World War I and II Review

Flashcards for key vocabulary and figures from World War I and II lectures.

Czar Nicholas II

Russia's last emperor, ruling from 1894 until his abdication in 1917 during the Russian Revolution, and executed in 1918.

Empress Alexandra

German princess and wife of Czar Nicholas II; was unpopular and later executed in 1918.

Grigori Rasputin

Mystic who influenced Empress Alexandra and was assassinated in 1916.

1917 Russian Revolution

Ended the monarchy in Russia and led to the rise of the Soviet Union.

Archduke Francis Ferdinand

Assassinated on June 28, 1914, triggering World War I.

The Black Hand

Serbian nationalist group that used terrorism to unite Slavs and planned Ferdinand's assassination.

Gavrilo Princip

Bosnian Serb nationalist who assassinated Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife on June 28, 1914.

Peace, Land, and Bread

Bolshevik rallying cries promising an end to war and land redistribution.

Trench Warfare

Led to harsh conditions and stalemates in World War I.

Total War

Mobilizes all resources for the war effort.

Mobilization

Prepares a country for war by organizing troops and resources.

First Battle of the Marne

Halted the German advance toward Paris in September 1914, marking the start of trench warfare.

Second Battle of the Marne

Last major German offensive in July–August 1918, leading to an Allied victory and Germany's retreat.

Triple Alliance

Alliance formed in 1882 between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.

Triple Entente

Alliance of France, Russia, and Great Britain formed to counter the Triple Alliance.

Woodrow Wilson

Led the U.S. into World War I in 1917 to promote democracy and proposed the Fourteen Points for peace.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

German tactic in World War I that sank ships without warning.

War Communism

Bolshevik economic system during the Russian Civil War, involving government control of industry and grain seizure.

War of Attrition

Aims to exhaust the enemy through continuous losses, resulting in high casualties with little territorial gain.

David Lloyd George

Prime Minister of Britain (1916-1922), leading the country to victory in World War I.

Georges Clemenceau

Prime Minister of France, advocating for a harsh Treaty of Versailles.

League of Nations

Established in 1919 to promote peace but lacked military enforcement.

Conscription

Mandated military enlistment as volunteer numbers fell.

Mandates

Territories of the Central Powers placed under Allied control after World War I.

Propaganda

Influenced public opinion through recruitment, promoting patriotism, demonizing enemies, encouraging rationing, and suppressing dissent.

Planned Economies

Involved governments taking control of national resources and industries to support the war effort.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Ended Russia’s World War I involvement, resulting in significant territorial losses.

United Nations (UN)

Founded in 1945 to replace the League of Nations and promote peace and cooperation.

Dawes Plan

Aimed to stabilize Germany’s economy post-World War I by reorganizing reparations and providing U.S. loans.

Nuremberg Laws

Enacted in 1935, discriminated against Jews in Nazi Germany, stripping them of citizenship.

Great Depression

Began with the 1929 U.S. stock market crash, causing global economic hardship.

Lebensraum

Nazi ideology justifying expansion into Eastern Europe and the removal of local populations.

Fascism

Far-right, authoritarian ideology characterized by dictatorship and extreme nationalism.

Maginot Line

French fortification intended to prevent German invasion but was bypassed in 1940.

Axis Powers

Led by Germany, Italy, and Japan, sought territorial expansion during World War II.

Allied Powers

Including the U.S. and the Soviet Union, fought against the Axis to restore peace and sovereignty.

Ethnic Cleansing

Systematic removal of an ethnic group through violence and displacement.

Self-determination

The right of people to choose their government and political status.

London Blitz

Nazi bombing campaign against British cities from September 1940 to May 1941.

Non-Aggression Pact

Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939, allowing Hitler to invade Poland.

Joseph Stalin

Led the Soviet Union during WWII.

Adolf Hitler

Dictator of Nazi Germany, responsible for starting WWII and the Holocaust.

Winston Churchill

UK Prime Minister during most of WWII, known for his leadership and speeches.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)

U.S. President during most of World War II, leading the Allies to victory.

Benito Mussolini

Italy's fascist dictator and an Axis leader during WWII.

Harry S. Truman

Became U.S. President in April 1945, authorizing the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Francisco Franco

Spain's fascist dictator from 1939 to 1975, keeping Spain neutral during WWII.

Emperor Hirohito

Ruled Japan during WWII, approving wartime policies and announcing Japan's surrender in 1945.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings

Marked the first use of nuclear weapons in war in August 1945.

"Final Solution"

Nazi Germany’s plan to exterminate the Jewish population.

Blitzkrieg

Rapid military strategy used by Nazi Germany for quick victories.

Battle of Midway (June 4–7, 1942)

Battle where the U.S. Navy defeated Japan, marking a turning point in the Pacific War.

Reinhard Heydrich

Key Nazi official and architect of the Holocaust, known as the “Butcher of Prague.”

Heinrich Himmler

Head of the SS and a principal architect of the Holocaust.

Potsdam Conference (July 17 – August 2, 1945)

Involved Allied leaders discussing post-war Europe and demanding Japan's surrender.

Mukden Incident (September 18, 1931)

Staged explosion by Japanese soldiers that justified Japan's invasion of Manchuria.

Dunkirk Evacuation (May 26 – June 4, 1940)

Rescued over 330,000 Allied troops from Dunkirk, France.

Battle of Stalingrad (August 23, 1942 – February 2, 1943)

Key World War II battle where the Soviets defeated the German 6th Army, marking a turning point.

Einsatzgruppen

Nazi death squads that killed over 1 million people in mass shootings during World War II.

Albert Speer

Hitler’s architect and Minister of Armaments who increased war production with forced labor.

The Holocaust

The genocide of 6 million Jews and millions of others by Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1945.

The Nuremberg Trials

Post-World War II tribunals prosecuting Nazi leaders for war crimes.

Neutrality Acts

U.S. laws from the 1930s aimed at avoiding foreign wars.

Détente

1970s Cold War period of eased U.S.-Soviet tensions.

Perestroika

Gorbachev's mid-1980s reform movement aimed at restructuring the Soviet economy and promoting transparency.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

Eliminated trade barriers among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

François Mitterran

French President (1981-1995), known for major reforms, European integration, and cohabitation with opposing parties.

Attacks on Foreigners in Germany (1990s)

Violent incidents against immigrants, especially Turks, amid rising xenophobia post-reunification.

Richard Nixon

37th U.S. President (1969-1974) known for détente with the Soviet Union and opening relations with China.

INF Treaty

The 1987 treaty eliminated intermediate-range nuclear missiles, easing Cold War tensions.

Leon Trotsky

Marxist revolutionary and leader of the Red Army during the 1917 Russian Revolution.

Mikhail Gorbachev

The last General Secretary of the Soviet Union (1985-1991), known for glasnost and perestroika.

Ronald Reagan

40th U.S. President (1981-1989), recognized for conservative policies and arms control negotiations with Gorbachev.

Bill Clinton

42nd U.S. President (1993-2001), known for centrist policies and the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

Vladimir Putin

Current President of Russia, known for consolidating power and assertive foreign policy.

Erich Honecker

East German leader (1971-1989), maintained a repressive socialist regime.

Jimmy Carter

39th U.S. President (1977-1981), focused on human rights and faced the Iran Hostage Crisis.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

Leader of the Iranian Revolution (1979), establishing the Islamic Republic and enforcing Islamic law.

Gerald Ford

38th U.S. President (1974-1977), known for pardoning Nixon and continuing détente with the Soviet Union.

Boris Yeltsin

The first President of Russia (1991-1999), promoting democratic reforms and economic changes after the Soviet collapse.

Lech Wałęsa

Polish activist and politician, co-founded the Solidarity movement, ending communist rule in Poland.

Willy Brandt

Chancellor of West Germany (1969-1974), known for his 'Ostpolitik' to improve East-West relations.

Václav Havel

Czech playwright and dissident, led the Velvet Revolution in 1989, transitioning Czechoslovakia to democracy.

Pierre Trudeau

Prime Minister of Canada during the Cold War, promoting diplomacy and multilateralism.

Watergate Scandal

Scandal revealing abuses of power by the Nixon administration, leading to Nixon's resignation in 1974.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 event that nearly caused a nuclear war when the U.S. discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

Failed 1961 event, aimed to overthrow Castro but strengthened his position and escalated Cold War tensions.

German Reunification

1990 event ending the division between East and West, symbolized by the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

Fell on November 9, 1989, symbolizing the end of communist regimes in Eastern Europe.

Demographic Changes in the Cold War

Lower birth rates and an aging population in the West during the Cold War resulting from economic shifts.