history final definitions and terms

appeasement

making concessions to an aggressor in order to avoid conflict

Atlantic Charter

the statement of principles and war goals reached by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1941, which later formed the basis for the charter of the United Nations

Axis Powers

the name given to Italy and Germany, and later also to Japan and other German allies, during World War II

Bessemer Process

a relatively inexpensive method for converting iron to steel by using a blast of air to remove carbon from molten iron

Blitzkrieg

German for "lightning war," a military tactic that combined swift, massive, and highly coordinated attacks by planes, tanks, and infantry to overwhelm and quickly conquer an enemy

bloody sunday

the massacre in St. Petersburg, Russia, of peaceful protesters who marched to present a list of demands to the czar

boxer rebellion

an uprising by a secret group known as the Righteous and Harmonious Fists, called the Boxers by Westerners, that attempted to drive all foreigners from China

capital

the tools, machines, and buildings used to produce goods and services

centralized state

a system where economic, political, and social systems are administered by a central governing body

civil liberties

personal freedoms that are protected by law from the actions of a government

communism

an economic or political system in which the state or the community owns all property and the means of production, and all citizens share the wealth

conservative

favoring the maintenance of existing institutions and traditional values

corporatism

the organization of a society into industrial and professional corporations that exercise control over individuals subject to them and serve as units of political representation

coup d'état

a sudden, violent overthrow of an existing government by a small group

D-Day

June 6, 1944, the day that Allied forces invaded France to free it from Nazi rule and eventually defeat Germany in World War II

domestic system

a pre-industrial system of manufacturing in which workers crafted products in their homes using raw materials supplied by merchants

enclosure

the repossession and fencing-in by landowners of formerly common lands, often for the purpose of commercial farming

factory system

an industrial system of manufacturing in which workers, raw materials, and machinery are gathered under the same roof

fascism

a political philosophy or totalitarian system marked by strong central authority that places the nation, and often a race, above individual rights and freedoms

hegemony

indirect social, political, or economic influence exerted by a dominant state

holocaust

the systematic, state-sponsored, persecution and murder of Jews by the Nazis

imperialism

a policy in which a state takes political and economic control of areas beyond its borders

interchangeable parts

parts that can be swapped for one another in the assembling of a product, because they have been precisely cut and shaped to be identical

liberal

favoring individual political and economic freedom, with limits on state power

mandate

an authorization or order given to a lesser authority by a superior one; a territory governed under such

mass production

the high-volume, low-cost manufacture of identical items through the use of specialization and interchangeable parts

monopoly

complete control by one firm of the production and/or the supply of a good

Monroe Doctrine

a U.S. foreign policy focused on keeping European powers from controlling any Latin American nation

Munich Pact

a settlement reached in September 1938 in which Britain and France agreed to let Germany annex part of Czechoslovakia

no-man's land

an unoccupied area between opposing armies

productivity

the amount of goods or services that result for each unit of required resources used (output per unit of input

propaganda

ideas, allegations, and other information that is spread deliberately to further a cause or damage an opposing cause, and that is often exaggerated or false

racist

based on prejudices related to racial differences

republican

a person who believes in a system of government in which the people exercise power through elected representatives

sphere of influence

an area within which the political and economic interests of one nation influence those of other nations

totalitarian

a governing system in which a ruling elite holds all power and controls all aspects of society, allowing no opposition and often maintaining power with the use of terror and secret police

zaibatsus

a type of business organization distinct to Japan in which families control large monopolies within industries