Interwar Europe, the Formation of Czecho-Slovakia, and the Rise of Soviet Rule

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering post-WWI territorial reorganization, the integration of Bratislava and Slovakia into Czecho-Slovakia, international diplomacy, and the Bolshevik revolution in Russia.

Bratislava (Selection as Capital)

Designated as the capital of Slovakia because it was the largest city with 80,000 inhabitants, possessed direct rail links to Prague, had an airport, and featured a major Danube port serving as a vital Central European artery.

Prešporok

The historical name of the city that was officially replaced by the name Bratislava in 1919 as thousands of new residents settled there and gradually Slovakized the city.

Comenius University (Univerzita Komenského)

The first university with Slovak as the language of instruction, established in Bratislava alongside the Slovak National Theatre.

Danube Fairs (Dunajské veľtrhy)

Annual international trade fairs hosted in Bratislava, reflecting its emerging role as Slovakia's administrative, national, and political center.

February Revolution of 1917

A revolution in Russia in 1917 that overthrew tsarist autocracy following severe wartime devastation and economic backwardness.

October Revolution of 1917

An uprising in Russia led by Lenin and the Bolsheviks, who seized power by promising land to peasants and bread to the poor, and subsequently took the country out of World War I.

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR / ZSSR)

A socialist state established in 1922 following a long and bloody civil war through which the Bolsheviks secured complete dictatorial control.

Gulags

Forced labor camps instituted by Joseph Stalin after he took power in 1924, establishing a totalitarian regime aimed at building communism through strict economic and political control.

Communist International (Comintern)

An organization founded by the Bolsheviks to promote and support world communist revolution and encourage the establishment of communist parties across different countries.

Subcarpathian Rus (Podkarpatská Rus)

An eastern territory granted to Czecho-Slovakia in the aftermath of World War I under the provisions of the post-war peace treaties.

Hungarian Soviet Republic (Maďarská republika rád)

A Bolshevik regime proclaimed in March 1919 whose forces invaded parts of Slovakia and briefly proclaimed the short-lived Slovak Soviet Republic before being driven out by late 1919.

Little Entente (Malá dohoda)

A mutual defense alliance formed in 1921 between Czecho-Slovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia, backed by French foreign policy, to protect against Hungarian revanchism.

Constitution of the CSR (February 1920)

The founding constitutional charter of Czecho-Slovakia, establishing centralist state governance based on the concept of a unified 'Czechoslovak nation.'

Ministry with Full Power for the Administration of Slovakia

A specialized government body established under the leadership of Vavro Šrobár to govern Slovakia, though in reality it never possessed complete executive autonomy.

Treaty of Trianon (June 4, 1920)

The peace treaty signed on June 4, 1920, that formally delineated Hungary's post-war borders and mandated the payment of war reparations.

Second Polish Republic

An independent republic restored in Central Europe after World War I, re-unifying Polish lands that had been partitioned among Russia, Prussia, and Austria in the 18th century.

League of Nations (Spoločnosť národov)

An international organization established in Geneva to preserve international peace and supervise the protection of minority rights within newly formed European states.

Finland (Independence of 1917)

A Nordic state that proclaimed independence and broke away from Russia in 1917 after living under Russian imperial rule for an entire century.

Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania)

Three Eastern European nations that took advantage of post-war changes and gained their national independence in 1920.