need to really master Units 7–9 for AP World. I’m going to go section-by-section and, for each major topic, give you: * Causes * Key developments * Effects * Continuities & Changes ( CCOT) This is essentially how AP graders want you to think. ⸻ 🌍 UNIT 7: GLOBAL CONFLICT (1900–1945) ⸻ ⚔️ World War I Causes * Long-term: * Militarism (arms race, war glorification) * Alliance system → chain reaction * Imperial rivalries (especially in Africa) * Nationalism (esp. Balkans) * Immediate: * Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand ⸻ Key Developments * Trench warfare → stalemate * Total war → governments control industry, food, labor * New weapons: gas, machine guns, tanks ⸻ Effects * Collapse of empires (Ottoman, Russian, Austro-Hungarian, German) * Treaty of Treaty of Versailles * Harsh penalties on Germany * Redrawing of borders (Middle East instability begins) * League of Nations (fails later) ⸻ Continuities & Changes Continuities * European dominance still strong (but weakening) * Nationalism continues to drive conflict Changes * Warfare becomes industrialized & more deadly * Civilians become direct targets (total war) * U.S. emerges as global power ⸻ Causation Chain WWI → harsh peace → economic instability → rise of extremism → WWII ⸻ 🔴 Russian Revolution Causes * Inequality under Nicholas II * Military failures in WWI * Food shortages ⸻ Key Developments * Bolsheviks led by Vladimir Lenin seize power * Civil war → Red Army wins * Formation of USSR ⸻ Effects * Spread of communism globally * Fear of communism in capitalist countries * One-party authoritarian state ⸻ Continuities & Changes Continuities * Authoritarian rule (tsar → communist dictatorship) Changes * Shift from monarchy → communism * State-controlled economy replaces capitalism ⸻ 📉 Great Depression Causes * Stock market crash (1929) * Overproduction * Global economic interdependence ⸻ Effects * Massive unemployment worldwide * Collapse of global trade * Rise of extremist leaders ⸻ Continuities & Changes Continuities * Global economic inequality persists Changes * Governments take bigger role in economies (welfare, regulation) ⸻ Causation Depression → desperation → rise of dictators ⸻ 🧨 Rise of Authoritarianism Key Leaders * Adolf Hitler * Benito Mussolini * Joseph Stalin ⸻ Causes * Economic instability * Weak democracies * National humiliation (Germany esp.) ⸻ Key Features * Propaganda * Militarism * Suppression of dissent * Expansionism ⸻ Effects * Human rights abuses * Aggressive foreign policy → WWII ⸻ Continuities & Changes Continuities * Authoritarian rule still common globally Changes * Use of mass propaganda and modern tech to control people ⸻ 🌎 World War II Causes * Treaty of Versailles resentment * Expansion (Germany, Japan, Italy) * Appeasement failure ⸻ Key Developments * Blitzkrieg warfare * Holocaust * Atomic bombs ⸻ Effects * ~70 million deaths * Creation of United Nations * U.S. & USSR become superpowers ⸻ Continuities & Changes Continuities * War still central to global politics Changes * Nuclear weapons introduced * Decolonization begins * Europe declines in power ⸻ ⸻ ❄️ UNIT 8: COLD WAR & DECOLONIZATION ⸻ 🧊 Cold War Causes * Ideological conflict: * Capitalism (U.S

Militarism

The belief in building up strong armed forces to prepare for war, contributing to WWI.

Alliance system

A network of treaties and agreements between countries that can lead to a chain reaction in the event of conflict.

Trench warfare

A type of combat where soldiers fight from deep trenches, causing a stalemate in WWI.

Treaty of Versailles

The treaty that ended WWI, imposing harsh penalties on Germany, leading to future conflicts.

Bolsheviks

A faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party led by Lenin, which seized power during the Russian Revolution.

Great Depression

An economic downturn starting in 1929, characterized by massive unemployment and global economic instability.

Authoritarianism

A political system characterized by strong central power and limited political freedoms, prevalent in the rise of leaders like Hitler and Stalin.

Holocaust

The systemic extermination of six million Jews and millions of others by Nazi Germany during WWII.

Cold War

A period of political tension between the U.S. and the USSR, marked by ideological conflict and proxy wars.

Decolonization

The process by which colonies gained independence from colonial powers, particularly after WWII.

Nuclear deterrence

A military strategy that posits that a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would result in the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender.

Globalization

The increasing interconnectedness of economies, cultures, and populations across the world.

Causation chain

A sequence of events where one event leads to another, such as the link between WWI and WWII.

Proxy wars

Conflicts where two opposing countries or parties support rival factions, rather than fighting directly.

Cultural globalization

The worldwide exchange and integration of culture, influenced by media, migration, and technology.

Social movements

Organized efforts by groups of people to promote or resist change in society, such as civil rights and feminism.