AP World History - Interwar Period Vocabulary

Bolsheviks

A faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party that advocated for a socialist revolution and led the October Revolution in 1917, establishing a communist government in Russia.

Bolshevik Revolution

The October Revolution of 1917, in which the Bolsheviks seized control of the Russian government, leading to the establishment of a communist state, the USSR.

Vladimir Lenin

Leader of the Bolsheviks and key figure in the Russian Revolution, he served as the head of government of the Soviet Union.

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

The official name of the Soviet Union, a federal socialist state that existed from 1922 to 1991, and the first communist government.

Tsar Nicholas II

The last emperor of Russia, whose abdication in 1917 marked the end of the Romanov dynasty and led to the Russian Revolution.

Bloody Sunday

A massacre in 1905 where unarmed protesters were shot by the Imperial Guard while marching to present a petition to Tsar Nicholas II, leading to widespread unrest and the creation of the Duma.

Duma

The legislative assembly in the late Russian Empire, created as a response to the 1905 Revolution, which aimed to provide a degree of political representation.

Romanovs

A dynasty that ruled Russia for over three centuries, ending with the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II in 1917.

New Economic Plan

A policy initiated by Lenin in 1921 to stimulate the economy by allowing some private enterprise and small-scale capitalism after the Russian Civil War.

Communism

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

Command Economy

An economic system where the government makes all decisions regarding production and distribution of goods, often associated with communist states.

Soviets

Political organizations and government bodies representing workers and peasants in Russia, particularly during the Bolshevik Revolution and the early Soviet Union.

Joseph Stalin

The leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953, and successor of Lenin, known for his totalitarian regime and significant role in World War II.

Five Year Plan

A government initiative in the Soviet Union aimed at rapidly industrializing the economy and increasing agricultural production through state control and centralized planning.

Purge

A campaign to eliminate dissenters and perceived enemies within the Communist Party and the Soviet state, particularly during the late 1930s.

Totalitarianism

A political system in which the state recognizes no limits to its authority and seeks to regulate every aspect of public and private life.

Authoritarianism

A political system characterized by strong central power and limited political freedoms, where the state maintains significant control over many aspects of life.

Collectivization

The policy of consolidating individual landholdings and labor into collective farms, primarily implemented in the Soviet Union during the late 1920s and 1930s.

Gulag Organization

A government agency in the Soviet Union that administered forced labor camps during the Stalin era, used for political repression and economic exploitation.

Mexican Revolution

A major armed struggle that transformed Mexican society and government, emphasizing land reform and social justice.

Porfirio Diaz

A Mexican general and politician who served as president for much of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known for his authoritarian rule and modernization efforts that sparked the Mexican Revolution.

Francesco Madero

A Mexican revolutionary leader who opposed the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz and served as president after the overthrow of Diaz, advocating for democratic reforms, until his overthrow.

Francisco Pancho Villa

A prominent Mexican revolutionary general known for his leadership in the northern division during the Mexican Revolution, advocating for land reform and social justice.

Emiliano Zapato

A key figure in the Mexican Revolution, known for his role as a revolutionary leader in the south and his advocacy for agrarian reform.

Victoriano Huerta

A Mexican military officer who seized power in a coup against Madero, becoming president and ruling as a dictator during a turbulent period of the Mexican Revolution.

Lazaro Cardenas

A significant Mexican politician and military leader who served as president from 1934 to 1940, known for implementing land reforms and nationalizing the oil industry.

Venustiano Carranza

A prominent Mexican President who implemented the 1917 Constitution

Alvaro Obregon

Mexican revolutionary leader and president who stabilized Mexico after the Mexican Revolution and implemented social and economic reforms.

Ten Tragic Days

Violent coup in February 1913 during the Mexican Revolution, in which President Francisco Madero was overthrown and assassinated, leading to Victoriano Huerta’s dictatorship.

Conventionalists

Faction in the Mexican Revolution, led by Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata, who opposed the Constitutionalists and advocated for radical land and social reforms.

Constitutionalists

Faction in the Mexican Revolution, led by Venustiano Carranza, that sought to restore constitutional government and implement moderate reforms, ultimately drafting the 1917 Mexican Constitution.

Qing Dynasty

Last imperial dynasty of China established by the Manchus.

Sun Yat Sen

Chinese revolutionary leader and the founding father of the Republic of China.

Kuomintang

Political party founded by Sun Yat-sen that sought to unify China under a republican government and later fought against both warlords and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Chiang Kai Shek

Leader of the Kuomintang after Sun Yat Sen, who led China during the Chinese Civil War, fought against the Communists, and later fled to Taiwan, establishing the Republic of China there.

May Fourth Movement

Cultural and intellectual protest in China, sparked by dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Versailles, which led to widespread calls for modernization, nationalism, and the rejection of traditional Confucian values.

Chinese Communist Party

Founded by Mao Zadong, and the side that waged war against the Kuomintang, ultimately winning.

Mao Zedong

The founding leader of the People's Republic of China and the architect of policies like the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.

The Long March

Military retreat by the Chinese Communist Party and its Red Army, led by Mao Zedong, to escape encirclement by the Kuomintang, which became a symbol of Communist resilience and unity.

People’s Republic of China

Established in 1949 under Mao Zedong, marked by socialist policies and significant political, economic, and social transformations for China.

Great Leap Forward

Social and economic campaign initiated by Mao Zedong to rapidly industrialize China and collectivize agriculture, which led to widespread famine and millions of deaths due to its failed policies.

Cultural Revolution

Political movement aimed at preserving Communist ideology by removing capitalist, traditional, and cultural elements from Chinese society, leading to widespread persecution, chaos, and social upheaval.

Red Guards

Radical youth groups mobilized during the Cultural Revolution to attack perceived enemies of Mao Zedong and enforce Communist policies.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

Founder and first president of modern Turkey, known for implementing reforms that secularized and modernized the country after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

Republic of Turkey

Established in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, replacing the Ottoman Empire, and became a secular, nationalist state with major political and social reforms.

Indian National Congress

Political party that played a key role in the Indian independence movement, advocating for self-rule and later leading the country after independence in 1947.

Mohandas Gandhi

Leader of the Indian independence movement, known for his philosophy of nonviolent resistance..

Amritsar Massacre

Violent event in which British troops opened fire on a peaceful crowd of Indian protesters in Amritsar, fueling Indian demands for independence.

Salt March

Nonviolent protest against British salt taxes, where Gandhi and followers marched to produce salt, challenging British authority and gaining international attention for the Indian independence movement.

Civil Disobedience

Active, nonviolent refusal to obey certain laws or commands, famously led by Mahatma Gandhi in India as a method of protesting British colonial rule

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Leader of the All-India Muslim League and the founder of Pakistan, advocating for a separate Muslim state from India

Muslim League

Political party in British India that advocated for the rights of Muslims and played a key role in the creation of Pakistan

Negritude Movement

Literary and cultural movement led by African and Caribbean intellectuals, that celebrated Black identity, culture, and resistance to colonialism.

W.E.B. DuBois

African American sociologist, writer, and civil rights activist, co-founder of the NAACP, and a prominent advocate for racial equality and Pan-Africanism

Hyperinflation

Extremely rapid and out-of-control increase in prices, often resulting in the collapse of a country's currency and severe economic instability.

Consumerism

Economic and social ideology that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts

Protectionism

Economic policy that seeks to protect domestic industries by imposing restrictions on imported goods.

Black Thursday

First day of the Stock Market Crash of 1929, marking the beginning of the Great Depression

Great Depression

Worldwide economic downturn triggered by the stock market crash, leading to mass unemployment, poverty, and a global economic slowdown.

Welfare State

Government system that provides social services and financial support to ensure the well-being of its citizens

New Deal

Series of economic programs and reforms enacted by FDR to combat the effects of the Great Depression

John Maynard Keyes

British economist who advocated for government intervention in the economy to manage demand and mitigate recessions.

Smoot-Hawley Tariff

U.S. law that raised tariffs on imported goods, worsening the global economic downturn by provoking retaliatory tariffs and reducing international trade during the Great Depression.

Fascism

Authoritarian ideology that promotes dictatorial power, extreme nationalism, and the suppression of opposition.

Adolf Hitler

Fascist leader of Nazi Germany responsible for initiating World War II and orchestrating the Holocaust.

Benito Mussolini

Dictator of Italy and founder of Fascism.

Il Duce

Title used by Benito Mussolini, meaning "The Leader,"

Blackshirts

Paramilitary groups known for their violent actions and their role in helping Mussolini rise to power.

Francisco Franco

Dictator of Spain after leading a nationalist rebellion that resulted in the Spanish Civil War and the establishment of a fascist regime.

Spanish Civil War

Conflict between the Republican government and Nationalist rebels led by Francisco Franco, resulting in a Nationalist victory and the establishment of a fascist dictatorship.

Guernica

Town in Spain bombed by Nazi Germany and Italian fascist air forces during the Spanish Civil War, an event memorialized by Picasso.

Basque Region

Sought autonomy, becoming a focal point for Republican resistance to Franco's Nationalist forces.

Hideki Tojo

Japanese general and prime minister during much of World War II, responsible for leading Japan into war with the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Emperor Hirohito

Emperor that served during Japan’s militaristic expansion, World War II, and later playing a ceremonial role in Japan’s post-war reconstruction and pacifism.

Rape of Nanking

Mass atrocity committed by the Japanese army during the Second Sino-Japanese War, where tens of thousands of Chinese civilians were killed, and widespread sexual violence and other brutalities occurred in the city of Nanking

National Socialist Party

Political party in Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, that promoted extreme nationalism, racism, and anti-Semitism, leading to the rise of Nazi Germany and the outbreak of World War II.

Gestapo

Secret police of Nazi Germany, responsible for suppressing opposition, conducting surveillance, and enforcing fascist policies.

Propaganda

Use of biased or misleading information to promote a particular political cause or ideology

Third Reich

Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler, characterized by totalitarian rule, aggressive expansionism, and the implementation of the Holocaust

Luftwaffe

Airforce of Nazi Germany’s military

Lebensraum

Nazi policy advocating for the expansion of German territory, particularly into Eastern Europe, to provide space for the growing German population and resources, often justified by racial superiority ideologies.

Sudetenland

Region of Czechoslovakia with a large ethnic German population, which Adolf Hitler demanded and annexed in 1938

Mein Kampf

Book written by Adolf Hitler during his imprisonment, outlining his political ideology.

Appeasement

Diplomatic policy of making concessions to aggressive powers like Nazi Germany in hopes of avoiding conflict.

Neville Chamberlain

British prime minister best known for his policy of appeasement toward Nazi Germany

Eduard Daladier

French prime minister who, alongside Neville Chamberlain, signed the Munich Agreement

Anschluss

Annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938, expanding Hitler’s control over Europe.

Munich Agreement

Pact between Germany, Britain, France, and Italy that allowed Nazi Germany to annex the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia in exchange for a promise of no further territorial expansion

Nuremberg Laws

Anti-Semitic laws enacted by the Nazi regime in Germany that stripped Jews of their citizenship among other discriminatory policies

Ghettos

Segregated urban areas where Jews were forcibly confined by the Nazis during World War II

Kristallnacht

The Night of Broken Glass, a coordinated series of violent attacks against Jews in Nazi Germany