Rise of Totalitarian Leaders

Weimar Republic

  • German republic founded after World War I, replacing the monarchy.

Key Economic Concepts

Inflation

  • A continuous rise in the price of goods and services.

War Reparations

  • Payments made for war damages incurred during conflicts.

U.S. Stock Market Crash

  • Triggered the collapse into the Great Depression.

Political Systems and Figures

Czar

  • Traditional title for a Russian monarch.

Proletariat

  • Refers to working-class people.

Bolsheviks

  • Followers of Vladimir Lenin, advocating for communism.

Vladimir Lenin

  • Leader of the Russian Revolution; pivotal in establishing communism in Russia.

Joseph Stalin

  • Communist dictator of the Soviet Union during World War II.

Soviets

  • Councils in Russia composed of representatives from workers and soldiers.

Communist Party

  • A political party advocating for government control over production and distribution of goods, plus self-determination for working individuals.

Totalitarianism

  • A political system where the government has total control over the lives of citizens.

Great Purge

  • A campaign of terror aimed at eliminating anyone perceived as a threat to Stalin's power.

Command Economy

  • Economic system where the government controls the economy of the state.

Five-Year Plan

  • Stalin's economic policy intended to rebuild the Soviet economy after World War I.

Collective Farm

  • Government-owned farms where workers are paid by the government and share profits from products.

Key Historical Figures

Adolf Hitler

  • German dictator during World War II.

Benito Mussolini

  • Italian dictator during World War II.

Fascism

  • A political system led by a dictator emphasizing extreme nationalism and racism with no tolerance for opposition.

Propaganda

  • Ideas disseminated to influence public opinion either for or against a specific cause.

Political Armies

Black Shirts

  • Mussolini's private army of supporters.

Brown Shirts

  • Hitler's private army of supporters.

Nazism

  • The German variant of fascism.

Appeasement

  • Accepting demands to avoid conflict.

Mein Kampf

  • Influential book written by Adolf Hitler outlining his life and ideology, translated as "My Struggle."

Lebensraum

  • Hitler's expansionist theory advocating for acquiring additional "living space" for the German people.