Social Studies 20-1 – Unit 4: Legacies of Nationalism (Practice Flashcards)

60 Q&A flashcards summarising key people, events, terms, and concepts from Unit 4: Legacies of Nationalism, covering WWI aftermath, League of Nations, interwar national interests, fascism, Nazi Germany, Canada’s autonomy, and the Holocaust.

What overarching issue does Unit 4 ask students to consider?

To what extent should national interest be pursued?

According to Elie Wiesel, what is “the only remedy to indifference”?

Action when human dignity is in jeopardy, regardless of national borders.

What international body did Woodrow Wilson envision in his Fourteen Points?

A general association of nations—later called the League of Nations.

Name two key principles in Wilson’s concept of internationalism.

Open diplomacy and collective security through a League of Nations.

Which clause of the Treaty of Versailles was used to justify harsh penalties on Germany?

The War-Guilt Clause – Germany had to accept blame for starting WWI.

Give one example of a military restriction imposed on Germany by Versailles.

The German Army was limited to 100 000 men and forbidden tanks.

How did the Allied powers try to keep Germany economically weak after WWI?

By imposing reparations of 33 billion USD and seizing overseas colonies.

Why did the U.S. Senate reject the League of Nations?

Fear of being drawn permanently into European affairs (isolationism).

What economic policy did the U.S. follow in the 1920s to protect domestic industry?

Protectionism through high tariffs on imported goods.

What was the Dawes Plan of 1924 designed to do?

Restructure German reparations and inject U.S. loans into the German economy.

Identify one national interest of interwar France.

Keeping Germany militarily and economically weak through reparations and alliances.

What defensive line did France build along its German border in 1927?

The Maginot Line.

Why did Britain support naval-limitation agreements after WWI?

Economic hardship and a desire to avoid another costly arms race.

What slogan captured Hitler’s promise of a united, authoritarian Germany?

“Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer” (One people, one empire, one leader).

Define ultranationalism.

Extreme nationalism pursued without regard for other nations or international cooperation, often relying on force.

List three common features of fascist ideology.

Authoritarian rule, militarism, and suppression of individual rights.

What Latin symbol did Italian Fascists adopt to represent unity and authority?

The fasces – a bundle of rods tied around an axe.

Which two European leaders pioneered fascist states in the interwar period?

Benito Mussolini in Italy and Adolf Hitler in Germany.

What 1938 event signalled open violence against Jews in Nazi Germany?

Kristallnacht – the Night of Broken Glass.

What did the 1935 Nuremberg Laws do?

Stripped Jews of German citizenship and outlawed marriage with ‘Aryans’.

Explain Hitler’s concept of Lebensraum.

Acquiring ‘living space’ in Eastern Europe for German expansion and self-sufficiency.

What employment scheme did Hitler create in 1933 for jobless Germans?

The Reich Labour Service (RAD) for public-works projects.

Give two ways the Nazi regime reduced German unemployment besides RAD.

Rearmament programs and conscription after 1935.

What was the Enabling Act of March 1933?

Law giving Hitler power to enact legislation without Reichstag approval.

Which paramilitary group enforced Nazi policy on the streets before 1934?

The SA (Brownshirts).

Why did Hitler order the ‘Night of the Long Knives’ in 1934?

To eliminate SA leaders and other rivals, consolidating his control.

What was Canada’s most significant constitutional gain under the 1931 Statute of Westminster?

Full autonomy in foreign policy—no automatic involvement in British wars.

Name two domestic challenges Canada faced after WWI.

Labour unrest (e.g., Winnipeg General Strike) and rural discontent due to falling grain prices.

What did the King-Byng Affair (1926) demonstrate about Canadian sovereignty?

That an elected Canadian PM could challenge an appointed Governor-General’s authority.

Identify three economic factors that led to the global Great Depression.

Overproduction, U.S. stock-market crash, and international debt-reparation cycle.

What U.S. act worsened world trade in 1930?

The Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act.

Define ‘scapegoat’ in the context of fascist regimes.

An individual or group irrationally blamed for societal problems to channel public anger.

How did Nazi education reinforce ideology?

Textbooks preached Aryan supremacy and antisemitism; curricula emphasised physical fitness and loyalty to the Führer.

What was the Nazi policy toward women summarized as ‘Kinder, Kirche, Küche’?

Encouraged women to focus on children, church, and cooking rather than careers.

Which 1928 international pact renounced war as an instrument of policy?

The Kellogg-Briand Pact.

Why did the League of Nations fail to stop Italy’s invasion of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in 1935?

Lack of enforcement power and Britain & France’s fear of driving Mussolini toward Hitler.

Which 1936 event marked a direct Versailles violation but met little resistance?

Germany’s remilitarisation of the Rhineland.

What alliance did Hitler and Mussolini formalize in October 1936?

The Rome–Berlin Axis.

Which agreement in 1938 epitomised British and French appeasement?

The Munich Agreement giving the Sudetenland to Germany.

What was the Nazi-Soviet Pact of August 1939?

A non-aggression treaty that secretly divided Poland between Germany and the USSR.

When did World War II begin and with what action?

1 September 1939: Germany’s invasion of Poland.

Define genocide as used in this course.

Planned, systematic destruction of an ethnic, racial, or religious group.

How many Jews were murdered in the Holocaust?

Approximately six million.

What were the Nuremberg Trials?

Post-WWII Allied tribunals prosecuting Nazi leaders for crimes against humanity.

What is meant by ‘collective security’?

A system where states agree that an attack on one is an attack on all, promising mutual defence.

Give two successes of the League of Nations outside security matters.

Campaigns against the opium trade and international health improvements.

Which interwar state pursued autarky and territorial expansion to secure raw materials in Asia?

Japan.

What defensive fortification symbolised French reliance on static defence?

The Maginot Line.

Which 1925 treaties normalised Germany’s western borders with France and Belgium?

The Locarno Treaties.

Explain ‘authoritarianism’.

A system favouring strict obedience to a ruler or state with limited personal freedoms.

What principle justified Nazi suppression of free speech and dissent?

‘Gleichschaltung’ – coordination of all institutions under Nazi control.

What were Hitler Youth organisations designed to achieve?

Indoctrinate German youth in Nazi ideology and prepare them for military service.

Which 1936–39 conflict served as a testing ground for German and Italian weapons?

The Spanish Civil War.

What economic agreements helped integrate Canada into the League of Nations after WWI?

Canada signed treaties like the 1923 Halibut Treaty independently, asserting sovereignty.

State one reason many Jews did not emigrate from Germany before 1939.

Strict immigration quotas abroad and disbelief that persecution would escalate to genocide.

What is ‘inflation’?

A persistent rise in prices accompanied by a fall in money’s purchasing power.

How did Nazi propaganda depict communists after the Reichstag fire?

As arsonists plotting to overthrow Germany, justifying emergency powers.

What term describes the deliberate destruction of property and life on Kristallnacht?

State-sponsored pogrom.

What does ‘Volksgemeinschaft’ mean in Nazi ideology?

The ‘people’s community’—a unified Aryan society loyal to the Führer.