History Higher level paper 3

The French Revolution and Napoleon (1774-1815)

A significant period in French history marked by the overthrow of the monarchy and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Ancien Régime

The political and social system in France prior to the Revolution characterized by absolute monarchy and feudal privileges.

Louis XVI

King of France (1774-1792) whose failure to address economic difficulties led to the outbreak of the French Revolution.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

Fundamental document of the French Revolution that laid out individual and collective rights.

Robespierre

A key figure during the French Revolution known for his role in the Reign of Terror.

Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815)

A series of conflicts involving Napoleon's French empire and various coalitions of European nations.

Bolshevik Revolution

The October Revolution of 1917 that led to the establishment of a communist government in Russia.

Glasnost

Gorbachev's policy of openness and transparency in government institutions and activities.

Perestroika

Gorbachev's reform policy aimed at restructuring the Soviet economy.

Five-Year Plans

State-led economic plans in the Soviet Union aimed at rapid industrialization.

Great Purge

A campaign of political repression in the Soviet Union during the late 1930s, characterized by widespread arrests and executions.

Cheka

The Soviet secret police established to root out counter-revolutionaries and political dissent.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 13-day confrontation in 1962 between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over Soviet ballistic missiles deployed in Cuba.

Cold War

A period of political tension and military rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II.

New Economic Policy (NEP)

Lenin's economic policy introduced in 1921 that allowed some private enterprise and market forces.

Chernobyl disaster

A catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred in 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.

Stalin's Constitution

The constitution adopted in 1936 that claimed to guarantee rights but in practice reinforced totalitarian control.

Doctor’s Plot

A fabricated conspiracy against Soviet leadership in the early 1950s that targeted Jewish doctors.

Fifth Five-Year Plan

Economic plan implemented in the Soviet Union focusing on military production before World War II.

Khrushchev's Secret Speech

A speech delivered by Nikita Khrushchev in 1956 denouncing Stalin's cult of personality and the purges.

Russian Civil War

A multi-party conflict in Russia from 1917 to 1922 following the Russian revolutions.

Yeltsin's shock therapy

Economic strategy in post-Soviet Russia aimed at a rapid transition to a market economy.

Coup of August 1991

An unsuccessful attempt by hard-line members of the Soviet government to overthrow Gorbachev.

Iron Curtain

Term coined by Winston Churchill to describe the divide between Western Europe and the Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe.

Soviet Union

A socialist state in Eurasia that existed from 1922 until its dissolution in 1991.