History Final - Interwar Years and the Rise of Totalitarianism

Coalition government

When multiple political parties come together to form a majority or parliament. Significance: The Nazi’s were originally a coalition governent before Hitler became Chancellor of Germany.

Weimer Republic

he form of government in Germany before the Nazis. Significance: The roles in the Weimar Republic were the President, Chancellor, Reichstag, Reichsrat, and Cabinet.

Great Depression/Stock Market Crash

When the economy crashed and the value of money went down while the value of products went up. Significance: In the span of 4 years the value of the German Mark went from 1 USD to 4.2 Marks all the way up to 1 USD to 4,200,000,000,000 Marks.

inflation

The increase of products over a period of time. Significance: During the Great Depression the price of products went up by a lot and people often had a lot of trouble affording products.

economic nationalism

When countries push to make their economy stronger. Significance: Germany used this by creating more jobs to fix their economy.

Fascism

A new political movement that promoted loyalty to the state and obedience to the leader. Significance: Facism had no clear defined theory or program.

Nazism

Known as the German brand of facism. Significance: The party adopted the swastika, or hooked cross, as its symbol.It emphasized extreme nationalism, racism, and anti-Semitism, leading to significant social and political changes in Germany.

Anti-Semitism

The hatred of the Jewish religion. Significance: Anti-Semitism was promoted by Hitler and oftentimes Jews would be sent away to work camps and concentration camps.

Mein Kampf

When Hitler was in jail, The book set forth his beliefs and his goals for Germany. Significance: Hitler asserted that the Germans, whom he incorrectly called “Aryans,” were a “master race.” He declared that non- Aryan “races,” such as Jews, Slavs, and Gypsies, were inferior.

Nuremberg Laws

Stribbed Jews of rights and citizenship and Germany and didn’t allow relationships between Germans and Jewish people. Significance: This was supposed to make the Germans more united since Germany was now one race that was “greater” than all other races.

Kristillnacht

Translates to English as “the Night of Broken Glass”. Significance: The night when Germans burned thousands of synagogues and destroyed Jewish businesses and schools.

lebensraum

“living space”. Significance: Hitler said that Germany was overcrowded and he would get rid of people by conquering Eastern Europe and Russia.

Totalitariansim

a government that takes total, centralized, state control over every aspect of public and private life. Significance: Totalitarian leaders appear to provide a sense of security and to give a direction for the future.This often involves propaganda, censorship, and state control of the economy.

Great Purge/purges

a campaign of terror directed at eliminating anyone who threatened his power. Significance: Thousands of Bolsheviks were executed and sent to labor camps for crimes against the Soviet state.

Command Economey

a system in which the government made all economic decisions. Significance: political leaders identify the country’s economic needs and determine how to fulfill them.The state controls production and distribution of goods, often leading to inefficiencies and shortages.

Five-Year Plan

They set impossibly high quotas, or numerical goals, to increase the output of steel, coal, oil, and electricity. Significance: To reach these targets, the government limited production of consumer goods.

Collective Farms

Large, government-owned farms. Significance: Were created from 25 million privately owned farms the government seized.

Kulaks

The peasants in the Soviet Union. Significance: They hated Stalin since they took away their farms so Stalin eliminated or sent most of the kulaks to work camps where they would often die within a few months.

Appeasement

To give into an aggressor to keep peace. Significance: The British urged appeasement to the French after the Nazi’s took over the Rhineland.

Third Reich

Translated into English as “The Third Empire” and Hitler announced he would try to form an empire that included Austria and Czechoslovakia. Significance: This violated the Treaty of Versailles since in the treaty it said Germany and Austria would never be allowed to form an alliance again.

Munich Conference

A meeting with Germany, France, Britain, and Italy in Munich, Germany. Significance: British prime minister Neville Chamberlain believed that he could preserve peace by giving in to Hitler’s demand. Britain and France agreed that Hitler could take the Sudetenland. In exchange, Hitler pledged to respect Czechoslovakia’s new borders.

Axis-powers

An alliance with Germany, Italy, and Japan. Significance: Called the Axis Powers since Hitler and Mussolini thought their alliance would form an axis that Europe would revolve around.

Non-agression pact

A treaty between 2 countries that states they won't fight (not an alliance). Significance: Germany and Russia signed a non-aggression pact which allowed Germany to not have to fight a 2-front war again and allowed Russia to not have to fight Germany.

Benito Mussolini

A newspaper editor and politician who promised to rescue Italy by reviving its economy and rebuilding its armed forces. He vowed to give Italy strong leadership. Significance: He was the founder of the Fascist Party.

Adolf Hitler

A political leader who was a member of the right-wing political group who believed Germany needed to turn over the treaty of Versailles and combat communism. Significance: The group later renamed to the Nazis and followed Nazism. He became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, promoting aggressive expansionism and anti-Semitism, leading to World War II.

Joseph Stalin

Leader of the Communist party from 1929 to 1953. Significance: The name Stalin means “man of steel” in Russian. He ruled the Soviet Union with an iron fist, implementing policies of rapid industrialization and collectivization that led to significant economic change but also widespread famine and repression.

Neville Chamberlain

Prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1937 to 1940. Significance: he was a huge supporter of appeasement and gave Germany all of their demands to try to avoid another world war. His policy is often criticized for failing to maintain peace. Chamberlain believed that peace could be achieved through concessions to aggressive powers like Nazi Germany, but his efforts ultimately failed, leading to the outbreak of World War II.

What was the impact of WWI on art, literature, entertainment, music, sports and technology?

It caused the mass production and technological advancements of vehicles and aircraft, new genres of music like jazz were created, new “silent films” were being created where people exaggerated their emotions and actions, and new forms of art like cubism were created. The aftermath of WWI profoundly influenced various cultural sectors, leading to innovations such as mass production in technology, the emergence of jazz music, the rise of silent films characterized by exaggerated expressions, and the development of avant-garde art movements like cubism.

What was the global impact of the Great Depression? What did countries do to try to improve their economies?

The impact of the Great Depression was inflation. Countries used economic nationalism to create more job opportunities which boosted the economy.

Why did democracies fail (like the Weimar Republic), and why were leaders like Hitler able to come to power?

Postwar democracies failed mostly because of economic problems like the Great Depression which is what happened to the Weimar republic. Hitler came to power since he promised to fix the economy by creating more job opportunities and stabilizing the very fast inflation.

What are the characteristics of Fascism, and how did both Mussolini and Hitler practice it?

Characteristics of Fascism is when a leader has full control over the government and forces people to vote for them and like them. Mussolini and Hitler both practice it by censoring the press and propaganda.

How did Nazism reflect antisemitism?

Nazism was characterized by extreme antisemitism, promoting the belief that Jews were racially inferior and responsible for Germany's problems. This ideology led to discriminatory laws, violence against Jewish people, and ultimately the Holocaust.

How did Stalin’s policies and methods impact life in the Soviet Union?

Stalin’s policies impacted life in the Soviet Union by industrializing it while also killing off millions of people. His methods included state terror, purges, and collectivization, leading to widespread famine and oppression.

How were foreign powers like France and Great Britain responsible for the increased aggression by Japan, Italy, and Germany during the 1930s? Why did they choose appeasement over action?

France and Great Britain were responsible for the increased aggression by Japan, Italy, and Germany. Italy was mad that they did not get land from the Treaty of Versailles while Germany was mad they lost land. Italy was mad since France and Great Britain disapproved of their expansion. Great Britain and France chose appeasement because they didn’t want another world war to start.