AP World History Modern - Unit 7: Global Conflict Test Prep

Unit 7: Global Conflict - Introduction

  • Unit 7 covers global conflicts, mass atrocities, and genocides, including World War I and World War II.

Context Leading to Global Conflict

  • The unit starts in 1900, shortly after the Berlin Conference, which led to the Scramble for Africa.
  • European imperialism was driven by the Industrial Revolution's need for raw materials and markets.
  • Great Britain led in colonial expansion.
  • Industrialized nations had an insatiable desire for money and resources.
  • Major players in the Berlin Conference included:
    • The newly unified German state
    • The newly unified Italy
    • King Leopold of Belgium
    • Britain, France, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal
  • No African representatives were present.
  • Russia expanded eastward into Asia.
  • The Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) was fought over imperialistic ambitions in Manchuria and Korea, with Japan winning.
  • France colonized Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia).
  • The Dutch influenced life in the Indies.
  • The U.S. gained control of the Philippines.
  • Great Britain colonized India and continued drug trading to China, leading to the Treaty of Nanjing after the Opium Wars.

Shifting Power Dynamics

  • Several nations experienced internal unrest and revolutions due to authoritarian governments.
  • Russia:
    • Denial of basic rights, losses in the Russo-Japanese War, struggles to industrialize, and WWI losses led to the Bolshevik Revolution.
    • Vladimir Lenin and the working class overthrew the Romanov dynasty, establishing a communist regime in 1917.
  • Qing Dynasty in China:
    • Internal revolts (Taiping and Boxer Rebellions) and unequal treaties after the Opium Wars weakened the dynasty.
    • The Han were denied rights under the Manchus.
    • Sun Yat-sen led a revolution ending the dynastic system and creating the Chinese Republic in 1911.
  • Ottoman Empire:
    • Struggled after unsuccessful Tanzimat reforms.
    • The Young Turks pushed for a Turkish identity.
    • The empire was on the losing side of WWI, leading to the creation of Turkey.
  • Mexico:
    • Gained independence from Spain in 1821.
    • Creoles had more power, and native Mexicans were denied rights.
    • Under dictator Porfirio Diaz, 97% of the land was controlled by 1% of the people.
    • The revolution led by Pancho Villa and Zapata in 1917 overthrew the dictator and established a new government.

World War I - The Great War

  • Also known as the "War to End All Wars."
  • Causes of World War I (MAIN):
    • Militarism: New technologies and weapons from the Industrial Revolution led to increased military spending.
    • Alliance System: Pre-existing alliances meant that when conflict broke out, nations rushed to support their allies.
    • Imperialism: Rivalries over resources and colonies created tensions.
    • Nationalism: Devotion to one's state and the belief in its superiority.

Spark of World War I

  • The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary.
  • Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Bosnia by Gavrilo Princip, a 19-year-old Serbian nationalist.
  • Austria-Hungary issued a harsh ultimatum to Serbia, which was partially rejected.
  • Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia one month later.
  • Germany gave Austria-Hungary a "blank check," promising support if Russia aided Serbia.
  • Russia mobilized to aid Serbia, leading Germany to declare war on Russia and France.

The War Itself

  • New technologies:
    • Machine guns: Fired nearly 500 bullets a minute, leading to high death tolls.
    • Poison gas: Used in artillery shells (e.g., mustard gas).
    • Gas masks: Widely used for protection.
    • Airplanes: Used for reconnaissance.
    • Tanks: Helped move people across terrains.
  • The war resulted in a four-year bloody stalemate.
  • Total War:
    • Civilians were part of the war effort.
    • Women worked in factories to produce war materials.
    • Governments implemented rationing programs.
    • Victory gardens were promoted.
  • Extensive propaganda was used to influence public opinion.
  • The war was global, with fighting in Europe, the Pacific, Africa, and Asia.
  • The United States joined the war in 1917 after the sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmerman Telegram.
  • The U.S. entering led to a fresh wave of soldiers that ended the stalemate.

Treaty of Versailles

  • The winners of World War I gathered at the Paris Peace Conference.
  • U.S. President Woodrow Wilson proposed the Fourteen Points, including:
    • Self-determination
    • Arms reduction
    • Decolonization
    • The League of Nations
  • France sought reparations from Germany to repair the country.
  • Terms of the Treaty of Versailles included:
    • Germany taking the blame for the war.
    • Demilitarization of Germany.
    • Germany giving up its colonies.
    • Germany paying significant war reparations.
  • The Treaty of Versailles is considered a cause of World War II.

Post-War Effects

  • The belief that war was good for nations was shut down.
  • The world was in a state of anxiety and disillusionment.
  • Germany printed more money to pay war reparations, leading to inflation.
  • The stock market crash of 1929 led to the Great Depression.
  • Economist John Maynard Keynes critiqued laissez-faire economics and promoted deficit spending.
  • US President FDR introduced New Deal programs inspired by Keynesian economics.

Global Economic Depression

  • Japan's exports dropped significantly but recovered quickly.
  • Russia's economy struggled under communist rule until Lenin introduced the New Economic Plan (NEP).
  • Stalin ended this plan and introduced the Five-Year Plan, which focused on industrialization and collectivization of farms.
  • Mexico nationalized its oil industries in the 1930s.

Rise of Fascism

  • Fascism:

    • Extreme nationalism
    • Violence
    • Scapegoating

  • Italy:

    • Benito Mussolini took control and became dictator.
    • Italy expanded into Ethiopia after the League of Nations failed to stop them.

  • Germany:

    • The Weimar Republic was replaced by the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler.
    • Hitler banned other political parties and promoted anti-Semitism.
    • The Nuremberg Laws took away rights from Jewish people.
    • Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass) targeted Jewish synagogues and businesses.

Nationalist Movements in Colonies

  • Colonized people were aware of the hypocrisy of Europeans supporting self-determination for white regions only.
  • Nationalist movements gained momentum in India, led by Gandhi and his non-violent civil disobedience.
  • Africans who were educated in colonial school systems started independence movements.
  • The Balfour Declaration in 1917 stated that there should be a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

World War II

  • Causes:
    • Hitler
    • The failure of the League of Nations
    • Appeasement
    • Treaty of Versailles
  • Hitler began building up the military in 1935, violating the Treaty of Versailles.
  • European nations used appeasement, giving in to Hitler’s demands to avoid conflict.
  • Hitler took Czechoslovakia and then invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, starting World War II.
  • Japan had been engaging in imperialistic adventures in Asia, advancing militarily on Manchuria in 1931.

Conducting World War II

  • Changes and continuities can be observed between WWI and WWII.
  • Change: The speed of the war was faster in WWII due to Blitzkrieg tactics.
  • Change: WWII shifted toward aerial technologies, as with the introduction of atomic weapons.
  • Continuity: WWII was also a total war.
  • Continuity: Governments used propaganda to mobilize state resources.
  • The Soviet Union initially signed a non-aggression pact with Germany but later switched sides after Hitler invaded.
  • World War II ended in the Pacific Theater with the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan.

Mass Atrocities and Genocide

  • The rise of extremist groups led to the destruction of specific populations.
  • Armenian Genocide (1915):
    • The Young Turks in the Ottoman Empire aimed to create a Turkish state.
    • Armenians were targeted for being Christian and non-Turkish.
    • The Turkish government arrested and executed Armenian intellectuals and led death marches into the Syrian Desert.
  • The Holocaust:
    • The Nazis targeted Jews and other groups, leading to the establishment of concentration camps.
    • The Final Solution involved extermination camps and the killing of over 6 million Jews.
  • Nanking Massacre (1937):
    • Japanese forces destroyed Nanking, the capital of China.
    • Japanese soldiers raped and murdered Chinese civilians, resulting in an estimated 300,000 deaths.
  • Other genocides:
    • Rwanda (1994): Hutu ethnic majority murdered as many as 800,000 Tutsi people.
    • Cambodia (1975-1979): Pol Pot led to the death of more than two million people.
  • Other instances of ethnic violence include Ukraine under the Soviet Union, Darfur in Sudan, the Rohingya in Myanmar, and the Uyghur population in China.
  • It is important to call out dehumanizing language, media classification, and misinformation to prevent future violence.