Unit 14---The Interwar Period

Coalition Government

A temporary alliance of several political parties that needs to form a parliamentary majority.

Weimar Republic

Germany’s new democratic government post WW1 with three weaknesses: lack of strong leadership, coalition government, and blamed for the Treaty of Versailles.

Treaty of Locarno

A 1925 agreement between Germany and France stating they would never go to war again.

Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact

A 1928 treaty signed by almost every country, stating war could not be an instrument of foreign policy.

Great Depression

A severe economic slump that followed the US stock market crash, characterized by bank failures and high unemployment.

Dawes Plan

A 1924 agreement to help stabilize the German economy by facilitating reparations payments.

Totalitarianism

A form of government that takes total centralized state control over all aspects of public and private life.

Five-Year Plans

Stalin's method for industrializing the Soviet economy, which involved setting high quotas.

Collective Farms

Large government-owned farms where peasants worked, often resisted by those who were persecuted violently.

Il Duce

A title meaning 'the Leader' used for Benito Mussolini, reflecting his role in establishing fascism in Italy.

Mein Kampf

A book written by Hitler during his prison time outlining his political ideology and plans for Germany.

Night of the Long Knives

A 1934 purge in which Hitler eliminated potential threats to his power within the Nazi Party.

Appeasement

The policy of allowing Hitler's annexation of territories believing it would maintain peace.

Kristallnacht

The Night of Broken Glass, a violent anti-Jewish pogrom in Germany on November 9, 1938.

Nazi Party

A far-right political group led by Adolf Hitler that sought to establish a totalitarian regime in Germany.

Pact of Steel

An alliance between Italy and Germany, marking the central Axis Powers during WWII.

Non-Aggression Pact

An agreement between Germany and the USSR stating they would not attack one another.

Blitzkrieg

A military tactic used by the Germans characterized by rapid and surprising attacks.