Interwar Period

Bolsheviks

Member of the Russian Social-Democratic Party that was led by Vladimir Lenin

Bolshevik Revolution

1917 uprising in Russia led by Vladimir Lenin. Communist government. Withdrew Russia from the war.

Vladimir Lenin

Founder of the Bolsheviks, leader of the Russian Revolution and first head of the USSR.

Union Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)

First country to be led by communism established after Russian Revolution focused on the community of workers.

Tsar Nicholas II

Last tsar of Russia, executed by Lenin because of his maltreatment to workers.

Bloody Sunday

Tsar Nicholas II killed hundreds of of peaceful protesters that were arguing for their rights.

Romanov’s

Last imperial dynasty to rule Russia. Abdicated in 1917.

Duma

Assembly of representatives of the workers in the Russian empire because of the outrage within the people.

New Economic Plan (NEP)

Attempt of the Bolsheviks to revive Russian economy. Peasants were allowed to own land/small businesses. Represents a temporary retreat of socialism.

Communism

Means of production are collectively owned by the people

Command Economy

Economic system in which the governments makes all the decisions about the production and distribution of goods and services.

Soviets

Communist individuals residing in the USSR that believed in the power of the working class.

Joseph Stalin

Soviet dictator after Lenin. Known for his totalitarian government, need for modernization, and industrialization.

Five Year Plan

Stalin’s economic plan to rebuild Russia after WW1 that resulted in famine, he wanted to improve heavy industry and farm output.

Purge

Removal/execution of people that are undesired by those in power

Authoritarianism

Political system in which a small group of people exercises power. Not for the general public.

Collectivization

System in which private farms are eliminated and the peasants that work in these farms now work for the government

Gulag Organization

A system of forced labor in the Soviet Union for criminals and political prisoners under Stalin.

Mexican Revolution

Armed struggle (1910-1920) led by Villa and Zapata against neocolonialism

Porfirio Diaz

Mexico’s dictator from 1876-1911 and was overthrown by the Mexican Revolution.

Francesco Madero

Rebellion general that became Mexico's president from 1911-1913. Opposed trade with the US. Was assassinated.

Francisco Pancho Villa

Represented northern factions of Mexico, and was a radical rebellion leader with Zapata. He is most known for his invasion of New Mexico.

Emiliano Zapata

A radica Mexican Revolution leader alongside Villa. He opposed the hacienda system and organized peasant protests against it.

Victoriano Huerta

Dictator of Mexico after the assassination of Francesco Madero (1913-1914). Was an extremely violent and short-lived presidency. Caused many Mexicans to flee to the US for safety.

Venustiano Carranza

President of Mexico from 1917-1920. Wanted a constitutional government for the people of Mexico. Usurped Victoriano Huerta.

Alvaro Obregón

President of Mexico from 1920-1924 that restored order after political upheavals and civil unrest.

Ten tragic days

The ten days since the beginning of the coup for president Francesco Madero until his assassination.

Conventionistas

People that wanted big economic and social reforms, led by Villa and Zapata.

Constitutionalistas

People that wanted a liberal democracy, which in turn was less for peasants. Led by Carranza and Obregón

Qing Dynasty

Last imperial dynasty in China (1614-1912). They were known for their isolationist policies and were overthrown by revolutionaries after the First World War.

Sun Yat-Sen

Considered the modern father of China and was the leader of the Kuomintang. Short-lived presidency after the fall of the Qing.

Kuomintang

Chinese Nationalist Party. They were focused on a democratic government, modernization and anti-imperialism.

Chiang Kai Shek

Successor to Sun Yat-Sen of the Kuomintang, although did not follow the same ideals. His main goal was to crush the communist party, which ultimately made him become a dictator.

May Fourth Movement

1919 protest in China against their treatment in the Treaty of Versailles, since their land was given to the winning powers.

Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

The authoritarian party that has ruled China since 1949 to the present. It was based off of the Lenin ideals.

Mao Zedong

Chinese Communist Party leader from 1949-1976 was supported by the peasants (the vast majority). Ensued economic reforms in China.

The Long March

6000 mile journey by Chinese Communist army, which broke through encirclement by the Nationalist Chinese Army (Kuomintang) in October 1934 and survived by escaping to hiding places in northern China under the leadership of Mao Tse-tung.

People’s Republic of China

Communist government of China established in 1949 by Mao Zedong.

Great Leap Forward

Economic policy of Mao Zedong introduced in 1958; proposed industrialization of small-scale projects integrated into peasant communes; led to economic disaster, ended in 1960

Cultural Revolution

Mao Zedong’s plan to purge their opponents and install values in the youth of China.

Red Guards

Communist radical youth of the Cultural Revolution that identified themselves with red armbands and the little red book.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

Founder and first president of Turkey. Created a secular (non-religious) nation-state.

Republic of Turkey

A secular nation-state established by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

Indian National Congress

A political party in British India that wanted more Indian participation in government.

Mohandas (Mahatma) Ghandi

Leader of the Indian independence movement that focused on non-violent protests. Graduated as a lawyer in England.

Amritsar Massacre

British troops gathered and killed nearly 400 Indians that were peacefully protesting the Rowlatt Acts

Salt March

A peaceful protest made by the Indians in response to high taxes on salt in which they went to the beach to make their own salt.

Civil Disobedience

Political participation in which an individual commits an illegal act that is deemed immoral knowing the consequences.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

An Indian Muslim politician that was the founder of Pakistan. Negotiated with the British about the rights of Muslims in India.

Muslim League

Founded by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and formed in British India to safeguard rights of the Muslim community.

Negritude movement

Anti-colonial movement in Africa meant to reclaim the value of blackness and African culture

W.E.B. Dubois

The first black individual to earn a Ph.D from Harvard. He focused on resisting segregation. NAACP.

Hyperinflation

Very rapid rise in price level, extreme inflation

Consumerism

Encouragement of the acquirement of good and services in an ever-increasing manner.

Protectionism

An economic policy in which you shield yourself from imports by taxing them.

Black Thursday

October 29, 1929. Worst stock market crash in the history of the United States and the beginning of the Great Depression

Great Depression

An economic crisis throughout the globe that was characterized by unemployment, poverty and famine.

Welfare state

A country that is committed to providing basic economic security to its citizens

New Deal

Series of reforms made by Franklin Roosevelt whose goals were to end the Great Depression. These increased government interaction with the economy.

John Maynard Keynes

Was an English economic that argued that government intervention is needed to maintain a stable economy.

Smoot-Hawley Tariff

Raised US Tariffs with the goal to protect American farmers from competition, but was ultimately unsuccessful

Fascism

Political system in which a dictator calls for extreme Nationalism and racism and no opposition to the government.

Adolf Hitler

Austrian-born dictator of Germany. Most widely known for his fascism, initiating WW2, and the holocaust. Failed the outraged Germans from the treaty of Versailles and posed them against the Weimar Republic.

Benito Mussolini

An Italian fascist dictator during WW2. Promised national rejuvenation after the First World War.

Il Duce

Means “the leader” in Italian, refers to Benito Mussolini

Blackshirts

Paramilitary fascist group under Mussolini’s control that solidified his power

Francisco Franco

Leader of Spain, conservative general that lead the Spanish Civil War. Turned into a fascist dictator.

Spanish Civil War

Was lead by Francisco Franco, started by a military coup, ultimately became the fight in Spain of fascism vs. communism and nationalism vs. socialism that resulted in a dictator.

Guernica

Painting by Picasso about the bombing of Guernica, in which civilians of the Basque Region were killed by Airplanes. Was sent out by the Germans

Basque Region

autonomous community between Spain and France known for their unique language. Hitler had a fixation on it.

Hideki Tojo

Premier Japanese general in WW2. Dictator that led the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Emperor Hirohito

Emperor of Japan during WW2. His people saw him as a god.

Rape of Nanking

Genocidal war crime committed by the Japanese towards the Chinese in which they raided and killed civilians.

National Socialist Party (Nazis)

The Nazis. Led by hitler and his authoritarian government, sought to reverse the shame brought to Germany because of their treatment in the treaty of Versailles.

Gestapo

German secret police installed by Hitler

Propaganda

Ideas spread to influence public opinion

Third Reich

Third republic of Germany under the rule of Hitler (1933-1945)

Luftwaffe

Component of German armed forces tasked with air defense

Lebensraum

Hitler’s expansionist theory in which he was just “acquiring living space” for the German citizens.

Sudetenland

Region in Czechoslovakia that was a home to a significant population of ethnic Germans, which made Hitler want it

Mein Kampf

Translated to “My Struggle,” and written by Hitler, it became the basic book of Nazi mottos, goals, and ideology. It reflected obsession.

Appeasement

Accepting demands in order to avoid conflict

Neville Chamberlain

Great Britain Prime Minister in WW2 that believed in appeasement policies to ensure peace.

Eduard Dalanier

French leader of radical socialist country that accepted Hitler’s terms

Anschluss

Union of Austria and Germany

Munich Agreement

Agreement between Germany and Great Britain that Hitler could not conquer more land or war would ensue.

Nuremberg Laws

Laws stripping away the rights of the Jewish population and non-German citizens. It defined the status of the Jews and removed citizenship to non-ethnic Germans.

Ghettos

Sections of towns or cities where Jews were supposed to live.

Kristallnacht

November 9, 1938. German military destroyed property and terrorized Jews.