Flashcards on Canadian History (1914-2001)

Flashcards based on lecture notes, focusing on vocabulary related to Canadian history from 1914 to 2001.

Imperialism

The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.

Nationalism

Identification with and devotion to the interests of one's nation; often associated with a desire for national advancement or political independence.

Militarism

The principle or policy of maintaining a large military establishment.

Trench Warfare

A military tactic in which trenches are dug to provide shelter from enemy fire, leading to prolonged battles with little movement.

Conscription

Compulsory enlistment for state service, typically into the armed forces.

Propaganda

Information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.

League of Nations

An international organization established after World War I to promote peace and cooperation among nations.

Reparations

Payments made by a defeated nation to compensate for war damages or expenditures.

Bootlegging

A secret and illegal production and sale of alcohol.

Moonshining

Illegally made or smuggled liquor.

Speakeasies

An illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages.

Famous Five

A group of five Canadian feminist activists who fought for women's rights; they successfully challenged the legal definition of 'persons' to include women.

Statute of Westminster (1931)

Granted Canada full legal independence from Britain, allowing Canada to make its own laws.

Great Depression

A period of severe economic decline characterized by mass unemployment, poverty, and business failures.

Relief Camps

Government-run camps for unemployed single men during the Great Depression, offering basic shelter and minimal pay.

Facism

A political ideology or movement that exalts the nation and often race above the individual and supports a centralized autocratic government.

Nazism

A political ideology or movement associated with Adolf Hitler and characterized by extreme nationalism, racism, and antisemitism.

Communism

A political and economic system in which the means of production and distribution are owned and controlled by the state.

Appeasement

The policy of giving concessions to an aggressive power in an attempt to avoid conflict.

Blitzkrieg

The rapid and overwhelming military strategy used by Germany during World War II, characterized by coordinated air and ground attacks.

Axis Powers

A military alliance formed during World War II, primarily consisting of Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Allied Powers

A military alliance formed during World War II, primarily consisting of Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union.

Radar

A device that emits radio waves toward objects, which reflects them. Detection of the reflected waves reveals information about the objects.

Sonar

Equipment that generates sound waves in the water and analyzes their returns to find objects

The Holocaust

The systematic persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi regime during World War II.

Nuremberg Laws

Laws enacted in Nazi Germany that deprived Jews of their rights and citizenship.

Kristallnacht (1938)

Also referred to as the “Night of Broken Glass” -- a destructive rampage against Jewish synagogues, businesses, and homes.

The Final Solution

The Nazi plan to systematically exterminate all Jews in Europe, decided at the Wannsee Conference (1942).

Cold War

A period of political and military tension between the United States and the Soviet Union from 1947 to 1991.

Marshall Plan

An American initiative launched in 1947 that provided over $13 billion in economic aid to Western European countries to help them rebuild after WWII.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance formed in 1955 by the Soviet Union and seven Eastern European countries as a counterbalance to NATO.

Iron Curtain

Term coined by Winston Churchill to describe the sharp divide between east and west europe.

Democracy

A system of free elections and civil rights.

Communism

A political and economic system where the government controls property, resources and production.

Arms Race

Competition between America and the Soviet Union to create the strongest military power.

Trudeaumania

A period of massive public excitement surrounding Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in the late 1960s, characterized by his charisma and modern approach.

Bilingualism & Biculturalism

Led to the Official Languages Act (1969): made Canada officially bilingual.

NAFTA

Free trade deal between Canada, U.S., and Mexico.

Quiet Revolution

Rapid social, political, and cultural change in Quebec under Premier Jean Lesage.

War Measures Act

An act of the Parliament of Canada that enabled the government to suspend civil liberties during perceived crises; it was invoked during the October Crisis of 1970.

Meech Lake Accord

Attempt to persuade Quebec to officially accept the Constitution Act, 1982.

Constitution Act, 1982

Canada gained full legal independence from Britain.