David Lloyd George
British statesman that participated in the Paris Peace Conference
Emperor/Kaiser Wilhelm II
German kaiser and king of Prussia. Known for his militaristic actions. Coined Weltpolitik.
Georges Clemenceau
French statesman that played a large role in the Allied victory of WWI and a framer of the Treaty of Versailles
Gustav Stesemann
German statesman who received the Nobel Peace Prize for his negotiations during the Locarno Pact alongside Briand
Josef Stalin
Communist leader of the USSR from 1929-1953.
Napoleon III
Nephew of Napoleon I. French leader adamant about seeking recognition. Ultimately was defeated by Bismarck.
Otto von Bismarck
Conservative Prussian leader that dominated German politics in the 1860’s. Very militaristic and methodical.
Prince von Metternich
Austrian statesman that orchestrated the Congress of Vienna from 1814-1815
Tsar Alexander I
Tsar of Russia from 1801-1825. Took part in the Congress of Vienna and advocated for the Holy Alliance.
Tsar Nicholas II
Russian emperor from 1894-1917, during WWI. Killed during the Bolsheviks after the October revolution.
Woodrow Wilson
28th President of US
Idealistic, wanted to end war.
Played a large role in the League of Nations, though the US never joined.
Alliances vs. Collective Security
Kissinger
r
Balance of Power
International system in which the power of one state is matched by that of a different state
“Cult of the Offensive”
Glorification of offensive military practices and belief that offensive strategies were the best way to solve security problems
Eastern Question
Conflict over the Turkish territories created by the power vacuum caused by the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire
Great Powers
Sovereign states with recognized power and influence within the international system
Imperialism
The extension of a state’s power to acquire territory
Multipolarity
a system in which multiple powers rule
Realpolitik
politics based on the practical rather than the ideological/moral
Revisionism
r
Self-Determination
A state’s right to decide for itself how it will operate and be governed
“Total War”
Massive war that requires the mobilization of a society
Fourteen Points
1918
Proposed by Wilson.
14 points that outlined peace. Later used to negotiate an end to WWI.
Dawes Plan
1924
A plan to ensure reparations from Germany based on its capacity to pay
Maginot Line
Line of fortifications along the French-German border to deter German invasion in the 1930s
Moltke Plan
Revision to the Schlieffen Plan by Moltke
Policy of Fulfillment
German aims to fulfill the terms of the Treaty of Versailles to show its inability to work
Protectionism
Shielding of a nations domestic industry by taxing imports
Schliefen Plan
1905
Plan for German armies to cut through Belgium to attack France and defend against fighting a two-front war against France and Russia.
Splendid Isolation
Avoidance of alliances or international entanglements
Reference to British foreign policy
Weltpolitik
Imperialist German foreign policy adopted by Emperor Wilhelm II from 1890 on.
Germany needed “a place in the sun”
Bipolarity
Two power system
Neville Chamberlain
Prime Minister of GB from 1937-1940 characterized by his policy of appeasement toward Hitler