AP World History Unit 7: Global Conflict

Total War

type of warfare that mobilizes the totality of national resources to sustain war production, blurring the line between military and civilian; notably WWI and WWII

Great Depression

the economic crisis beginning with the US stock market crash in 1929 and continuing through the 1930s; had far-reaching global economic effects including further hindering countries recovering from WWI

New Deal

series of reforms enacted by the Franklin Roosevelt administration between 1933 and 1942 with the goal of ending the Great Depression; an example of a government taking greater economic control

Five Year Plan(s)

plans outlined by Joseph Stalin in 1928-1941 for the development of the Soviet Union's economy; wanted to rebuild the Soviet economy after WWI; tried to improve heavy industry and improve farm output with collectivization, but resulted in famine

League of Nations

world organization established in 1920 to promote international cooperation and peace; first proposed in 1918 by President Woodrow Wilson (although the United States never joined); essentially powerless, it was officially dissolved in 1946 and replaced by the UN

Mandate System

allocation of former German colonies and Ottoman possessions to the victorious powers after WWI; to be administered under League of Nations supervision; Palestine and Iraq became British mandates in the Middle East while Syria and Lebanon became French mandates

Fascism

political system headed by a dictator that calls for extreme nationalism and has no tolerance for opposition; actively promotes social hierarchies with rule by elite; aggressive foreign expansion

Fire bombing

bombs dropped by US and Great Britain on German and Japanese cities with intentions to spread fires and take down cities; caused many civilian casualties

Aremenian Genocide

Ottomans targeted and exterminated a Christian minority group within their empire from 1915-1917; Ottomans were afraid the these Christians would side with their enemy Russia during WWI

Holocaust

state-sponsored genocide carried out by Hitler and the Nazi Party during WWII; 6 million Jews were murdered; aimed at the complete elimination of Jews and other groups deemed "undesirable" by Nazi ideology such as non-conformists, homosexuals, non-Aryans, and mentally and physically disabled

Bolsheviks

radical Marxist faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party that seized power in the 1917 Russian Revolution and established the first communist state; Led by Vladimir Lenin who wanted to establish a dictatorship of the proletariat

Fourteen Points

series of proposals made at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 in which U.S. president Woodrow Wilson outlined a plan for achieving a lasting peace after WWI; created the League of Nations

Stalemate

situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible; trench warfare on the Western front of WWI is a good example

Collectivization

combining small, private farms onto large government owned farms; often used by Communist countries to expedite industrial and agricultural production resulting in shortages

Balfour Declaration

statement by the British government in 1917 expressing support for the creation of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine; intended to gain Jewish support for Britain during WWI

Zionism

political and nationalist movement starting in the late 19th century advocating for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine; motivated by rising anti-Semitism in Europe and the desire for Jewish self-determination; played a major role in the creation of the State of Israel in 1948

Treaty of Versailles

the peace agreement, signed June 1919, that officially ended WWI between Germany and the Allied Powers; purpose was to punish Germany, prevent future wars, and establish the League of Nations to promote international peace; Germany had to accept full responsibility for the war, paid heavy reparations to the Allies, lost significant territory and its military was severely restricted

Mexican Revolution

armed rebellion and nationalist movement from 1910-1920 in which the Mexican people fought for political and social reform against the 30+ rule of President Porfirio Diaz

Rwandan Genocide

mass killing of about 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda, Africa over roughly 100 days in 1994, driven by ethnic tensions and political conflict

Propaganda

information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view; used to foster public support and military enlistment in WWI and WWII

Weimar Republic

the post-WWI democratic government of Germany from 1919 to 1933; ended when the Nazis came to power

Indian National Congress

group formed by Hindu nationalist leaders of India in the late 19th century to gain greater democracy and eventual self-rule from Great Britain

Paris Peace Conference

1919 meeting of the Allies at the end of WWI, led by Great Britain, France, US, and Italy; concluded with Treaty of Versailles

Allied Powers

Alliance of Great Britain, France, Italy, Russia (left in 1917), and later the US (joined in 1917) in WWI

Reparations

part of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was ordered to pay fines to the Allies to repay the costs of the war; quickly lead to a severe depression and economic collapse in Germany

atomic bomb

weapon developed by the US in the Manhattan Project; releases massive explosive energy by nuclear fission; used by the United States during WWII (1945) on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to force Japan to surrender

Militarism

policy of glorifying military power and keeping a standing army always prepared for war; one of the factors that led to WWI

Mao Zedong

leader of the Communist Party in China that overthrew the Nationalists; established China as the People's Republic of China and ruled from 1949 until 1976; famous for implementing the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution

Totalitarianism

political system in which the government has complete control over all aspects of public and private life, often led by a single leader or party and using propaganda, censorship, and force to maintain power

trench warfare

form of warfare in which opposing armies fight each other from trenches dug in the battlefield; exemplified by the Western Front in WWI; led to demoralizing stalemate

Fascist Corporatist economy

economic system used by fascist governments (like Mussolini's Italy) where the state controls and organizes the economy through corporations or interest groups (businesses, workers, and professional associations) to serve national goals; often suppressing strikes and independent labor movements; used to give the state strong control over the economy while avoiding full socialism or communism

Genocide

Deliberate extermination of a racial or cultural group

Central Powers

WWI alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire and other nations against the Allied Powers