Comprehensive Modern World History Final Exam Review: Key Events, People, and Concepts

Principles of communism

A political and economic ideology advocating for a classless society where all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.

Locarno Pact

A series of agreements in 1925 aimed at securing post-World War I territorial settlements and promoting peace in Western Europe.

Adolph Hitler

The leader of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party) who rose to power in Germany and initiated World War II.

Mein Kampf

An autobiographical book by Adolf Hitler, outlining his political ideology and future plans for Germany.

Fascism

A far-right authoritarian ultranationalist political ideology characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.

Alexander Kerensky

A key political figure in the Russian Revolution who served as the Minister of Justice and later as the Prime Minister of the Russian Provisional Government.

Comintern

The Communist International, an organization founded in 1919 to promote worldwide communism.

Collectivization

A policy aimed at consolidating individual landholdings and labor into collective farms, primarily implemented in the Soviet Union under Stalin.

Vladimir Lenin

The leader of the Bolshevik Party and the first head of the Soviet state, known for his role in the October Revolution and the establishment of a communist government.

New Deal

A series of programs and reforms introduced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in response to the Great Depression, aimed at economic recovery and social reform.

Command economy

An economic system where the government makes all decisions regarding the production and distribution of goods and services.

Josef Stalin

The leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953, known for his totalitarian regime and rapid industrialization policies.

Provisional government

A temporary government established in Russia after the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, which aimed to establish a democratic framework.

Soviet Five-Year Plans

A series of centralized economic plans in the Soviet Union aimed at rapid industrialization and collectivization of agriculture.

Bolsheviks

A faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party that seized control of the government in Russia during the October Revolution of 1917.

New Economic Policy

A policy introduced by Lenin in 1921 that temporarily re-established limited market economics in the Soviet Union after the Russian Civil War.

Economic nationalism

An ideology that emphasizes domestic control of the economy, often through protectionist policies and the prioritization of national interests.

Leon Trotsky

A key figure in the Russian Revolution and the early Soviet Union, known for his role in the Red Army and opposition to Stalin.

Irish Rebellion

The 1916 uprising against British rule in Ireland, which sought to establish an independent Irish Republic.

Benito Mussolini

The Italian dictator and founder of Fascism, who ruled Italy from 1922 until his ousting in 1943.

Roaring Twenties

A period in the 1920s characterized by economic prosperity, cultural flourishing, and social change in the United States and Europe.

Purges

Political repressions and executions carried out by Stalin in the Soviet Union to eliminate dissent and consolidate power.

Prohibition

A nationwide ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States from 1920 to 1933.

Russian Revolution(s) - March and October

The two major revolutions in 1917 that led to the overthrow of the Tsarist regime and the establishment of a communist government in Russia.

Totalitarianism

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

Post WW I problems

The economic, political, and social challenges faced by countries after World War I, including economic instability and the rise of extremist movements.

Irving Berlin

An American composer and lyricist known for his contributions to popular music and Broadway, including songs like 'White Christmas.'

Pablo Picasso

A Spanish painter and sculptor known for co-founding the Cubist movement and for his influential works in modern art.

James Joyce

An Irish novelist and modernist writer known for his groundbreaking works, including 'Ulysses' and 'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.'

Zionism

A nationalist movement for the re-establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, which gained momentum in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Spanish Civil War

A conflict from 1936 to 1939 between Republicans and Nationalists in Spain, leading to the establishment of a fascist dictatorship under Franco.

Mohandas Gandhi

An Indian leader known for his nonviolent resistance against British colonial rule and his role in the Indian independence movement.

Balfour Declaration

A statement issued by the British government in 1917 expressing support for the establishment of a 'national home for the Jewish people' in Palestine.

Good Neighbor Policy

A diplomatic policy adopted by the United States in the 1930s aimed at improving relations with Latin American countries.

Jawaharlal Nehru

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

Reza Shah Pahlavi

The Shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941, known for modernizing and secularizing the country.

Statute of Westminster

A 1931 act of the British Parliament that granted full legislative independence to the dominions of the British Empire.

Jomo Kenyatta

The first President of Kenya, who played a significant role in the country's struggle for independence from British colonial rule.

Kuomintang

The Nationalist Party in China, founded by Sun Yat-sen, which played a significant role in the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty.

Boxer Rebellion

An anti-foreign, anti-colonial uprising in China from 1899 to 1901, aimed at ending foreign influence in the country.

Chiang Kai-shek

A Chinese political and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China and head of the Kuomintang.

Long March

A strategic retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Communist Party of China from 1934 to 1935 to evade the Nationalist forces.

Passive resistance

A nonviolent way of protesting against laws or policies, famously used by Gandhi in the Indian independence movement.

Sun Yat-sen

A Chinese revolutionary and political leader who is considered the father of modern China and played a key role in the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty.

Open Door Policy

A U.S. diplomatic policy that aimed to ensure equal trading rights for all nations in China and to prevent any one power from monopolizing trade.

Great Salt March

A nonviolent protest led by Gandhi in 1930 against British salt taxes in India, symbolizing the struggle for independence.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

The founder of the Republic of Turkey and its first president, known for implementing extensive reforms to modernize Turkey.

Civil disobedience

The active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, often through nonviolent means.

Mao Zedong

The founding father of the People's Republic of China and a key figure in the Chinese Communist Party, known for his revolutionary policies.

Development of Communism in China

The process through which the Chinese Communist Party gained power, culminating in the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

The founder of Pakistan and its first Governor-General, who played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement.

Nationalism in Turkey and Persia

The rise of national identity and independence movements in Turkey and Persia (Iran) during the early 20th century, leading to the establishment of modern nation-states.

Outcome of Boxer Rebellion

The suppression of the Boxer Rebellion by an international coalition, leading to increased foreign control and influence in China.

Kellogg-Briand Pact

An international agreement signed in 1928 that condemned war as a means of resolving disputes and promoted peaceful conflict resolution.

United Nations

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

Dwight Eisenhower

The 34th President of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961, known for his leadership during the Cold War and the establishment of the Interstate Highway System.

Appeasement

A diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding conflict by making concessions to an aggressor, notably used in the lead-up to World War II.

Battle of Britain

A significant air campaign fought between the German Luftwaffe and the British Royal Air Force during World War II in 1940.

Winston Churchill

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II, known for his leadership and stirring speeches that inspired British resistance.

Lend-Lease Act

A U.S. program that supplied Allied nations with vast amounts of war material during World War II, enacted in 1941.

Stalingrad

A major battle during World War II in which the Soviet Union defeated Nazi Germany, marking a turning point in the war.

Douglas MacArthur

An American general who played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II and later oversaw the occupation of Japan.

Wartime conferences

Meetings held between Allied leaders during World War II to plan military strategy and post-war reconstruction.

Luftwaffe

The aerial warfare branch of the German Wehrmacht during World War II, known for its role in the Battle of Britain.

Charles de Gaulle

A French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II and later became the President of France.

Collective security

A security arrangement in which states agree to take collective action to respond to aggression against any member.

Nuremberg Trials

A series of military tribunals held after World War II to prosecute prominent leaders of Nazi Germany for war crimes.

Francisco Franco

The Spanish general who led the Nationalist forces to victory in the Spanish Civil War and ruled Spain as a dictator from 1939 to 1975.

Atlantic Charter

A joint declaration by the United States and the United Kingdom in 1941 outlining their goals for the post-war world.

Operation Overlord

The codename for the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, marking the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control.

Neville Chamberlain

The British Prime Minister known for his policy of appeasement towards Hitler before World War II.

Final Solution

The Nazi plan for the systematic extermination of the Jewish people during World War II.

Ethiopia

The African nation invaded by Italy in 1935, which became a symbol of resistance against fascism.

Manchukuo

A puppet state established by Japan in Manchuria in the 1930s, used as a base for further expansion in Asia.

Kamikaze

Japanese suicide pilots who flew missions against Allied naval vessels during World War II.

Island Hopping

A military strategy used by the Allies in the Pacific Theater during World War II, focusing on capturing specific islands to use as bases.

Yalta Conference

A meeting between Allied leaders in February 1945 to discuss the post-war reorganization of Europe.

De-Nazification

The process of removing Nazi ideology and influence from German and Austrian society after World War II.

Hiroshima

The Japanese city where the first atomic bomb was dropped by the United States on August 6, 1945, leading to Japan's surrender.

Potsdam Conference

A meeting of Allied leaders in July-August 1945 to negotiate terms for the end of World War II.

Nazi-Soviet Pact

A non-aggression treaty signed between Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939, which included secret protocols for the division of Eastern Europe.

Hitler's takeover of Austria and Czechoslovakia

The annexation of Austria in 1938 and the occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939, which were key steps in Hitler's expansionist policies.

Munich Conference

A 1938 meeting where Britain and France allowed Nazi Germany to annex the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia in a failed attempt to prevent war.

Invasion of North Africa

A military campaign during World War II where Allied forces invaded North Africa to gain control of the Mediterranean and prepare for the invasion of Europe.

Axis Powers

The coalition of Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II, opposing the Allied Powers.

Japanese aggression / events / area of control

The expansionist policies and military actions taken by Japan in Asia during the 1930s and World War II, including invasions of China and Southeast Asia.

Holocaust

The systematic genocide of six million Jews and millions of others by the Nazi regime during World War II.

Germany's invasion of Europe

The military campaigns initiated by Nazi Germany in 1939, leading to the occupation of much of Europe during World War II.