History

Militarism

The buildup of large militaries and weapons among countries.

Alliances

Defense agreements between nations that pulled many countries into war.

Imperialism

Competition for colonies and resources that increased tensions among nations.

Nationalism

Extreme pride in one's country that led to rivalries.

Years of WWI

1914–1918.

Central Powers

The alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.

Allied Powers

The alliance of Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and later the United States.

Trench warfare

A military tactic used in WWI where soldiers dug trenches for protection.

No Man’s Land

The area between opposing trenches in WWI.

Machine guns

Rapid-fire weapons that caused massive casualties during WWI.

Tanks

Armored vehicles used to cross trenches in WWI.

Poison gas

Chemical weapons like mustard gas used in WWI.

Airplanes

Used for scouting and combat in WWI.

Submarines (U-boats)

German underwater attacks on ships during WWI.

Zimmermann Telegram

Germany's promise to Mexico of U.S. land if Mexico attacked the United States.

Fourteen Points

Wilson's peace plan proposed after WWI.

Treaty of Versailles

Treaty that ended WWI; included clauses for German reparations and military limitations.

League of Nations

An organization created after WWI to promote peace and cooperation.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Treaty between Germany and Russia that ended Russia's involvement in WWI.

Bloody Sunday

Event where troops fired on peaceful protesters and sparked the Russian Revolution.

Total War

A war where governments use all resources and civilians to support the war effort.

Lusitania

The British passenger liner sunk by Germany in WWI.

Bolsheviks

The communist revolutionary group in Russia.

Adolf Hitler

Dictator of Germany and leader of the Nazi Party responsible for WWII and the Holocaust.

Benito Mussolini

Fascist dictator of Italy allied with Hitler.

Joseph Stalin

Communist dictator of the USSR, known for using terror and industrialization.

Neville Chamberlain

British Prime Minister known for his policy of appeasement towards Hitler.

Stalin’s Five-Year Plan

A plan for rapid industrialization and modernization of the Soviet Union.

Great Purge

Stalin's campaign to remove and execute anyone seen as a threat.

Collectivization

Government control of farms implemented by Stalin in the Soviet Union.

Black Tuesday

Date of the stock market crash on October 29, 1929.

Great Depression

The economic hardship of the 1930s.

Fascism

A government with dictatorship, extreme nationalism, militarism, and limited freedoms.

Totalitarianism

A government that controls all aspects of life.

Importance of Spanish Civil War

Germany and Italy tested their weapons and military strategies before WWII.

Ineffectiveness of League of Nations

It failed to stop aggression from totalitarian nations.

Munich Conference

Meeting where Britain and France allowed Hitler to take part of Czechoslovakia to avoid war.

Nationalists

Political party led by Chiang Kai-shek in China.

Communists

Political party led by Mao Zedong in China.

Reasons for Japan's invasion of China

Desire for resources and territory; led to the Nanking Massacre.

Key Date: Sept. 1, 1939

Germany invaded Poland, marking the beginning of WWII.

Key Date: Dec. 7, 1941

Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, bringing the U.S. into WWII.

Key Date: June 6, 1944

D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy.

Key Date: May 8, 1945

V-E Day; Germany surrendered.

Key Date: Aug. 14, 1945

V-J Day; Japan surrendered.

Causes of WWII

Resentment from the Treaty of Versailles, economic depression, rise of dictators, and failure of appeasement.

Appeasement

Giving in to demands to avoid conflict, as seen with Britain and Hitler.

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

Allowed Germany to invade Poland without fear of a Soviet attack.

Nuremberg Laws

Laws that took away rights from Jews in Germany.

Holocaust

The systematic murder of about six million Jews by Nazis.

Kristallnacht

The 'Night of Broken Glass' when Nazis destroyed Jewish properties.

Allied Nations

Britain, France, Soviet Union, United States, and China during WWII.

Axis Nations

Germany, Italy, and Japan during WWII.

U.S. Isolationism

The desire of the U.S. to avoid involvement in European wars before WWII.

Battle of Britain

Germany bombed Britain, but Britain successfully resisted invasion.

Battle of the Atlantic

Turning point where Allies defeated German U-boats.

Battle of Stalingrad

Turning point with a major Soviet victory over Germany.

D-Day

The Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France.

Battle of the Bulge

Last major German offensive in Western Europe; Allies won.

Importance of Iwo Jima and Okinawa

Key islands for launching attacks on Japan; resulted in deadly battles.

Battle of Berlin

Final battle in Europe where Soviets reached Berlin first.

Atomic Bomb Decision

Decision to drop bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to force Japanese surrender.

Yalta Conference

Meeting where leaders discussed postwar Europe and creation of the United Nations.

United Nations

International organization created after WWII to promote peace.

Harry S. Truman

U.S. leader at the beginning of the Cold War.

Joseph Stalin

USSR leader at the beginning of the Cold War.

Goals of the U.S. after WWII

To promote democracy and free markets in Europe.

Goals of the Soviet Union after WWII

To establish communist governments and buffer states for protection.

Containment

U.S. policy to stop the spread of communism.

Truman Doctrine

$400 million aid to Greece and Turkey to counter communism.

Marshall Plan

$13 billion rebuilding plan for Europe after WWII.

NATO

Military alliance of democratic nations against communism.

Warsaw Pact

Soviet alliance of communist nations in Eastern Europe.

Berlin Blockade and Airlift

Soviets blocked land access to West Berlin; U.S. and allies supplied through air.

Glasnost

Openness and freedom of speech reforms in the USSR.

Perestroika

Economic restructuring reforms in the USSR.

Détente

Relaxation of Cold War tensions.

Non-aligned Nations

Countries that stayed neutral during the Cold War.

Korean War

Conflict where North Korea invaded South Korea; ended in stalemate.

Vietnam War

Conflict where North Vietnam fought South Vietnam; eventually won by the North.

USSR-Afghanistan War

Conflict where Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan and faced resistance.

Mao Zedong

Communist leader who founded the People’s Republic of China.

Great Leap Forward

Mao's program aimed at rapid industrialization of China, leading to famine.

Cultural Revolution

Mao's campaign to eliminate 'old ideas,' causing chaos and persecution.

Tiananmen Square

Site of 1989 pro-democracy protests crushed by the Chinese government.

Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989)

Symbolic end of the Cold War.