Term IDs (Pt. 2)

Karl Marx

a German philosopher, economist, and revolutionary socialist who co-founded Marxism, primarily active from the early 1840s in Europe until his death in 1883. He was know for writing “The Communists Manifesto",” where it analyzed capitalism, the class struggles between the bourgeoisie and proletariat, and the inevitability of revolution because of it.

Vladimir Lenin

Founder of the Russian Communist Party, actively involved in revolutionary politics from the early 1890s. His government won the Russian Civil War and created a one-party state under the Communist Party. Overall, Lenin was a polarizing, influential leader who created a repressive, communist system.

Joseph Stalin

a Soviet revolutionary and politician who led the Soviet Union. He became so powerful through brutal political tactics to build loyalty and masterfully used propaganda and fear to outmaneuver rivals. Overall, his ideals promised Soviet strength. Many soviets viewed him with a mix of genuine adoration and deep fear.

USSR

a vast, communist, transcontinental superpower that existed from 1922 to 1991, covering1/6th of Earth’s land surface. It was founded by by Vladimir Lenin after the 1917 Russian Revolution.

Chiang Kai-shek

a military commander and former President of the Republic of China. He was a dominant leader active from the early 1910s. Chiang presided over land reform and economic growth. He is remembered for his role in modernizing China, establishing the Republic of China in Taiwan, and his significant, complex, impact on 20th-century Chinese and Taiwanese history.

Mao Zedong

a Chinese revolutionary, politician, writer, political theorist and the founder of the People's Republic of China. Zedong's ideology, known as Maoism, adapted Marxism-Leninism for China, focusing on the peasantry as the main revolutionary force. He shaped modern China domestically and internationally, transforming China from a fractured, semi-colonial nation into a unified communist power.

Benito Mussolini

fascist dictator of Italy from 1925 to 1943. He was was initially a socialist but broke away during World War I. He created fascism, an authoritarian and nationalistic ideology, where he aimed for a "totalitarian state" that used Ethno-nationalism to replace class consciousness. Mussolini becomes Il Duce and dismantles the constitution, ushering in a personal dictatorship. He achieved this by exploiting violence, passing restrictive "fascist laws," and consolidating power as the sole head of government.

Weimar Republic

was formed after rebels in the German military seized the government from Kaiser Wilhelm II at the end of World War I. This democracy faced severe punitive concessions under the Treaty of Versailles, which included accepting total war guilt, massive financial reparations, severe military restrictions, and significant territorial losses. This acceptance crippled its economy and political stability, sparking a depression.

Adolf Hitler

born in Austria but fought for Germany in World War I. As an Austrian, he despised its multi-ethnic Empire, viewing it as weak, and desired to join the greater German state. He joins the German Worker’s Party and quickly ascends to leadership, soon becoming a National Socialist Party Leader. Eventually, Nazi’s sweep into power in 1933 and Hitler becomes the Fuhrer (or leader) in 1934.

Beer Hall Putsch

a failed coup led by Adolf Hitler in Munich to overthrow the Weimar Republic, inspired by Mussolini's March on Rome. Its objective was to overthrow the local Bavarian government, establish a new national government, and reverse the effects of the Treaty of Versailles.

Kristallnacht

also known as the Night of Broken Glass, was a massive, state-sponsored pogrom against Jews across Nazi Germany and Austria on November 9–10, 1938. Paramilitary forces and civilians destroyed thousands of Jewish homes, schools, and businesses, burned over 1,400 synagogues, and arrested, murdered, or assaulted thousands of Jewish people.

The Blitzkrieg

a German military strategy during World War II designed to deliver swift, decisive blows using coordinated surprise attacks, rapid speed, and intense, localized force.

Operation Barbarossa

the code name for Nazi Germany's massive, surprise invasion of the Soviet Union, launched on June 22, 1941, during World War II. Operation Barbarossa took place along a 2,000-mile front, targeting Leningrad in the north, Moscow in the center, and Ukraine/southern Russia. This launch was the largest military offensive in history, opening the crucial Eastern Front, making its failure shift the war's momentum against Germany.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki 

two Japanese cities destroyed by American atomic bombs on August 6 and 9, 1945 during the final stages of World War II. These bombings, which killed over 200,000 people instantly and from long-term radiation sickness, were the first and only use of nuclear weapons in war. These bombings forced Japan’s unconditional surrender and put an end to World War II.

Nuremberg Trails

a series of international tribunals held by the Allied forces in Nuremberg, Germany, to prosecute prominent Nazi leaders for crimes against peace, conspiracy, and crimes against humanity committed during World War II. The main trial against 24 top-ranking Nazi officials began on November 20, 1945. The Nuremberg Trials ended on October 1, 1946, with the International Military Tribunal sentencing 12 Nazi leaders to death by hanging, along with seven long-term imprisonments ranging from 10 years to life. Three defendants were acquitted and some remained free, in hiding. The Nuremberg Trials (1945–1946) were vital for establishing the precedent that individuals—not just states—can be held accountable for war crimes

United Nations

a global intergovernmental organization founded on October 24, 1945, to maintain international peace, security, and cooperation, currently comprising 193 member states.

Manhattan Project

The Manhattan Project was a top-secret U.S.-led World War II program, roughly around 1942–1946, that developed the world's first atomic weapons, led by famous scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer. It culminated in the first nuclear test on July 16, 1945, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. The Manhattan Project was crucial for developing the world's first atomic bombs, directly causing the end of World War II after bombings in Japan. It launched the nuclear age, shifting global politics into the Cold War, and established the modern model for "big science" governments.

The Baruch Plan

was a 1946 United States proposal to the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission seeking international control of nuclear energy to prevent an arms race. Presented by Bernard Baruch on June 14, 1946, it proposed an International Atomic Development Authority to control all dangerous nuclear activities. The presentation of this plan established international oversight of the use of atomic energy.

Mutually Assured Destruction

a Cold War doctrine, coined in 1962 by Donald Brennan, holding that full-scale nuclear use by opposing sides would cause complete annihilation of both attacker and defender.

NATO

a political and military alliance formed on April 4, 1949, in Washington, D.C., to provide collective security against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It is a defensive alliance where members agree that an attack on one is an attack on all

Divisions of Germany

the post-World War II partition of the country into two separate, ideologically opposed states

Containment

a United States foreign policy strategy adopted in 1947 to stop the expansion of Soviet influence and communism

Fulgencio Bautista

was a Cuban military officer, political leader, and dictator who played a dominant role in Cuban politics from his initial rise to power in the 1930s

Fidel Castro

transformed Cuba into the Western Hemisphere's first communist state

Ho Chi Minh

a Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman who founded the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945

Ngo Dinh Diem

a South Vietnamese politician who was the final prime minister of the State of Vietnam and later the first president of South Vietnam from 1955 until his capture and assassination during the CIA-backed 1963 coup d'état

Frantz Fanon

Born on the island of Martinique under French colonial rule, Frantz Omar Fanon (1925–1961) was one of the most important Black writers in an age of anti-colonial liberation struggle. In his lifetime, he published two influential works: Black Skin, White Masks in 1952 and The Wretched of the Earth in 1961. His life was cut short due to leukemia at the age of thirty-six. Despite this, Fanon’s works continue to be essential and grow in popularity. Fanon spoke for the underlying issues we see to this day, such as language, sexuality, gender, racism, religion, social formation, and so much more. His influence is seen across a range of academic fields, serving as the framework for the Black Power movement, helping many understand the inequalities that stem from the colonial era.

Sukarno

an Indonesian statesman, activist, and revolutionary who served as the first president of Indonesia from 1945 to 1967

Non-Aligned

a forum of 120+ developing nations established in 1961 to remain neutral, independent, and avoid formal military alliances with major Cold War power blocs

Pieds-noirs

people of European descent—primarily French, Spanish, and Italian—born in Algeria during French colonial rule. Following the 1962 Algerian War of Independence, over one million residents were displaced and migrated to mainland France, often creating a distinct subculture marked by trauma and nostalgia

Nasserism

an Arab nationalist political ideology based on the thinking of the former Egyptian President Gamal. Abdel Nasser.

Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi

a prominent leader in the Indian independence movement against British rule. was He was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political thinker who employed nonviolent resistance, which inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. His efforts in fighting colonial rule, advocating for unity, and opposing discrimination, particularly against untouchability, earned him global respect and recognition

Jawaharlal Nehru

upon India's independence in 1947, he served as the country's first prime minister for 16 years. Nehru promoted parliamentary democracy, secularism, and science and technology during the 1950s, powerfully influencing India's arc as a modern nation.

Apartheid

was a legalized system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination enforced by the National Party government in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. It aimed to maintain white minority control by oppressing black citizens, restricting their movement, land ownership, and rights, while creating profound economic, social, and political inequalities

Nelson Mandela

a South African anti-apartheid activist who was the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. Mandela is famous for leading the struggle against South Africa's racist apartheid system and spending 27 years as a political prisoner. As a global icon of peace, reconciliation, and freedom, he dismantled institutionalized segregation, won the Nobel Peace Prize, and advocated for equality. 

Umkhonto we Sizwe 

the paramilitary wing of the African National Congress, founded by Nelson Mandela in the wake of the Sharpeville massacre. Its objective was to bring armed pressure on South Africa's National Party government to abandon its policy of racial segregation, apartheid.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission

an official, temporary body designed to investigate past government human rights abuses and foster reconciliation, often after conflicts or repressive regimes.