Interwar Period and WWII Flashcards

Flashcards about the Interwar period and the Cold War, based on lecture notes.

Who was the leader of the Bolsheviks who returned to Russia in 1917?

Vladimir Lenin

What promise did Lenin make upon his return to Russia?

"Peace, Land, and Bread."

What was the main difference between the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks?

Bolsheviks wanted immediate revolution, while Mensheviks preferred gradual reform.

What policy did Lenin introduce to revive the Russian economy?

New Economic Policy (NEP)

What organization did Lenin found to spread communism globally?

Comintern

What were some of the struggles Great Britain faced between the wars?

Outdated industry and war debt

What was the result of the 1916 Easter Rebellion in Ireland?

Fueled IRA support

What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact?

An agreement that made war illegal

Who were the key figures involved in signing the Treaty of Versailles

David Lloyd George, Woodrow Wilson, Georges Clemenceau, and Vittorio Emanuele Orlando

What were some of the results of the Treaty of Versailles for Germany?

Germany lost land and colonies, had to accept full responsibility for the war.

What were the two communist groups in Russia?

Bolsheviks and Mensheviks

Who led the Red Army during the Russian Civil War?

Leon Trotsky

What was appealing about Lenin’s New Economic Policy?

Farmers were allowed to sell their surplus food.

How did Joseph Stalin come to power in Russia?

By exiling Trotsky after Lenin’s death and becoming dictator

What were Stalin’s 5 year plans?

Rapid industrial growth

What is a Kolkhoz?

Large, government-controlled farms where many peasant families worked together

What is facism?

Authoritarian political ideology that emphasizes extreme nationalism and dictatorial power.

What is communism?

A classless society where all property is owned collectively.

What is Nazism?

Form of government that combined extreme fascism and anti-semitism.

What were the causes of World War II?

Treaty of Versailles, rise of totalitarian regimes, militarism/expansionism, appeasement, and the invasion of Poland.

Who were the key Axis powers during WWII?

Germany, Italy, and Japan

What was the policy of appeasement?

Doing everything to avoid war by sacrificing land or giving into demands.

Which countries used the policy of appeasement?

Britain and France

When/Where did WWII begin?

Started after Germany invaded Poland in 1939.

What was the German strategy “blitzkreig?”

Military tactic designed to achieve a quick and decisive victory by using speed and surprise.

Significance of the Battle of Stalingrad?

Turning point of the war

Where did the US drop the atomic bombs?

Nagasaki and Hiroshima

What were the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences

Yalta - divide Germany, Potsdam - Allied powers control zone of occupation in Germany

Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain Speech”

Iron curtain separates USSR controlled Eastern Europe and Western democracies - call for Western Unity against the soviets

President Truman - General MacArthur Korean War

Truman fired General MacArthur after he wanted to push towards China