Lecture Notes Review: 20th and 21st Century History and Geopolitics

Practice flashcards covering the lectures on the economic crisis of 1929, totalitarian regimes, World War II global conflicts, decolonization, the Cold War, and social transformations up to the multipolar world of the 21st century.

What wave of prosperity did the world experience in the $1920\text{s}$?

Prosperity based on new industries such as automobiles, electricity, and chemicals.

What specific event brought the economic boom of the $1920\text{s}$ to an end?

The $1929$ crash.

In the preamble to the crisis, where were manufacturers primarily investing their money?

Modernizing factories.

What two areas were neglected by manufacturers during the factory modernization of the late $1920\text{s}$?

Hiring of new staff and wage increases.

How did household consumption respond to the lack of wage increases?

Consumption stagnated.

What did the wealthier households prefer to do during the stagnating consumption of the late $1920\text{s}$?

They preferred to save.

When did production begin to slow down to adapt to consumption imbalances?

From $1927$ onwards.

What method did American households use to artificially stimulate production through consumption?

Credit.

What percentage of the $US$ population was attracted to stock market speculation in the $1920\text{s}$?

$6\text{\%}$.

What was the cause of the soaring share prices before the crash?

Quick profit prospects through stock market speculation without an increase in real company value.

On what date did "Black Thursday" occur?

October $24$, $1929$.

Where is the New York Stock Exchange located?

Wall Street.

What was the immediate signaling of "Black Thursday" for the American economy?

The end of the runaway American economy.

Why were banks driven to bankruptcy following the stock market crash?

Shareholders were ruined and unable to repay their bank loans.

Why were manufacturers unable to sell their production after the crash?

Because no one could afford to buy it anymore.

By $1932$, how many workers in the United States were unemployed?

Almost one in four workers ($12$ million people).

What were two social consequences of the population's impoverishment in the $US$?

Declined marriage and birth rates.

What action did the United States take regarding its capital after the $1929$ crash?

It repatriated its capital.

The repatriation of $US$ capital led to the closure of WHICH banks in $1931$?

Austrian and German banks.

What was the effect of the collapse of international trade on Latin American countries?

Their economies contracted as states cut imports.

Specialized exports from Latin American countries were known as what?

Dessert products (coffee, sugar, oil).

By what percentage did export revenues fall for dessert products between $1929$ and $1932$?

Up to $70\text{\%}$.

By how much was the total value of international trade divided between $1929$ and $1933$?

Divided by $3$.

The sale of how many shares of General Motors triggered the initial panic on Black Thursday?

$20,000$ shares.

Which company was considered the largest American automobile company in $1929$?

General Motors.

What was President Herbert Hoover's liberal response to the crisis?

Maintaining a strong currency and a balanced budget through reduced spending and wages.

Who won the $1932$ presidential election against Herbert Hoover?

Franklin D. Roosevelt.

What was the identity of Roosevelt's "brain trust"?

A team of advisors surrounding the new president.

What was the primary goal of the New Deal's economic measures?

To inject money into the economy to encourage spending and revive production.

On what date was the $US$ dollar devalued under the New Deal?

January $30$, $1934$.

What large-scale projects were launched to provide work for the unemployed?

Reforestation and dam construction.

When was the National Industrial Recovery Act ($NIRA$) enacted?

June $16$, $1933$.

What were the labor reforms defined by the $NIRA$?

Reduction of working hours to $40$ hours per week and a minimum hourly wage.

Which economist's theories partially inspired Roosevelt's wealth distribution efforts?

John Maynard Keynes.

What insurance system was established by the Social Security Act in August $1935$?

Insurance against unemployment, old age, and disability.

What was the collective name for federal agencies created during Roosevelt's first $100$ days?

The alphabet agencies.

How many offices were created in total during Roosevelt's terms as part of the New Deal?

At least $69$ offices.

Specifically, what does the alphabet agency $TVA$ stand for?

Tennessee Valley Authority.

What military event occurred on July $17$, $1936$, involving totalitarian regimes and Spain?

Military forces overthrew the Spanish republican government.

By what percentage did the average income of the French fall between $1930$ and $1935$?

$30\text{\%}$.

How many people were unemployed in France in $1936$?

$500,000$ people.

What group demonstrated in Paris on February $6$, $1934$, resulting in a riot against the National Assembly?

Far-right supporters and veterans' associations.

What was the political goal of the Popular Front in $1936$?

To halt economic collapse and the rise of the far right.

In which election did the Popular Front win power?

The legislative elections in $1936$.

Who became Prime Minister of France in June $1936$?

Léon Blum.

What wage increase was secured by the Matignon agreements?

A wage increase of $7\text{\%}$ to $15\text{\%}$.

Besides wage increases, name two other laws passed by Léon Blum to combat unemployment.

$15$ days of paid leave and a $40$-hour work week.

Which political group in France wanted military intervention in the Spanish Civil War?

The Communists.

Which political group opposed French military intervention in Spain, contributing to the fall of Léon Blum's government?

The Radicals.

When did Léon Blum's government fall?

June $1937$.

Where were the Matignon agreements signed?

Hôtel Matignon.

Which biscuit factory in Paris was occupied by female workers during the joyful strikes of June $1936$?

Huntley {\&} Palmer.

Who followed Lenin's death to become the leader of the $USSR$?

Stalin.

In what year did Lenin die?

$1924$.

What was Stalin's official title within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union ($CPSU$)?

First Secretary.

Stalin presents himself as Lenin's official successor, but what was his descriptive nickname?

Man "of steel".

Between which years did Stalin eliminate his political opponents?

$1924$ and $1928$.

What ideology served as the basis for Stalinism?

Communist ideology of Karl Marx ($1818$-$1883$).

What were the core goals of Marx's communist ideology as mentioned in the notes?

Creation of an egalitarian, classless society.

What document in $1936$ perpetuated the orientation of the sprawling, authoritarian state in the Soviet Union?

The $1936$ Constitution.

Which Soviet Ministry controlled the media and propaganda?

Ministry of Propaganda.

To whom was a "veritable cult" established using periodistas and writers?

Stalin.

At what age were children integrated into the Pioneers youth organization?

$10$ years old.

What was the youth organization for $14$-year-olds in the Stalinist regime?

Komsomol (Young Communists).

What was the professional benefit of belonging to the Communist Party under Stalin?

Obtaining promotions and privileges.

What did Stalin abolish in the countryside to create collective farms?

Private property.

What is the term for the collective farms created by Stalin?

Kolkhozes.

How were the wealthy peasants who opposed collectivization identified?

Kulaks.

What was the fate of many Kulaks?

Deported to labor camps.

What is the term for the man-made famine in Ukraine from $1932$ to $1933$?

Holodomor.

How many people were decimated by the famine resulting from "dekulakization"?

$5$ million people.

What period in Russian society began in $1936$ characterized by widespread political repression?

The "Great Terror".

Identify the four major series of trials held between August $1936$ and June $1937$.

Moscow Trials.

Who were the primary targets condemned during the Moscow Trials?

Lenin's former comrades, economic leaders, and army officers.

What was the consequence for those who did not report others during periods of denunciation?

The death penalty.

What was the role of the $NKVD$?

Maintaining public order and hunting down dissidents.

What does $NKVD$ stand for?

Internal Affairs Ministry.

What are the Soviet labor camps known as?

Gulags.

How did the $USSR$ manage to interfere in the domestic politics of European states during the $1920\text{s}$?

Through the Communist International (Comintern).

What tactical change did Stalin order for European communist parties in $1933$?

To block far-right parties by opposing fascism.

When did Stalin sign a neutrality pact with Hitler?

August $1939$.

What was the primary goal of the August $1939$ neutrality pact with Hitler?

To delay the entry of the $USSR$ into the war.

Which non-$CPSU$ affiliated workers' party was purged by Stalin during the Spanish Civil War?

$POUM$ (Workers' Party of Marxist Unification).

Who was the founder of the $POUM$ assassinated by the $NKVD$?

Andreu Nin.

Where was the special tribunal held in $1938$ to try $POUM$ leaders?

Barcelona.

What Ukrainian words forms the term Holodomor?

Hunger ($holod$) and extermination ($mor$).

What happened to farms and towns in Ukraine placed on "blacklists" during the Holodomor?

They were prevented from receiving food.

What was the result of the peak crisis in the winter of $1932$-$1933$ during the Holodomor?

Police and apparatchiks ransacked peasant homes, taking all edible items.

What horrific survival behavior was documented in police archives during the Holodomor?

Multiple instances of cannibalism.

How were many urban residents in Ukraine able to survive the famine?

Ration cards.

In what year did Mussolini come to power in Italy?

$1922$.

What were the two Italian-speaking provinces awarded to Yugoslavia after $WWI$?

Istria and Dalmatia.

Who was the former schoolteacher that founded the Italian Fasci di Combattimento?

Mussolini.

When was the Italian Fasci di Combattimento founded?

March $1919$.

Mussolini's movement blended nationalism with which other political ideas?

Far-left ideas.

What was the original task of the fascists when they received financial support from the ruling classes in $1920$?

Suppressing social unrest.

What does $PNF$ stand for?

National Fascist Party (founded in $1921$).

How many militiamen participated in Mussolini's March on Rome?

$30,000$.

Who was the King who asked Mussolini to form a government in October $1922$?

King Victor Emmanuel III.

Which socialist deputy was killed in June $10$, $1924$, after attacking Mussolini verbally?

Giacomo Matteotti.