10th Grade Modern World History Final Review

Vocabulary flashcards from Modern World History Review Guide to aid in exam preparation.

Triple Alliance

Pre-WWI alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy for mutual defense.

Triple Entente

Alliance of France, Russia, and Britain opposing the Triple Alliance.

Alsace-Lorraine

Territory contested by France and Germany; key cause of Franco-German rivalry.

Militarism

Glorification of military power; major cause of WWI.

Imperialism

Competition for overseas colonies intensified tensions among European powers.

Nationalism

Strong patriotic feelings; contributed to tensions and independence movements.

Neutrality

Policy of not taking sides in conflicts; e.g., Belgium in WWI.

The Black Hand

Serbian nationalist group; Princip assassinated Franz Ferdinand, sparking WWI.

Franz Ferdinand

Archduke of Austria-Hungary; his assassination led to WWI.

Conscription

Mandatory military service; used widely during WWI.

Total War

War involving all of a nation's resources and people.

Trench Warfare

WWI fighting style with defensive trenches and stalemates.

Armenian Genocide

Ottoman mass killing of Armenians during WWI.

Self-determination

Right of people to choose their own government; promoted by Wilson.

The Treaty of Versailles

1919 treaty that ended WWI; blamed and punished Germany.

League of Nations

International peace organization formed after WWI; failed to prevent WWII.

Reparations

Payments Germany had to make for WWI damages.

Tsar Nicholas II

Last Russian tsar; overthrown during 1917 revolution.

Abdication

Nicholas II abdicated, ending Romanov rule.

Vladimir Lenin

Led Bolsheviks; founded Soviet Union.

Joseph Stalin

Soviet leader.

Communism

Classless society theory; practiced in USSR.

Bolshevik

Radical socialist party led by Lenin.

Menshevik

Moderate socialist faction in Russia.

Cheka

Soviet secret police.

Hyperinflation

Extremely rapid and out-of-control inflation.

Totalitarian state/government

Centralized, dictatorial control over all aspects of life.

Propaganda

Information used to promote or publicize a political cause or POV.

Fascism

Authoritarian, nationalist system led by dictatorial power.

Benito Mussolini

Italian dictator; founded fascism; allied with Hitler.

Command economy

Economy controlled by government (e.g., USSR).

Collectivization

Stalin's policy to consolidate farms; led to famine.

Gulag

Forced labor camps in the USSR.

Socialist Realism

Art promoting Soviet ideals and glorifying communism.

Adolf Hitler

Nazi dictator of Germany; led during WWII and Holocaust.

Gestapo

Nazi secret police.

Great Depression

Global economic downturn starting in 1929, leading to mass unemployment and poverty.

Appeasement

British and French policy of conceding to Hitler's demands to avoid war.

Blitzkrieg

Lightning war; quick, powerful attacks used by Nazis.

Invasion of Poland

1939 event that started WWII.

New Order

Nazi plan for racial hierarchy in conquered territories.

D-Day

1944 Allied landing in France; turning point in West.

Luftwaffe

German air force.

Pearl Harbor

Japanese attack on U.S. in 1941; led to U.S. entry.

The Manhattan Project

U.S. program to develop atomic bombs.

The Holocaust

Systematic genocide of 6 million Jews and millions of others by Nazi Germany.

Genocide

Systematic extermination of a group of people.

Yalta Conference

1945 meeting of Allies to plan postwar world.

V-E Day

Victory in Europe Day; Germany surrendered May 8, 1945.

Nuremberg Trials

Post-WWII military tribunals that prosecuted top Nazi leaders for war crimes.

The United Nations

Post-WWII global peacekeeping organization.

Apartheid

Institutionalized racial segregation in South Africa (1948-1994).

Decolonization

Process of former colonies gaining independence.

Mohandas Gandhi

Leader of Indian independence via nonviolence.

Civil Disobedience

Nonviolent protest against unjust laws.

Truman Doctrine

1947 U.S. policy to provide economic and military aid to countries resisting communism.

Iron Curtain

Imaginary divide between East and West Europe.

Marshall Plan

U.S. aid to rebuild Europe post-WWII.

NATO

Western military alliance led by U.S.

Korean War

1950-53 war; North (USSR/China) vs. South (U.S./UN).

Glasnost

Policy of openness in USSR.

Nelson Mandela

Leader of the anti-apartheid movement, imprisoned for 27 years.