Comprehensive Flashcards on WWI, WWII, and Genocides

Contribute

To give or add something (ideas, resources, effort) to a larger cause.

Ideology

A system of ideas or beliefs that shapes political or economic systems.

Entrench

To establish something firmly so it becomes hard to change.

Scapegoat

A person or group unfairly blamed for problems.

Withdraw

To retreat or pull back from a position or commitment.

Tactic

A planned action to achieve a specific goal, especially in politics or war.

Purge

The forced removal of people considered undesirable, especially in politics.

Persecution

Cruel or unfair treatment due to identity, beliefs, or background.

MANIA (WWI Causes)

Militarism, Alliances, Nationalism, Imperialism, Assassination.

Militarism

Glorifying military power and building strong armed forces.

Alliances

Agreements between countries to defend each other in conflict.

Nationalism

Intense pride in one's nation; often led to rivalry and conflict.

Imperialism

Expanding a nation's power by taking over other lands.

Spark of WWI

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist.

Central Powers

Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria.

Allies

France, Britain, Russia (later U.S. and Italy).

Germany in WWI

Industrial & military powerhouse; key Central Power.

U.S. in WWI

Entered in 1917, tipping the war toward the Allies.

Total War

Using all national resources for war, including civilians.

Trench Warfare

Fighting from deep trenches; led to stalemates.

No Man's Land

Dangerous area between trenches.

Machine Guns (WWI)

Caused massive casualties, especially in trench battles.

Tanks (WWI)

Broke through trench lines, first used by British.

Poison Gas

Used to suffocate, blind, or kill; introduced psychological warfare.

Airplanes

Used for spying, bombing, and dogfights.

Submarines (U-boats)

German naval tactic that sank merchant ships.

Effects of New Tech

Made war more deadly, prolonged fighting.

Unrestricted Sub Warfare

Germany's policy that pushed U.S. into WWI.

Genocide Definition

Intentional killing of a group based on identity.

Armenian Genocide

Mass killing of 1M+ Armenians by Ottoman Empire during WWI.

Causes of Armenian Genocide

Nationalism, fear of Armenian alliance with Russia.

Effects of Armenian Genocide

Mass death, global Armenian diaspora, Turkish denial.

Legacy of Armenian Genocide

Early 20th-century genocide that shaped global law.

Ceasefire/Armistice (WWI)

Central Powers surrendered due to exhaustion (1918).

Treaty of Versailles

1919 peace treaty; blamed and punished Germany.

Article 231

"War guilt clause" forcing Germany to accept full blame.

German Reaction to Treaty

Felt humiliated and unfairly punished.

Allied Anger at Treaty

Italy, Japan, and Russia felt excluded or shortchanged.

League of Nations

Post-WWI peace group that failed to stop WWII.

Communism

System where wealth and production are shared equally.

March Revolution (1917)

Workers and soldiers forced Tsar Nicholas II to abdicate.

Bolsheviks

Radical communists led by Lenin; wanted immediate revolution.

Bolshevik Revolution (Oct 1917)

Bolsheviks overthrew the provisional gov.

Red Army

Communist forces in Russian Civil War.

White Army

Opponents of the Bolsheviks (royalists, liberals, etc.).

USSR Formed

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics created in 1922.

Totalitarianism

Government with total control over all life.

Great Purge (1930s)

Stalin's campaign to kill or jail opponents.

Great Depression Effects

Banks failed, unemployment rose, global economy crashed.

Fascism

Dictatorship that glorifies nation over individuals; no free speech.

Fascist Countries

Italy (Mussolini), Germany (Hitler), Spain (Franco).

Why Fascism Rose

Economic crisis + humiliation after WWI.

Japan Invades Manchuria (1931)

Took land for resources and empire-building.

Appeasement

Giving in to avoid war; seen in Munich Conference.

Munich Conference (1938)

Britain/France gave Hitler Sudetenland to avoid war.

Nonaggression Pact (1939)

Germany & USSR agree to split Poland and not attack.

WWII Begins

Germany invaded Poland → Britain & France declared war (1939).

Axis Powers (WWII)

Germany, Italy, Japan.

Allied Powers (WWII)

U.S., Britain, USSR, France, China.

Hitler (Germany)

Nazi leader; led Holocaust and WWII aggression.

Mussolini (Italy)

Fascist dictator; allied with Hitler.

Hirohito/Tojo (Japan)

Emperor and military leader during war.

Churchill (Britain)

Prime Minister who led Britain through war.

Roosevelt/Truman (USA)

U.S. presidents during most of WWII.

Stalin (USSR)

Dictator who led Soviet Union against Axis.

Holocaust

Systematic murder of 6 million Jews and millions of others.

Lebensraum

Nazi idea of "living space" for Germans by taking eastern land.

Groups Targeted

Jews, Romani, disabled, LGBTQ+, political enemies.

Nuremberg Laws

German laws stripping Jews of rights and citizenship.

Final Solution

Nazi plan for mass extermination of Jews.

Legacy of Holocaust

Led to global human rights laws and genocide prevention.

Nanjing Massacre

Japanese soldiers killed and raped 300,000 Chinese civilians.

Impact of Nanjing

Left long-term trauma and global outrage.

Battle of Stalingrad

Turning point on Eastern Front; Soviet victory.

Battle of Midway

U.S. crippled Japan's navy in the Pacific.

D-Day (Normandy)

Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France (1944).

Battle of the Bulge

Last major German offensive; failed.

Atomic Bombs

Hiroshima & Nagasaki bombings ended Pacific war.

WWII Social Impact

Millions dead, refugees, more rights for women.

WWII Economic Impact

U.S. rises, Europe rebuilds, IMF & World Bank created.

WWII Political Impact

Borders redrawn, Germany split, UN created.

Cold War Begins

U.S. vs. USSR rivalry over ideology and global power.

Decolonization

Many Asian & African countries gained independence.

Formation of UN (1945)

International group formed to promote peace.

Post-WWI Instability

Treaty of Versailles caused anger in Germany & Italy.

Rise of Extremism

Economic crises led to fascism and communism.

WWII Total War

Civilians targeted, economies shifted to wartime.

Impact of Propaganda

Used to rally support and justify atrocities.

Berlin Wall / Germany Divided

Symbol of Cold War division post-WWII.

M in MANIA

Militarism

first A in MANIA

Alliances

N in MANIA

Nationalism

I in MANIA

Imperialism

last A in MANIA

Assassination