AP Euro Chapter 26: The Age of Anxiety 1915-1950

The Age of Anxiety

A period reflecting confusion and uncertainty produced by war, influencing art, music, literature, architecture, and more.

Social Darwinism

The theory that emerged emphasizing European superiority and the emergence of the merchant class.

Existentialism

A philosophical movement asserting that individuals create their own values and meanings in a meaningless world.

Soren Kierkegaard

The first existentialist thinker, known for emphasizing individual existence and Christian ethics.

Henri Bergson

Philosopher known for process philosophy, arguing that experience and emotion are as crucial as intellect.

Nihilism

The belief that life has no intrinsic meaning and that constructing one's own meaning is pointless.

Logical Positivism

Philosophical stance that emphasizes empirical verification and rational facts, rejecting untestable claims.

The Trial

A novel by Franz Kafka depicting characters crushed by inexplicable and hostile forces.

Dawes Plan

A plan to restructure German reparations linked to economic output, originally enacted in 1924.

Great Depression

A global economic crisis that began with the stock market crash in 1929, leading to widespread unemployment and economic distress.

New Physics

Emergence of new scientific ideas challenging classical Newtonian physics, including theories by Curie, Planck, and Einstein.

Impressionism

Art movement characterized by small brush strokes and emphasis on light and movement, emerging in late 19th-century Paris.

Surrealism

An art movement that explores the unconscious mind, often through bizarre or dream-like imagery.

Stream of Consciousness

A literary technique that captures the flow of thoughts and feelings in a character's mind, used by authors like Virginia Woolf.

Little Entente

A military alliance between Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia, formed to counteract German influence.

Maginot Line

A French defensive line built between 1928-1939 to deter German invasion; ultimately ineffective.

Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal

A series of government programs and reforms implemented to recover from the Great Depression.

Socialism

Economic and political system advocating for communal ownership and the collective management of resources.

Fascism

A political ideology that seeks to create a centralized autocratic government led by a dictatorial leader.

Nationalism

The belief that a nation should have the right to govern itself and have sovereignty, often leading to the formation of nation-states.

Existence precedes essence

A core existentialist principle proposed by Jean-Paul Sartre, suggesting that individuals define their own essence through actions.

Absurdism

A philosophical stance that emphasizes the conflict between the human search for meaning and the universe's inherent lack of it.