AP World History - 20th Century

Triple Alliance

Military alliance formed in the 1880s between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy to protect against France.

Schlieffen Plan

Germany's military strategy to invade France through Belgium during World War I.

Triple Entente

Alliance between Britain, France, and Russia before World War I, later joined by Japan.

Central Powers

Alliance formed during World War I, consisting of the Ottoman Empire, Germany, and Austria-Hungary.

Lusitania

British passenger ship sunk by Germany in 1915, prompting the U.S. to join World War I.

Zimmermann Telegram

Secret communication from Germany to Mexico proposing an alliance against the U.S. during World War I.

Treaty of Versailles

1919 peace treaty that officially ended World War I and imposed heavy reparations on Germany.

Bolsheviks

Radical socialist faction led by Vladimir Lenin that seized control of Russia during the October Revolution.

Great Leap Forward

Economic policy initiated by Mao Zedong to rapidly transform China into a socialist society through collectivization.

Cultural Revolution

Campaign initiated by Mao Zedong to reinforce communist ideology in China, resulting in widespread social and political upheaval.

Berlin Wall

Barrier that divided East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, symbolizing the Cold War divide.

Truman Doctrine

U.S. foreign policy established in 1947 to contain the spread of communism.

Apartheid

System of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s.

Balfour Declaration

1917 statement by the British government supporting the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine.

Anti-Comintern Pact

Agreement between Germany and Japan aimed at combating communism and the Soviet Union.

Tiananmen Square Massacre

1989 crackdown by Chinese government on pro-democracy protesters, resulting in hundreds or possibly thousands of deaths.

OPEC

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, formed to coordinate and unify petroleum policies among member countries.

NAFTA

North American Free Trade Agreement, signed in 1994 to promote trade between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Globalization

The process of increased interconnectedness and interdependence among countries, economies, and cultures.

Al-Qaeda

Islamic terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden, known for the September 11 attacks on the U.S.

Holocaust

Genocide during World War II in which millions of Jews and others were systematically murdered by the Nazi regime.