World History Finals Review (2025-2026)

Semester 2 Finals Review

Enlightenment

An intellectual movement in the 17th and 18th centuries emphasizing reason, individualism, and skepticism of traditional authority.

Natural rights

Fundamental rights inherent to all humans, often associated with life, liberty, and property.

American Revolution

A conflict (1775-1783) in which the Thirteen American Colonies won independence from British rule.

French Revolution

A period of radical social and political change in France (1789-1799) that led to the rise of democracy and the end of monarchy.

Reign of Terror

A period during the French Revolution (1793-1794) characterized by extreme political repression and mass executions.

Haitian Revolution

A successful anti-slavery and anti-colonial insurrection (1791-1804) in Saint-Domingue that led to the establishment of Haiti as the first black republic.

Toussaint L'Ouverture

Leader of the Haitian Revolution who played a key role in the fight for independence from French colonial rule.

Simon Bolivar

A Venezuelan military and political leader who played a key role in Latin America's successful struggle for independence from Spanish rule.

Industrial Revolution

A period of major industrialization from the late 18th to the early 19th century that transformed economies from agrarian to industrial.

Capitalism

An economic system characterized by private ownership of the means of production and the operation for profit.

Communism

A political and economic ideology advocating for a classless society in which all property is publicly owned, associated with Karl Marx.

Berlin Conference

A meeting in 1884-1885 where European powers negotiated the partition of Africa, leading to the colonization of the continent.

New Imperialism

A period of colonial expansion by European powers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, characterized by the acquisition of territories in Africa and Asia.

Battle of Adwa

A decisive battle in 1896 where Ethiopian forces defeated the Italians, ensuring Ethiopian sovereignty.

Meiji Restoration

A political revolution in Japan (1868) that restored imperial rule and led to rapid modernization and industrialization.

Opium Wars

Two conflicts (1839-1842 and 1856-1860) between China and Western powers, primarily Britain, over trade imbalances and opium trade.

Sepoy Rebellion of 1857

An uprising against the British East India Company's rule in India, marking a significant revolt against colonial authority.

World War One

A global conflict from 1914 to 1918 involving many of the world's great powers, often attributed to militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism.

Militarism

The belief in building up strong armed forces to prepare for war, which contributed to the outbreak of World War One.

Nationalism

A political ideology that emphasizes the interests of a particular nation, often leading to the desire for independence or dominance.

Propaganda

Information, especially biased or misleading, used to promote a political cause or point of view, particularly during wartime.

Trenches

Long, narrow ditches used in warfare, particularly during World War One, to provide protection from enemy fire.

Mustafa Kemal

The founder of modern Turkey, known as Atatürk, who implemented significant reforms in the early 20th century.

Armenian genocide

The systematic extermination of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War One.

Armistice

An agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting for a certain time; the armistice of November 11, 1918, ended World War One.

Paris Peace Conference

The meeting of the Allied powers in 1919 to negotiate peace treaties after World War One, leading to the Treaty of Versailles.

Treaty of Versailles

The peace treaty that officially ended World War One, imposing heavy reparations and territorial losses on Germany.

The Great Depression

A severe worldwide economic downturn that lasted from 1929 to the late 1930s, marked by high unemployment and deflation.

Totalitarianism

A political system in which the state recognizes no limits to its authority and seeks to regulate every aspect of public and private life.

Russian Revolution

A series of revolutions in 1917 that led to the overthrow of the Tsar and the establishment of a communist government.

Collectivization

A policy of consolidating individual landholdings and labor into collective farms, implemented in the Soviet Union under Stalin.

Joseph Stalin

The leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953, known for his totalitarian rule and rapid industrialization.

Hirohito

The Emperor of Japan from 1926 to 1989, who reigned during World War Two and the postwar period.

Benito Mussolini

An Italian politician and leader of the National Fascist Party, who ruled Italy as Prime Minister from 1922 until his ousting in 1943.

Fascism

A far-right authoritarian ultranationalist political ideology characterized by dictatorial power and strong regimentation of society.

Hyperinflation

An extremely high and typically accelerating inflation rate, often resulting in the collapse of a currency.

Adolf Hitler

The leader of the Nazi Party and Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, known for his role in World War Two and the Holocaust.

Nuremberg Laws

Racist laws enacted in Nazi Germany in 1935 that stripped Jews of their citizenship and rights.

Mohandas Gandhi

An Indian leader known for his nonviolent resistance against British rule and his role in the Indian independence movement.

Salt March

A nonviolent protest led by Gandhi in 1930 against British salt taxes, symbolizing the struggle for Indian independence.

World War Two

A global conflict from 1939 to 1945 involving most of the world's nations, marked by significant events such as the Holocaust and the use of nuclear weapons.

Appeasement

A diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding war by making concessions to an aggressor, notably used in the lead-up to World War Two.

Invasion of Poland

The German invasion of Poland in September 1939, which marked the beginning of World War Two in Europe.

Pearl Harbor

A surprise military attack by the Japanese Navy on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, leading to the U.S. entering World War Two.

D-Day

The Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, marking a significant turning point in World War Two.

The Holocaust

The systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its allies during World War Two.

Bengal Famine

A devastating famine in British-ruled India during World War Two (1943) that resulted in millions of deaths due to food shortages.

Differences between wars

World War One was characterized by trench warfare and static fronts, while World War Two saw rapid movement and technological advancements.

Impact on women

Both World Wars led to increased participation of women in the workforce, challenging traditional gender roles.

United Nations

An international organization founded in 1945 to promote peace, security, and cooperation among countries.

Cold War

A period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States from the end of World War Two until the early 1990s.

1st/2nd/3rd World

Terms used during the Cold War to categorize countries: First World (capitalist), Second World (communist), and Third World (developing nations).

Berlin Wall

A barrier that divided East and West Berlin from 1961 until its fall in 1989, symbolizing the Cold War division.

Mao Zedong

The founding father of the People's Republic of China, who led the country from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976.

Great Leap Forward

An economic and social campaign initiated by Mao Zedong in 1958 aimed at rapidly transforming China into a socialist society.

Tiananmen Square

A location in Beijing known for the pro-democracy protests in 1989, which were violently suppressed by the Chinese government.

Decolonization

The process by which colonies gained independence from colonial powers, particularly in Africa and Asia after World War Two.

Partition of India

The division of British India into two independent dominions, India and Pakistan, in 1947, leading to significant communal violence.

Year of Africa

1960, when 17 African nations gained independence from colonial rule, marking a significant moment in the decolonization movement.

Kwame Nkrumah

The first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, a key figure in the African independence movement.

Apartheid

A system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s.

Nelson Mandela

A South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and political leader who became the first black president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

Founding of Israel

The establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, following the end of the British mandate in Palestine and the subsequent Arab-Israeli conflict.

Social Contract

A theory in political philosophy that individuals consent, either explicitly or implicitly, to form a society and accept certain obligations.

Paris Peace Conference (1919)

The meeting of Allied powers after World War One to negotiate peace treaties and redraw national boundaries.