Big History Study Guide: Key Themes and Events

Communist

Advocates for a classless society, government ownership of resources (Karl Marx).

Radical

Favors rapid and fundamental change.

Liberal

Supports reform and progress through legal change.

Moderate

Holds centrist views; open to gradual change.

Conservative

Supports traditional values and institutions.

Reactionary

Wants to return to previous conditions.

Fascist

Extreme authoritarian nationalism, often dictatorial (e.g., Mussolini, Hitler).

Planned Economy

Government controls production and distribution (Communism).

Mixed Economy

Combination of government regulation and free market.

Pure/Free Market Economy

Minimal government interference (Capitalism).

Capitalism

Private ownership, market-driven economy (Adam Smith).

Communism

Classless society, common ownership (Karl Marx).

Inflation

General rise in prices reducing purchasing power.

Balance of Trade

Difference between exports and imports.

Market Economy

Economy driven by supply and demand.

Nation

Group with shared culture, language, or identity.

Nation-State

Political entity where nation and state boundaries align.

Nationalism

Pride and loyalty to one's nation; can unify or divide.

Positive Effects of Nationalism

Unites people, inspires independence movements.

Negative Effects of Nationalism

Can cause ethnic conflict, imperialism, exclusion.

Agricultural Revolution

Increased food production supported population growth.

Economic Factors

Capital, banking system, colonial markets.

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Geographic Advantages

Coal, iron, rivers, ports.

Steam Engine

James Watt; revolutionized transport and factories.

Trains

Enabled faster movement of goods/people.

Textile Machines

Spinning Jenny, power loom increased fabric production.

Adam Smith

Father of capitalism; 'invisible hand' guides economy.

Karl Marx

Critic of capitalism; called for proletariat revolution.

Socialism

Advocates for social ownership.

Utilitarianism

Greatest good for greatest number.

Economic Causes of Imperialism

Need for raw materials and new markets.

Nationalism in Imperialism

Pride and competition.

Religious Goals of Imperialism

Spread Christianity.

Social Darwinism

Belief in 'survival of the fittest' applied to races.

White Man's Burden

Duty to civilize 'lesser' peoples.

Sepoy Rebellion

Indian soldiers rebelled; led to direct British rule.

Gandhi's Peaceful Resistance

Led to independence movement.

Berlin Conference

Divided Africa among European powers.

Scramble for Africa

Rapid colonization.

Opium War

Britain forced China to accept opium trade.

Extraterritorial Rights

Foreigners exempt from Chinese law.

Taiping Rebellion

Massive civil war weakening Qing dynasty.

Open Door Policy

US wanted free trade in China.

Boxer Rebellion

Anti-foreigner uprising.

Treaty of Kanagawa

Forced Japan to open ports to US.

Meiji Era

Rapid modernization and industrialization.

Russo-Japanese War

Japan defeats Russia.

Annexed Korea

Showing imperial ambitions.

Militarism

Arms race and glorification of military.

Alliance Systems

Divided Europe into opposing camps.

Imperialism

Competition for colonies.

Allies

Great Britain, France, Russia (later US).

Central Powers

Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire.

Vital Interests

E.g., Serbia sought Slavic unity, Austria-Hungary feared nationalism.

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Triggered chain reaction of alliance mobilizations.

Trench Warfare

War fought in fortified trenches on Western Front.

Conditions of Trench Warfare

Muddy, disease-ridden, high casualties.

New tech in WWI

Machine guns, poison gas, tanks.

Major Fronts in WWI

Western (France/Belgium), Eastern (Russia/Germany), Middle Eastern, Atlantic naval battles.

US Entry into WWI

Unrestricted submarine warfare by Germany.

Zimmerman Telegram

Provided fresh troops and resources; shifted war balance.

14 Points

Wilson's plan for peace emphasizing self-determination and League of Nations.

Treaty of Versailles

Major players: Allies (Britain, France, US, Italy), Germany excluded.

Provisions of Treaty of Versailles

Germany blamed, reparations, military restrictions.

Significance of Treaty of Versailles

Set stage for WWII resentment.

Early History of Russia

Slavs settled in Kiev, influenced by Byzantium (Orthodox Christianity, Cyrillic alphabet).

Eastern Orthodox Church

Important cultural force in Russia.

Russian Revolution Causes

Loss of faith in Tsar Nicholas II, Bloody Sunday massacre, economic hardship, social inequality, political repression.

March Revolution

Tsar abdicated; provisional government formed.

Bolshevik Revolution

Led by Lenin and Trotsky; overthrew provisional government; established communist rule.

Civil War in Russia

Reds (Bolsheviks) vs Whites (anti-communists); Reds had better organization and control of cities.

Stalin's Rule

Five Year Plans: Industrialization goals; Collectivization: Forced consolidation of farms; Purges: Removal of political opponents.

Kulaks

Wealthy peasants targeted during Stalin's rule.

Reasons for Rise of Fascism

Economic hardship (inflation, Great Depression), national humiliation (Treaty of Versailles), fear of communism, Weimar Republic's weaknesses.

Mein Kampf

Hitler's book outlining ideology.

Surrealism

Art movement expressing unconscious fears.

Theory of Relativity

Einstein challenged traditional physics.

Sigmund Freud

Explored human psyche.

Fascism vs Communism

Fascism: Dictatorial leadership, state-controlled economy with private ownership, ultra-nationalist; Communism: Proletariat-led, state-owned means of production, classless society.

Joined Axis Powers

Rome-Berlin-Tokyo.

Hitler's Rise

Enforced Nuremberg Laws to discriminate Jews, annexed Sudetenland and Austria (Anschluss), signed Soviet-Nazi Non-Aggression Pact.

Appeasement

Policy by Britain and France to avoid conflict; Munich Conference: Gave Sudetenland to Germany; failed to stop war.

Japan as Imperial Power

Militarism.

Munich Conference

Gave Sudetenland to Germany.

Modernized during Meiji Era

Refers to Japan's transformation into a modern state.

Key Battles in the Pacific

Pearl Harbor, Midway, Iwo Jima, Hiroshima/Nagasaki.

Key Battles in Europe

Dunkirk, Battle of Britain, Stalingrad, D-Day, Battle of the Bulge.

Reasons for Allied Victory

Leadership of Churchill, FDR, Stalin (Big Three).

Lend-Lease aid

Support from USA before entry into WWII.

Superior industrial capacity

Contributed to the Allied victory in WWII.

Holocaust

Nazis targeted Jews based on Aryan racial ideology.

Final Solution

Systematic genocide of Jews during the Holocaust.

Nuremberg Trials

Held perpetrators accountable for war crimes.

Cold War Roots

Postwar conferences (Yalta, Potsdam) divided Europe.

US and USSR goals

Conflicted: democracy vs communism.

Buffer zones and mistrust

Sparked the Cold War.

Decolonization & Proxy Wars

Former colonies gained independence with US and USSR support.

Major Events of the Cold War

Berlin Wall, Cuban Missile Crisis, Korean War, Vietnam War.

Nuclear Weapons

Created global tension and policy of deterrence.