Period 4 Terms A

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ZOOM

Period 4 Terms A
Global Conflicts (1900-present)
1. Armenian genocide: Ottoman Turks targeted Armenian Christians from 1915-1916 as a way of
removing Christian influence in the Ottoman Empire to prevent them from supporting the Allied Powers
2. Treaty of Versailles: agreement that formally ended WWI; signed in 1919 and written by the Allied
Powers; focused on punishing the Central Powers, especially Germany, by limiting their abilities to have
militaries, produce weapons, and control colonies; included the war guilt clause that made Germany
accept full, sole responsibility for causes WWI
3. League of Nations: international peace organization formed after WWI to prevent conflicts between
countries by requiring them to publish treaties, discuss conflicts and find peaceful solutions, and protect
nations from invasions
4. Indian National Congress: Political party that grew from regional associations of Western-educated
Indians in 1885 seeking Indian Independence from Britain through civil disobedience and boycotts.
5. collectivization: process by which farmland is controlled by the government and divided between
workers
6. Blitzkrieg: translates as “lightning war” and is the military strategy of attacking an enemy quickly at
key points (urban areas, manufacturing sites, and transportation centers) and then retreating before they
can attack back; used by the Nazi German military, especially when bombing London and other British
cities at night
7. February/March Revolution: 1917 rebellion in Russia caused by involvement in WWI, food scarcity,
high casualties in war; centered in Petrograd (St. Petersburg) led by massive numbers of workers; led
Czar Nicholas II to abdicate (step down from the throne) and the creation of the Duma (parliamentary
government)
8. October/November Revolution: 1917 rebellion in Russia against the Duma led by a smaller number of
Red Guard soldiers who wanted to create a communist/socialist republic in Russia; focused on gaining
control of key strategic points in Petrograd (St. Petersburg) like railroads and telegraphs; promised to
end Russian involvement in WWI, provide food to the starving people, and redistribute land to peasants
9. Fourteen Points: U.S. President Woodrow Wilson’s plan to create a lasting peace after WWI by
addressing the underlying causes of WWI
10. self-determination: belief that citizens should be able to decide what kind of government they have
11. mandate system: developed by the League of Nations after WWI to give former Ottoman and German
colonies to the former Allied Powers; gave permission (mandate) to control that area until the people
were “prepared” for self-government
12. Bolshevik: member of Communist Party that wanted the proletariat to forcefully seize power of
government in Russia; led by Vladimir Lenin
13. totalitarianism: form of government in which political leaders control and make all decisions for the
citizens (social groups, education, economic policies, etc.)

14. satyagraha: Mahatma Ghandi’s philosophy of finding and maintaining truth by observing and
challenging unjust laws peacefully; must give notice of intention to resist unjust laws and do so
nonviolently; based on practices/beliefs of Indian religions (including Jainism)
15. coalition government: parliamentary government formed when a single party doesn’t have a majority
of representatives so makes an alliance with smaller parties in order to make a majority and promise to
help each other to keep that majority when voting
16. Weimar Republic: post-WWI German government; parliamentary republic with a president and
chancellor sharing power with parliament, protections of citizens’ rights, and public education; collapsed
because of economic instability and distrust in the government created by the Treaty of Versailles
17. fascism: political ideology (system of ideas) that argues that the government should have more control
over people’s daily lives and the economy to protect them from enemies inside and outside of the
country; emphasizes nationalism, racism, xenophobia (fear of foreigners), fear, and protection of
“natural” citizens (used in Mussolini’s Italy, Franco’s Spain, and Hitler’s Germany)
18. Great Purge: Stalin’s campaign against his political threats and enemies (1936-1938); around 750,000
people executed and 1 million people imprisoned in work camps (gulags); especially targeted people
loyal to Lenin and Trotsky (leaders of the Bolsheviks) and anyone not loyal to Josef Stalin (new leader
of Soviet Union after Lenin’s death)
19. Five-Year Plans: goals set by the Soviet Union’s government to increase production and stability to
compete with non-Soviet countries; focused on industrializing and producing food for cities
20. Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere: Japanese policy that outlined the belief that Japan should
colonize and control East Asian countries to preserve Asian traditions and protect them from Western
influences; excused Japanese violently taking over countries and using them for their resources
21. appeasement: political policy of giving a government what it wants in order to prevent future conflicts
22. nonaggression pact: agreement between Germany under Hitler and the Soviet Union under Stalin that
their countries would not fight each other but would divide Europe after Germany won WWII
23. Kristallnacht: translates as “Night of Broken Glass” and was an organized attack against Jewish people
led by the Nazi Party in Germany in 1938; encouraged children and civilians to burn down, vandalize
(harm), and loot Jewish businesses and buildings and ordered police and firefighters to attack victims
instead of people hurting them
24. lebensraum: German policy of expanding territory and colonies to give its population the resources and
land necessary to be self-sufficient (used in both pre-WWI and Nazi Germany)
25. Vichy France: WWII-era government that allied with Nazi Germany and signed an armistice
(agreement to stop fighting); created anti-Semitic policies and voluntarily arrested and deported Jewish
people to German-led concentration and death camps; gave the government more power over daily life
and restricted individual freedoms for citizens
26. kulak: wealthy peasant who had leadership positions in villages before the Russian Revolution; Lenin
used them to ensure farmers produced enough food for the empire by giving them incentives; eventually
replaced by collectivization that broke up individual land ownership and shared it among farmers