Hitler and Mao: Authoritarian and Single-Party States

Flashcards covering the comparative history of the rise and rule of Adolf Hitler and Mao Zedong, focusing on their origins, ideologies, and economic policies.

Manchu Dynasty

The ruling dynasty in China from $1640$ to $1911$ that was ousted prior to the era of divided provincialism and the rise of Mao Zedong.

Putsch

A term used for coups or attempted revolts in Germany; Hitler famously attempted the Beer Hall Putsch to gain power.

Ruhr Valley

A fiscally fruitful portion of Germany that was under international control before Hitler’s rise to power.

Mein Kampf

The book written by Adolf Hitler that supported his propaganda campaigns and detailed his ideology.

Strategic Problems of China's Revolutionary War

A pamphlet written by Mao Zedong in December $1936$ to disseminate his revolutionary thoughts and strategy.

Freikorps

An independently operated paramilitary group in Germany used by the government to crush communist uprisings before being disbanded.

SA (Sturmabteilung)

The Nazi private army formed from members of the disbanded Freikorps and trained into an organized fighting machine.

KMT Nationalists

The political party in China that initially accepted CCP help to unify the country but later turned on them, massacring thousands of members.

The Long March

A $6,000$-mile retreat led by Mao Zedong to escape the Nationalist crackdown, which established his base in Northern China and secured his leadership.

Enabling Act

A law passed by the Reichstag that allowed Hitler to govern without consulting the legislature, effectively making his subsequent actions legal.

Reichstag Fire

An event used by the Nazis to blame scapegoats (communists) for violence committed by the party themselves.

Night of the Long Knives

An event where Hitler declared the SA and its leader, Ernst Rohm, as enemies and destroyed them, representing a rare case of killing his own opposition.

Reichskonkordat

The agreement signed between Adolf Hitler and the Catholic Church to regulate relations between the state and the church.

The 3 Ks

A shorthand for Hitler's policy toward women, focusing on traditional gender roles and separate spheres (Kinder, Küche, Kirche).

Autobahn

The first intra-state highway system in the world, built as a state-run project to help create industries and reduce unemployment in Germany.

The Saar

A rich mining region previously in French possession that was regained by Hitler through a agreement and a plebiscite in $1935$.

Autarky

An economic goal of Hitler to make Germany self-sufficient and less reliant on foreign countries by increasing exports and reducing imports.

Ersatz goods

Synthetic products, such as synthetic rubber, developed by Germany to replace materials that could not be produced internally.

Communes

The independent local units Mao established to decentralize the economy and allow peasants to share equipment and animals.

Great Leap Forward

Mao's unsuccessful economic policy intended to boost production, which resulted in a grain famine because peasants failed to supply the state's needs.

Five-Year Plan (Mao)

An economic sequence modeled after the Soviet Union that emphasized heavy industry, such as steel and power plants, but set unrealistic goals.

November criminals

A term used by Hitler to scapegoat the leaders who signed the armistice ending World War I and the Treaty of Versailles.

Politburo

One of the high-level governing bodies in Mao’s centralized government structure in China.

Boxer Uprising

A conflict in China that resulted in the payment of reparations, contributing to the rampant inflation seen before Mao's rise.