Key Events and Ideas in Modern History

Enlightenment ideas

A philosophical movement emphasizing reason, liberty, equality, and the separation of religion from political and social institutions.

American Revolution

The American Revolution (1775-1783), which led to U.S. independence and was inspired by Enlightenment ideas.

French Revolution

The overthrow of the monarchy (1789-1799) was a radical shift towards democracy and equality.

Haitian Revolution

Slave revolt (1791-1804) which Toussaint L'Ouverture led; resulted in Haiti's independence.

Latin American Revolutions

19th-century independence movements against Spanish rule, led by figures similar to Simon Bolivar.

Industrialization

A shift to machine-based production, with increased urbanization and changed labor systems.

Free Market Capitalism

An economic system with minimal government intervention based on private property.

The Communist Manifesto

1848 pamphlet by Marx and Engels advocating for class struggle and revolution.

Bourgeoisie and Proletariat

Middle-class capitalists vs working class laborers.

19th-century nationalism

Ideology emphasizing loyalty to one's nation is often linked with state-building.

Chancellor Bismarck

German leader who unified Germany through war and diplomacy (realpolitik).

Realpolitik

Practical policies based on power and practical goals over ideals.

Garibaldi and Redshirts

Italian nationalist and his militia who helped unify Italy.

German Unification

Bismarck led a consolidation of German states into one nation in 1871.

Social Darwinism

Misapplication of Darwin's theories to justify imperialism and racial hierarchy.

Scramble for Africa and Berlin Conference

European powers divided Africa (1884-1884) with little regard for natives.

King Leopold II and Congo Free State

Belgian king's brutal exploitation of Congo for rubber.

British East India Company

The joint stock company controlled India until 1857.

Sepoy Rebellion and British Raj

1857 Indian Uprising which led to direct British Rule.

Dreyfus Affair, Zola, and J'Accuse

French political scandal which exposed antisemitism; Zola's letter defended Dreyfus.

Theodore Herzl

The founder of modern Zionism advocated for a Jewish homeland.

Caudillos, Creoles, Peninsulares

Latin American military leaders, European-descended elites, and Spanish-born elites.

Opium War and Treaty of Nanjing

British defeated China and forced unequal treaties.

Extraterritoriality

Legal exemption for foreigners under their home laws, not local laws.

Self Strengthening movements

19th-century Chinese efforts to modernize while keeping Confucian values.

Open Door Policy

U.S. proposal for equal trade access in China (1899).

Boxer Rebellion

Foreign Chinese uprising (1900) crushed by international forces.

Matthew Perry and Treaty of Friendship

U.S. commodore who forced Japan to open trade.

Meiji Restoration

Japanese modernization and centralization under emperor rule.

Zaibatsus

Powerful Japanese industrial alliances.

Collectivization

Stalin's policy to consolidate individual farms into state-run collectives.

Antisemitism

Prejudice against Jews.

Orientalism

Western stereotyping of Eastern societies.

WWI causes

Militarism, alliances, imperialism, nationalism.

WWI impacts

This led to mass casualties and political upheaval.

Colonial trips

Soldiers from colonies (Africa, Asia) who fought for imperial powers.

Girls with Yellow Hands

Female munitions workers in WWI: exposure to chemicals turned hands yellow, and resulted in cases of jaundice

Total War

Full national mobilization for war including civilians and economies

Armenian genocide

Ottoman massacre of 1,5 million Armenians during WWI

Treaty of Versailles

Ended WWI: Punished Germany, sowed seeds for WWII

Mandate System

League of Nations' system of giving allied powers control over former Ottoman lands

Tsar Nicholas II

Last Russian tsar; overthrown in the 1917 revolution

Lenin

Bolshevik leader who led the 1917 Russian Revolution

Communist revolution

Established soviet union

Goebbels and Radio

Nazi propaganda minister who used radio to spread ideology

League of Nations

International body formed post WWI to prevent war - largely ineffective - left out Germany

Authoritarian governments

Centralized nondemocratic rule

Liberal Democracies

Governments based on individual rights, voting, and the rule of law

Fascism

Authoritarian, nationalist ideology, anti-liberal and anti-communist

Great Depression

Global economic crisis (1929) - fueled extremism and political shifts

Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal

He became president in 1933 and immediately took action to address the crisis. He implemented a series of programs known as the New Deal, focusing on relief, recovery, and reform.

Mussolini

The fascist leader of Italy (1922-1943) believed in a powerful, centralized state that prioritized the nation above individual rights, advocating for a one-party dictatorship and suppression of dissent.

Stalin

Soviet dictator led the Soviet Union with totalitarian control, purges, and industrialization

Hitler and Hitler Youth

Nazi leader; indoctrinated youth into fascism and antisemitism

Hirohito

Emperor of Japan during WWII; figurehead under military rule

Abyssinian Crisis

Italy's invasion of Ethiopia (1935); exposed the League of Nations' weakness

Haile Selassie

Ethiopian emperor who resisted Italian invasion and appealed to League of Nations

Policy of Appeasement

Western powers' concession to Hitler to avoid war

WWII causes

Caused by aggression, and unresolved issues of WWI

WWII impacts

It led to global destruction and a new world order

Rape of Nanking

Japanese troops massacred and raped civilians in Chinese city

Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

Japan's imperial vision of Asian unity under its rule

Atomic Bombs and Oak Ridge

U.S used nuclear bombs on Japan; Oak Ridge helped develop them

Holocaust and Final Solution

Nazi genocide of Jews and others; Final solution was the extermination plan.

Nuremberg Laws

1935 Nazi laws stripping Jews of rights

Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

Jewish resistance against Nazis in 1943; brutally suppressed

Cold war causes

U.S. and Soviet Union ideological conflict post WWII

Cold war impacts

This led to the arms race, proxy wars

Hot spots - NATO, Korea, Vietnam

Cold War tensions erupted in military alliances and wars

US vs USSR

Capitalist democracy vs communist dictatorship

Globalism

Worldwide connections in trade, politics, and culture

Regionalism

Cooperation within a specific region

Multicentrism

Power is shared by multiple global centers, not just one or two.

Self-determination

Right of people to choose their government; key in decolonization

UN resolution 1514

Called for end of Colonialism; supported independence movements

Indian National Congress and Gandhi

Indian independence leaders promoting nonviolence.

Indian/ Pakistan independence

1947 partitioned British India into two nations triggering mass migration and violence.

Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam's independence

A Communist leader who fought France and the U.S. for Vietnamese independence.

Nkrumah and Ghana's independence

This led Ghana to become the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence.

Algeria's independence

Violent war vs France

Mao Zedong and New Democracy

Chinese communist leader's post-1949 transitional phase before socialism.

Great Leap Forward

Failed Maoist policy to rapidly industrialize; led to famine

Cultural Revolution

Mao's purge of dissent; Red Guards attacked old traditions and opponents

Red Guards

Youth enforcing Mao's ideology

Little Red Book

carried Mao's quotations.

Deng & Socialism with Chinese Characteristics

Market reforms within the communist framework.

Tiananmen Square Protests (1989)

Student-led pro-democracy protests; crushed by Chinese military.

Apartheid System

Racial segregation in South Africa (1948-1994).

Pass Laws & Bantustans

Restricted black South Africans' movement and forced relocations.

African National Congress (Mandela)

Anti-apartheid group; Mandela became the symbol of resistance and later president.