Key Leaders of Authoritarian States

Flashcards covering the key leaders of authoritarian states, their policies, methods of maintaining power, and impacts.

Adolf Hitler

Leader of Germany who rose to power exploiting economic instability and the resentment of the Treaty of Versailles.

Gestapo

The secret police employed by Hitler to instill fear and suppress opposition.

Nuremberg Laws

Anti-Semitic laws enacted by Hitler to institutionalize racial discrimination against Jews.

Joseph Stalin

Leader of the USSR known for his totalitarian regime marked by political purges and rapid industrialization.

NKVD

The secret police in the USSR that Stalin used for surveillance and repression.

March on Rome

A 1922 event led by Mussolini to seize power amid post-WWI instability.

OVRA

The secret police established by Mussolini to suppress opposition in Italy.

Mao Zedong

Chinese leader who established the People's Republic of China and enacted policies like the Great Leap Forward.

Great Leap Forward

Mao's attempt to rapidly industrialize China which resulted in a catastrophic famine.

Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDRs)

Organizations established by Castro to monitor and control the citizenry.

Five-Year Plans

Stalin's series of economic plans aimed at rapid industrialization of the USSR.