Interwar, World War II, and Holocaust Vocabulary

Flashcards for vocabulary from lecture notes about the Interwar period, World War II, and the Holocaust.

Dictator

A ruler with absolute power who maintains control through force or manipulation

Totalitarianism

A political system where the state controls nearly every aspect of public and private life

Authoritarianism

A governmental system with strong central power and limited political freedoms

Facism

An extreme right-wing nationalist political ideology emphasizing state power and suppression of opposition

Communism

A political and economic system advocating for collective ownership and classless social structure

League of Nations

International organization formed after World War I to prevent future conflicts

Mussolini

Founder of the Fascist Party in Italy, ruled as a dictator from 1922-1943

Bands of Combat

“Italian fighting bands” Fascist organization created by Mussolini

March on Rome

1922 event in which Benito Mussolini and his fascist supporters marched to the Italian capital to seize power

Chamber of Deputies

Lower house in a parliamentary or legislative body, responsible for legislation

Battle for Births

Democratic campaign aimed at increasing the Italian population in 1927 to 50 million by 1950

Battle of Wheat

Fascist plan of agrarian development, aimed at achieving self-sufficiency in wheat, Italy’s main crop

Tsar

An Emperor of Russia before 1917

Romanov

The imperial dynasty that ruled Russia from 1613 to 1917, ended with the execution of Tsar Nicholas II and his family during the Russian Revolution

Crimean War

Military conflict fought primarily in the Crimean peninsula, involving an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, Great Britain, France and Sardinia against the Russian Empire

Alexander II

Tsar (Emperor) of Russia from 1855-81- Emancipated serfdom

Sergei Witte

Russian statesman who served as the first “Prime Minister” of the Russian Empire, replacing the Tsar as head of government (was not liberal or conservative, attracted foreign capital to boost Russia’s industrialization)

Trans-siberian Railroad

Major railway line in Russia, connecting Moscow to Vladivostok, which was a crucial engineering feat that facilitated trade, migration and military support, significantly impacting Russian and global history

Kulaks

Prosperous peasants who were seen as class enemies by the Bolsheviks and later Stalin, targeted during collectivization

Zemstvos

System of elected local assemblies in Russia established in 1864 by Tsar Alexander II, to administer local affairs, especially after the abolition of serfdom

Bloody Sunday

The violent suppression of a peaceful demonstration in St. Petersburg, Russia, on January 22 1905, when soldiers of the Imperial Guard opened fire on unarmed workers and their families, marking a turning point in the 1905 Russian Revolution

October Manifesto

Pivotal document in Russian history that promised significant political reforms, including civil liberties, established the Duma and limits on the Tsar’s power, and marked a shift towards a constitutional monarchy

Soviet

Comes from the Russian word “sovet” which means “council” – Soviets were the workers council that followed a socialist ideology, in the context of the Russian Revolution- refers to the USSR (Union of Soviet Republics) communist state that existed from 1922 to 1991

Duma

The elected legislative assembly or lower house of the Parliament in Russia- established in 1906, dissolved in 1917, revived in 1993 (after the collapse of the Soviet Union)

Rasputin

Siberian peasant monk, and self-proclaimed mystic with serious influence over the Romanov family (religious advisor) at the end of the Russian Empire, was controversial for his decisions and later assassinated by noblemen who feared that he would weaken the Monarchy with his far-fetched ideas.

Bolsheviks

Radical faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (RSDLP) led by Vladimir Lenin, supported the establishment of the first communist state

V.I Lenin

Leader of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, established the first communist state

Karl Marx

German philosopher, economist, and sociologist, co-authored the Communist Manifesto (history is driven by class struggle and the mode of production, ultimately leading to a communist revolution and a classless society)

Dual Revolution

A revolution that involves revolt or uprising by two different groups in society (ie, peasants and proletariat)

February Revolution

First of two revolutions in Russia that led to the overthrow of the Tsarist autocracy and the establishment of a Provisional Government

October Revolution

The second of two revolutions in which the Russian provisional government was overthrown, leading to the establishment of the first communist state and the eventual formation of the soviet union

Cheka

First Soviet secret police organization (All-Russian Extraordinary Commission) which later evolved into the KGB

Red Army

Armed forces of the Russian Soviet Republic (and later Soviet Union) formed in 1918 to defend the Bolshevik regime during the Russian Civil War

White Army

Collection of anti-communist forces that opposed the Bolsheviks

Gosplan

The central planning agency of the Soviet Union, responsible for creating and implementing 5 year plans and other economic policies

Commanding Heights

the segments of the economy that largely control or support others, such as oil, railroads, banking and steel

Trotsky

Prominent marxist revolutionary and key figure in the Russian Revolution, leader of the Red Army

Stalin

Soviet leader who succeeded Lenin, known for brutal totalitarian rule

Weimar Republic

Democratic government of Germany from 1919 to 1933, established after WWI and named after the city where its constitution was adopted- faced significant challenges like economic instability and political extremism that paved the way for the rise of the Nazi Party

Adolf Hitler

Leader of Nazi Germany, responsible for World War II and the Holocaust

Nazi Party

Adolf Hitler's political party in Germany, characterized by racist and antisemitic ideology

Chancellor

Head of the federal government in Germany

Anti-Semitism

Prejudice, discrimination, or hatred directed specifically at Jewish people

Nuremberg Laws

Racist legal codes in Nazi Germany that marginalized and persecuted Jewish citizens

Kristallnacht

“The Night of Broken Glass”-- Nazi dictatorship’s declaration of war against German and Austrian Jews in November 1938

Appeasement

Giving into what another party/opposing side wants in order to prevent further conflict or disagreement

Mao Zedong

Chinese revolutionary leader, first chairman of the People’s Republic of China (first Chinese communist government)

Neville Chamberlain

British Prime Minister who initially pursued a policy of appeasement towards Nazi Germany

Nazi-Soviet Non-aggression Pact

A treaty signed in August 1930 between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, promising mutual non-aggression and containing a secret protocol dividing Eastern Europe into spheres of influence

The Rhineland

A region in western Germany along the Rhine River, historically significant due to its resources and strategic location, key area of conflict in the interwar period and during WWII

Munich Conference

1938 meeting in Munich where leaders from Britain, France, Germany and Italy agreed to allow Nazi Germany to annex the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia, hoping to appease Hitler and prevent war

Invasion of Poland

Marked the start of WWII, Nazi Germany launched a surprise attack on Poland, followed by the Soviet Union’s invasion from the east on September 17

Axis Powers

Military alliance between Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II

Blitzkrieg

German military tactic of rapid, overwhelming attack

Winston Churchhill

British Prime Minister during World War II who led resistance against Nazi aggression

The Blitz

Sustained bombing campaign by German Luftwaffe against British cities, particularly London, from September 1940 to May 1941, a period of intense aerial bombardment

Embargo

Government-ordered restriction or prohibition of trade with one or more countries, often used as a form of economic pressure or retaliation

Pearl Harbor

The surprise military attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7tgh 1941, leading to the US entry into WWII

Yalta Peace Conference

WWII meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the UK, and the Soviet Union to discuss Europe’s post-war reorganization

Potsdam Peace Conference

Meeting of the allied leaders (Harry Truman, Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin) to discuss the post-war order in Europe and the administration of Germany after WWII (included demilitarization, denazification, and the future of territories affected by the war)

FDR

32nd president of the US from 1933-1945 (during WWII and Depression)

Harry Truman

33rd president of the US who took over after FDR in 1945 (served until 1953)

D-Day

Allied invasion of Normandy, France in June 1944, a turning point in World War II

Battle of the Bulge

Last major German offensive on the Western Front during WWII, surprise attack launched in Dec. 1944 in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium and Luxembourg

V-E Day

“Victory in Europe” commemorates the formal acceptance of Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender by the Allied forces on May 8th 1945, marked the end of the war in Europe

Island hopping/ leapfrogging

Military strategy used by the allies to advance through the Pacific, focusing on capturing strategically important lands while by-paassing heavily fortified ones, eventually enabling them to attack the Japanese mainland

Banzai charges

A tactic used by Japanese soldiers against American soldiers when they were losing WWII (usually suicide charges)

Hiroshima

Japanese city that was the target of the atomic bomb dropped by the USA on August 6, 1945

Nagasaki

Second Japanese city to be attacked by a US atomic bomb on August 9th, 1945

Nuremberg Trials

Series of post- WWII trials held in Nuremberg, Germany, where allied powers prosecuted Nazi leaders for war crimes, crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, establishing precedents for international law and accountability

United Nations

Global organization established after World War II to promote international cooperation

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

UN document outlining fundamental human rights to be protected globally

The Holocaust

The systematic state-sponsored killing of six million Jewish (and other minorities) men, women, and children, conducted by Nazi Germany

Scapegoat

A person or group blamed for the problems of others, often used to deflect responsibility

Concentration Camps

Facilities where Nazi Germany imprisoned and murdered millions of Jews and other targeted groups