Power and Authority in the Modern World 1919–1946 Flashcards

A set of 300 flashcards based on Chapter One of Power and Authority in the Modern World ($$1919 ext{--}1946$$), covering the peace settlements, the rise of dictatorships, and the search for international security.

Fascist

A right-wing nationalist political movement that began in Italy and influenced later authoritarian ideologies.

Totalitarian

A concept used to describe a form of dictatorship with near complete control over a society.

Militarist

Having a strong military influence on a government or society.

Collective security

An international approach where nations promised mutual support to ensure security if threatened.

Realpolitik

Politics based on practical concerns about power regarding influence rather than moral principles.

Coercive force

The power to punish individuals who do not obey through measures such as imprisonment or death.

Plutocratic societies

Social systems where power resides with those who possess the greatest wealth.

Plutocrats

Wealthy individuals who use their money to dominate or influence a government.

Mandate

A claim to power or the right to govern a territory.

Theocracy

A society or government dominated by religious ideas or divine mandate.

Führer

The leader of Nazi Germany who claimed authority derived from the ethnic German people.

Volk

The ethnic German people used as the basis for national community in Nazi ideology.

Volksgemeinschaft

The concept of a 'people’s community' aiming for national racial harmony.

Communist Party (Russia)

The political entity that claimed to represent the urban proletariat and communist ideology.

Proletariat

The urban, industrial working class in Russian society.

Third Rome

Benito Mussolini’s term for his vision of a modern Italy following the Roman Empire and Constantinople.

General Hideki Tojo

The military dictator of Japan whose power was linked to the authority of the emperor.

Emperor Hirohito

The Japanese leader regarded as a God, providing a theocratic element to the military system.

Armistice (11 November 1918)

The agreement signed by the new German government to cease fighting in the First World War.

Central Powers

The coalition including Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey during the First World War.

Allies

The coalition including Britain, France, Russia, the United States, Serbia, and Italy against the Central Powers.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne whose assassination triggered the First World War.

July Crisis

The period of diplomatic tension following the assassination of the Archduke that led to general European war.

$9$\,million

The approximate number of people killed in the First World War.

$5$\,million

The estimated number of people who died from food shortages during the First World War.

$\$\!300$\,billion

The estimated financial cost of the First World War.

Imperialism

The practice of creating and extending an empire for economic gain.

Arms race

An escalation in weapons development by nations seeking military superiority.

Paris Peace Conference ($1919$)

A gathering of $32$ countries to redraw the global map and prevent future major wars.

Margaret Macmillan

The historian who described the Paris Peace Conference as 'six months that changed the world'.

$32$ countries

The number of nations represented by delegates at the Paris Peace Conference.

Five Great Powers

The countries that drew up the rules for the conference: Britain, France, the USA, Italy, and Japan.

The Big Four

The primary power holders at the conference: Britain, Italy, France, and the United States.

Georges Clemenceau

The French Prime Minister who sought a harsh peace to ensure French security from Germany.

Reparations

Monetary penalties Germany was forced to pay for damage and loss of life during the war.

$100\,000$ troops

The maximum size allowed for the German army under French demands at the conference.

Conscription

The mandatory enlistment of people in a national military service.

David Lloyd George

The British Prime Minister who sought naval security but wanted a healthy postwar German economy.

Blockade

The sealing off of a place to prevent goods from entering or leaving, used against Germany after the armistice.

Vittorio Orlando

The Italian leader who left the Paris conference dissatisfied with the lack of territorial gains.

Woodrow Wilson

The US President who proposed the Fourteen Points and the League of Nations as a path to enduring peace.

League of Nations

The first international organization whose mission was to maintain world peace through cooperation.

Fourteen Points

A set of principles proposed by Wilson including international disarmament and self-determination.

Self-determination

The right of people of the same cultural background to decide their own form of government.

Treaty of Versailles

The primary peace agreement with Germany resulting from the Paris Peace Conference.

Treaty of Trianon

The peace settlement made with Hungary after the First World War.

Treaty of Neuilly

The peace settlement made with Bulgaria after the First World War.

Treaty of Saint-Germain

The peace settlement made with Austria after the First World War.

Treaty of Sevres

The peace settlement made with Turkey after the First World War.

Article $231$

The 'War Guilt Clause' in the Treaty of Versailles forcing Germany to accept blame for the war.

Ratify

To give formal confirmation of a treaty or agreement, such as the US Senate's refusal to do so for Versailles.

Diktat

A harsh settlement unilaterally imposed on a defeated nation without negotiation.

Armaments

The collective term for weapons of war such as tanks, aircraft, and warships.

Propaganda

Biased or misleading information used to influence public opinion toward a specific point of view.

Covenant of the League of Nations

The document finalized on $28$ April $1919$ setting out the structure and objectives of the League.

Jan Smuts

The South African General who proposed plans for an international peace organization.

Lord Robert Cecil

The British leader who supported early proposals for what became the League of Nations.

Geneva, Switzerland

The city chosen as the headquarters for the League of Nations.

The Assembly

The branch of the League of Nations where every member state had a single vote.

The Council

The regular meeting body of the League meant to represent the five Great Powers.

The Secretariat

The administrative branch of the League consisting of hundreds of professional administrators.

Secretary General

The official responsible for managing the everyday business of the League of Nations.

Permanent Court of International Justice

An international legal body functioning under the primary League organizations.

International Labour Organization

A technical organization established with the League to address global labor issues.

Isolationism

The idea that a country should distance itself from world affairs and focus on its own interests.

Sui generis

A Latin term used to describe something that is unique in its own kind.

Liberal democracy

A form of government where freedoms of religion and press are protected by law.

Representative government

A system where the government is run by officials elected by the citizenry.

Cold War

A state of geopolitical tension between communist nations and capitalist-democratic powers after $1945$.

Authoritarian

A term associated with dictatorships favoring strict obedience to the authority of the government.

Bolshevik Party

The group that took power in Russia in $1917$, later known as the Communist Party.

Joseph Stalin

The leader who became head of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union in $1924$.

Great Depression

A period of severe economic downturn starting in the United States and spreading globally in the $1930$s.

Anti-Comintern Pact

The alliance formed between Germany and Japan in $1936$ directed against communism.

Axis Powers

The coalition formed by Germany, Japan, Italy, and Spain by $1937$.

Paul Kennedy

The historian who observed how manufacturing and trade plummeted during the interwar years.

$58$ billion dollars

The value of European trade in $1928$ before the Great Depression.

$20.6$ billion dollars

The reduced value of European trade by $1935$ following the depression.

Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov

The revolutionary leader better known as Lenin who founded the Soviet state.

Karl Marx

The German thinker whose works on socialism influenced revolutionary leaders like Lenin.

Iskra

The revolutionary newspaper edited by Lenin during his time in London.

'What is to be Done?'

The pamphlet by Lenin arguing that revolution required leadership from an elite group.

Marxist-Leninism

The official ideology of the Soviet state after Lenin modified traditional Marxist theories.

'Peace, land and bread'

The policy slogan announced by Lenin to gain support from soldiers, workers, and peasants.

Soviets

Committees of soldiers and workers that appeared in Russia after the fall of the Tsar.

Leon Trotsky

The Marxist revolutionary who led the Red Army and was later exiled and assassinated by Stalin.

Red Terror

A period under Lenin where opposition parties were banned and opponents were imprisoned.

Kulaks

Wealthier peasants characterized by Lenin as 'bloodsuckers' and targeted for execution and grain seizure.

Autocratic rule

Government control characterized by a single ruler having absolute power, such as the Russian Tsar.

Collectivisation

The Stalinist plan to bring all private farmland under collective government control.

Stalinism

The specific authoritarian dictatorship established by Joseph Stalin in Russia.

Hannah Arendt

The sociologist who linked the regimes of Stalin and Hitler in the book 'The Origins of Totalitarianism'.

Dachas

Summer houses provided as rewards to loyal members of the Soviet Communist Party.

Patronage

The system of giving favors and rewards, like better jobs or housing, to secure political loyalty.

Blat

The use of personal connections in the Soviet Union to acquire goods in short supply.

Cult of personality

A political regime where faith in the greatness of a single leader is the key to holding power.

Leningrad

The city of Petrograd renamed in honor of Lenin following his death.

Kolkhozy

The name for the collective farms established during Stalin's agricultural initiatives.

$1946$ Famine

A catastrophic food shortage in several Soviet provinces resulting in over $1\,million$ deaths.

Gulag

The agency responsible for Soviet labor camps and the term used for the camps themselves.