Unit 5: The World Wars Flashcards
1
Q
Berlin Conference of 1848 Definition
A
the conference that formalized the scramble for African colonies by various European nations in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and led to the partition of Africa between these imperial powers
2
Q
Imperialism Definition
A
the practice of one group of people establishing control over another in a foreign land
3
Q
Militarism Definition
A
the policy of building large armies and navies; the glorification of the military
4
Q
Nation-state Definition
A
a self-governing region
5
Q
Nationalism Definition
A
an ideology that promotes loyalty to a specific nation or power’s interests at the exclusion of other nations or powers’ interests
6
Q
World War I Definition
A
a global conflict from 1914 to 1918 that started in Europe
7
Q
Alliance Definition
A
a group of countries working together for a common purpose
8
Q
Balance of Power Definition
A
the idea that a country or group of countries should be equal in power
9
Q
Front Definition
A
a line that divides opposing armies
10
Q
Munitions Definition
A
the weapons and ammunition used by the military
11
Q
Triple Alliance Definition
A
at the start of World War I, an alliance consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy
12
Q
Triple Entente Definition
A
at the start of World War I, an alliance consisting of France, Russia, and Great Britain
13
Q
U-boat Definition
A
a German submarine
14
Q
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare Definition
A
a military strategy in which submarines target merchant and passenger ships without warning
15
Q
Mobilize Definition
A
to get troops ready for war; to activate a variety of parts of a government or society to support a war effort
16
Q
Schlieffen Plan Definition
A
a German military plan that if war broke out called for Germany to deliver a quick defeat of France before turning to Russia
17
Q
Ultimatum Definition
A
a demand, or list of demands, which if rejected leads to war
18
Q
Kaiser Definition
A
the German title for an emperor
19
Q
Delineation Definition
A
separation of soldiers by tasks or jobs; differentiation by occupational specialties
20
Q
Limited War Definition
A
a war with a limited scope of involvement and a specific political goal
21
Q
Total War Definition
A
a war with the focus of destroying an enemy that encompasses a whole nation or society in the war effort; a type of war in which all parts of a society are used to fight; a country uses all possible resources and people in order to achieve success, often blurring the lines between home front and battle front
22
Q
No-man’s Land Definition
A
the area between two trenches, often covered in unexploded ordnance and land mines that make it difficult to cross
23
Q
Reconnaissance Definition
A
one party in a military conflict checking out the terrain and situation of the opposing side
24
Q
Allied Forces Definition
A
another term used to describe the Triple Entente of France, Britain, and Russia as more nations and colonies joined in the conflict
25
Flanking Maneuver Definition
a military tactic that involves a force moving around the side of its enemy to surround them or cut off their supply lines
26
Guerilla Warfare Definition
an irregular warfare tactic using small groups of fighters who ambush, sabotage, raid, and do hit-and-runs
27
Offensive Definition
a military operation intended to gain an objective, typically used to describe an attack or invasion
28
Trench Warfare Definition
a type of warfare in which forces dig large trenches to provide protection from enemy attacks
29
Two-Front War Definition
when a nation or military opposes enemies on two geographically separate fronts at the same time
30
Armistice Definition
a joint decision by combatants to cease hostilities under certain defined conditions
31
Central Powers Definition
a term used to describe the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire, as well as Bulgaria
32
Isolationist Definition
a policy of avoiding foreign political involvement in order to focus on domestic issues
33
Offensive Definition
a military operation intended to gain an objective, typically used to describe an attack or invasion
34
Bolsheviks Definition
the Russian socialists who supported Marx’s ideas and wanted to see the country embrace them
35
March Revolution Definition
the first stage of the Russian Revolution in 1917, begun when Tsar Nicholas II gave up his throne and the Russian people began establishing a new government
36
Marxism Definition
the theory that class conflict would lead to a revolution and ultimately a classless society in which everyone would own the means of production and have an equal share
37
Marxism-Leninism Definition
the adaptation of Marxist ideas by Lenin; unlike Marx’s vision of a classless society, Lenin believed that it was important to have a small group of elites in power to help guide the country toward communism
38
Mensheviks Definition
the Russian socialists who supported Marx’s ideas but did not advocate revolution; this group was more moderate in their beliefs than Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks
39
New Economic Policy Definition
a policy created by Lenin after the Russian Civil War that undid War Communism policies and allowed Russians some measure of capitalist features, like private business ownership and some private property; in a sense, it rolled back elements of communism in the new Soviet economy
40
October Revolution Definition
the third and final revolution in Russia led by Lenin in 1917, when the Bolsheviks overthrew the current government
41
Red Terror Definition
a name used for the Bolsheviks’ efforts to eliminate political opposition during the Russian Civil War
42
Revolution of 1905 Definition
a short-lived uprising in Russia that occurred because of general dissatisfaction with the government; it led to only limited political change
43
War Communism Definition
a policy implemented during the Russian Civil War by Lenin and the Bolsheviks, which involved converting some elements of the Russian economy, such as taking over private business, nationalizing industry, and collectivizing agriculture
44
Bloody Sunday Definition
the name for the date that began the Revolution of 1905 in Russia as a result of the massacre of more than one hundred protestors in St. Petersburg
45
Cheka Definition
the secret police force created by the Bolsheviks in late 1917
46
Gregorian Calendar Definition
the calendar that uses the vernal equinox each spring to decide the date for the Christian Easter holiday; European countries began adopting this calendar in 1582
47
Julian Calendar Definition
the calendar that used a fixed date for the Easter holiday; it was used by most Christian countries from 45 BCE to 1582 CE
48
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk Definition
the treaty that ended Russia’s involvement in World War I
49
Vladamir Lenin Definition
the leader of the Bolsheviks in the Russian Revolution
50
Armistice Definition
a joint decision by combatants to cease hostilities under certain defined conditions
51
Clergy Definition
the individuals who are ordained, or authorized, by a church to perform particular functions
52
Communist Definition
a system of government where the government controls property (land, factories, companies) and wealth to create a classless society where each person enjoys the benefit of labor
53
Federation Definition
a group of individual organizations, such as nations, that have a central governing structure that connects them
54
Russian Civil War Definition
the war fought between the Reds (the socialist Bolsheviks led by Lenin) and the Whites who opposed them; the conflict ended in 1921 with the Bolsheviks being victorious.
55
Socialist Definition
a person or group whose political ideology advocates the working class should be in control of wealth
56
Arable Land Definition
a land that is suitable for growing food or other crops
57
Belligerent Definition
the military term for a country or group fighting a war
58
Great Depression Definition
a global economic crisis that began in late 1929 and lasted for a decade
59
London Tube Definition
the name for London’s mass transportation system, which is largely an underground subway network
60
Munitions Definition
military weapons, including ammunition and related equipment
61
Nazi Party Definition
a political party in Germany associated with Adolf Hitler, which gained influence in the 1920s and brought Hitler to power in Germany in the 1930s
62
Rehabilitate Definition
to return to an original state
63
Treaty of Versailles Definition
the peace agreement that ended World War I in 1918
64
Weimar Republic Definition
the German state that existed from the end of World War I in 1918 through 1933, when Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany
65
Autonomy Definition
the ability to rule or govern independently, without oversight from another
66
Sanction Definition
a punishment put onto a country for breaking a law or rule
67
Self-determination Definition
the idea that each ethnic group should have its own country and government
68
Sovereignty Definition
independent, autonomous authority
69
Citizen Definition
an individual who owes allegiance to, and receives rights from, a political state
70
Nineteenth Amendment Definition
the amendment to the U.S. Constitution that granted women the right to vote
71
Supply Chain definition
a sequence of processes and interchanges that brings a good to a certain location
72
Disillusioned Definition
disappointed in something that was not as glorious as one originally thought it would be
73
Generation Definition
a group of people born and living at the same time, referred to as a group
74
Jazz Age Definition
a nickname of the 1920s, coined by writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, referencing the improvisational musical style popular in the era
75
Lost Generation Definition
a term used to describe a group of American writers who came of age during the First World War, as well as the generation that grew up around that war
76
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Definition
a psychological medical condition that sometimes arises when people have been through physical or mental trauma
77
Psychological Effects Definition
the mental results of an event or action on a person
78
Anti-Semitism Definition
hatred toward people who are Jewish
79
Fascism Definition
a far-right, authoritarian political belief that places the worth of some lives above others through violence; a political ideology that focuses on one political party, one leader, and the concept of nationalism above individualism
80
League of Nations Definition
an international organization proposed by President Wilson to prevent war from breaking out again; the U.S. did not join, and the largely ineffectual organization was gone within a few decades
81
Protectionism Definition
the use of economic measures, such as tariffs or quotas, to protect a nation’s domestic industry from foreign competition
82
Regulatory Force Definition
a person or organization with the power to make rules and make sure they are followed by others
83
Tariff Definition
a charge or tax paid on exports or imports; a tax imposed by a nation on goods imported from another nation
84
United Nations Definition
an international organization developed to help maintain peace and security throughout the world
85
Currency Exchange Rate Definition
the rate at which one country’s money can be exchanged for another country’s money
86
Debt Definition
something that is owed by one person or institution to another, usually money
87
Economic Depression Definition
a period of time during which an economy doesn’t grow
88
Poverty Line Definition
the approximate minimum income level a family or individual needs in order to sustain themselves
89
Speculation Definition
buying something, such as a stock, because it has a high risk of losing value but you are willing to bet that it might make you more money in the future
90
Stock Market Definition
a place where stocks—pieces of companies—are bought and sold
91
Collateral Definition
an item or funds given as promise of future payment for something; it will be forfeited if future payment is not met
92
Credit System Definition
the idea of paying for something in installments
93
Dawes Plan Definition
a plan created after World War I to restructure Germany’s reparation payments financed by U.S. banks
94
Fourteen Points Definition
President Wilson’s vision for the world after World War I; focused on ideas such as self-determination for all countries and a permanent peace organization
95
Overproduction Definition
the idea that goods are being produced too much or too fast, in such a way that consumers are not able to purchase or use everything being made
96
Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 Definition
a congressional act that placed a high tax on imported European goods in order to help American businesses
97
Stock Market Crash of 1929 Definition
the sudden and very drastic fall of the United States stock market in late 1929, bursting an investment “bubble” and kicking off what became the Great Depression; it was not the cause of the Depression, but one of the symptoms of overproduction and underconsumption
98
Underconsumption Definition
the idea that consumers are not purchasing adequate amounts of materials being produced in the market
99
Wall Street Definition
the location of the stock market in the United States; generally used to refer to the New York Stock Exchange and investors and brokers
100
Contraction Definition
an economic term that refers to a country’s overall decrease in economic consumption and production
101
Copper Belt Definition
a region in present-day Zambia that is rich in copper deposits
102
Wage Laborer Definition
a worker who began to be paid an hourly wage for their work in the industrial era
103
Black Sunday Definition
the biggest dust storm of the Great Depression; occurred on April 14, 1935
104
Boxcar Children Definition
a community of children and teens who left home during the Great Depression to live on the railroads
105
Dust Bowl Definition
a region of southwestern Great Plains states that experienced severe drought conditions and dust storms in the 1930s
106
Harlem Renaissance Definition
the African American cultural golden age that began in Harlem in New York City (1920s–1930)
107
Okie Definition
a derogatory term for a farmer who moved west from the Great Plains states
108
Sharecropper Definition
an impoverished person who rented a small plot of land to farm and paid the landlord with a portion of their crops
109
Five-Year Plan Definition
a plan implemented by Joseph Stalin in the USSR that intended to improve the economy through state-controlled industrialization
110
Great Purge Definition
the imprisonment of people in the Soviet Union who opposed Joseph Stalin’s leadership
111
Nazism Definition
a form of fascism created by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party that opposes liberal democracy and promotes anti-Semitism, anti-communism, and scientific racism
112
Totalitarianism Definition
a form of government in which the central government has absolute power and existence in the society requires subservience to the state
113
Car Culture Definition
the reliance and importance placed on ownership of an automobile in society
114
Fireside Chats Definition
the radio speeches given by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to encourage trust and confidence in the government
115
Ku Klux Klan Definition
a hate group created to inflict domestic terror in accordance with its White supremacist ideas
116
Materialism Definition
the emphasis on material goods as symbols of status and happiness
117
Jazz Definition
a genre of music that began in Black and African American communities in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA in the late nineteenth century
118
Mass Culture Definition
a set of practices, beliefs, things, and ideas that are popular in a society at a certain point in time
119
Popular Culture Definition
a set of modern cultural traits that are often urban-based and media-influenced, and often originate in westernized societies
120
Breadwinner Definition
an individual who earns money to support a family
121
"Greatest Generation" Definition
the generation of Americans born between 1900 and the 1920s who lived through the Great Depression and World War II
122
New Deal Definition
a series of government policies and reforms put into place by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939
123
Cult of Personality Definition
a practice in dictatorships of attributing superhuman qualities to the dictator
124
Mausoleum Definition
a large, ornate tomb
125
Russian Revolution Definition
the period from about 1917 to 1922 when Russia was in turmoil; during 1917, three separate revolutions occurred: the abdication and murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family; the overthrow of the Duma provisional government; and the Bolshevik’s overthrow of the most recent government, after which the nation descended into civil war
126
Mandate System Definition
a system put in place by the League of Nations to govern toward national self-determination the former colonies of the imperial powers that lost World War I
127
Monroe Doctrine Definition
United States foreign policy goal that opposed European colonialism in Latin America
128
National Self-determination Definition
the right of all peoples to create and govern their own nation-states
129
Nationalism Definition
the belief that identity groups unified by common interests should rule themselves as a nation-state
130
Trusteeship Definition
the supervision of mandated territories so they can gain independence
131
Kuomintang (KMT) Definition
a Chinese nationalist party formed in 1912 that ruled China under Chiang Kai-shek from 1928 to 1949, when it fled to Taiwan, where it ruled as the single party in power until 1991
132
Qing Dynasty Definition
a Chinese ruling power from 1644 to 1911 that grew politically weak by the early twentieth century
133
Revolutionary Alliance Definition
an alliance of several Chinese revolutionary groups that sought to overthrow the Qing Dynasty
134
Sphere of Influence Definition
an area over which a country or government has influence yet no formal authority
135
Warlords Definition
a group that ruled and unified various geographic regions of China during the first three decades of the twentieth century until 1928
136
Manchurian Incident Definition
an event during which Japan staged a railroad attack to seize Manchuria in China
137
Beer Hall Putsch Definition
an attempted insurrection of the government in Munich by Hitler and the Nazi Party (1923)
138
Chancellor Definition
the prime minister of the German Weimar Republic government
139
Kristallnacht Definition
a German attack on Jewish people, known as the “Night of Broken Glass”
140
Mein Kampf Definition
a book written by Adolf Hitler in prison that formed the ideology behind how Hitler would operate his government
141
Third Reich Definition
the German government of Adolf Hitler
142
Nanjing Atrocities Definition
a period from late 1937 to early 1938 where the Japanese Army murdered and assaulted Chinese civilians and soldiers
143
Nuremberg Laws Definition
a set of laws passed in Nazi Germany that took away the citizenship of German Jews and prohibited them from marrying non-Jewish people
144
Pan-Asianism Definition
the belief in the unification of all of Asia
145
Blitzkrieg Definition
the German military strategy of winning battle quickly, overpowering the opposition before they even had a chance to react
146
Munich Agreement Definition
a deal created by Great Britain, France, Italy, and Germany in 1938 that allowed Germany to take over the Sudetenland, an area in the western part of Czechoslovakia
147
Fascist Party Definition
those who seek to unite their country and expand abroad under a dictatorship that controls every aspect of life
148
Liberalism Definition
a political and economic ideology that emphasized individual freedom, equal treatment under the law, and free-market economic policies
149
Socialist Definition
a person or group whose political ideology advocates the working class should control wealth. Most see government control of the economy as the means to this end.
150
Concentration Camps Definition
the camps used by Nazi Germany to hold prisoners for forced labor and eventual execution
151
Enabling Act Definition
a measure enacted in 1933 that allowed Adolf Hitler to issue laws on his own authority
152
Final Solution Definition
the Nazi’s plan to kill all Europe’s Jews
153
Ghetto Definition
an area in cities in which the Nazis required Jews to live
154
Gleichschaltung Definition
the Nazi Party’s program to consolidate every aspect of German life under its control
155
Leadership Principle Definition
the idea that every organization should have a single, absolute leader
156
Lebensraum (Living Space) Definition
the idea that the German people needed more land to settle
157
Night of the Long Knives Definition
the murder, on Adolf Hitler’s orders, of Hitler’s opponents in the Nazi Party and some outside of it
158
Fascist Definition
a far-right proponent of a country that is a single race, with a rigid social hierarchy, male dominance, and violence toward those seen as outsiders
159
Genro Definition
a group of Japanese statesmen who dominated its government from the 1880s through the 1920s
160
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere Definition
the Japanese program to unite the economies of East Asia around itself. Other countries would provide raw materials for and buy manufactured goods from Japan
161
Manchukuo Definition
the puppet state created by the Japanese to rule the Chinese province of Manchuria
162
Collectivization of Agriculture Definition
a program to combine small farms in the Soviet Union into large collective farms that the government would control
163
Great Terror Definition
Stalin’s campaign to eliminate all possible opposition to him
164
NKVD Definition
the Soviet secret police in the 1930s and 1940s
165
Secret Speech Definition
Nikita Khrushchev’s denunciation of many of Stalin’s crimes
166
Show Trials Definition
the trials of high-ranking Soviet officials in which they confessed to plotting against Stalin
167
Socialism in One Country Definition
Joseph Stalin’s plan to build up industry in the Soviet Union under government control
168
Allied Powers (WWII) Definition
an alliance formed during World War II that included France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States; also known as the Allies
169
Anti-Comintern Pact Definition
an agreement between Germany, Italy, and Japan to ally with one another due to their similar interests
170
Axis Powers Definition
an alliance formed during World War II that included Germany, Italy, and Japan
171
Lend-Lease Act Definition
a law in the United States that allowed the government to send aid to other countries during World War II
172
Puppet State Definition
a country that appears sovereign but is controlled by a foreign power
173
Island Hopping Definition
U.S. strategy of using natural barriers in the Pacific Ocean to breach the defense perimeter of Japan in World War II
174
Kamikaze Definition
select Japanese air force fliers who were tasked with flying suicide missions in an effort to make direct hits on valuable Allied military assets such as battleships and aircraft carriers
175
Spanish Flu Epidemic Definition
the pandemic event when the Spanish flu virus spread around the world starting in 1918
176
Annexation Definition
a formal act whereby a state proclaims its sovereignty over territory hitherto outside its domain
177
Pogrom Definition
the organized persecution or massacre of an ethnic group
178
Usury Definition
the practice of lending money and charging interest
179
Aryan Definition
an idealized race of people used by the Nazis to establish racial superiority
180
Eugenics Definition
the pseudoscientific belief that the human race can be improved through the selective breeding of those with superior traits
181
Jehovah's Witnesses Definition
a Christian denomination that believes the end of the world is imminent and only God’s chosen few will survive; members renounce any loyalty to the state or military service as part of their faith
182
Romani Definition
a migratory population originally from northern India living in small, diasporic communities throughout Europe
183
Scientific Racism Definition
the use of pseudoscientific ideas to support racism
184
Social Darwinism Definition
the misapplication of Charles Darwin’s ideas to people and societies
185
Collectivization Definition
the placement of a country’s economic production under government control
186
Cossacks Definition
the people who lived along the Volga River in what is now Russia; known for their military capabilities and often used as soldiers by Russian rulers
187
Gulag Definition
a system of forced labor camps used by the Soviet Union
188
Holodomor Definition
the intentional mass famine in Ukraine between 1932 and 1933 by the Soviet Union killing approximately 3.5 million people
189
Kulaks Definition
the peasants who owned large plots of land at the end of the Russian Empire
190
Nuremberg Code Definition
a set of principles regarding medical ethics and human experimentation established after World War II
191
Shinto Definition
Japan’s Indigenous religion
192
Cold War Definition
a war of ideologies between the United States and its allies and the Soviet Union and its allies
193
Decolonization Definition
the action or process of a state withdrawing from a former colony, leaving it independent
194
Ethnic Cleansing Definition
the forced removal of a group of people from an area based on their race, religion, or ethnicity
195
International Criminal Court Definition
a permanent court established to prosecute war crimes and genocide
196
Khmer Rouge Definition
the communist party of Cambodia between 1975 and 1979 that is responsible for the genocide of 1.5 to 2 million people
197
NATO Definition
North Atlantic Treaty Organization; formed by a pledge among 12 nations to defend one another if someone was attacked and out of concern for the growing Soviet bloc
198
Nuremberg Trials Definition
the first international war crimes trials intended to prosecute high ranking Nazi officials for war crimes
199
Proxy War Definition
a conflict between two or more parties on behalf of other parties not directly involved in the conflict
200
201
Zionism Definition
the movement to establish a Jewish homeland
202
Appeasement Definition
an attempt by European leaders to avoid war by allowing the German annexation of Czechoslovakia
203
Atomic Bomb Definition
a nuclear weapon first developed by Americans during World War II; atomic bombs have only been used twice in history and both were dropped by the Americans on to the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in August 1945
204
D-Day Definition
the invasion of German-occupied France by Allied forces led by Supreme Commander Dwight Eisenhower
205
Potsdam Conference Definition
the last major Allied conference of World War II, which divided Germany into occupation zones and laid the foundation for the United Nations to be created
206
Tehran Conference Definition
the first meeting of the “Big Three” Allied Powers where they decided to launch an invasion of Nazi-occupied France
207
Yalta Conference Definition
a meeting between Allied powers during World War II to discuss postwar Europe after the defeat of Germany and Soviet entry into the war against Japan
208
38th Parallel Definition
the line of latitude that divides North and South Korea
209
Satellite State Definition
an independent nation that is politically, economically, or militarily influenced by a foreign nation
210
Warsaw Pact Definition
the Soviet Response to NATO and created due to West Germany joining NATO in 1955
211
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Definition
an international financial institution that works to promote global economic cooperation and financial security
212
Marshall Plan Definition
an aid program to rebuild Western Europe
213
Security Council Definition
the governing body of the United Nations comprised of 15 members, with five having veto power over the General Assembly
214
Universal Declaration of Human Rights Definition
the United Nations international agreement that outlines the fundamental freedoms and rights of all people
215
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Definition
an agency within the United Nations used to promote international cooperation on educational, scientific, and cultural issues
