World History Final Exam Study Guide Notes

Part 1 - Matching

  • Assimilation: The process by which a person or a group's language and/or culture come to resemble those of another group.
  • Shaka Zulu: A Zulu chief who created a large centralized state in Southern Africa in the early 19th century.
  • Social Darwinism: The theory that individuals, groups, and peoples are subject to the same Darwinian laws of natural selection as plants and animals; used to justify political conservatism, imperialism, and racism and to discourage intervention and reform.
  • Alliance: A formal agreement or treaty between two or more nations to cooperate for specific purposes.
  • Franz Ferdinand: Archduke of Austria-Hungary whose assassination in 1914 was the spark that ignited World War I.
  • Total War: A war that involves the complete mobilization of resources and people, affecting the lives of all citizens in the warring countries, even those remote from the battlefield.
  • Zimmermann Telegram: A secret diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office in January 1917 that proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico if the United States entered World War I against Germany.
  • Bolsheviks: A radical, far-left, and revolutionary Marxist faction founded by Vladimir Lenin and Alexander Bogdanov that split from the Menshevik faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) in 1903.
  • 14 Points Speech: A statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I, outlined by President Woodrow Wilson in 1918.
  • Self Determination: The principle that the people of a given territory or region should determine their own future political status.
  • Hyperinflation: Monetary inflation occurring at a very high rate.
  • Totalitarian government: A political system in which the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible.
  • Fascism: A political ideology that is generally placed on the far-right of the political spectrum like Nazism, is characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.
  • Adolf Hitler: The dictator of Nazi Germany during World War II.
  • Joseph Stalin: The dictator of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953.
  • Xenophobic: Having or showing a dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries.
  • Genocide: The deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group.
  • Scorched Earth: A military strategy that involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area.
  • United Nations: An intergovernmental organization founded in 1945 committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, and promoting social progress, better living standards, and human rights.
  • Superpower: A state with a dominant position characterized by its great power and influence.
  • Communism: A political and economic ideology that advocates a classless society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.
  • Containment Policy: A United States foreign policy doctrine adopted by the Harry S. Truman administration in 1947, operating on the principle that communist governments will eventually fall apart as long as they are prevented from expanding their influence.
  • Domino Theory: A theory prominent from the 1950s to the 1980s that posited that if one country in a region came under the influence of communism, then the surrounding countries would follow in a domino effect.
  • Sputnik: The first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957.
  • NATO: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 31 member states – 29 European and two North American. Established in the aftermath of World War II with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949.

Part 2 - Multiple Choice

  • Karl Marx:
    • Proletariat: The working class.
    • Bourgeoisie: The capitalist class who own most of society's wealth and means of production.
    • Communism: A political theory advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.
    • Communism vs. Democracy: Communism is a classless society with public ownership, while democracy is a political system where power is vested in the people.
  • Imperialism:
    • Causes: Economic, political, and social factors that drive a country to expand its power and influence over other territories.
    • Industrial Revolution's Impact: Provided the means and motives for industrialized nations to dominate less developed regions.
  • Congo as an Example of Imperialism:
    • King Leopold's Control: Used deceptive treaties and brutal force to establish personal control over the Congo.
    • Berlin Conference of 1884: European powers divided Africa among themselves without African representation.
    • Population Reduction: Caused by forced labor, abuse, starvation, and disease.
    • Best Known Export: Rubber.
    • The "3 Cs" of Imperialism: Commerce, Christianity, and Civilization.
    • Imperialism in China in the 1800s: European powers carved out spheres of influence and imposed unequal treaties on China.
  • Causes of WW1:
    • Triple Entente: (France, Britain, Russia); Triple Alliance: (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy).
    • Spark: Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
    • Weapons: Machine guns, tanks, airplanes, poison gas.
    • Industrialized War: Utilizing advanced industrial technology and mass production for military purposes.
    • Schlieffen Plan: Germany's plan to quickly defeat France before turning to Russia. Failed due to unexpected resistance.
    • Trench Warfare: Led to stalemate due to defensive advantages and horrific conditions.
  • League of Nations:
    • Developer: Woodrow Wilson.
    • Why it Didn't Work: The U.S. didn't join, and it lacked the power to enforce its decisions.
  • Treaty of Versailles:
    • Punishment of Germany: Loss of territory, demilitarization, and payment of reparations.
    • Big 4: Woodrow Wilson (USA), David Lloyd George (Britain), Georges Clemenceau (France), Vittorio Orlando (Italy).
  • Fascism:
    • A far-right, authoritarian ultranationalist political ideology.
    • Nations and Leaders: Italy (Benito Mussolini), Germany (Adolf Hitler).
  • Appeasement:
    • A diplomatic policy of making political, material, or territorial concessions to an aggressive power in order to avoid conflict.
  • Invasion of Nanking:
    • The Nanking Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking, was an episode of mass murder and mass rape committed by Imperial Japanese troops against the residents of Nanking (present-day Nanjing), then the capital of China, during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
  • Pearl Harbor:
    • Reason for Attack: To cripple the U.S. Pacific Fleet and prevent interference with Japanese expansion in Asia.
  • Non-Aggression Pact:
    • Creators: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
  • Blitzkrieg:
    • "Lightning war" - a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile fire power.
  • Manhattan Project:
    • A research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons.
  • Holocaust:
    • The genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe, around two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population.
  • End of WW2:
    • Germany surrendered after Hitler's death, and Japan surrendered after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
  • Germany after WW2:
    • Divided into four occupation zones controlled by the Allied powers.
  • Superpowers:
    • The United States and the Soviet Union.
    • Rivalry: Ideological differences (capitalism vs. communism) and geopolitical competition.
  • Containment:
    • A United States foreign policy doctrine adopted by the Harry S. Truman administration in 1947, operating on the principle that communist governments will eventually fall apart as long as they are prevented from expanding their influence.
  • Berlin Airlift:
    • A military operation that supplied West Berlin with necessities when the Soviet Union blockaded all ground routes into the city.
  • Atomic Arms Race:
    • A competition between the US and USSR to develop and stockpile nuclear weapons.
  • Marshall Plan:
    • A U.S. program providing aid to Western Europe following the devastation of World War II.
  • Space Race:
    • A competition between the US and USSR for achievements in space exploration.
    • Cold War Fit: Symbolized technological and ideological competition between the two superpowers.

Part 3 - Primary Source Analysis

  • OPCVL is a method of analyzing primary sources.
    • Origin: Author, date, location, type of document.
    • Purpose: Author's intent.
    • Content: What is revealed within the document?
    • Value: What can I learn from the document?
    • Limitations: What I cannot learn/what is missing from the document?
  • Excerpt from the “Iron Curtain Speech” delivered by Winston Churchill, March 1946 in Fulton, Missouri.
    • Addresses the expansion of communistic ideologies: "Communist fifth columns are established and work in complete unity and absolute obedience to the directions they receive from the Communist center."
    • Outlines the permanent prevention of war: "But what we have to consider here today while time remains, is the permanent prevention of war and the establishment of conditions of freedom and democracy as rapidly as possible in all countries."

Part 4 - Long Response

  • A. Factors Motivating Imperialism:
    • Political:
      • Desire for power and prestige.
      • Competition among European nations.
    • Economic:
      • Need for raw materials and new markets.
      • Investment opportunities.
    • Social:
      • Belief in European superiority (Social Darwinism).
      • Desire to spread Christianity and Western culture.
  • B. Main Causes of WWI:
    • Militarism:
      • Arms race among European powers.
      • Belief in the necessity of military strength.
    • Alliances:
      • Entangling alliances created a domino effect.
      • Triple Alliance vs. Triple Entente.
    • Imperialism:
      • Competition for colonies created tension.
      • Germany's desire for a "place in the sun."
    • Nationalism:
      • Desire for national unity and independence.
      • Serbian nationalism in the Balkans.
  • C. Similarities and Differences between WW1 and WW2:
    • Similarities:
      • Both were global conflicts involving many nations.
      • Both involved industrialized warfare and new technologies.
    • Differences:
      • WW2 was more ideological (fascism vs. democracy/communism).
      • WW2 involved more mobile warfare and civilian targeting.
  • D. Justification of Dropping Atomic Bombs on Japan:
    • Arguments in Favor:
      • To avoid a costly invasion of Japan.
      • To end the war quickly.
      • To demonstrate U.S. power to the Soviet Union.
  • E. The Cold War and Ideological Clash:
    • Definition: A state of geopolitical tension after World War II between powers in the Eastern Bloc (the Soviet Union and its satellite states) and powers in the Western Bloc (the United States, its NATO allies and others).
    • Ideologies:
      • Communism: Advocates a classless society with public ownership.
      • Capitalism: Emphasizes private property and free markets.
      • Clash: Competition for global influence and ideological dominance.