Unit Six - The Modern Era Flashcards
genocide
the deliberate killing of a large group of people (usually by nationality or ethnicity)
World War I
war between the Allies and the Central Powers from 1914-1918
World War II
war between the Allies and the Axis Powers from 1939-1945
Holocaust
Nazi program (under Hitler) of exterminating Jews and other minorities
Great Depression
economic disaster; began in the United States in 1929
totalitarianism
political system where the state controls virtually every aspect of private and public life
decolonization
the process of a colonial power withdrawing from its colonies
superpower
an influential and powerful nation - USSR and United States during the Cold War
Cold War
a nonconfrontational conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union; became an arms race based on nuclear threat
non-aligned movement
a group of states who are neutral (not aligned with either side)
developed world
consisting of stable, self-sufficient nations
developing world
consisting of unstable, dependent nations (usually those who have recently been decolonized)
globalization
international integration
multiculturalism
the evolution of cultural diversity
religious fundamentalism
(of any religion) strict adherence to the fundamental principles of a faith
terrorism
the use of violence in pursuit of political goals
climate change
a change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns
Paris Peace Conference
meeting of major powers (excluding Germany and Russia) to negotiate the repercussions of World War I
Treaty of Versailles
drafted at the Paris Peace Conference; stated terms following the events of World War I and gave Germany especially harsh punishments
trench warfare
a system of land warfare that involves the use of trenches and poison gas
Bolshevik Revolution
Russian revolution, led by Lenin, that eventually resulted in the formation of the USSR
Soviet Union
a Marxist-Leninist state; the world’s first self-proclaimed socialist state
fascism
an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization
Nazism
a form of socialism featuring racism, expansionism, and obedience to a powerful leader
Munich Agreement
settlement permitting Nazi Germany’s annexation of certain German-speaking regions of Czechoslovakia; this formed the new territory of Sudetenland
Dresden
bombed by American and British forces during World War II, leaving thousands dead or displaced
ethnic cleansing
mass expulsion or killing of members of an unwanted ethnic or religious group in a society.
Berlin Wall
a barrier built to divide free West Germany from socialist East Germany
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization; agreement among member states to defend each other should an external force attack (opposite is the Warsaw Pact)
Warsaw Pact
agreement among the Cold War’s communist states to defend each other should an external force attack (opposite is NATO)
Gorbachev
- last leader of the Soviet Union
- liberalization to improve relations with the West
- reforms led to collapse of communism
Gamal Nasser
second president of Egypt who led land reforms
Gulf War
dispute over control of the waterway between Iraq and Iran
al-Qaeda
militant Islamist organization known for the 9/11 attacks
9/11/2001
al-Qaeda crashed airplanes into the World Trade Center as well as other places in the United States
Arab Spring
wave of revolutions in the Arab world (began in December 2010)
Kwame Nkrumah
first president of Ghana
pan-Africanism
the philosophy that all of Africa should be one unified state
African National Congress
organization dedicated to obtaining equal voting and civil rights for black inhabitants of South Africa
Nelson Mandela
political figure who played a major role in the South African anti-apartheid movement
HIV/AIDS
immune system diseases that are a growing problem in Africa
authoritarianism
a political system of blind submission to authority
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Japanese cities that were bombed by the United States in World War II
Mao Zedong
face of the Chinese Communist Party
People’s Republic of China
communist China
Great Leap Forward
economic and social plan aimed to modernize and industrialize China
apartheid of South Africa
policy of racial segregation between whites and people of color in South Africa
Cultural Revolution
Mao Zedong’s campaign in China to instill revolutionary values among the younger generation
Korean War
conflict between communist North Korea and non-communist South Korea
Deng Xiaoping
Chinese Communist Party leader who took charge after the death of Mao Zedong
Tiananmen Square
demonstration by students in Beijing who wanted more political openness and freedom
Indian National Congress
a movement in India founded as a demand for greater Indian participation in government
Monhandas Gandhi
peaceful leader of India’s independence movement
Jawaharlal Nehru
led INC after Gandhi and became India’s first prime minister
Vietnam War
conflict between communist North Vietnam and non-communist South Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh
key figure in foundation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
Cuban Missile Crisis
confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over the presence of missile sites in Cuba
Fidel Castro
Cuban socialist leader who overthrew the dictator and established Cuba as a Marxist, socialist state
League of Nations
diplomatic organization created after World War I
United Nations
international organization founded to promote peace and cooperation after World War II (replaced League of Nations)
proxy war
a war instigated by a major power that does not itself become involved
European Union
an association of European nations formed for the purpose of achieving political and economic integration
NAFTA
allows open trade between the United States, Mexico, and Canada
propaganda
biased or misleading information designed to draw support for a political cause
Bretton Woods system
fully negotiated monetary order intended to govern monetary relations among independent nation-states
Marshall Plan
American economic initiative to aid Europe following the damage caused by World War II
euro
common currency among European nations
Augusto Pinochet
dictator of Chile
Joseph Stalin
leader of the Soviet Union after the death of Lenin
Chernobyl
site of a catastrophic nuclear accident in Ukraine
USSR
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
ebola
rare and deadly virus
Green Revolution
a series of developments and initiatives that increased agricultural production, therefore saving millions from starvation
Franz Ferdinand
archduke of Austria-Hungary who was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist (Gavrilo Princip); this event caused World War I
Triple Alliance
military alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy prior to World War I
Triple Entente
military alliance between Russia, France, and Britain prior to World War I
Schlieffen Plan
Germany’s “revolving door” plan to win World War I
All Quiet on the Western Front
book written by a German World War I veteran that depicted the true horrors of being a soldier during this conflict
submarine warfare
(first used by Germany) the use of submarines and naval strategies in war
Lusitania
British passenger ship holding Americans that was sunk by German u-boats, thus angering America and inspiring them to join the war
Fourteen Points
Woodrow Wilson’s post-WWI plan
interwar period
the era between the two world wars
Bolsheviks
radical Marxist political party in Russia
Vladimir Lenin
founder of the Bolshevik Party
Five-Year Plans
initiatives implemented over the course of Stalin’s rule with goals of modernizing and collectivizing land
gulags
labor camps in the Soviet Union
kulaks
wealthy farmers who were persecuted in the Soviet Union
Benito Mussolini
dictator of Italy who founded fascism
Weimar Republic
Germany’s government prior to the rise of the Nazi Party
Nazi Party
German political party led by Hitler
Adolf Hitler
dictator of Germany, leader of the Nazi Party, and responsible for the Holocaust
Mein Kampf
(“My Struggle”) Hitler’s autobiographical manifesto
Nuremberg Laws
anti-Jewish statutes established by Germany
Kristallnacht
anti-Jewish riots in Germany that involved the destroying of Jewish property
Ataturk
founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey
Kuomintang
Chinese Nationalist Party
Rape of Nanjing
following the Japanese capture of Nanjing, tens of thousands were raped and/or murdered by the Japanese army
satyagraha
(literally “truth force”) Gandhi’s belief in peaceful protest
Mexican Revolution
ousted Porfirio Diaz from power in Mexico
Axis Powers
alliance of Italy, Germany, and Japan (WWII)
Allied Powers
alliance of the United States, Russia, Britain, France, and many other countries (WWII)
collectivization
consolidation of land and labor into collective farms
blitzkrieg
“lightning war”
Operation Barbarossa
Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II
Pearl Harbor
bombing of a United States naval base by Japan, causing the United States to join World War II
Stalingrad
Russian city; turning point in the war between Germany and Russia
Midway
location of U.S. victory over Japanese naval fleet during WWII
D-Day
storming of Nazi-occupied beaches in France; major contribution to the allies’ victory in WWII
concentration camp
work camps where people were confined and forced to work during the Holocaust
ghetto
slums where Jewish people were forced to live during WWII
Auschwitz
large concentration camp
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
international document of human rights created after the horrors of WWII and the Holocaust
arms race
a competition between nations for superiority and weapons
Sharpeville massacre
police brutality against black protesters in South Africa
All-India Muslim League
Indian political organization aimed to protect the rights and interests of the region’s Muslim population
Sukarno
first president of Indonesia
Che Guevara
Argentine Marxist who became a major figure of the Cuban Revolution
Osama bin Laden
Saudi Arabian founder of al-Qaeda
Chinua Achebe
author of Things Fall Apart, which depicts the effects of colonization on the Ibo tribe in Africa
polio vaccine
vaccinations that fight polio
penicillin
antibiotics
World Bank
UN financial institution that provides loans to struggling countries
International Monetary Fund
international organization for regulation of the global economy
Jim Crow laws
segregation laws in the United States
segregation
separation of people (usually by race) in a community
The Feminine Mystique
book which sparked the second-wave feminist movement
The Second Sex
book by Simone de Beauvoir - analyzes women’s position as “second” and “inferior” in society
feminist movement
a series of campaigns aimed to advance the rights of women
reproductive rights
rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health
Silent Spring
book written by Rachel Carson which inspired an environmental movement
Greenpeace
non-governmental, international environmental organization
dust bowl crisis
period of severe dust storms in the central United States that disrupted agriculture
New Deal
series of domestic programs in the United States; initiated by Franklin D. Roosevelt
total war
war that is unrestricted
guomindang
Chinese nationalist political party
Khrushchev
Soviet leader during the Cuban Missile Crisis; denounced Stalin publicly
Zhenotdel
women’s department of the Russian Communist Party who made advancements in women’s rights
Great Purges
campaign of political repression under Stalin
perestroika
Gorbachev’s glasnot (“openness”) reform movement
Soweto
South African mining town
Ayatollah Khomeini
Iranian political figure who, during his rule, reinstated traditional Islamic law systems
Global North
refers to the “developed” countries of the world
Global South
refers to the “developing” countries of the world
Hindutva
a form of Hindu nationalism in Inda
environmentalism
broad philosophy regarding concerns for the environment
antiglobalization
social movement that is critical of globalization and capitalism
