1900-Now Princeton Ap World Review terms

Schlieffen Plan

A strategic military plan devised by Germany to quickly defeat France by invading through Belgium in the event of a two-front war against France and Russia.

Blitzkrieg

A German term meaning 'lightning warfare,' referring to a fast and coordinated military attack strategy used during World War II to surprise and overwhelm the enemy.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, whose assassination in 1914 in Sarajevo sparked the outbreak of World War I.

Winston Churchill

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during WWII, known for his leadership and oratory skills that rallied the British people against Nazi Germany.

Gavrilo Princip

The nationalist who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, an event that triggered World War I.

Battle of Britain

A significant air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom in 1940, which ultimately ended in a British victory.

Central Powers

The coalition of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria that fought against the Allied Powers during World War I.

Tripartite Pact

A military alliance formed in 1940 among Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II.

Pearl Harbor

A U.S. naval base in Hawaii attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, leading to the United States' entry into World War II.

isolationism

A foreign policy approach of avoiding involvement in international conflicts and affairs, predominant in the United States prior to World War II.

Zimmermann telegram

A secret communication sent by Germany to Mexico proposing a military alliance against the United States during World War I, which contributed to U.S. entry into the war.

Manhattan Project

A secret U.S. government project during World War II aimed at developing the atomic bomb.

Treaty of Versailles

The peace treaty that officially ended World War I in 1919, imposing heavy reparations and territorial losses on Germany.

D-day

The Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, during World War II, which marked the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe.

Fourteen Points

A statement of principles for peace to be used for negotiations to end World War I, outlined by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson.

President Truman

The 33rd President of the United States who succeeded Franklin D. Roosevelt and made the decision to use atomic bombs on Japan during World War II.

League of Nations

An international organization formed after World War I to promote peace and cooperation among countries, but ultimately failed to prevent World War II.

Hiroshima

The Japanese city that was the target of the first atomic bomb dropped by the United States on August 6, 1945.

Nagasaki

The Japanese city that was bombed by the United States with an atomic bomb on August 9, 1945, leading to Japan's surrender in World War II.

Russian Revolution

A series of revolutionary events in 1917 that led to the overthrow of the Tsar and the establishment of a communist government in Russia.

Holocaust

The systematic genocide of six million Jews and millions of others by the Nazi regime during World War II.

Czar Nicholas

The last Emperor of Russia, whose abdication during the Russian Revolution in 1917 marked the end of the Romanov dynasty.

Alexander Kerensky

A key political leader during the Russian Revolution, who served as the head of the Provisional Government.

Marshall Plan

A U.S. program initiated in 1948 to provide economic aid to Western European countries to rebuild after World War II.

United Nations (UN)

An international organization founded in 1945 to promote peace, security, and cooperation among countries around the world.

Bolsheviks

A faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labor Party that seized power during the October Revolution of 1917 and established a communist state.

Vladimir Lenin

The leader of the Bolshevik Revolution and the first head of the Soviet state.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

A document adopted by the United Nations in 1948 that outlines the rights and freedoms entitled to all individuals.

April Theses

A series of directives issued by Lenin in April 1917 that called for a socialist revolution in Russia.

Human Rights

The basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death.

Cold War

A period of political tension and military rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II, marked by ideological conflict.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

A treaty signed in 1918 between the Central Powers and Russia, marking Russia's exit from World War I.

Yalta

The conference held in February 1945 where Allied leaders discussed the post-war reorganization of Europe.

Soviet Union

A socialist state that existed from 1922 until its dissolution in 1991, encompassing Russia and several other republics.

Potsdam

The conference held in July-August 1945 where Allied leaders made decisions about the administration of Germany post-World War II.

Red Army

The army and air force of the Soviet Union, established during the Russian Civil War to maintain the Bolshevik government.

Berlin Blockade

A Soviet obstruction of land and water routes into West Berlin from June 1948 to May 1949, aimed at forcing the Allies out.

Leon Trotsky

A key leader in the Russian Revolution who was later expelled from the Communist Party and assassinated in 1940.

Berlin Airlift

The operation undertaken by the Allies to supply West Berlin by air after the Soviet blockade in 1948-1949.

Mustafa Kemal

The founder of the Republic of Turkey and its first president, known as Atatürk.

Soviet bloc

A group of nations in Eastern Europe under the influence or control of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Ataturk

The title given to Mustafa Kemal, emphasizing his role in modernizing Turkey.

Western bloc

The group of Western countries aligned against the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

New Economic Policy (NEP)

A policy introduced by Lenin in 1921 to allow some private enterprise and small-scale capitalism in the Soviet economy.

Truman Doctrine

A policy established in 1947 by President Truman to contain the spread of communism by providing political, military, and economic assistance to countries.

Joseph Stalin

The leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953, known for his totalitarian regime and industrialization programs.

containment

A U.S. foreign policy strategy aimed at preventing the spread of communism during the Cold War.

Five-Year Plans

A series of government plans in the Soviet Union designed to promote industrial and agricultural growth.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

A military alliance formed in 1949 among Western nations for mutual defense.

collectivization

The policy of consolidating individual landholdings and labor into collective farms, implemented in the Soviet Union.

Treaty Organization

The formal title for NATO.

USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)

The official name for the Soviet Union, which existed from 1922 to 1991.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance of communist nations in Eastern Europe formed in response to NATO in 1955.

Iron Curtain

A term used to describe the ideological divide between Western Europe and the Eastern bloc during the Cold War.

Great Depression

A severe worldwide economic depression that took place during the 1930s.

Bandung Conference

A 1955 conference of Asian and African states that promoted economic and cultural cooperation and opposed colonialism.

fascism

A political ideology that emphasizes authoritarian nationalism, characterized by dictatorial power and suppression of opposition.

Non-Aligned Movement

A group of states that did not formally align with either the Western or Eastern blocs during the Cold War.

nationalism

A political ideology focused on the interests of a particular nation, often leading to the desire for national independence.

Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty

An international treaty aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and promoting peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Benito Mussolini

The leader of Italy's National Fascist Party and Prime Minister from 1922 until his ousting in 1943.

Blackshirts

The paramilitary wing of Mussolini's National Fascist Party in Italy, known for their violence against opposition.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

An international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for military purposes.

Weimar Republic

The democratic government that was established in Germany after World War I, lasting until the rise of the Nazi Party.

National Socialist Party (Nazis)

The political party led by Adolf Hitler that ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945, known for its totalitarian regime and genocide.

Sun Yat-sen

The founder of the Republic of China and a key figure in the early 20th-century Chinese revolution.

Chinese Revolution of 1911

The revolution that led to the end of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of a republic in China.

Reichstag

The German parliament during the Weimar Republic and the early years of Nazi rule.

Three Principles of the People

A political philosophy developed by Sun Yat-sen consisting of nationalism, democracy, and the people's livelihood.

Adolf Hitler

The dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, known for his role in World War II and the Holocaust.

Kuomintang (KMT)

The Nationalist Party in China, which played a major role in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty.

Third Reich

The Nazi regime in Germany from 1933 to 1945, characterized by fascism and totalitarianism.

Chiang Kai-shek

The leader of the Nationalist government in China and the Kuomintang during the Chinese Civil War.

Francisco Franco

The military dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 who established an authoritarian regime.

Mao Zedong

The founding father of the People's Republic of China and a key figure in the Chinese Communist Party.

Rhineland

A region in Germany that was remilitarized by Hitler in 1936, violating the Treaty of Versailles.

Republic of China

The government established in China after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, which still exists in Taiwan today.

Munich Conference of 1938

A summit where leaders of Germany, Britain, France, and Italy agreed to allow Hitler to annex portions of Czechoslovakia in a policy of appeasement.

People's Republic of China

The current official name of China, established in 1949 by the Chinese Communist Party.

Neville Chamberlain

The British Prime Minister known for his policy of appeasement towards Hitler pre-World War II.

Great Leap Forward

A campaign initiated by Mao Zedong in 1958 aimed at rapidly transforming China into a socialist society through rapid industrialization and collectivization.

appeasement

A diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding conflict by making concessions to an aggressor, notably associated with European powers' actions toward Nazi Germany.

Cultural Revolution

A sociopolitical movement in China launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 aimed at preserving communist ideology by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements.

Nazi-Soviet Pact

A non-aggression treaty between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed in 1939, allowing for the division of Eastern Europe.

Tiananmen Square massacre

The violent suppression of pro-democracy protests in Beijing, China, in 1989.

Manchukuo

A puppet state established in Manchuria by Japan in 1932 during its occupation.

General MacArthur

The American general who commanded Allied forces in the Pacific during World War II and later oversaw the occupation of Japan.

Anti-Comintern Pact

A treaty between Germany and Japan aimed at opposing the spread of communism, signed in 1936.

Indochina

A region in Southeast Asia that includes Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, known for its colonial history and conflict during the 20th century.

Vietminh

A nationalist movement in Vietnam led by Ho Chi Minh that fought for independence from French colonial rule.

Ho Chi Minh

A Vietnamese revolutionary leader and prime minister of North Vietnam, prominently known for his role in the independence movement.

Ngo Dinh Diem

The first President of South Vietnam, who ruled from 1955 until his assassination in 1963.

Viet Cong

The communist guerrilla fighters in South Vietnam who opposed the U.S.-backed government during the Vietnam War.

Khmer Rouge

The communist party that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, known for its brutal regime and genocide.

guerrilla warfare

A military strategy involving small groups using irregular tactics such as ambushes, sabotage, and hit-and-run operations.

Platt Amendment

A U.S. amendment to the Cuban constitution in 1901 that permitted U.S. intervention in Cuban affairs and established conditions for U.S. withdrawal.

Batista Dictatorship

The authoritarian regime of Fulgencio Batista in Cuba from 1952 until his overthrow in 1959.

Fidel Castro

The Cuban revolutionary leader who governed Cuba from 1959 until he formally relinquished power in 2008.

Cuban Revolution

The successful overthrow of the Batista regime in 1959 that resulted in the establishment of a communist state in Cuba.

President Kennedy

The 35th President of the United States, known for his leadership during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the civil rights movement.