20th Century Political Systems, Key Figures, and Post-WWI Treaties

Tsarist regime

The political system which existed in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century.

Tsar

The official title of the Russian emperor.

US Senate

The more powerful of the two houses of the US Congress.

Ratify

To give formal acceptance to something.

Communism

A system of government based on the idea of a classless society with common ownership of the means of production.

Vladimir Lenin

Led the Party to power, establishing a communist government in Russia.

Georges Clemenceau

A French politician who served as prime minister of France and insisted on a harsh settlement for Germany.

Lloyd George

Prime Minister of United Kingdom who promised to 'make Germany pay'.

The Treaty of Versailles

1919 peace treaty that formally ended World War I between Germany and the Allied powers.

Plebiscite

A referendum giving local people the opportunity to express their opinion on a constitutional issue.

Mandates

Overseas territories taken from the defeated.

Reparation

Money that one country has to pay another as compensation for war damage.

Self Determination

The principle that people of common nationality should have the right to form their own nations.

Successor States

A newly formed state whose territory and population were previously under the sovereignty of another state.

John Maynard Keynes

The leading economist of the early 20th century and a member of the British delegation at the Paris peace conference.

Inflation

A process that leads to an increase in the price of goods and services.

Dictator

An absolute ruler who controls a country without being accountable to an electorate.

Minority Group

A group of people bound together by common nationality, language, or religion living in a country dominated by other groups. lm

Question 18

George Clemenceau - France

Lloyd George - Britain

Woodrow Wilson - USA

Vittorio Orlando - Italy

Question 19

War Guilt Clause

Question 20

United States