Mexican Revolution - Armed rebellion in which the Mexican people fought for political and social reform, especially against neocolonialism; resulted in the ouster of Porfirio Diaz from power; and opposition forces led by Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata.

Total War - When the line between soldiers and civilians was blurred and all of a country’s resources are devoted to the war effort.

Propaganda - information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

Great Depression - the economic crisis beginning with the US stock market crash in 1929 and continuing through the 1930s; had far-reaching global economic effects including further hindering countries recovering from WWI

New Deal - A series of reforms enacted by the Franklin Roosevelt administration between 1933 and 1942 with the goal of ending the Great Depression; an example of a government taking greater economic control

Fascist Corporatist Economy - An anti-capitalist economy where the government controlled corporations and had political influence through them.

Five-Year Plan - plans outlined by Joseph Stalin in 1928 for the development of the Soviet Union's economy; wanted to rebuild the Soviet economy after WWI; tried to improve heavy industry and improve farm output, but resulted in famine

League of Nations - world organization established in 1920 to promote international cooperation and peace; first proposed in 1918 by President Woodrow Wilson (although the United States never joined). Essentially powerless, it was officially dissolved in 1946.

Mandate System - Allocation of former German colonies and Ottoman possessions to the victorious powers after World War I; to be administered under League of Nations supervision.

Indian National Congress - group formed by Hindu nationalist leaders of India in the late 1800's to gain greater democracy and eventual self-rule

Fascism - A political system headed by a dictator that calls for extreme nationalism and racism and has no tolerance for opposition; actively promotes social hierarchies with rule by elite

Totalitarianism - A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)

MIlitarism - A policy of glorifying military power and keeping a standing army always prepared for war

Atomic Bomb - a nuclear weapon developed in the US in which enormous energy is released by nuclear fission; first used during WWII on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Fire Bombing - Bombs dropped on Germany and Japan with intentions to spread fires and take down cities

Armenian Genocide - Ottoman Muslim Turks targeted Christian minority group within their from 1915-1917; Ottomans were afraid the Armenian Christians would side with Russia, their enemy

Holocaust - A methodical plan orchestrated by Hitler to ensure German supremacy. It called for the elimination of Jews, non-conformists, homosexuals, non-Aryans, and mentally and physically disabled.

Genocide - the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation.

Rwandan Genocide - The killing of more than 500,000 ethnic Tutsis by rival Hutu militias in Rwanda in 1994. The conflict between the dominant Tutsis and the majority Hutus had gone on for centuries, but the suddenness and savagery of the massacres caught the United Nations off-guard. U.N. peacekeepers did not enter the country until after much of the damage had been done.

Bolsheviks - A party of revolutionary Marxists, led by Vladimir Lenin, who seized power in Russia in 1917.

Central Powers - In World War I the alliance of Germany and Austria-Hungary and other nations allied with them in opposing the Allies.

Allied Powers - WWI alliance of Great Britain, France, Italy, Russia, and later the US (1917)

Reparations - As part of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was ordered to pay fines to the Allies to repay the costs of the war. Opposed by the U.S., it quickly led to a severe depression in Germany.

Paris Peace Conference - Rulers and countries (not Germany and Russia) met at Versailles to negotiate the repercussions WWI; leaders included Lloyd George (Britain), Woodrow Wilson (America), Clemenceau (France) and Italy. The Treaty of Versailles was made but not agreed to be signed and the conference proved unsuccessful.

Fourteen Points - A series of proposals in which U.S. President Woodrow Wilson outlined a plan for achieving a lasting peace after World War I; created the League of Nations

Weimar Republic - Post WWI German republic; in great debt due to war reparations; received large loans each year from the United States

Trench Warfare - A form of warfare in which opposing armies fight each other from trenches dug in the battlefield; used prolifically during WWI

Stalemate - A situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible; Western Front of WWI

Collectivize - to run or organize a farm according to principles of united control; often used by Communist countries to expedite industrial and agricultural production resulting in shortages

Balfour Declaration - British document that promised land in Palestine as homeland for Jews in exchange for Jews help in WWI

Mao Zedong - (1893-1976) Leader of the Communist Party in China that overthrew Jiang Jieshi and the Nationalists. Established China as the People's Republic of China and ruled from 1949 until 1976.

Zionism - A policy for establishing and developing a national homeland for Jews in Palestine.

Pan-Arabism - A political movement in which Arabs advocated for political, cultural, and socioeconomic unity of Arabs across the different countries that emerged after decolonization.

Self-determination - During WWI, President Woodrow Wilson promoted the concept of self-determination meaning that a nation can seek to create its own independent government or state.

Communism - A political ideology that includes the absence of private property and social classes. It is described as a profit-based economy with public ownership and communal control of the major means of production.

Keynesian Economics - Created by John Keynes; stated that governments must stimulate the economy by spending and funding public work projects to lower unemployment rates and reinvigorate consumer spending. This was the ideology behind Roosevelt’s New Deal Program.]

Mahatma Gandhi - THe leader of the Indian independence movement. He was known for his strategy of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience.

Good Neighbor Policy - Instilled by President Roosevelt; stated that the U.S. would practice non-intervention in the domestic affairs of Central and South America; trade and cooperation were to be emphasized instead of military force to maintain stability in the hemisphere.