WORLD HISTORY 26 FINAL

Social Darwinism

Belief that stronger nations should dominate weaker ones, justified imperialism and racism.

Suez Canal

Man-made waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, opened in 1869 to shorten trade routes.

Panama Canal

Canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, opened in 1914 to facilitate faster naval and trade movement.

Opium Wars

Conflicts between Britain and China over the opium trade from 1839-1842, leading to Britain's gain of trade rights.

British in India

Colonization of India from the 1700s to 1947 by Britain, focused on resource extraction and market development.

Cecil Rhodes

Key figure in expanding British control in Southern Africa in the late 1800s, envisioned British dominance from 'Cape to Cairo'.

Belgian Congo

Exploitation colony controlled by King Leopold II in the late 1800s, focused on rubber profits amidst widespread death.

MAIN Causes of WWI

Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism; key factors that built tension in Europe leading to war outbreak pre-1914.

Powder Keg of Europe

The Balkan nations, a region characterized by ethnic tensions that contributed to the outbreak of WWI in the early 1900s.

Zimmermann Telegram

Secret message from Germany proposing an alliance with Mexico, intercepted in 1917 and contributing to U.S. entry into WWI.

Armenian Genocide

Mass killing of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915, driven by ethnic and religious persecution.

Treaty of Versailles

Peace treaty that ended WWI in 1919, imposing punitive measures on Germany which contributed to the rise of WWII.

Lenin & Bolshevik Revolution

The communist takeover in Russia in 1917 led by Vladimir Lenin, which resulted in the formation of the USSR.

Mandate System

System implemented by the League of Nations to control territories in the Middle East and Africa after WWI.

Balfour Declaration

Britain's 1917 statement supporting the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, leading to future conflicts.

Gandhi’s Movement

Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolent resistance for India's independence from British rule in the early 1900s.

Rise of Fascism

Governments led by leaders like Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler in Europe during the 1920s and 30s, emerging from economic crises.

Stalin in Ukraine

Joseph Stalin's forced famine (Holodomor) in the 1930s aimed at controlling agriculture in Ukraine, resulting in millions of deaths.

Appeasement / Munich Agreement

In 1938, Britain and France granted land to Hitler to avoid war, which ultimately failed.

Pearl Harbor

Surprise attack by Japan on the U.S. in 1941 that led to U.S. entry into WWII.

D-Day

Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944, a crucial turning point in the European theater of WWII.

Holocaust

Genocide of Jews by the Nazis from the 1930s to 1945, rooted in a racist ideology.

Nuremberg Trials

Post-WWII trials held by the Allied powers to prosecute Nazi leaders for war crimes from 1945 to 1946.

Containment

Post-1945 U.S. strategy to stop the spread of communism globally, aimed at preventing Soviet expansion.

NATO vs Warsaw Pact

Military alliances formed during the Cold War; NATO for the U.S. and its allies, Warsaw Pact for the USSR and its allies.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 nuclear standoff between John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev, the closest moment to nuclear war.

Berlin Wall

Barrier constructed in 1961 dividing East and West Berlin to prevent emigration from communist East Germany.

End of Cold War

The USSR collapsed in 1991 under Mikhail Gorbachev due to economic failure and reforms.

Partition of India

Division of India into India and Pakistan in 1947 due to religious conflict, leading to significant violence.

Challenges After Independence

Political and economic struggles faced by former colonies in post-WWII, including weak governments and ethnic conflict.

Globalization

The process of increased global connection and interdependence, especially in trade, technology, and communication since the late 1900s.

European Union

An economic and political union established in 1993 to enhance cooperation and economic strength among European countries.

Tiananmen Square

1989 protest crackdown by the Chinese government that highlighted the limits of freedom in China.

9/11

Attacks on the U.S. by the terrorist group al-Qaeda in 2001, leading to the War on Terror.