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German Social Democratic Party
tamed, toned down, revisionist Marxism; cautious and prudent after 1918: became middle of spectrum due the extreme left-ness of the communism appearing in the USSR; in control of the Weimar Republic
Spartacist uprising
led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg; attempted to initiate a proletariat revolution, but was crushed by the Social Democratic Provisional Government (opposition from the Left)
Weimar Republic
democratic republic; its constitution embodied all devices favored by the most advanced democrats (ex: total suffrage, including women)
Kapp Putsch
(1920) a group of disaffected army officers staged an armed revolt; tried to place a "puppet" Dr. Kapp as the head of state (opposition from the Right)
Treaty of Rapallo
Soviet-German relationship; mainly for industrial purposes
occupation of the Ruhr
(1923) France sent an army to occupy large industrial sites in Germany in response to a blockage of reparations payments
war debts
mainly in reference to money owed to the U.S. from the Allied powers from WWI
reparations
mainly in reference to the money owed to France and the Allied powers from Germany after WWI
Dawes Plan
provided Germany with a new way to pay the reparations, cut down the cost of reparations and forced France to leave Ruhr
Kellogg-Briand Pact
(1928) French foreign minister and U.S. state secretary, condemned the return to war as a solution for international controversies
Rosa Luxemburg
one of the leaders if the Spartacist uprising
"margin"
a way in which people would buy stocks and get 5-10 times as much stock as they paid for (because they borrowed from brokers [who borrowed from banks] with the purchased stock serving as collateral)
Creditanstalt
a leading bank in Vienna that, after failing in 1931, sent a wave of shivers, bankruptcies, and business calamities over Europe
"flight from the pound"
people who had pounds sterling converted them into dollars or other currencies for which they thought the gold basis was more secure
Hawley-Smoot tariff
an unprecedentedly high tariff that was enacted by the U.S. that soon contributed to the decline of the global economy
Ottawa agreements
(1932) Britain and the British dominions adopted a policy of lower tariffs against each other and high tariffs against the rest of the world
Virginia Woolf
English writer who examined the complex passage of time through the characters she created in her novels (ex. To the Lighthouse)
modernism
postwar decade: painters projected dreamlike scenes evoking personal memories/experiences; writers emphasized their own personal vision and were responsible for explorations into memory, time and internal workings of the human mind
Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck, classic "social novel" told about social miseries of the American impoverished, displaced farmers
proletarian literature
a new genre of writing that told about the social suffering of the day
general strike of 1926
began with a strike of coal miners (they were in a particularly bad time) that was then supported by other British unions (1/2 of the 3 million workers left their jobs as a symbol of solidarity and sympathy
Trades Disputes Act of 1927
put stricter control on unions- general strikes and sympathy strikes= ILLEGAL, unions forbidden to raise money for political purposes
Zinoviev letter
published by the newspapers saying that the true reason behind the Soviet-British agreement of trade was for secret instructions from the U.S.S.R. for the beginning of a Communist uprising in Great Britain
Ramsay MacDonald
governed the country as prime minister, made plans for severe retrenchment policy, got kicked out of the Labour Party
Sinn Fein party
(1916) led the war of the Irish nationalists for freedom from Britain
Statute of Westminster
Radical Socialists
party of the moderate left led by Edouard Herriot, served as a spokesman for the little guys (lower classes, small business, farmers); advocated progressive social legislation (unless increasing taxes was necessary)
Raymond Poincare
outstanding figure of the moderate conservative right, sent troops into Ruhr and "saved" the franc, inaugurated new taxes and tax collection systems, cut down on government spending ($$$) to try and balance the budget
Stavisky riots
rebellions against the government (who woulda guessed) in lieu of a scandal!!!!!! belief that the republic was equated with corruption and venality spread and an end to the republic was desired
French Popular Front
the joining together of the Radical Socialists, Socialists, and Communists in a political coalition; pledged to defend the republic against fascism, to take measures against the Great Depression and to introduce labor reforms
Leon Blum
premier of a coalition of socialists and radical socialists: this ministry lasted about a year and enacted many overdue reforms (40 hour workweek, paid vacation, collective bargaining law, nationalized armaments and aviation industry)
fascio di combattimento
Mussolini's first fighting between band (made up of restless and demobilized exsoldiers) organized in 1919
Blackshirts
an example of the armed bands of young men who brawled with Communists and ordinary workers in the streets
fascism
"March on Rome"
December 1922: Blackshirts mobilized and threatened a violent coup d'etat and converged at various points until the capital surrendered power and Mussolini was put in power!!!!
squadristi
vigilante fascist squadrons who broke up strikes, demolished labor union HQ's and kicked Socialists and Communists out of the polls
Matteotti
highly respected Socialist deputy who was murdered by Fascists after exposing hundreds of malpractices of the fascists
Duce
Mussolini's nickname (one of them at least and it isn't "l'uomo attraente")
Chamber of Fasces and Corporations
represented the Corporation and Fascist party (all members selected by the government and not subject to popular ratification)
Nationalist party
held a 25 point program and was a practicer of radical politics
Munich "beer hall Putsch"
Hitler's first attempt to take control of the government in Germany; Hitler shot into the ceiling and shouted "The national revolution has broken out"; Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison but only serves nine months
Hindenburg
Elected Hitler as chancellor by recommendation of Papen and Schleicher
Nationalist party
Supported the Nazis financially because it was confident it would be able to control Hitler
Reichstag fire
This was blamed on the Communists by the Nazis; thus the population was frightened with a red scare, freedom of speech and press were suspended, the brown shirts were set loose to bully the voters but Nazis were still barely able to pull a win in the election
Kristallnacht
November 9, 1938; "night of broken glass", anti-Semitism in Germany turns to fierce violence
Nuremberg laws
1935; deprived Jews of all citizenship rights and forbade intermarriage or sexual relations between Jews and non-Jews
National Labour Front
replaced and coordinated the labor unions, forbade strikes
Gestapo
Secret political police force that, together with concentration camps, suppressed all persons who were deemed un-German and all ideas variance with the Nazi party and dictates of the leader
Strength through Joy
An organization that attended to the needs of people with small incomes, providing entertainment, vacations, and travel for many who could not otherwise afford them (helped increase support for Hitler's regime even with disappearing personal and political freedoms)
Maginot Line
France expected to fight any upcoming wars through this highly fortified border (eastern frontier facing Germany)
Neville Chamberlain
British prime minister after 1937, became the principal architect of the appeasement policy
Saar plebiscite
Held in 1935 by the League of Nations as stipulated by the Treaty of Versailles, pressure by Nazi led the vote to be in favor of joining Germany
remilitarization of the Rhineland
March 7, 1936; Hitler repudiated the Locarno agreements, sent troops to the Rhine (which had been demilitarized as punishment from the Versailles Treaty)
Anschluss
The union of Austria and Germany; consummated by the movement of German troops into Austria in March 1938
Spanish Popular Front
All Spanish Left groups (republicans, socialism, syndicalists, anarchists, communists) united against monarchists, clericals, army officers, adherents of the old regime, Spanish fascists
Francisco Franco
Emerged as the leader of Spain after a group of military men led an insurrection against the republican government in July 1936
Rome-Berlin Axis
Mussolini and Hitler came to an understanding, led to this diplomatic axis around which they hoped the world might eventually turn
Anti-Comintern PAct
Signed between Japan and Germany (soon ratified in Italy): an agreement to oppose communism
Sudeten Germans
Germans in Czechoslovakia
Nazi-Soviet Pact
(August 23, 1939) USSR and Germany sign a nonaggression and friendship treaty
Blitzkrieg
Lightning warfare, utilized by Germany; used to take over Poland
Finland
Resisted Soviet demands for border territories and for them to yield their military rights; strong resistance to the Soviet invasion at first but then gave way for the Soviets
Dunkirk
The evacuation of over 330,000 British and French troops from a beach in France to GB; evacuated under air cover with the help of all sorts of British vessels (some manned by civilians), leaving behind all the precious equipment of the shattered army behind
Vichy France
The southern third of France after the Nazis invaded; cooperated with the Nazi Regime
Festung Europa
"The Fortress of Europe"; references the fact that the Nazis garrisoned Europe with their soldiers
Vidkun Quisling
Prototype for all other sympathizers/collaborators to the Nazi Regime; organized a Norwegian Fascist Party and was Norwegian premier from 1942-1945
Four Freedoms
Roosevelt said that both the US and GB were fighting to preserve these; freedom of speech and worship as well as freedom from want and fear
Lend-Lease
Adopted by the U.S. in 1941, a policy of providing arms, raw materials and food for the powers at war with the Axis
Ultra
The designation adopted by the British military intelligence in June 1941 for wartime signals intelligence obtained by breaking high-level encrypted enemy radio communications
El Alamein
The British took a stand here (70 miles from Alexandria) against the Nazis, managed to hold them there
Capture of Singapore
By working overland through Malaya, the Japanese were able to capture this British colonial city and naval base (famous for its apparent impregnability)
Battle of the Atlantic
During the first year after the US had entered the war, German subs ruled the seas and threatened shipping, after a while, however, the American and British navies won and reduced the sub menace to tolerable proportions in early 1943
SIEGE of Leningrad
Prolonged military blockade undertaken by Germany against Leningrad (went on for 872 days, one of the longest and most costly blockades in history)
Stalingrad
August 1942; Germany sends a quarter of a million soldiers in an all-out assault on Stalingrad (vital key to all transport of lower Volga River) penetrated the city by September; Russian soldiery and civilian population mounted a desperate defense; counterattack led by Zhukov trapped the German army and took a terrible toll; KEY: Soviet Union is on the offensive for the rest of the war
Admiral Darlan
French admiral and political figure who was commander in chief of the French navy at the beginning of the war; served the Vichy regime
Invasion of Sicily
August 1943: British, Canadians, and Americans conquered the island of Sicily (from there went on to attack Italy from their position in Sicily after Marshal Badoglio tried to make peace with Germany and was quickly occupied)
Plot of July 20, 1944
A small group of Germans formed an underground and attempted to assassinate Hitler by exploding a bomb in his military HQ in West Prussia: Hitler was only injured and dealt harsh revenge to the perps
"Final Solution"
The holocaust; devised as the way to get rid of the Jews once and for all
Wannsee meeting
January 1942; decided many of the plans for the systematic killing of the Jews were decided upon at this high level Nazi meeting
"Battle of the Bulge"
Due to a sudden German attack led directly by Hitler against the thinly held American lines on the Belgian sector of the Ardennes, a "bulge" was created within the allied lines and caused heavy losses and confusion
Dresden
Capital of the German state of Saxony, heavily bombed during the war by the Allied forces
Katyn Forest massacre
Thousands of Polish prisoners of war were shot and buried in a mass grave in this forest by Stalin's orders in 1940; discovered in 1943
Atlantic Charter
Issued jointly by Churchill and Roosevelt; pledged sovereign rights and self government to all nations that had been forcibly deprived of them
Casablanca conference
Met in 1943- Roosevelt and Churchill (where they decided they would only accept the unconditional surrender of Germany)
United Nations
International organization that acted as an international police force working to preserve future peace and security
Curzon line
Drawn in WWI by the Supreme War Council as demarcation line between newly emerging states (Polznd and Russia); in WWII it divided Poland between the USSR and Germany; after the war, the USSR made it the border between Poland and the USSR
Potsdam conference
July 1945; meeting of the big three (US, Britain, USSR) agreed that war crimes trials should be conducted against the NAzis; Germany would denazify and demilitarize; reparations would come from the corresponding occupation zones; Stalin announced Eastern Europe will not have free elections; US reveals it has a nuclear bomb and issues an ultimatum to Japan; some geographical changes
Oder-Neisse boundary
East of the Oder-Neisse rivers is given to Poland
Declaration on Liberated Europe
Promised sovereign rights of democratic self-determination, provided a false sense of agreement as Eastern Europe would not allow any free post-war elections
