Modern World History Flashcards

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts from Modern World History lecture notes.

Triple Alliance

Military alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy (later joined by the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria).

Triple Entente

Military alliance between France, Great Britain, and Russia (later joined by the US and Italy).

Alsace-Lorraine

Territory taken by Germany after the Franco-Prussian War, increasing tension between Germany and France.

Militarism

The rapid buildup of military power and glorification of armed forces, creating tension among European nations.

Imperialism

Competition for colonies and resources in Africa and Asia, creating rivalries and tensions among European powers.

Nationalism

Strong national pride and the desire for self-determination, leading to ethnic tensions and conflicts, especially in the Balkans.

Neutrality

Policy of the US during WWI, strained by German actions and the divide within the American population.

The Black Hand/Gavrilo Princip

Nationalist group in the Austria-Hungarian empire, responsible for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand; Serbian nationalists.

Franz Ferdinand

Heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne whose assassination triggered WWI.

Conscription

The draft; authorized by the Selective Service Act of 1917 in the US to mobilize armies.

Total War

War that affects everything in the country, including rationing, propaganda, conscription, raised taxes and factory production

Machine Guns

Weapon used in WWI that could fire 1,000 rounds per minute and was essential to trench warfare.

U-boats

German submarines that played a significant role in disrupting Allied shipping during WWI.

Aircraft

Important for gathering battlefield intelligence during WWI and were later used to drop bombs.

Poison Gas

Deadly weapon in WWI that caused sores and occasionally backfired in trenches.

Trench Warfare

Defensive military tactic used extensively in WWI, providing soldiers protection but hindering advancement.

Surplus Women

A high amount of women which overpassed the amount of men

Women’s Suffrage

The right of women to participate in the political process by voting in elections

Armenian Genocide

The 1915 mass killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, resulting in 1.5 million deaths.

Ottoman Empire

Weakest great power that joined the Central Powers in WWI, enticed by Germany's promise to build a railroad.

Arab Revolt

Started with a gunshot at the Ottoman garrison in Mecca. British wanted Arab support in the fight against the Ottoman empire, France and Britain promised Arab leaders an independent Arab state after the war but France and Britain agreed to divide up the land amongst themselves

T.E. Lawrence

British intel officer, archaeologist who spoke fluent Arabic and aided the Arab Revolt; Known as 'Lawrence of Arabia'.

Hejaz Railway

Changed to help transport troops to Arabia to suppress Arab revolts and it was also used to help pilgrimages to the holy sites of Mecca and Medina quicker and less dangerous

Saudis

Get saudi arabia to be independent state; one of the largest ethnic group in middle east

Sykes-Picot Agreement

Established the boundaries of British and French-controlled areas in the Middle East.

Self-determination

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson advocating that groups of people with shared political goals should have the right to create their own independent governments or states

Fourteen Points

Fourteen points advocated by Woodrow Wilson after WWI.

Armistice

A truce/agreement between parties to stop fighting, not a surrender, but rather a temporary halt in hostilities, allowing for negotiations towards a final peace agreement

The Treaty of Versailles

Officially ended World War I and imposed harsh terms on Germany, including territorial losses, military restrictions, and substantial reparations.

The Treaty of London

Secret treaty to get Italy to join the allies including a promise of more land with mostly italian population (in Austria-Hungary)

Tsar Nicholas II

Emperor of Russia in charge since late 1890s. Overthrown due to WWI conditions.

Abdication

To formally give up sovereign power, office or responsibility

Grigori Rasputin

Peasant priest, gains power through Tsar’s wife and murdered in 1916

Communism

The main driving ideology of the Russian revolution led by vladimir lenin. Overthrow government with economic state with no private ownership of property and buisness

Revolution of 1905

Massacre of protesters outside winter palace during the revolution of 1905

February/March Revolution of 1917

loss of faith in Tzar leadership, economy in shambles and government curroption during this revolution of 1917

Bolshevik

Renamed the communist

Treaty of Brest Litovsk

Gets Russia out of the first world war

Russian Civil War

Russians fight eachother for 5 years with lenin claiming victory.

“Reds”/“Whites”

Red = communists; Whites = everyone else other than communists

New Economic Policy

Lenin's plan to help the soviet economy improve after the russian civil war. Stopped by Stalin

Cheka

The soviet union secret police for the reds

Commissar

Political officers, teach people in the red army about communism

Hyperinflation

Value of money declines so quick it becomes worthless

Propaganda

A way of manipulating people through public

Fascism

strategy for how to seize political power. Using propeganda, engaging in poliical violence.

Italian Fascist Party

Glorifies state over individual

Benito Mussolini

Leader who began as a socialist, creates new political group in w919, gains support as Fascists threaten to march on rhome

March on Rome

Black Shirts

Vladimir Lenin

Government controls industries, seized grain from peasabts

Command economy

Government makes the decisions on the economy

Five Year Plan

Transforms Russia from agriculture to industrial country

Collectivization

Elimination of private farms

Great Purge

arrested, thrown in jail, sent to gulag, shot

Gulag

Work prison

Socialist Realism

The artistic movement of the soviet union

Russification

Teach people communism, russian, no religion

Adolf Hitler

Believed in racial superiority, strong anti-semitism, hierarchy of different races

Rise of nazism

1945 hitler moved into bunker under berlin and comitted suicide. Nazi party.

Third Reich

Trials based on international law and the laws of war

Hitler Youth

corpreal on the western front, believed in german nationalism, restore German power, expand Germany’s borders, reclaim lost territory

Gestapo

Nazi secret police

Great Depression

Leads to the rise of the Nazi party. Poverty, homelessness, etc increases

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

5 years of not attacking them (Soviet Union). If one of the two attacked Poland they would split it

Emperor Hirohito

Emperor of Japan during WWII

Manchurian incident of 1931

Military coup after the great depressioion, Military dictatorship establish, Japan invades northeastern China for the resources

Tripartite Pact

Offical alliance of Italy, Germany, and Japan - Axis powers

Rhineland

Demilitarized after WWI. Rhineland militarized by nazis. Treaty of Versailles violation

Annexation of Austria

Forbidden by the treaty of versailles, Couldnt unite into one country

Sudetenland

Given at the Munich conference. Militarized by Nazis and German speaking (so Germany wanted)

Appeasement

making concessions to an aggressive power to avoid war

Munich Conference

Meeting in southern germany for taking parts of czechoslovakia, Hitler said the german parts of czechoslovakia should be apart of germany (sudetenland)

Blitzkrieg

meaning lightning war. military tactic characterized by swift, concentrated attacks using armored tanks, infantry, and air support to overwhelm an enemy

Invasion of Poland

German-Soviet union non-agression pact. Soviets and Germans divided Poland up

New Order

Japanese occupy southeast asia and indonesian islands for materials. Wanted to create a new Japanese empire

Maginot Line

French built up this defense system along the German border

Dunkirk

Any British vessel for emergeny evacuation

Invasion of Normandy/D-Day

Allied invasion of france

Battle of Midway

US planes deystory 4 aircraft carriers, US defeats japanese navy and establishes naval superiority in pacific

Battle of Britain

Targets: air and naval bases, harbors, community centers, and factories, Launches attack

Battle of Stalingrad

Major industrial center in USSR, Germans realize they can't defeat USSR

Harry S. Truman

Participated in Potsdam conference. 33rd US president-how to end the war Use of new atomic weapons?

Enabling Act

Passed in 1933, No checks and balances of power, use official building fire to blame communist party Hitler allowed to make whatever laws he wants

Nuremberg Laws

Forbad marriages and relationships between jewish and non-jewish

Genocide

Premeditaded and systematic campaign to exterminate an entire group of people

Yalta Conference

Divided Germany into 4 occupation zones

Potsdam Conference

Established post-war punishments to nazi germany and included new participants

V-E Day

Europe's end of WWII

Nuremberg Trials

Post-war trials held by the allied powers

Nuremberg Principles

Established post-war punishments to nazi germany

The United Nations

High hopes for world peace with Composedof 50 nations that serves as a Forum for discussing world issues

Kenya Africa Union (KAU)

Kenya African Union (led by Jomo Kenyatta) demanded political and economic reforms. Began to use armed resistance

Pan-Africanism

Idea to unify all of Africa

Satellite Nations

countries dominated politically and economically by another country

Iron Curtain

Europe divided into two regions: a mostly democratic Western Europe and a communist Eastern Europe

Marshall Plan

USA will provide money to countries in Europe devastated from WWII

Warsaw Pact

Soviet response to NATO with a Military alliance. Poland, hungary, romanian bulgaria, east germany, soviet union, etc

NATO

Military alliance between western europe, US, and canada

Korean War

38th parallel remains. Divided korea

East German Uprising

Protests against communist governments in eastern europe