Global History Regents Glossary

A collection of vocabulary flashcards based on the Global History Regents Glossary covering topics from Imperialism to the end of World War II, including the Russian Revolution and the rise of Totalitarianism.

imperialism

A state policy or practice of extending a nation's power and dominion, particularly through direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control over other areas.

Berlin Conference

A meeting of colonial powers in 1884-1885 that concluded with the signing of the General Act of Berlin, an agreement regulating European colonisation and trade in Africa during the New Imperialism period.

Scramble for Africa

The rapid invasion, occupation, and colonization of the African continent by seven European powers between 1881 and 1914, driven by industrialization and economic competition.

White Man's Burden

A historically offensive and paternalistic concept asserting that white, Western peoples had a moral duty to govern, educate, and "civilize" non-white populations, coined by Rudyard Kipling in 1899.

British East India Company (EIC)

A powerful English joint-stock company founded in 1600 that originally monopolized trade in the Indian Ocean and evolved into a massive imperial power that governed large parts of India until 1874.

Sepoy Rebellion

A widespread but ultimately unsuccessful 1857 uprising against British rule in India initiated by Indian soldiers (sepoys) serving in the British East India Company's army.

Opium Wars

Two mid-19th-century conflicts between China's Qing dynasty and Western powers triggered by attempts to stop illegal opium smuggling; resulted in Western victories and trade concessions.

Boxer Rebellion

A violent anti-foreign and anti-imperialist uprising in northern China (1899-1901) led by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists aiming to drive out Westerners, Japanese, and missionaries.

Militarism

A political and social ideology that advocates for maintaining a strong military, prioritizing armed readiness, and the willingness to use military force aggressively to expand national interests.

Alliances

A formal or informal agreement, union, or association between two or more parties formed to work together toward a shared objective and provide mutual support.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian Empire whose assassination on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip was the immediate catalyst that sparked World War I.

Triple Alliance

The secret military pact formed in 1882 between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, in which each member promised mutual defense and support.

Triple Entente (aka Central Powers)

An early 20th-century diplomatic alignment and informal alliance between Great Britain, France, and Russia that formed the core of the Allied Powers during World War I.

Trench Warfare

A type of combat in which opposing armies fight from permanent systems of deep ditches dug into the ground for protection against artillery and small arms fire.

Treaty of Versailles

The primary peace settlement signed on June 28, 1919, that officially ended World War I and imposed strict punitive measures, financial reparations, and territorial losses on Germany.

reparations

The act of making amends for a past wrong involving material or symbolic compensation (such as money or land) to individuals or groups subjected to systemic injustice or historical atrocities.

self-determination

The power or right of a group of people to freely determine their political status and form of government without outside influence.

Fourteen Points

A set of principles proposed by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in 1918 outlining a blueprint for lasting world peace, emphasizing open diplomacy, trade, and an international organization.

League of Nations

The first international intergovernmental organization founded to promote global peace, security, and cooperation, established on January 10, 1920, via the Treaty of Versailles.

Czar Nicholas II

The Emperor of Russia from 1894 until 1917 and the last Russian monarch before the Russian Revolution; he oversaw Russia's participation in World War I.

Russian Revolution

A period of political and social change starting in 1917 during which Russia abolished its monarchy and adopted a socialist form of government following two revolutions and a civil war.

Bolsheviks

A radical, revolutionary Marxist faction led by Vladimir Lenin that seized power in the 1917 October Revolution and established the world's first communist state.

Vladimir Lenin

A Russian revolutionary and political theorist who served as the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 and of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1924.

Soviet Union

Officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), a transcontinental socialist state spanning Eurasia from 1922 until its dissolution in 1991.

Joseph Stalin

A Soviet revolutionary and politician who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until 1953, serving as General Secretary of the Communist Party and premier.

propaganda

A form of communication that selectively uses facts, loaded language, or emotional appeals to influence the attitude of a community toward a cause or political agenda.

Five Year Plan

Centralized, state-directed economic programs launched by Joseph Stalin in 1928 to rapidly industrialize the USSR and collectivize agriculture under a command economy.

collectivization

An agricultural system implemented under Joseph Stalin where private land and labor were consolidated into large, state-controlled or communally run farms.

purges

A series of brutal political campaigns and mass repressions orchestrated by Joseph Stalin in the 1930s to eliminate political rivals and consolidate absolute power.

cult of personality

Defined as exaggerated devotion to a charismatic political, religious, or other leader, typically associated with totalitarian regimes.

Weimar Republic

The democratic government of Germany from 1919 to 1933 that was established after World War I but ultimately succumbed to economic ruin and the rise of Adolf Hitler.

Hyperinflation

An extremely rapid and out-of-control surge in the prices of goods and services that strips money of its purchasing power and renders life savings worthless.

Nazi Party

The National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), a far-right, violently antisemitic political party that ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945 under Adolf Hitler.

Adolf Hitler

An Austrian-born German politician and leader of the Nazi Party who served as the dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945.

Aryan Race

A 19th-century pseudoscientific concept categorizing a supposed master race of Indo-European language speakers, used by the Nazi regime to justify its racist ideology.

fascism

A far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology featuring a dictatorial leader, strict societal and economic control, and extreme militarism.

Manchurian Incident

A false flag event staged by Japanese military personnel on September 18, 1931, using explosives on a railway as a pretext to invade and occupy Manchuria.

Nanking Massacre

A six-week period of extreme atrocities in December 1937 in which the Imperial Japanese Army murdered between 100,000 and 300,000 Chinese civilians and prisoners of war.

appeasement

A diplomatic policy of making political, material, or territorial concessions to an aggressive power to avoid conflict, primarily associated with Neville Chamberlain.

Neville Chamberlain

A British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940, known for his failed efforts to prevent war by conceding to Nazi demands.

Winston Churchill

A British statesman and military officer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War and again from 1951 to 1955.

Hiroshima & Nagasaki

The two Japanese cities that became the targets of the world's first atomic bomb attacks in August 1945 by the United States during the final days of World War II.

atomic bomb

A highly destructive weapon that derives its explosive power from the rapid release of nuclear energy through the fission (splitting) of heavy atomic nuclei.

anti-Semitism

Prejudice, hostility, or discrimination directed at Jewish people as an ethnic, religious, or racial group, manifesting through individual actions or systemic discrimination.

Wannsee Conference

A pivotal meeting held on January 20, 1942, where 15 Nazi and SS officials gathered to coordinate the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question."

Nuremberg Laws

Antisemitic and racist statutes enacted by Nazi Germany in September 1935 that stripped Jews of citizenship and prohibited marriages between Jews and Germans.