Packet 18 - InterWar Period - AP World TP4 (1900-Present)

Hyperinflation

Rapid price increases, money is valued less. Can occur when governments print too much money.

Consumerism

Non-essential purchasing of non-essential goods. Possibly driven by ads, trends, or impulse.

Protectionism

Using governmental policies to restrict international trade to help domestic business. Tariffs and quotas may be used.

Black Thursday

"October 24, 1929. First day of the 1929 stock market crash in the U.S., signaling the start of the Great Depression."

Great Depression

"During 1929-1939. Longest and deepest economic downturn in modern history. Collapse in industrial production, banking, and trade. Deflation, unemployment, and poverty."

Welfare State

"A system whereby the government tries to protect the health and well-being of its citizens, especially those in financial or social need, like grants, pensions, and other benefits. The U.S. foundations for the modern welfare state were laid by the ""New Deal"" programs of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The state, not the family, is the last line."

Franklin D. Roosevelt

"32nd US President. Serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. Longest-serving U.S. president and the only one to have served more than two terms. Made ""New Deal"" programs to establish a ""welfare state"" in the US to make the state, not the family, as the last line."

New Deal

"(1933 1938) A series of federal programs, public work projects, and financial reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to combat the Great Depression. Tried for relief, recovery, and reform, it addressed massive unemployment, bank failures, and industrial/agricultural instability, significantly expanding the role of the federal government in the US economy and providing lasting social safety nets."

John Maynard Keyes

"English Economist that revolutionized economics during the Great Depression by arguing for deficit spending. Argued insufficient aggregate demand (total spending) caused prolonged unemployment, not just temporary market fluctuations, challenging classical theory. He advocated for active government intervention, specifically debt-financed government spending (fiscal policy) and low interest rates, to boost demand, create jobs, and stabilize economies, directly influencing policies like America's New Deal and shaping post-war economic thinking."

Deficit Spending

"A shift from traditional balanced-budget principles to increased federal spending on relief and public works, largely under FDR's (Franklin D. Roosevelt's) New Deal to fight unemployment, especially during the Great Depression."

Smoot-Hawley Tariff

"An act signed in 1930 that raised U.S. tariffs on over 20,000 imported goods by approximately 20%, aiming to protect American farmers and businesses from foreign competition during the early Great Depression. Sponsored by Sen. Reed Smoot and Rep. Willis Hawley, it instead caused retaliatory tariffs from other nations, causing a 65% collapse in international trade and worsening the economic downturn."

Fascism

"A far-right, authoritarian, and nationalist political ideology characterized by a dictator, centralized autocracy, militarism, and the forcible suppression of opposition. Hates communism."

Adolf Hitler

"The fascist, dictatorial leader of the Nazi Party. He became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, establishing the totalitarian Third Reich. Aggressive invasions led to WWII. Implemented corporatism in Nazi Germany."

Corporatism

"A political-economic system where the state organized society into industrial/professional corporations to control the economy and eliminate class struggle. It represented a ""third way"" between capitalism and socialism, merging corporate power with state direction to enforce national unity and war production. Implemented by Benito Mussolini in Fascist Italy and Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany."

Benito Mussolini

"An Italian dictator, journalist, and politician who was the Prime Minister of Italy, which lasted from the March on Rome in 1922 until his overthrow in 1943. He founded the National Fascist Party after adopting the title Duce of Italian fascism. Implemented corporatism in Fascist Italy."

Il Duce

"Italian for ""The Leader"" and the cognate for ""duke,"" a title famously adopted by Benito Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943, symbolizing his absolute authoritarian control and fostering a cult of personality. Derived from the Latin dux (chief/leader), Mussolini used the title to project himself as a strong, decisive figure and the head of the Fascist movement, becoming synonymous with his totalitarian regime and aggressive nationalism."

"Black Shirts"

"The fascist paramilitary groups in Italy and Britain, named for their black shirts, who used violence against political opponents. Italian version led by Benito Mussolini."

Francisco Franco

"The military dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975, coming to power after leading a Nationalist rebellion in the Spanish Civil War (1936 1939) with support from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. During the Great Depression, the instability of the Spanish Second Republic paved the way for his rise, while during World War II, he kept Spain officially neutral while sympathizing with the Axis powers. Opposed communism"

Spanish Civil War

"A conflict from 1936 1939 between Republican forces (including socialists, communists, and anarchists) and Nationalists led by Francisco Franco; served as a prelude to World War II and a testing ground for Nazi and Fascist military tactics such as aerial bombing."

Popular Front

A left-wing political coalition in Spain made up of liberals, socialists, and communists that won the 1936 election; its reforms and anticlerical policies alarmed conservatives and contributed to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.

Guernica

A Basque town bombed in 1937 by the German Luftwaffe during the Spanish Civil War; became a symbol of civilian suffering and total war, famously depicted in Pablo Picasso's anti-war painting.

Basque Region

"A culturally distinct area in northern Spain with its own language and traditions; sought autonomy and was targeted during the Spanish Civil War, most notably with the bombing of Guernica."

Hideki Tojo

"A Japanese general and prime minister during World War II (1941 1944) who supported militarism, expansion in East Asia, and the attack on Pearl Harbor; later tried and executed for war crimes."

Emperor Hirohito

"The emperor of Japan during World War II who reigned from 1926 1989; symbolized imperial authority and nationalism, remained on the throne after Japan s surrender to help stabilize the postwar government."

Rape of Nanking

"A 1937 massacre and mass atrocity committed by Japanese troops after capturing the Chinese capital; involved widespread killings, sexual violence, and brutality, becoming a key example of wartime human rights abuses."

National Socialist Party

"The political party led by Adolf Hitler in Germany, also known as the Nazi Party; promoted fascism, extreme nationalism, racial hierarchy, antisemitism, and the creation of a totalitarian state."

Gestapo

"The secret police force of Nazi Germany responsible for surveillance, intimidation, and arrest of political opponents and targeted groups; played a central role in enforcing totalitarian control.?????"

Propaganda

"The use of media, art, speeches, and symbols to shape public opinion and promote state ideology; widely used by totalitarian regimes like Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to glorify leaders and suppress dissent."

Third Reich

"The Nazi regime in Germany from 1933 1945 under Adolf Hitler; characterized by totalitarianism, militarization, racial laws, and aggressive expansion leading to World War II."

Luftwaffe

The German air force under the Nazi regime; used advanced bombing tactics during World War II and earlier in the Spanish Civil War, including the attack on Guernica. German for "air weapon."

Lebensraum

A Nazi ideological concept meaning "living space," used to justify territorial expansion into Eastern Europe and the displacement or extermination of Slavic populations. Territory said to be needed for natural development. 🛋️

Sudetenland

A German-speaking region of Czechoslovakia annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938; its seizure was justified by Hitler using ethnic nationalism.

Mein Kampf

A book written by Adolf Hitler in the 1920s outlining Nazi ideology, including antisemitism, nationalism, and Lebensraum; served as a blueprint for Nazi policies. German for "my battle." 📕

Appeasement

A diplomatic strategy in which European powers conceded to Hitler's territorial demands in the 1930s to avoid war; ultimately failed to prevent World War II.

Neville Chamberlain

British prime minister who pursued appeasement toward Nazi Germany; signed the Munich Agreement in 1938 believing it would secure peace for our time.

Eduard Daladier

The prime minister of France who, along with Neville Chamberlain, agreed to Hitler's demands at the Munich Conference; reflected France's reluctance to confront Germany militarily. Signed the Munich Agreement too.

Anschluss

The annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938; violated the Treaty of Versailles and demonstrated the weakness of international enforcement.

Munich Agreement

A 1938 agreement in which Britain and France allowed Germany to annex the Sudetenland; became a symbol of the failure of appeasement.

Nuremberg Laws

A set of 1935 racial laws in Nazi Germany that stripped Jews of citizenship and legal rights; institutionalized antisemitism and laid groundwork for the Holocaust

Ghettos

Segregated urban districts where Jews were forced to live under Nazi occupation; used as a step toward deportation to concentration and extermination camps.

Kristallnacht

A violent pogrom in November 1938 involving attacks on Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues across Germany and Austria; marked a major escalation in Nazi persecution. "Crystal Night" or "Night of Broken Glass."

Joseph Stalin

The leader of the Soviet Union from the 1920s to 1953; transformed the state through industrialization, purges, collectivization, and a totalitarian system. Totalitarian leader but not fascist because he is a communist. Proposed the Five Year Plan. Came into power after Lenin

Five Year Plan

Initiated in 1928 by Joseph Stalin, a series of rapid, centrally planned economic policies designed to transform the USSR from an agrarian society into an industrial superpower. Focused on heavy industry (coal, steel, energy) and forced collectivization of agriculture, they achieved high production growth but resulted in widespread famine, high human costs, and significant, though often unfulfilled, targets.

Collectivization

"A Soviet policy under Stalin that forced peasants into collective farms; aimed to increase agricultural efficiency but caused widespread famine, especially in Ukraine."

Totalitarianism

"A system of government in which the state seeks total control over society, including the economy, media, culture, and private life; exemplified by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union."

Gulag

A network of forced labor camps in the Soviet Union where political prisoners and perceived enemies were imprisoned; used to enforce repression and support industrial projects.