Untitled Flashcards Set
defensive alliance
- A military alliance where each partner is pledged to defend every other
member should any bbe attacked by another nation.
Triple Alliance
- A Bismarck forged military defensive alliance between Germany, Italy,
and Austria-Hungary. It lasted until the start of World War I in 1914.
Triple Entente
- A military defensive alliance formed by France, Russia, and Britain to
counter-balance the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and
Italy.
Alsace – Lorraine
- An historic region laying between France and Germany. The
population is ethnically German, but had been under French control for
centuries. It was fought over for decades.
Bosnia-Herzegovina
- A region in the Balkan Peninsula that is populated by South Slavs
(Bosnians, Serbs, and Croats). Austria-Hungary controlled the region,
but Serbia was determined to gain control of the area.
nationalism
- An emotional political philosophy that glorifies the nation as the most
fundamental human bond that unites the people of a specific
background to the land where they live.
Archduke Francis-Ferdinand
- The heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, his June 1914 assassination
by Serbian nationalists triggered the outbreak of World War I.
“blank check”
- A slang phrase that means to give someone the power to do anything
they want. It comes from a banking term for presenting someone with
a signed check that they can make out for any amount.
ultimatum
- A final demand or list of demands with the threat of further action if it is
rejected.
mobilize
- The action of a government or country to call up military forces to
prepare for active service. It is one step short of war.
von Schlieffen Plan
- A German battle plan designed to win a war against both France and
Russia. It called for a quick attack and victory over France while
Russia was still mobilizing. It failed in World War I.
two-front war
- A conflict fought in two distinctively separate regions forcing a
combatant to divide their forces.
Allies
- One side of combatants in World War I. The major participants were
Britain, France, and Russia. Later, dozens of nations joined the Allies.
Central Powers
- One side of combatants in World War I. They included Germany,
Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.
poison gas
- A devastating weapon used by both sides in World War I in hopes of
breaking the stalemate on the Western Front. Mustard Gas and
Chlorine Gas were the most common.
U-Boat
- The German term for a submarine. The U-Boat was first used on a
large scale in World War I.
HMS Lusitania
- A British luxury ocean liner that was sunk by a German submarine off
the coast of Ireland in May 1915. Over 1,100 civilians died in the
tragedy, including over 120 Americans.
reconnaissance
- The action of trying to observe the movements and actions of an
enemy.
dogfight
- The nickname for combat between two or more airplanes.
genocide
- The act of trying to kill a specific group or race of people.
Armenian Genocide (1915 – 1917)
- Considered the first mass murder of the 20 th century, over 1,500,000
Armenian Christians were killed by the actions of the Ottoman Empire.
total war
- Term for a conflict that impacts every part of a combatant’s economy,
resources, and population.
“Canary Girls”
- A British nickname for the young women who worked in the munitions
industry producing the bombs needed at the front. Their skin was
turned yellow by exposure to dangerous levels of sulfur.
Easter Rebellion
- A large uprising by Irish nationalists seeking the end of British rule. It
took place during Easter Week in 1916. The British crushed the
uprising and executed the leaders of the revolt, but promised to begin
negotiations to create a free Ireland after the end of the war.
unrestricted submarine war
- German government policy of using its U-Boats to sink ANY vessel,
Allied or neutral, conducting trade with Britain. The policy helped push
the US into the war against Germany.
Zimmermann Telegram
- A German government message sent to Mexico encouraging that
nation to attack the US. The British intercepted the telegram and
turned it over to the US.
President Woodrow Wilson
- Leader of the US during World War I. He kept the nation out of the war
until 1917.
14 Points
- A 14-point plan created by President Wilson as a pathway to bring the
war to an end. Among the points were arms limitations, borders drawn
along ethnic lines, an end to secret treaties, the formation of a League
of Nations, and the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France.
League of Nations
- An international organization created to be a way for nations to
peacefully resolve disputes and avoid future conflicts.
armistice
- A temporary truce between warring combatants while a treaty is
negotiated.
Treaty of Versailles
- The primary agreement that brought World War I to an end. The treaty
forced defeated Germany to accept sole responsibility for starting the
war, stripped Germany of 13% of its territory, limited the size of its
military, and placed massive reparations on the country.
Big Four
- Nickname for the four major Allied nations (Britain, France, Italy, and
the US) and their leaders (PM Lloyd-George, Premier Clemenceau,
PM Orlando, and President Wilson).
reparations
- Term for money paid by the defeated to the victors following a war.
Russian Revolution of 1917
- One of the most important political events in history, it began with the
overthrow of the old tsarist Romanov monarchy and to the eventual
establishment of the first communist government. There were actually
two separate uprisings, one in March and a second in November.
Provisional Government
- The new government established after the overthrow of Tsar Nicholas
II in March 1917. It was led by Prince Lvov and Alexander Kerensky.
It lost the support of the public because it continued to fight in World
War I.
Duma
- The parliament of Russia.
Bolshevik
- An early name of the communist movement in Russia. They led a long
underground fight to bring down the tsarist monarchy and eventually
established the world’s first communist state, the Soviet Union.
Vladimir Lenin
- The leader of the Bolshevik revolutionaries and the first ruler of the
new Soviet Union.
Petrograd
- The wartime name of the Russian city of St. Petersburg.
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
- A harsh 1918 peace treaty negotiated by the new Soviet government
and the Central Powers. The Soviets were forced to surrender huge
amounts of territory to Germany and Austria-Hungary. It was undone
by Germany’s defeat.
Russian Civil War
- A brutal, destructive civil war fought between communists and anti-
communists in Russia. It left much of the country in ruins. The
communists won.
Reds
- A nickname for supporters of the communists.
Whites
- A nickname for opponents of the communists.
Red Army
- The military force that fought for the communists in the Russian Civil
War and later the army of the Soviet Union.
Leon Trotsky
- An early Bolshevik and close aide to Lenin, he organized the Red
Army. He later lost a power struggle with Stalin and was forced into
exile. Stalin had him assassinated in 1940.
New Economic Policy (NEP)
- Lenin introduced a radical economic reform designed to help the nation
recover from the destruction of World War I and the Russian Civil War
that marked a complete break with traditional communist economics.
kulaks
- The kulaks were Russian peasants who were wealthy enough to own
their own land and to hire farmworkers. They prospered under the
NEP and were destroyed by Stalin.
Josef Stalin
- An early Bolshevik colleague of Lenin and Trotsky, Stalin emerged as
a key rival of Trotsky. Stalin won the struggle and ultimately ruled the
Soviet Union from 1926 – 1953.
totalitarian
- A governmental system in which the state exercises total control over
every aspect of their citizens’ lives. The Soviet Union under Stalin was
one of the most totalitarian in history.
gulags
- A system of brutal Soviet concentration camps where political
dissidents were sentenced to long terms of confinement. Millions
perished in these camps.
“politically incorrect”
- Today this term refers to something that is considered to be
inappropriate, but it originated as an official crime in the Soviet Union
of disagreeing with communist policies.
Old Bolsheviks
- Term for the original early Bolsheviks who had fought against the
tsarist government before and during the Revolution. They were close
confidents of Lenin. Stalin targeted them for elimination because he
viewed them as political rivals.
Show Trials
- Term for the Soviet courts that were used to publically discredit well-
known Bolsheviks who Stalin viewed as threats. The accused would
frequently confess to being “enemies of the people.”
counter-revolutionary
- Any individual or action that is engaged in actions designed to undo or
undermine a revolution.
5-Year Plans
- The term used by Soviet economic planners to describe their ambitious
plans to grow every segment of the economy, especially manufacturing
and agriculture. They were mostly failures.
collectivization of agriculture
- The disastrous communist policy of seizing privately owned farms and
forming massive, state-owned farms. Agricultural production fell
dramatically following collectivization.
Lost Generation
- Term is a nickname for the writers and artists of the 1920’s and 1930’s
who used their art to express the anger of their generation who had
suffered and died during the war.
Dada
- A satirical and nonsensical art movement that began during World War
I as a reaction against the horrors of the war.
Surrealism
- An art movement of the 1920’s and 1930’s that tried to reflect the
unconscious thoughts of the human mind.
Bauhaus
- A modern architecture movement that developed in Germany during
the 1920’s and 1930’s. The Bauhaus architects favors simple, angular
design and were driven by the motto, “Form follows function.”
League of Nations
- An international organization created to be a way for nations to
peacefully resolve disputes and avoid future conflicts.
Treaty of Versailles
- The primary agreement that brought World War I to an end. The treaty
forced defeated Germany to accept sole responsibility for starting the
war, stripped Germany of 13% of its territory, limited the size of its
military, and placed massive reparations on the country.
Weimar Germany
- Name for the first German republic, established at the end of World
War I in 1918 and lasting until the rise of Hitler’s Third Reich in 1933.
Frei Korps
- Paramilitary groups made up of angry German veterans who attacked
communists and supporters of the Weimar Repubblic.
reparations
- Term for money paid by the defeated to the victors following a war.
hyperinflation
- Economic term for the rapid, excessive rise in prices. The worst
hyperinflation in history was in Weimar Germany during 1923.
Ruhr Crisis of 1923
- When Germany was unable to make its reparation payments in 1923,
French troops occupied the Ruhr, Germany’s industrial heartland. The
crisis led to a gradual easing of Allied restrictions.
Beer Hall Putsch (1923)
- November 1923 failed attempt by Hitler and the Nazi Party to
overthrow the Weimar government. Hitler was arrested an imprisoned
after the coup failed.
Dawes Plan
- In 1924 the US began to loan Weimar the money needed to stabilize
its economy and still make its reparation payments to France and
Britain. The Plan helped Weimar recover from the hyperinflation of the
early 1920’s.
Kellogg – Briand Pact (1928)
- An idealistic international agreement that pledged nations to never
wage war as a means of resolving international disputes. It was
quickly ignored.
Great Depression
- A massive global economic collapse that triggered unemployment and
the virtual end of international trade. It led to the rise of radical political
movements, both fascist and communist, all over the world.
Indian National Congress (INC)
- The oldest political party in India. The Congress Party was formed in
1885 and became the leading organization agitating for Indian rights
and eventually independence.
Mahatma Gandhi
- Famed Indian nationalist leader, he led the INC from 1920 until his
assassination in 1948. He led a campaign of non-violence against
British rule that resulted in independence in 1947.
Popular Front
- Term for European governing coalitions that were made up of left-wing
political parties, including socialist and even communist movements.
totalitarian state
- A government that exercises total control over every aspect of its
citizens’ lives. The Soviet Union under Stalin is the best example.
Old Bolsheviks
- Term for the original early Bolsheviks who had fought against the
tsarist government before and during the Revolution. They were close
confidents of Lenin. Stalin targeted them for elimination because he
viewed them as political rivals.
Show Trials
- Term for the Soviet courts that were used to publically discredit well-
known Bolsheviks who Stalin viewed as threats. The accused would
frequently confess to being “enemies of the people.”
Red Army
- The military force that fought for the communists in the Russian Civil
War and later the army of the Soviet Union.
gulags
- A system of brutal Soviet concentration camps where political
dissidents were sentenced to long terms of confinement. Millions
perished in these camps.
collectivization of agriculture
- The disastrous communist policy of seizing privately owned farms and
forming massive, state-owned farms. Agricultural production fell
dramatically following collectivization.
state farms
- Term for large, state-owned farms formed by the collectivization of
formerly privately owned farms. They proved to be huge failures and
could not produce enough food to feed the nation.
kulaks
- The kulaks were Russian peasants who were wealthy enough to own
their own land and to hire farmworkers. They prospered under the
NEP and were destroyed by Stalin.
Siberia
- Geographic term for the massive region of Russia that is east of the
Ural Mountains in Asia. It is noted for its size, savage beauty, natural
resources, and bitter cold.
5-Year Plans
- The term used by Soviet economic planners to describe their ambitious
plans to grow every segment of the economy, especially manufacturing
and agriculture. They were mostly failures.
Benito Mussolini
- The Fascist dictator of Italy from 1922 – 1945. He established an
authoritarian state that focused on nationalism and one-man rule.
Fascism
- A political ideology that glorifies the nation, the people, the military, and
is centered on the rule of a strong dictatorial individual.
Blackshirts
- Term for the fascist paramilitary groups that battled anti-fascists in the
streets of Italy. They were mainly angry young veterans.
March on Rome (1922)
- The theatrical October 1922 event staged by Mussolini and the fascists
that led to the King naming Mussolini as Prime Minister. It inspired
Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch the following year.
Invasion of Ethiopia (1935)
- In 1935 Mussolini attacked the independent Kingdom of Ethiopia in an
attempt to avenge an Italian defeat in that nation in 1895 and to begin
to build a new Italian empire.
National Socialism (Nazism)
- A radical, racist political ideology that glorifies the nation, the race, the
military, and is centered on the rule of a strong dictatorial individual. It
is similar to fascism, but adds racism to its beliefs.
Paul von Hindenburg
- A retired general who served as the President of the Weimar Republic.
He appointed Hitler as Chancellor in 1933 which led to the eventual
rise of the Third Reich.
Adolf Hitler
- The Nazi dictator of Germany from 1933 – 1945. He established an
authoritarian state that focused on nationalism, aggressive foreign
policy, anti-Semitism, and one-man rule.
Enabling Act
- A law passed by the Reichstag (parliament) in 1933 that granted Hitler
dictatorial powers.
Brownshirts
- Term for the nazi paramilitary groups that battled anti-nazis in the
streets of Germany. They were mainly angry young veterans.
Mein Kampf
- A book, written by Hitler while in prison for the Beer Hall Putsch, it
explains the beliefs and goals of the Nazi Party.
Remilitarization of the Rhineland (1935)
- Hitler’s first challenge to the terms of the Versailles Treaty, he ordered
German troops to cross into the region of the Rhineland. The failure of
France or Britain to oppose the action inspired Hitler’s further
aggressions.
Anschluss
- German term for the unification of Germany and Austria in 1938,
another violation of the Versailles Treaty.
Czechoslovakia
- One of the new nations formed at the end of World War I from territory
of the old Austria-Hungary. It was the most stable and successful of
the new states, but it had a large German minority.
Czechoslovakian Crisis (1938)
- A crisis that developed when Germany demanded Czechoslovakia
surrender the region of the Sudetenland or risk a war.
successor states
- Term for all the new nations that were created from Russian and
Austro-Hungarian territory at the end of World War I.
Sudetenland
- A mountainous region of Czechoslovakia that was home to about
3,000,000 ethnic Germans. It was the focal point of a crisis that nearly
led to war in 1938.
Munich Pact
- A controversial 1938 agreement that became the symbol of
appeasement, or the policy of giving in to a dictator’s demands. Hitler
was given the Sudetenland.
Neville Chamberlain
- The British Prime Minister who became the face of the failed policy of
appeasement. Hitler’s betrayal of the Munich Pact destroyed
Chamberlain’s reputation.
appeasement
- The discredited policy of giving in to the threats of Mussolini and Hitler
in the 1930’s in hopes of preventing another war.
Nuremburg Laws
- Anti-Semitic laws passed by the Nazi government that began the
persecution of the German Jewish minority.
Kristalnacht
- This violent attack on German Jews marked an escalation in the
persecution that would eventually result in the genocide.
Spanish Civil War (1936 – 1939)
- A brutal ideological civil war that pitted a leftist government against a
fascist supported opposition. Germany and Italy sent extensive
assistance to the fascist side. The fascists won the war.
General Francisco Franco
- A Spanish military figure who became the leader of the fascist side
during the Spanish Civil War. After winning the war, he went on to rule
Spain until his death in 1975.
Republicans (aka: Loyalists)
- The leftist, pro-government side in the Spanish Civil War. They were
supported by the Soviet Union and anti-fascists from all over the world.
Nationalists
- The fascist, anti-government side in the Spanish Civil War. They were
led by Franco and received extensive support from Germany and Italy.
Nazi – Soviet Pact
- A shocking diplomatic non-aggression treaty signed by Nazi Germany
and Stalin’s Soviet Union. It freed Hitler to attack Poland one week
later, starting World War II.
non-aggression treaty
- A diplomatic agreement that pledges to maintain peace.
mechanized divisions
- Military units that utilize motorized vehicles, such as tanks, trucks, and
jeeps.
Blitzkrieg
- From the German term meaning “lightning war,” it refers to the German
tactic of advancing rapidly and overwhelming an enemy. It was
designed to prevent a repeat of stalemate that marked World War I.
Maginot Line
- An elaborate series of fortifications, built by the French along the
border with Germany. It was really a refined version of trenches.
Phony War
- Nickname for the period between September 1939 and May 1940,
from when the Allies declared war on Germany and the beginning of
German offensives in the West.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill
- The most important Prime Minister in 20 th century British history, he
assumed power in 1940 and guided the nation through the war. He
was noted for his powerful and inspiring speeches.
Vichy France
- Following France’s surrender to Germany in June 1940, a new
collaborationist regime was established that worked with the Nazi
occupiers until the liberation in 1944.
Marshall Henri Petain
- A hero during World War I, he emerged as the leader of the Vichy
government in 1940. He believed that working with the occupation
would improve life for the French people.
Battle of Britain
- Term for the German campaign to force Britain’s surrender during
World War II. The battle was almost exclusively wage in the air.
Luftwaffe
- The formal name of the German air force.
Royal Air Force
- The formal name of the British air force.
Afrika Korps
- Famed German military unit that was sent to North Africa in 1942 to
help the faltering Italian campaign against the British. The Afrika Korps
was forced to surrender to the Allies in 1943.
Eastern Front
- Term for the fighting in Eastern Europe, mainly in the Soviet Union,
following the German invasion in June 1941. It was the site of the
greatest number of casualties.
Allies
- Term for the alliance of nations fighting against Nazi Germany. Britain,
the Soviet Union, and the United States, and China were the major
powers.
Axis
- Term for the nations battling the Allies during World War II. The major
Axis powers were Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Japan.
Aryan
- Racial term used by the Nazis to distinguish the Germanic peoples.
The Nazis defined the Aryans as the master race.
Casablanca Conference
- January 1943 wartime meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt in
Morocco. The two leaders pledged to demand “unconditional
surrender” of Germany and Italy.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)
- The longest-serving President in US history, he was first elected in
1932 during the worst years of the Depression. He went on to be
elected four times and led the US through World War II.
Stalingrad
- A large city in the southern Soviet Union, it became the site of the
largest battle of the war in the Eastern Front and is considered a
turning point in the war against the Nazis. The German defeat began
the systematic destruction of the Nazis.
Teheran Conference
- November 1943, historic first gathering of Churchill, Roosevelt, and
Stalin. The Big Three met in Iran to discuss the next steps in the war.
They agreed to plan an invasion of France in 1944 to open a second
front.
Big Three
- The nickname for Prime Minister Winston Churchill, President Franklin
Roosevelt, and Soviet Premier Josef Stalin.
D-Day
- The codename for the June 6. 1944 Allied landings on the French
coast in Normandy. It opened a second front against Nazi Germany
and sped up the end of the war.
amphibious
- A military action that involves water landings on a target.
Yalta Conference
- Epic February 1943 final meeting of the Big Three, the gathering
shaped the post-war world. The leaders agreed to divide defeated
Germany, for the Soviets to join the war against Japan, and form a
United Nations.
United Nations
- A new international organization that was designed to replace the
League of Nations, it was chartered in 1945 and is based in New York
City.
Victory-in-Europe (V-E) Day
- The nickname for May 7, 1945, the date of the German surrender.
Holocaust
- From a Greek term meaning “destruction by fire,” it refers to the
systematic effort of the Nazis to exterminate the Jewish population of
Europe. Millions of people were murdered between 1939 – 1945.
Wannsee Conference
- A notorious January 1942 meeting of Nazi officials where the
Holocaust was planned and coordinated.
Zyclon-B
- The toxic poison gas used by the Nazis to murder millions of people
during the Holocaust.
concentration camps
- Term for the large detention camps built by the Nazis to house their
victims. Some were labor camps where prisoners were forced to work;
some were death camps where prisoners were murdered.
Roma
- A unique and distinctive minority group found mainly in southern and
eastern Europe. The Roma, formerly called Gypsies, were targeted for
persecution by the Nazis.
Nuremberg Trials
- A series of legal proceedings that were held to prosecute the Nazi
leadership. Over one dozen Nazis were hanged and hundreds were
sent to prison.
“crimes against humanity”
- The most common charge against the Nazi leaders tried at
Nuremberg.
Iron Curtain
- Nickname for the border between the communist and non-communist
parts of Europe. Much of the boundary was heavily guarded.
Manhattan Project
- Codename for the massive American military and scientific effort to
produce an atomic bomb. It was inspired by the research of Albert
Einstein.