World at War Key Terms

Anti-Imperialism

Opposition to imperialism and territorial expansion.

Appeasement

Policy of giving an aggressor nation what they want to avoid war.

Bolsheviks

Members of the Russian Communist Party following the 1917 revolution.

Cinchona

A South American plant native to the Andes used to treat malaria.

Communism

Political theory advocating for worker-led government and government-led economy.

Concentration Camps

Prisons holding people in confinement without trial, highly associated with Nazi Germany.

Eastern Bloc

The communist nations of central and eastern Europe after World War II.

Enclosure

18th-century English practice of enclosing public lands for commercial agriculture.

Ethnocentrism

A belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group.

Fascism

Dictatorial system prioritizing state power over individual rights.

Five Year Plan

Soviet nationwide centralized plans for rapid economic development under Stalin.

Genocide

The intentional attempt to wipe out an entire race of people.

Great Depression

A severe worldwide economic downturn preceding World War II.

Great Purge

Stalin's 1930s campaign of political repression to eliminate rivals.

Holocaust

Nazi Germany's mass murder of over six million Jews and other targeted groups.

Imperialism

Dominating non-industrialized regions to gain raw materials and market access.

Industrial Revolution

Technical changes leading to major manufacturing and economic shifts in the West.

Iron Curtain

The boundary symbolizing the division between Western Europe and communist Eastern Bloc.

Jingoism

Extreme patriotism expressed through aggressive or warlike foreign policy.

League of Nations

A permanent international assembly planned in Wilson's 14 Points to prevent wars.

Marshall Plan

US economic aid program to rebuild Europe after World War II.

Militarism

Glorification of military might and using a strong military to promote national interests.

Nationalism

The idea that a shared community (nation) should have sovereignty within its borders.

Nationalization

The transfer of private ownership to government ownership.

NATO

Post-WWII Western military alliance formed to strengthen ties and counter the Warsaw Pact.

Non-Aggression Pact

1939 German-Soviet agreement not to fight over Poland.

Nuremberg Laws

1935 German laws removing Jewish citizenship and clarifying Nazi racial policy.

Open Door Policy

1899 US proposal for equal foreign trade access in China.

Propaganda

Government-sponsored information used to sway public opinion.

Raj

The period of direct British monarchical rule in India (1858-1947).

Rhineland

The border region between France and Germany.

Satyagraha

Gandhi's policy of non-violent passive resistance against the British Raj.

Scramble For Africa

The late 19th-century rush by European powers to colonize Africa.

Self-Determination

The right of a group of people to decide to be a nation.

Sepoys

Native Hindu and Muslim recruits in the East India Company's military.

Shell Shock

WWI physical/psychological trauma from trench warfare; precursor to PTSD.

Sovereignty

The independent power of a nation to govern itself.

Spheres Of Influence

Territory where an outside nation holds power to affect developments without formal authority.

Sudetenland

The German-speaking region of Czechoslovakia.

Totalitarianism

Absolute, highly centralized control by the state over all aspects of life.

United Nations

International organization formed in 1945 to increase cooperation and reduce global conflicts.

Urbanization

The movement of people to and the construction of cities.

Warsaw Pact

Military alliance of communist nations in Eastern Europe, countering NATO.