World History Midterm Study Guide

Labor movements and strikes (late 19th century)

Workers in Europe and the United States organized unions and went on strike in the late 1800s to demand fair wages, shorter hours, and safer conditions. These movements spread through industrial cities as a reaction to exploitation during industrialization.

Karl Marx

Karl Marx was a German philosopher and economist who co-wrote The Communist Manifesto in 1848, calling for workers to overthrow capitalist systems. His ideas inspired socialism and communism across Europe and beyond.

Jacob Riis

Jacob Riis was a Danish-American journalist and photographer in New York City during the 1890s who exposed poor living conditions in tenements through his book How the Other Half Lives. His work pushed for social reform and housing improvements.

“The Sick Man of Europe”

This phrase referred to the declining Ottoman Empire in the 19th and early 20th centuries. European powers used the term as they competed for its territory during its collapse.

Scramble for Africa

The Scramble for Africa was the European colonization of African territories between 1884 and 1914. It was driven by competition for resources and power, formalized at the Berlin Conference.

Penicillin

Penicillin, discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 in Britain, was the first true antibiotic. It revolutionized medicine by curing bacterial infections and saving millions of lives, especially during World War II.

Otto von Bismarck & “Blood and Iron”

Bismarck was the Prussian chancellor who unified Germany in the 1860s–1870s through wars and strong leadership. His “Blood and Iron” speech emphasized military power and industrial strength over diplomacy.

Balfour Declaration

The Balfour Declaration was a 1917 statement by Britain supporting a Jewish homeland in Palestine. It later influenced the creation of Israel and deepened Middle Eastern tensions.

Wright Brothers

Orville and Wilbur Wright were American inventors who made the first successful powered flight in North Carolina in 1903. Their achievement began the age of aviation and modern air travel.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne who was assassinated in Sarajevo in 1914. His death triggered World War I through a chain of alliances and political tensions.

Trench Warfare

Trench warfare was a military strategy used mainly on the Western Front of World War I from 1914–1918. Soldiers lived in dugout trenches facing horrific conditions and stalemate battles.

Treaty of Versailles (1919)

The Treaty of Versailles was signed in France in 1919, officially ending World War I. It punished Germany with reparations and territorial losses, creating anger that helped spark World War II.

League of Nations

The League of Nations was an international organization created in 1920 to prevent future wars. It failed to stop aggression in the 1930s due to weak enforcement and lack of U.S. support.

Russian Revolution (1917)

The Russian Revolution occurred in 1917 when the Bolsheviks overthrew the Tsarist regime in Petrograd (now St. Petersburg). It created the world’s first communist government under Lenin.

Vladimir Lenin

Lenin was the leader of the Bolshevik Party who led the Russian Revolution in 1917. He established a communist state and withdrew Russia from World War I to focus on building socialism within Russia instead of fighting foreign wars.

Joseph Stalin

Stalin was the dictator of the Soviet Union from the 1920s until 1953. He turned the USSR into a totalitarian state through industrialization, purges, and strict political control.

Benito Mussolini

Mussolini was the fascist leader of Italy who came to power in 1922. He promoted nationalism and dictatorship, inspiring other fascist movements like Nazi Germany.

Adolf Hitler

Hitler was the Nazi dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945. He started World War II and led the Holocaust, aiming to create a racially “pure” empire.

Five-Year Plans

The Five-Year Plans were economic programs introduced by Stalin in the late 1920s to industrialize the Soviet Union rapidly. They focused on heavy industry and agriculture but caused hardship and famine.

Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)

The Spanish Civil War was a conflict between leftist Republicans and right-wing Nationalists led by Franco. It became a testing ground for fascist powers before World War II.

Munich Agreement (1938)

The Munich Agreement was a deal in which Britain and France allowed Germany to annex parts of Czechoslovakia. It represented appeasement and failed to prevent World War II.

Winston Churchill

Churchill was the British Prime Minister during World War II. He is known for his leadership and speeches that inspired resistance against Nazi Germany.

Blitzkrieg

Blitzkrieg, meaning “lightning war,” was Germany’s fast, coordinated attack strategy using tanks, planes, and infantry. It was first used successfully in Poland and France during World War II.

Franklin Roosevelt

Roosevelt was the U.S. President from 1933 to 1945. He led the country through the Great Depression with the New Deal and through most of World War II.

Holocaust / Final Solution

The Holocaust was Nazi Germany’s systematic genocide of six million Jews and millions of others between 1941 and 1945. It showed the dangers of modern ideology and totalitarianism.

Midway (1942)

The Battle of Midway was a naval battle in the Pacific in 1942 where the U.S. defeated Japan. It marked a turning point in World War II by shifting momentum to the Allies.

Stalingrad (1942–43)

The Battle of Stalingrad was a major Soviet victory against Germany in southern Russia. It stopped Hitler’s advance east and became a turning point in the European war.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945)

The U.S. dropped atomic bombs on these Japanese cities in August 1945. The bombings ended World War II but caused massive civilian casualties and began the nuclear age.

Theory of Relativity

Proposed by Albert Einstein in the early 1900s, the Theory of Relativity changed how scientists understood time, space, and gravity. It revolutionized modern physics and technology.

United Nations (1945)

The United Nations was founded in 1945 in San Francisco to promote peace, human rights, and global cooperation. It replaced the League of Nations and still operates today.

How did industrialization create both utopian dreams of progress and dystopian realities for workers and colonized peoples? Provide examples.

Industrialization promised progress, but created harsh dystopian realities for workers (poor conditions, low pay) and exploited colonized peoples for resources, deepening global inequality.

What were the main causes of World War I? Explain how alliances, militarism, imperialism, and nationalism combined to ignite the conflict.

WWI was caused by militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism (MAIN). These factors, combined with Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination, ignited a global conflict.

Compare Wilson’s Fourteen Points to the Treaty of Versailles. How did they reflect different visions of peace?

Wilson's Fourteen Points proposed a lenient peace based on self-determination and collective security. The Treaty of Versailles, however, harshly punished Germany, reflecting desires for revenge and undermining lasting peace.

How did the Great Depression contribute to the rise of socialism throughout the world?

The Great Depression, with its unemployment and poverty, eroded faith in capitalism, leading many to embrace socialism's promises of government control. The Soviet Union's apparent stability further boosted socialist movements worldwide.

Explain the rise of fascism in Italy and Germany. What social and economic conditions enabled it?

Fascism rose in Italy and Germany post-WWI due to economic hardship, political instability, and fear of communism. Unemployment, inflation, and national humiliation allowed leaders like Mussolini and Hitler to gain power through nationalist promises and propaganda.

Briefly explore the rise of modern medicine in the 20th century, how did it change standards of living throughout the world?

20th-century medicine, with discoveries like penicillin and vaccines, drastically reduced disease deaths and increased life expectancy. This improved public health and sanitation globally, leading to higher living standards and rapid population growth.

Discuss the Spanish Civil War as a “dress rehearsal” for World War II.

The Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) was a 'dress rehearsal' for WWII, where Germany and Italy tested new weapons and tactics. It also exposed the ideological clash between fascism and democracy, signaling the rise of authoritarian powers before the global conflict.

Why was the Holocaust unique in world history, and how does it fit into the theme of Utopia/Dystopia?

The Holocaust was a unique, state-organized, industrialized genocide driven by Nazi ideology's 'utopian' vision of racial purity, which led to a dystopian reality of mass murder. It warns against modern systems being used for destruction and totalitarian control.

Which battle or campaign (e.g., Stalingrad, Midway, D-Day, El Alamein) was the true turning point of World War II, why?

The Battle of Stalingrad (1942–1943) was WWII's turning point, as it decisively stopped Germany's advance into the Soviet Union. The Soviet victory led to German retreat, shifted Eastern Front power, and marked the beginning of Hitler's army's downfall.

Why was the United Nations created in 1945, and how did it differ from the League of Nations?

The UN was founded in 1945 post-WWII to promote peace and cooperation, replacing the weak League of Nations. It was stronger due to major power inclusion (U.S.), a powerful Security Council with military authority, and a broader focus on economic and humanitarian aid.