20th century final

Assassination of Franz Ferdinand

Archduke of Austria-Hungary, killed in 1914 by a Serbian nationalist. Sparked WWI.

M.A.I.N. Causes of WWI

Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism

Major Weapons / Technology of WWI

Machine guns, tanks, poison gas, airplanes, submarines (U-boats), artillery.

Trench Warfare

Fighting from deep ditches; caused long stalemates and high casualties.

Propaganda of WWI

Posters and media used to influence public opinion and boost support for the war.

Treaty of Versailles

Peace treaty that ended WWI; blamed Germany, imposed heavy reparations, and led to WWII.

Communism

A system where all property is publicly owned; no private ownership.

Vladimir Lenin

Leader of the Bolsheviks; led the Russian Revolution and created the Soviet Union.

Karl Marx

German philosopher who created the idea of communism; wrote The Communist Manifesto.

Bolsheviks

Revolutionary group led by Lenin that seized power in 1917.

Provisional Government

Temporary government after Tsar Nicholas II abdicated; overthrown by Bolsheviks.

Russian Revolution

Two-part revolution in 1917 that ended the monarchy and led to communist rule.

Russian Civil War

War between the Reds (Bolsheviks) and Whites (anti-communists), 1917–1923.

Rasputin

Mystic advisor to the royal family; disliked by many, seen as corrupting the monarchy.

Tsar Alexander III

Father of Nicholas II; ruled with strict autocracy before the revolution.

Tsar Nicholas II

Last tsar of Russia; abdicated in 1917; executed by Bolsheviks.

Alexander Kerensky

Leader of the Provisional Government; overthrown by Lenin.

Peter Stolypin

Reformer under Nicholas II; tried to modernize Russia but was assassinated.

Leon Trotsky

Close ally of Lenin; led the Red Army; later exiled by Stalin.

Joseph Stalin

Took over after Lenin; turned USSR into a dictatorship; ruled during WWII.

February (March) Revolution

Overthrew the tsar and led to the Provisional Government.

October Revolution

Bolsheviks seized power from the Provisional Government.

"Reds"

Communist forces during the Russian Civil War.

"Whites"

Opponents of communism (royalists, liberals, etc.) in the Civil War.

War Communism

Bolshevik policy during the Civil War; took over industry and food supply.

New Economic Policy (NEP)

Lenin’s plan to allow small-scale capitalism to help rebuild the economy.

Mao Zedong

Communist leader of China; led the revolution and ruled from 1949.

Benito Mussolini

Fascist dictator of Italy; allied with Hitler in WWII.

Adolf Hitler

Nazi dictator of Germany; led during WWII; started the Holocaust.

Invasion of Abyssinia (Ethiopia)

Italy invaded in 1935 to build an empire; showed League of Nations’ weakness.

Chiang Kai-shek

Leader of the Nationalists in China; opposed Mao and communists.

Emperor Hirohito

Emperor of Japan during WWII; Japan expanded under his reign.

The Long March

Retreat by Chinese Communists (led by Mao) to escape Nationalist forces.

Second Sino-Japanese War

War between Japan and China (1937–1945); merged into WWII.

Fascism

Authoritarian, nationalist government led by a dictator (e.g., Mussolini, Hitler).

Gulag

Soviet labor camps under Stalin, often for political prisoners.

Purge

Stalin’s campaign to eliminate enemies; many were executed or imprisoned.

Japanese Expansion & Imperialism

Japan invaded China and Pacific islands to gain land and resources.

Germany’s Motivations for WWII

Revenge for Treaty of Versailles, expansion (Lebensraum), Nazi ideology.

Mein Kampf

Hitler’s book outlining his beliefs, including anti-Semitism and expansionism.

Hitler’s Rise to Power

Gained support during the Great Depression; became chancellor in 1933, then dictator.

WWII: Allied Powers + Leadership

USA – FDR, Truman; UK – Churchill; USSR – Stalin; France – de Gaulle

WWII: Axis Powers + Leadership

Germany – Hitler; Italy – Mussolini; Japan – Hirohito

Invasion of Normandy (D-Day)

June 6, 1944 – Allied invasion of France; major turning point in Europe.

Battle of Stalingrad

1942–1943 – Soviet victory over Germany; turning point in the Eastern Front.

Siege of Leningrad

900-day blockade by Germany; thousands died from starvation.

Nazi-Soviet Pact

1939 agreement between Germany and USSR to not fight; later broken by Hitler.

European Theater of WWII

Fighting in Europe (Germany, France, Italy, USSR, etc.).

Pacific Theater of WWII

Fighting in the Pacific (Japan, islands, China, etc.).

The Dropping of the Atomic Bomb

U.S. dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945; ended WWII.

Operation Torch

Allied invasion of North Africa to push Axis out of the region.

The Fall + German Occupation of France

Germany invaded and occupied France in 1940; Vichy regime collaborated with Nazis.

Causes of WWII

Treaty of Versailles, fascism, appeasement, Hitler’s aggression, failure of the League of Nations.

Battle of Britain

Air battle over the UK in 1940; Britain resisted German invasion.

Pearl Harbor

Japan attacked U.S. base in 1941; led the U.S. to enter WWII.

The Battle of the Bulge

Germany’s last offensive in Western Europe (1944–45); Allies pushed them back.

Battle of Midway

U.S. defeated Japan in 1942; turning point in the Pacific War.

The Final Solution

Nazi plan to systematically exterminate Jews in concentration camps.

Evian Conference

1938 meeting where countries refused to take in many Jewish refugees.

Wannsee Conference

1942 Nazi meeting to coordinate the Final Solution.

Nuremberg Laws

1935 laws that stripped Jews of citizenship and rights in Germany.

Kristallnacht

“Night of Broken Glass” in 1938; Nazi-led attacks on Jewish businesses and synagogues.

Dachau

First Nazi concentration camp; opened in 1933.

Auschwitz

Largest Nazi death camp in Poland; over 1 million Jews killed.

Ghettos

Crowded urban areas where Jews were forced to live before deportation to camps.