Modern World Studies Final Exam Review

Vocabulary flashcards for review of Modern World Studies final exam topics.

Treaty of Versailles

One of the causes of WWII; The treaty imposed harsh terms on Germany after WWI, leading to resentment and instability.

League of Nations

An international organization established after World War I to promote peace and cooperation, but it proved ineffective in preventing WWII.

Great Depression

A severe worldwide economic downturn in the 1930s that created social and political unrest, contributing to the rise of extremist ideologies.

Rise of Dictatorships

The emergence of authoritarian leaders and regimes in countries like Germany (Hitler), Italy (Mussolini), and the Soviet Union (Stalin).

Appeasement

A policy of making concessions to an aggressor in order to avoid war, exemplified by Britain and France's policy toward Hitler's expansionist moves.

Invasion of Poland

The event that triggered World War II (9/1/1939)

Fascism

A political ideology characterized by strong central control, militarism, and suppression of opposition.

Adolf Hitler

The leader of the Nazi Party in Germany, responsible for initiating World War II and the Holocaust.

Nazi Party

The political party led by Adolf Hitler that promoted a racist and authoritarian ideology.

Antisemitism

Hostility to or prejudice against Jewish people.

Kristallnacht

A night of violent attacks against Jewish synagogues, businesses, and homes in November 1938, marking a significant escalation of Nazi persecution.

Holocaust

The systematic genocide of European Jews and other minority groups by the Nazis during World War II.

Blitzkrieg

A military tactic used by Germany during World War II that involved rapid and overwhelming attacks.

Isolationism

A policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, especially the political affairs of foreign countries.

Miracle at Dunkirk

The evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, France, during World War II.

Battle of Britain

The air campaign waged by the German Luftwaffe against Britain in 1940, which the British successfully resisted.

Pearl Harbor

The surprise attack by the Japanese on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which led to the United States entering World War II.

German invasion of Soviet Union

The launch of Operation Barbarossa on June 22, 1941, marked a major turning point in World War II.

War in the Pacific

The theater of World War II fought in the Pacific Ocean, characterized by naval battles and island-hopping campaigns.

Island Hopping

A military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against Japan and the Axis powers.

D-Day

The Allied invasion of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944, marking the start of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation.

Atomic Bombs

The nuclear weapons dropped by the United States on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, leading to Japan's surrender and the end of World War II.

V-E Day

Victory in Europe Day, celebrated on May 8, 1945, marking the formal surrender of Nazi Germany.

V-J Day

Victory over Japan Day, celebrated on August 15, 1945, marking the end of World War II.

Cold War

A period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, characterized by ideological conflict, proxy wars, and the threat of nuclear war.

Superpowers (Cold War)

The United States and the Soviet Union, the two dominant powers during the Cold War, each with their own ideologies and spheres of influence.

Communism

A political and economic ideology advocating for a classless system in which the means of production are owned communally, eliminating private property.

Truman Doctrine

A policy declared by President Truman in 1947 to provide military and economic assistance to countries threatened by communism.

Marshall Plan

A US program providing economic aid to Western Europe after World War II.

Containment Theory

A United States foreign policy doctrine adopted after World War II to stop the spread of communism.

"Iron Curtain"

A term coined by Winston Churchill to describe the ideological and physical boundary dividing Europe into communist and non-communist areas.

Berlin Blockade and Airlift

The Soviet Union's blockade of West Berlin in 1948, prompting the US and its allies to supply the city by air until the blockade was lifted.

Arms Race

A competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to develop and stockpile nuclear weapons.

NATO

A military alliance formed in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance formed in 1955 by the Soviet Union and its satellite states in Eastern Europe to counter NATO.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

A doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender.

Space Race

A competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to achieve milestones in space exploration.

Korean War

A conflict between North Korea (supported by China and the Soviet Union) and South Korea (supported by the United States and the United Nations) from 1950 to 1953.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A tense standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1962 over the presence of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba.

Berlin Wall

A barrier constructed by East Germany in 1961 to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin.

Domino Theory

The belief that if one country fell to communism, neighboring countries would also fall.

Vietnam War

A conflict between North Vietnam (supported by China and the Soviet Union) and South Vietnam (supported by the United States) from the 1950s to 1975.

Mikhail Gorbachev

The last leader of the Soviet Union, who implemented reforms such as perestroika (economic restructuring) and glasnost (openness).

Perestroika

A political movement for reformation within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and its economy during the late 1980s was widely associated with Mikhail Gorbachev.

Glasnost

A policy of maximum publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of government institutions and freedom of information.

Collapse of USSR

The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, marking the end of the Cold War.

Chinese Civil War

A conflict between the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for control of China.

Mao Zedong

The leader of the Chinese Communist Party who established the People's Republic of China in 1949.

People’s Republic of China

Established in 1949, is a socialist republic ruled by the Communist Party of China.

Great Leap Forward

An economic and social campaign by the Communist Party of China from 1958 to 1962, which aimed to rapidly transform the country from an agrarian economy into a communist society through industrialization and collectivization.

Cultural Revolution

A sociopolitical movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 until 1976. Launched by Mao Zedong, its goal was to enforce communism in the country by removing capitalist, traditional and cultural elements from Chinese society.

Red Guards

A mass student-led paramilitary social movement mobilized and guided by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 through 1968, during the first phase of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

Little Red Book

A book of statements from speeches and writings by Mao Zedong, published from 1964 to about 1976 and widely distributed during the Cultural Revolution.