Vocab #9

World War I

A global conflict that lasted from 1914 to 1918, involving most of the world's great powers.

Archduke Francis Ferdinand

The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne whose assassination in 1914 triggered World War I.

Triple Alliance

A military alliance formed in 1882 between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.

Central Powers

The coalition of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria during World War I.

Total War

A war strategy that mobilizes all of a nation's resources and people for the war effort.

Nationalism

A strong patriotic feeling that often emphasizes loyalty to one's nation over others.

Self-determination

The principle that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status.

Propaganda

Information, often biased or misleading, used to promote a political cause or point of view.

Armenians in Turkey

The group that faced genocide by the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

Zimmerman Telegram

A secret diplomatic communication from Germany proposing a military alliance with Mexico against the U.S. during World War I.

Lenin and Bolsheviks

Vladimir Lenin led the Bolshevik party, which seized control of Russia in the October Revolution of 1917.

Bolshevik Communist State

The state formed in Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution, leading to the establishment of the Soviet Union.

Global war

A war involving multiple countries across different continents.

Influenza epidemic

A global pandemic that occurred in 1918-1919, killing millions and affecting post-war recovery.

Treaty of Versailles

The peace treaty that ended World War I and imposed heavy reparations on Germany.

League of Nations

An international organization established after World War I to promote peace and cooperation.

Fourteen Points

A statement of principles by President Woodrow Wilson for peace negotiations to end World War I.

Mandate System

A legal status for certain territories transferred from one country to another following World War I.

Great Depression

A severe worldwide economic downturn that lasted from the late 1920s until the early 1940s.

Totalitarianism

A political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and seeks to regulate every aspect of public and private life.

Fascism

A far-right, authoritarian ultranationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society.

Corporatism

An economic and political system in which government and business work together to organize societal interests.

Benito Mussolini

An Italian politician and leader of the National Fascist Party, ruling as Prime Minister from 1922 until his ousting in 1943.

Nazism

The political ideology of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, led by Adolf Hitler, characterized by extreme nationalism and racism.

Adolph Hitler

The leader of the Nazi Party and Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, known for his role in World War II and the Holocaust.

Scientific racism

The use of scientific claims to justify racial discrimination and inequality.

Nuremberg Laws

Racial laws enacted in 1935 Nazi Germany that stripped Jews of citizenship and barred them from marrying non-Jews.

Kristallnacht

A series of coordinated attacks on Jews in Nazi Germany on November 9-10, 1938.

NEP (New Economic Plan)

An economic policy introduced by Lenin in 1921 to encourage the revival of the Soviet economy.

U.S.S.R.

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, a socialist state that existed from 1922 to 1991.

Joseph Stalin

The leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953.

Five-Year Plans

A series of nation-wide centralized economic plans in the Soviet Union initiated by Stalin.

New Deal

A series of programs and policies implemented by Franklin D. Roosevelt in response to the Great Depression.

Mexican Revolution

A major armed struggle from 1910 to 1920, leading to significant political and social change in Mexico.

Porfirio Diaz

The Mexican general and politician who served as president for nearly three decades until ousted in the revolution.

Emiliano Zapata

A leading figure in the Mexican Revolution, known for his advocacy of agrarian reform.

Lazaro Cardenas

The President of Mexico from 1934 to 1940, known for land reform and nationalization of the oil industry.

Turkish Nationalist Movement

The movement led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk that established the Republic of Turkey after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

Women’s suffrage

The right of women to vote, which gained momentum and legal recognition in many countries in the early 20th century.

Appeasement

The policy of conceding to aggressive demands to maintain peace, especially associated with Britain and France before World War II.

Axis Powers

The coalition of Germany, Italy, and Japan that opposed the Allies during World War II.

Nanjing Massacre

A period of mass murder and mass rape by Japanese troops against the residents of Nanjing, China, during World War II.

Holocaust

The genocide during World War II in which Nazi Germany systematically murdered six million Jews.

Yalta Conference

A meeting of the three Allied leaders in February 1945 to discuss postwar reorganization.

Potsdam Conference

The meeting held in July-August 1945 by the Allied leaders to decide how to administer Germany after World War II.

Cold War

The geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States and their respective allies after World War II.

United Nations

An international organization founded in 1945 to promote global cooperation and to maintain peace and security.

Iron Curtain

A term used to describe the division between the Soviet-controlled countries and the Western democracies during the Cold War.

Containment

The U.S. policy to prevent the spread of communism during the Cold War.

Truman Doctrine

The principle that the U.S. should assist nations threatened by Soviet communism, announced by President Harry Truman.

Marshall Plan

An American initiative passed in 1948 to aid Western Europe by providing economic assistance.

Berlin Airlift

The 1948 operation to supply West Berlin after the Soviet blockade of the city.

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance formed in 1949 among Western nations.

Warsaw Pact

A treaty established in 1955 between the Soviet Union and several Eastern European countries as a counterbalance to NATO.

Proxy Wars

Conflicts where two opposing countries support combatants that serve their interests instead of waging war directly.

Korean War

A conflict from 1950 to 1953 between North Korea (with support from China and the USSR) and South Korea (with support from the U.S. and UN forces).

Domino Theory

A political theory that suggested that the spread of communism in one country would lead to its spread in neighboring countries.

Ho Chi Minh

A Vietnamese revolutionary leader who played a key role in the Vietnam War and the fight for Vietnamese independence from French colonial rule.

Non-Aligned Movement

A group of states that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.

May Fourth Movement

A cultural and political movement in China that began on May 4, 1919, which emphasized modernization and nationalism.

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen

The founding father of the Republic of China and an influential national leader in the early 20th century.

CCP

The Chinese Communist Party, which was founded in 1921 and currently holds power in China.

Mao Zedong

The founding father of the People's Republic of China and a prominent communist revolutionary.

Kuomintang

The Nationalist Party of China, led by Sun Yat-sen and later by Chiang Kai-shek.

Long March

A military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party from 1934 to 1935.

Great Leap Forward

An economic campaign initiated by the Chinese Communist Party from 1958 to 1962 aimed at rapidly transforming the country's economy.

Cultural Revolution

A sociopolitical movement in China from 1966 to 1976 aimed at preserving communist ideology by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements.

Deng Xiaoping

A Chinese politician known for his economic reforms and opening China to the global market.

Decolonization

The process of decolonizing a nation, wherein countries gain independence from colonial powers.

Amritsar

The site of the Amritsar massacre in 1919, where British troops killed hundreds of unarmed Indian protesters.

Indian National Congress

A political party in India that played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement.

Muslim League

A political party in India that played a significant role in advocating for the rights of Muslims and the formation of Pakistan.

Pakistan

A country in South Asia that was created in 1947 as a separate nation for Muslims from British India.

Mohandas Gandhi

A leader of the Indian independence movement known for his nonviolent protests against British rule.

Civil disobedience

The active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, often practiced by Gandhi.

Salt March

A nonviolent protest led by Gandhi in 1930 against British salt taxes.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

The leader of the All-India Muslim League and the first Governor-General of Pakistan.

Jawaharlal Nehru

The first Prime Minister of independent India and a central figure in Indian politics before and after independence.

Gamal Abdel Nasser

The second President of Egypt, known for his influential role in promoting Arab nationalism.

Suez Crisis

The 1956 invasion of Egypt by Israel, followed by the United Kingdom and France, which was a response to Egypt's nationalization of the Suez Canal.

Iranian Revolution

The 1979 overthrow of the Pahlavi monarchy in Iran, leading to the establishment of an Islamic republic.

Kwame Nkrumah

The first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, known for leading his country to independence from British rule.

FLN (National Liberation Front)

The nationalist movement that led the Algerian war for independence from France.

Biafran Civil War

A conflict in Nigeria from 1967 to 1970 between the government and the secessionist state of Biafra.

Pan-Africanism

A worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all people of African descent.

Negritude

A cultural and literary movement that emerged in the 1930s celebrating African culture and identity.

Idi Amin of Uganda

A Ugandan military officer and politician who ruled as President from 1971 to 1979 known for his brutal regime.

Balfour Declaration

A statement from the British government in 1917 supporting the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

Zionist Movement

A nationalist movement for the re-establishment of a Jewish homeland in Israel.

PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization)

An organization founded in 1964 to create an independent State of Palestine.

Pan-Arabism

A political and cultural movement advocating for the unity of Arab countries.

Augusto Pinochet

A Chilean military dictator who ruled from 1973 to 1990 after a coup d'état.

Neocolonialism

The use of economic, political, and cultural pressures to control or influence other countries, often former colonies.

Dollar Diplomacy

A foreign policy initiative aimed at extending American influence through economic means.

Good Neighbor Policy

A diplomatic policy initiated by the U.S. in the 1930s to improve relations with Latin America.

Sandinistas

A socialist political group in Nicaragua known for leading the revolution against the Somoza dictatorship.

PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party)

A political party that ruled Mexico for most of the 20th century.

Drug cartels

Criminal organizations that produce and distribute illegal drugs.

Liberation theology

A religious movement advocating for social justice and the rights of the poor.

Sputnik

The first artificial Earth satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, marking the start of the space age.