IB History HL key terms semester final

alienation

a worker feels estranged and separated from the products of their labor, having no control over what they produce

atheism

not believing in a god or gods

Eduard Bernstein

German social democratic Marxist theorist and politician who believed that socialism could be achieved through social reforms rather than the destruction of capitalism

bourgeoisie

the bourgeoisie are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, the ruling class in capitalism

capitalism

a system of government where the means of production are owned by private individuals - relies on a free market and little government intervention

class struggle

a conflict between classes, specifically between the working class and the ruling class

communism

a system of government where the means of production are owned by the people - social class is non-existent

dialectic

the idea that History is constantly evolving through struggle

dialectical materialism

history is constantly evolving because of people acting physically in the material world

divine right

the idea that kings got their authority from God to rule

Fredrich Engels

Karl Marx’s closest friend and collaborator, serving as a leading authority on Marxism

German Idealism

German idealism is a philosophical movement that developed out of the work of Immanuel Kant in the 1780s and 1790s

Georg Wilhelm Fredrich Hegel

a German philosopher and one of the founding figures of German Idealism

historical materialism

history happens because people act on the material world - it was marx’s theory on how each form of society would fail until we finally enter a marxist-communist society

humanism

a philosophy of life that values humankind rather than a god or gods to be the center of importance

Industrial Revolution

the widespread period of global transition of the human economy towards a more efficient manufacturing process that succeeded the agricultural revolution

Lenin, V. I.

First founding head of government of soviet russia, from 1917 until 1924 - forced Russia into a communist revolution

proletariat

the working class or the social class with no significant ownership of the means of production, they sold their labor for power and or money

revisionism

the different ways of altering Marxism in order for it to align with more modern situations

socialism

a society in which there is no designated private property and the means of production is run by the public as a whole

Leon Trotsky

he was a Russian revolutionary and politician and played an important part in the 1905 Revolution, October Revolution, Russian Civil War, and in the establishment of the Soviet Union

utopianism

the political orientation of someone who believes in social perfection and idealistic schemes to the highest and most impossible and unreachable degree

August Madness/ Spirit of 1914

many significant events happened in August of 1914 - Germany declared war on Russia. Germany invaded Belgium. GB declared war on Germany.

Blank Cheque

in politics, a country will give another country a blank cheque, meaning they are essentially giving them an unlimited amount of money and the freedom to do anything

deterrence

discouraging an event by instilling doubt or fear of the consequences.

Dreadnought

a type of battleship introduced in the early 20th century. It was larger and faster than ships that had come before and also had large-caliber guns.

Eastern Question

the eastern question was the diplomatic issue that involved various European Powers’ interest in the Ottoman Empire during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

July Crisis

the July Crisis was a series of diplomatic and military events that took place in July of 1914 that contributed to the beginning of WW1.

Live and Let Live

non-aggressive co-operative spontaneous behavior that occurred between soldiers (usually during trench warfare) in the war, where they decided not to fire their guns at one another and had a mutual agreement of non-violence

Lusitania/ Unrestricted submarine

Lusitania - a British passenger ship that was sunk by German torpedoes, resulting in a significant loss of life 

this was part of a larger German (and later British) tactic of unrestricted submarine warfare - basically shooting at any ship regardless of whether or not it's an actual threat to them

militarism

the belief that a country should have a strong military and should use it to aggressively defend and expand its borders

nationalism

Loyalty and devotion to a nation and supporting its interests above all else

“Neutral Buffer Zone”

Rhineland - a section of Germany that would be occupied by French and other allied soldiers- determined as a demilitarized zone

New Imperialism

a period of intensive expansion and colonialism leading up to the outbreak of WWI

No-Man’s Land

 a piece of land that is unclaimed or uninhabited and often considered undesirable or dangerous

November Criminals

German politicians who signed the armistice on November 11, 1918, effectively ending World War I.

primacy of the offensive vs. defensive

the belief that defensive operations are inherently stronger and offer greater advantages, especially when resources are limited or the attacker’s capabilities are superior.

Realpolitik vs. Weltpolitik

Realpolitik: An approach to politics and diplomacy, focused on achieving state interests through realistic and often unsentimental methods rather than ideological or moral considerations.

Weltpolitik:  An approach to international politics, emphasizing a state's pursuit of global power and influence

Schlieffen Plan

Germany's military strategy during the early 20th century.  It was designed to address the problem of a two-front war against France in the west and Russia in the east

shell-shock

a term that describes the psychological trauma experienced by soldiers.

Social Darwinism

ideologies that use darwins theories, of natural selection and the survival of the fittest in fields of politics, economics, and society

stalemate

where both sides can no longer do anything to win

Total War (as opposed to limited war)

total war is a military where all resources are used to win, while limited war is where the conflict is limited to only battlefields.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk 1918

the treaty of Brest-Litovsk was the end of russia participation in WWI. The central power and the new Bolshevik government of the soviet russia signed the treaty.

“War by Timetable”

the history of the Great Powers 1914 army mobilization, focusing on railroad use. It involves total war the its logistics.

War of Attrition

slowly weakening the opponent by causing losses in manpower, resources, and equipment. The idea is to physically or mentally overwhelm the opponent

Anti-Campaigns (Three and Five)

Reform movements issued by Mao Zedong (1951 and 1952)

Effort to rid chinese communities of corruption and enemies of state

Three antis: corruption, waste, bureaucracy

Five antis: bribery, theft of state property, tax evasion, cheating on govt contracts, stealing state economic information

Boxer Rebellion & Taiping Rebellion

Civil wars in china

Boxer rebellion (1899): uprising against foreigners, begun by peasants, supported by govt

Taiping rebellion (1850): rebellion against Qing dynasty and foreigners

CCP (Chinese Communist Party)

Founding and sole ruling party of people's republic of china - led by Mao Zedong

Comfort Women

women and girls forced into sexual slavery by imperial japanese armed forces

Comintern

Communist international, aka Third International (1919-1943)

Organization to advocate world communism 

Led and controlled by communist party of soviet union

Confucianism

system of thought and behavior originating in ancient china - main idea is importance of having good moral character

cooperative and collective farms (define and distinguish the difference between)

cooperative farms are operated by multiple farmers who voluntarily combine their resources and collaborate to share the output or yield.

Cultural Revolution

four campaigns from 1950 to 1952 saw Mao employing propaganda, rectification, and purges to eradicate any dissent or bourgeois individualism. 

Denunciation / Humiliation / Purges (Begins 1949)

Double Tenth - Uprising that toppled the Manchu dynasty. 

Qing Dynasty - Imperial dynasty of China led by the Manchu. The final traditional dynasty in Chinese history.

Double Tenth and the Qing Dynasty

Double Tenth - Uprising that toppled the Manchu dynasty. 

Qing Dynasty - Imperial dynasty of China led by the Manchus. The final traditional dynasty in Chinese history.

Five Year Plans

The initial Five Year Plan focused on swift industrial growth and received substantial funding, while the agricultural sector had to depend on its own resources. Iron and steel, electricity, coal, heavy engineering, construction materials, and fundamental chemicals were prioritized

The second Five Year Plan - the initiative of the Great Leap Forward was declared. In agriculture, this meant creating communes, eliminating private plots, and boosting output by enhancing cooperation and intensifying physical effort.

Foreign Enclaves (aka: concessions; Treaty of Nanjing; end of the Opium War)

areas in china controlled by foreign powers after the treaty of Nanjing ended the first opium war

The Fourth of May Movement

a Chinese student-led protest against the Treaty of Versailles' decision to transfer German-controlled Chinese territories to Japan

GMD 

(aka: Guomindang, sometimes KMT)

the GMD was the Chinese nationalist party that aimed to unite the people under the terms of nationalism and democracy.

Great Leap Forward

(1958-1962)

a campaign led by Mao to transform China’s economy from agrarian to industrialized through collectivized agriculture and mass steel production

Guerilla Warfare

(blockhouses; mobile defense; strategic retreats)

A form of warfare fought through ambushes and planned sneak attacks with strategic retreats to counter greater forces.

Jiangxi Soviet (1927-1934)

the Jiangxi Soviet was a self-governing Communist region in southeastern China established by the CCP and was led by Mao.

Long March (1934-1935)

the long march was a military retreat taken by the CCP to avoid the circling GMD.  87,000 soldiers and civilians began the journey from the Jiangxi Soviet to the northwestern province of Shanxi, covering about 6,000 miles

Mukden Incident

the mukden incident was a staged explosion on the manchuria railway that was a precursor to the Japanese soon after invading manchuria.

Sun’s Three Principles

Sun Yet-Sen’s principles for China - Nationalism, Democracy, and economic independence

Treaty of Versailles

the Treaty of Versailles was created after the end of WW1 to deliberate on the punishment for the losers of the war and to divy up undecided territories

The Twenty-Eight Bolsheviks

a faction of the early Chinese Communist party which wanted to take a more traditional Marxist approach to communism

United Front

The CCP and the GMD joined forces to fight a war against the warlords

Warlord Era

(1916-27)

the period of time after the Qing Dynasty fell and before the nationalists took power

White Terror

(1927)

a period of widespread killings and repression of communists and communist sympathizers by the GMD

Amau Doctrine

Stated Japan reserves right to act “unilaterally” to “preserve peace and order in East Asia”. Japan is dominant and other foreign powers can’t interfere in East Asia