WWI and Interwar Period Flashcards

Flashcards for WWI and Interwar Period

Total War

War that mobilizes entire societies, blurring lines between combatants and civilians.

War Raw Materials Board

German entity that located and rationed materials and developed synthetic alternatives during WWI.

Ministry of Munitions

British bureaucracy led by David Lloyd George that controlled prices, production, and allocation of war goods.

Propaganda

Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

Censorship

The suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

A type of naval warfare in which submarines sink vessels such as freighters and tankers without warning.

Zimmermann Note

A secret diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office in January 1917 that proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico in the prior event of the United States entering World War I against Germany.

Armistice

An agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting for a certain time; a truce.

War Guilt Clause

A statement that Germany was responsible for beginning World War I.

Treaty of Versailles

Treaty that ended WWI and imposed harsh terms on Germany.

League of Nations

An international organization established after World War I under the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles.

Expressionist Realism

Artistic style stripped of decorative detail, emphasizing silence over heroism.

Marxism

Political and economic theories of Karl Marx.

Proletariat

Working-class people regarded collectively.

Bourgeoisie

The middle class.

Tsarist Autocracy

System of government in Russia under the Tsar, characterized by absolute rule.

Mensheviks

Broad-based, mass membership party emphasizing orthodox Marxism.

Bolsheviks

Small, elite party of revolutionaries led by Lenin.

Dictatorship of the Proletariat

A temporary proletarian dictatorship to crush counterrevolution.

Appril Theses

Lenin's work that called for immediate proletarian revolution.

October Manifesto

Tsar's reluctant promise of civil liberties and an elected Duma after the 1905 Revolution.

Red Guards

Bolsheviks led by Lenin and Trotsky that overthrew the provisional government.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Peace treaty by Russia with Germany, exiting Russia from WWI via harsh terms.

War Communism

Grain requisitioning from peasants, suppression of dissent, and execution of Nicholas II and the family.

New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit)

A post-Expressionist movement that emphasized political cynicism and realism.

Weimar Republic

Unstable German government after WWI.

Hyperinflation Crisis

Middle-class collapse and economic devastation that underpins the grotesque figures.

Dawes plan

Devised by an international commission headed by U.S. banker and future Vice President Charles G. Dawes.

Treaty of Locarno

Germany formally accepted its western borders with France and Belgium.

Scientific Management & Taylorism

American engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor’s “scientific management” techniques gained ground across European industries.

Discovery of Penicillin

British bacteriologist Alexander Fleming accidentally observed that a blue-green mold (Penicillium notatum) killed staphylococcus bacteria.

Golden Twenties

Period in Germany known as the Roaring Twenties, but this "gold" was often a superficial glitter.

Triptych

A picture or relief carving on three panels that are typically hinged together side by side and used as an altarpiece.

Cubist Techniques

Multiple shifting perspectives, Overlapping, fragmentary, and distorted figures in art.

Bauhaus School

Advocated for modern, minimalist design that emphasized function, form, and industrial materials.

Pronatalism

Encouraging childbearing to recover population losses from WWI.

Modernist literature

James Joyce - Ulysses (1922): Stream-of-consciousness narrative revealed the chaos of the mind, initially dismissed as “foul,” later praised.

Dadaism

Rejected meaning and purpose—embraced absurdity and nihilism as a reaction to war.

Surrealism

Explored dreams, the subconscious, and irrational juxtapositions.

Bloomsbury Group

A group of influential writers, artists, and intellectuals.

Stream-of-consciousness Techniques

Literary technique that explores the emotional and psychological depth of characters.

Il Duce

Benito Mussolini's title, meaning "The Leader".

Lateran Treaty

An agreement that reconciled Mussolini with the Catholic Church.

Lebensraum

Living space, used by Hitller to expand into the East.

Mein Kampf

Hitler's book laid out Nazi ideology.

SA Stormtroopers

Organized paramilitary SA (Brownshirts): Wore uniforms, used swastika symbol. Attacked communists, socialists, and others.

Kristallnacht

Nazis destroyed Jewish homes, businesses, synagogues. 30,000 Jews arrested and sent to camps.

Anschluss

Annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany.

Gulags

Forced labor camps in Russia

Five-Year Plan (Stalin)

Massive industrialization.

Kulkas

Wealthier peasants who were targeted, exiled, or killed.

Socialist Realism

Idealized portrayals of workers and Soviet progress.

The Great Purges

Triggered by Kirov's assassination, purge of engineers, officers, officials, party members.

Gosplan

Central Planning in Russia.

Zyklon B

Gas used to kill victims efficiently within minutes.

Manchukuo

Puppet state created in China by Japan.

Final Solution

Nazis formally adopted a policy of genocide.

Blietzkrieg

Lightning war that started with air strikes.

Maginot Line

French fortifications that relied on France.

Rome-Berlin Axis

Formed between Italy and Germany in 1936.

Appeasement

Britain and France gave Hitler the Sudetenland to avoid war.

Anti-Semitism

Hostility to or prejudice against Jews.

Propaganda

Information that is spread for the purpose of promoting some cause

Totalitarianism

A political system in which the government controls every aspect of citizens' lives

The Great Depression

A severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s

The New Deal

Roosevelt's program with public works, job programs, and financial reforms

Guernica

Painting depicting terror, brutality, civilian suffering, chaos, and despair.

D-day

American, British, Canadian forces landed on Normandy beaches.

United Nations

Founded in 1945 by 51 nations to promote international peace and cooperation.

Holocaust

Industrialized genocide, killing 11-12 million people.

Imperialism

A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.

Nationalism

Identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.

Economic Mobilization

The process of assembling and organizing resources to support a war effort.

Government Control

The exercise of authority over economic and social activity by a governing body.

Labor Organization

The process of workers joining together to achieve common goals.

Social Shifts

Changes in the structure and nature of society.

Gender Role Transformations

Changes in the expectations and behaviors associated with being male or female.

Home Front Crisis

The challenges and difficulties faced by civilians during a war.

Collapse

The sudden failure of an organization or system.

Economic Destruction

The devastation of a country's economy due to war or other factors.

Political Consequences

The long-term effects of a war on political systems and ideologies.

Total Opposition

Complete disagreement or resistance to a policy or ideology.

Revolution Dynamics

The forces and processes that drive a revolution.

Social and economic Factors

Conditions and situations that influence or affect actions

The Holocaust

The systematic extermination of millions of European Jews, as well as members of other minority groups, by the Nazis during World War II.

Japanese Expansion

Japan invaded China proper in 1937

Expansionism

A policy of territorial or economic expansion

Civilian Toll

Civilians outnumbered soldiers due to new warfare

Interference

Truman wanted free elections but had little leverage

Brutality

Civillians were abused and killed during the war

Mobilization

Governments controlled economies, rationed goods, and expanded military service..

Mass rape

Mass rape became a weapon of war

Casualties

Mass people died due to the war

Propoganda

All media texts, books, films, and posters were ordered to be related to nazi ideas.

Anti - War Novels

Reflected a yearning for camaraderie and purpose that war had given, despite its horror.

WWI

A global war originating in Europe

Economic Collapse

The stock market crashed leading to unemployment

Lebensraum

Living space for the arayan race to live

Massacre

A large killing for those being prosecuted

Treaty

Document with terms to bring peace and avoid war