ib hl history matching key terms

Treaty of Versailles

Peace treaty (1919) that ended WWI; imposed heavy reparations and territorial losses on Germany.

War Guilt Clause

Article 231 of Versailles, assigning sole responsibility for WWI to Germany and its allies.

League of Nations

International organization founded after WWI to maintain world peace; precursor to the UN.

President Von Hindenburg

German WWI general and president (1925–1934); appointed Hitler as chancellor in 1933.

Enabling Act

1933 law that gave Hitler’s government dictatorial powers by allowing laws without Reichstag approval.

Anschluss

Nominal “union” of Austria with Nazi Germany in 1938, following political pressure and invasion.

Manchurian Crisis

1931 Japanese invasion of Manchuria in China, exposing weaknesses of the League of Nations.

Chiang Kai‑Shek

Leader of the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) and head of the Republic of China (1928–1949).

Nazi‑Soviet Pact

Non‑aggression agreement between Germany and the USSR (1939), also known as the Molotov‑Ribbentrop Pact.

Tripartite Pact

Military alliance (1940) between Germany, Italy, and Japan, formalizing the Axis Powers.

Hirohito

Emperor of Japan (1926–1989); nominal head during Japan’s militaristic expansion in WWII.

Molotov‑Ribbentrop Pact

Non‑aggression treaty (Aug 1939) between Germany and USSR; secretly divided Eastern Europe.

Kuomintang

Chinese Nationalist Party founded by Sun Yat‑sen; led first by Chiang Kai‑Shek against warlords and Communists.

Nanjing Massacre

Atrocity in December 1937: Japanese troops killed and raped tens of thousands in Nanjing, China.

Open Door Policy

US policy (1899) aimed at ensuring equal trade access with China and preserving its territorial integrity.

Hull Note

US ultimatum to Japan (Nov 1941) demanding withdrawal from China and Indochina; precedes Pearl Harbor.

Zaibatsu

Powerful, family-controlled Japanese industrial conglomerates (e.g. Mitsubishi, Sumitomo) in early 20th century.

German‑Polish Declaration of Non‑Aggression

Pact (1934) between Germany and Poland, promising peaceful relations for 10 years.

Pact of Steel

May 1939 alliance between Germany and Italy formalizing their political and military cooperation.

Munich Agreement

1938 settlement letting Hitler annex the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia in exchange for “peace.”—an example of appeasement.

Danzig/Gdansk

Free city on the Baltic; Hitler demanded its return to Germany, prompting Polish resistance and WWII’s outbreak.

Maginot Line

French defensive fortifications along the Germany border built after WWI to deter future attack.

Marshal Pétain

French WWI hero who led Vichy France (the German-collaborating regime) during WWII.

General Erwin Rommel

“Desert Fox,” German field marshal notable for tactical brilliance; led Afrika Korps in North Africa.

Battle of Midway

June 1942 turning point in Pacific Theater: US Navy destroyed four Japanese carriers.

Harlem Renaissance

Cultural, artistic, and intellectual movement by African Americans in 1920s–30s centered in Harlem, NYC.

Social Security Act

1935 New Deal legislation creating pensions, unemployment insurance, and welfare programs in the US.

Calvin Coolidge

US president (1923–1929) known for laissez-faire policies and pro-business stance during the Roaring Twenties.

F.D.R.’s Forgotten Man

Phrase used by Franklin D. Roosevelt referring to everyday, struggling Americans he aimed to assist.

Lost Generation

Writers and artists disillusioned by WWI, including Hemingway and Fitzgerald; coined by Gertrude Stein.

Teapot Dome Scandal

1920s scandal where oil reserves were leased corruptly to private companies under President Harding.

Ku Klux Klan

White supremacist organization that resurged in 1920s, promoting anti-Black, anti-immigrant, and anti-Catholic sentiment.

19th Amendment

(1920) US constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote.

20th Amendment

(1933)

“Lame Duck” amendment, moved presidential inauguration from March to January and set new congressional dates.

21st Amendment

(1933) Repealed Prohibition by overturning the 18th Amendment.

Fr. Charles Coughlin

Radio priest of the 1930s who criticized FDR and appealed to populist and anti-Semitic sentiments.

Prohibition

1920–33 US ban on alcohol (18th Amendment), repealed by the 21st Amendment.

Five‑Power Treaty

1922 Washington Naval Treaty limiting battleship construction among US, UK, Japan, France, and Italy.

Meiji Constitution

1889 Japanese constitution that established a constitutional monarchy under the Emperor.

President Hoover

US president (1929–1933) whose initial response to the Depression emphasized voluntary relief and limited government.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt

US president (1933–1945) who implemented the New Deal and led the US through most of WWII.

Mackenzie King

Prime Minister of Canada during the Depression and WWII, leading a cautious and moderate approach.

R. B. Bennett

Canadian Prime Minister (1930–1935) whose response to the Depression was criticized as insufficient.

Raoul Wallenberg

Swedish diplomat who saved tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews by issuing protective passports in WWII.

Arcadia Conference

Late-1941 meeting in Washington between Roosevelt and Churchill that planned Atlantic war strategy.

Battle of El Alamein

Late 1942 battle in North Africa where Allied forces halted Rommel’s advance into Egypt.

Operation Torch

Allied invasion of North Africa (November 1942) aimed to open up a second front against the Axis.

Vichy France

Government in southern France (1940–1944) that collaborated with Nazi Germany after France’s surrender.

Kristallnacht

“Night of Broken Glass” (Nov 1938) pogrom in Nazi Germany marking a major escalation in anti-Jewish violence.

SS Louis Case

1939 incident where the MS St. Louis carrying Jewish refugees was turned away from Cuba, the U.S., and Canada.

SS Quanza Case

1940 rescue effort where refugees aboard SS Quanza eventually gained asylum in North America after U.S. initially refused.

Getúlio Vargas

Brazilian leader (1930–1945); began as dictator and later elected, associated with populism and industrialization.

Estado Novo

Authoritarian regime established by Vargas in 1937, centralized power in Brazil until 1945.

Battle of Stalingrad

1942–43 turning point on Eastern Front where Soviet forces encircled and defeated the German 6th Army.

War Refugee Board

US agency (1944) aimed at rescuing and providing relief for victims—especially Jews—of Nazi persecution.

Einsatzgruppen

Nazi mobile killing units responsible for mass shootings—primarily of Jews—in Eastern Europe.

Executive Order 9066

FDR’s 1942 order authorizing Japanese-American internment in the U.S. during WWII.

José Félix Uriburu

Argentine military leader who seized power in 1930, initiating a series of conservative authoritarian governments.

Agustín Justo

President of Argentina (1932–1938) whose government was conservative and aligned with foreign business interests.

Hipólito Yrigoyen

Two-term President of Argentina (1916–1922 & 1928–1930), champion of democratic reform before being overthrown in 1930.

Concordancia in Argentina

1930s political alliance (National Democratic Party, Antipersonalist Radical Civic Union, and Socialist Party) supporting conservative rule.

Nuremberg Laws

1935 Nazi racial laws stripping Jews of citizenship and marriage rights. Foundation for later persecution.

British North America Act of 1867

Constitutional act that created Canada as a self-governing Dominion within the British Empire.

Big Stick Diplomacy

Teddy Roosevelt’s foreign policy principle: “speak softly, and carry a big stick” — strong military backing.

Dollar Diplomacy

Taft-era policy encouraging U.S. investment abroad, especially in Latin American to promote stability.

Moral Diplomacy

Wilson-era foreign policy using moral persuasion and democratic ideals rather than force or wealth.

Wannsee Conference

January 1942 meeting where Nazi officials formalized coordination of the Final Solution.

Argentine Exceptionalism

Belief that Argentina is culturally and politically unique in Latin America, with special path or destiny.

Farmers’ Credit Arrangement Act of 1934 (Canada)

Canadian relief measure lowering farmers’ debts via loan restructuring during the Depression.

Public Works Construction Act of 1934 (Canada)

First federal historic unemployment relief act, funding public works to create jobs in the Depression.

Wagner Act 1935

US law establishing labor rights to unionize and bargain collectively (officially the National Labor Relations Act).

Keynesianism

Economic doctrine advocating government intervention and public spending to manage economic cycles.

Glass–Steagall Act

1933 US banking reform separating commercial and investment banking, also creating the FDIC.

Black Tuesday

October 29, 1929 stock market crash that sparked the Great Depression.

Huey P. Long

Louisiana populist senator/governor who proposed wealth redistribution (“Share Our Wealth”) until assassinated 1935.

Hooverville

Shanty towns built by homeless people during the Great Depression, named ironically after President Hoover.

Smoot–Hawley Tariff

1930 US tariff increasing import duties; worsened global Depression through retaliatory trade barriers.

Charles A. Lindbergh

Aviation hero; first solo nonstop NY to Paris flight (1927) and later an outspoken isolationist.

Dust Bowl

Severe drought and soil erosion in the US Great Plains (1930s) leading to massive agricultural and human displacement.

New Deal in the United States

FDR’s broad set of programs (1933–41) aiming for Relief, Recovery, and Reform during the Great Depression.

New Deal in Canada

Series of relief programs in the 1930s including public works and farm aid, though more limited than U.S. effort.

Import Substitution Industrialization (Latin America)

Economic policy promoting domestic manufacturing by reducing imports through tariffs and state investment.