history

Study Guide – Chapters 30 (Sections 1 & 2) and 31 (Sections 2 & 3)

Key Names to Know

  • Bolsheviks – Radical Russian Marxist revolutionaries led by Lenin who took control in the October Revolution of 1917.

  • Adolf Hitler – Dictator of Nazi Germany, responsible for World War II and the Holocaust.

  • Vladimir Lenin – Leader of the Bolsheviks and the first leader of the Soviet Union.

  • Mein Kampf – Hitler’s autobiography outlining his ideology and future plans for Germany.

  • Benito Mussolini – Fascist dictator of Italy, known as “Il Duce”.

  • Rasputin – Mystical advisor to Tsarina Alexandra; heavily influenced Russian politics before the revolution.

  • Soviet – Local councils consisting of workers, peasants, and soldiers in revolutionary Russia.

  • Josef Stalin – Totalitarian leader of the Soviet Union after Lenin, known for the Great Purge and forced industrialization.

  • Leon Trotsky – Bolshevik revolutionary and rival to Stalin; played a key role in the Russian Revolution.

  • Tsar Alexander II – Russian emperor before the revolution.

  • Tsar Nicholas II – The last emperor of Russia; abdicated during the 1917 revolution.

  • Weimar Republic – German democratic government post-WWI, which struggled economically and politically.

Key Terms

  • Anti-Semitism – Prejudice or discrimination against Jews.

  • Censorship – Government suppression of speech, media, or thought.

  • Command economy – An economy in which the government controls production and prices.

  • Communism – A classless political system where all property is publicly owned.

  • Fascism – A political movement based on nationalism, dictatorship, and suppression of opposition.

  • Der Führer – Title meaning “the leader,” used by Adolf Hitler.

  • Great Purge – Stalin’s campaign of political repression in the Soviet Union.

  • Il Duce – Title meaning “the leader,” used by Mussolini.

  • Indoctrination – Teaching someone to accept a set of beliefs without question.

  • Kristallnacht – “Night of Broken Glass,” a Nazi attack on Jewish communities in 1938.

  • Nazism – German form of fascism under Hitler, with extreme nationalism and racism.

  • Proletariat – Working-class people, especially in Marxist theory.

  • Totalitarianism – A government system where the state has total control over all aspects of life.

Main Concepts

  1. Treaty of Versailles and Fascism

    • Harsh penalties on Germany created resentment.

    • Economic hardship and national humiliation fueled support for extremist parties like the Nazis and Italian Fascists.

  2. Characteristics of Fascism

    • Dictatorship, extreme nationalism, militarism, suppression of dissent, use of propaganda, and control of the economy.

  3. Mussolini’s Rise to Power in Italy

    • Promised to restore Roman greatness.

    • Gained support from the middle class and industrialists.

    • Used the Black Shirts to intimidate opponents and marched on Rome in 1922.

  4. Mussolini’s Focus to Maintain Control

    • Propaganda, secret police, censorship, and indoctrination.

    • Suppressed opposition and promoted state over individual rights.

  5. Hitler’s Message in Mein Kampf

    • Racist ideologies (Aryan supremacy, anti-Semitism).

    • Rejection of Treaty of Versailles.

    • Need for Lebensraum (living space) for Germans.

  6. Hitler’s Rise to Power in Germany

    • Took advantage of economic crisis, political instability, and nationalist sentiment.

    • Gained popular support, became Chancellor in 1933, and then seized dictatorial powers.

  7. How Hitler Maintained Power

    • Used Gestapo (secret police), propaganda, censorship.

    • Eliminated political opponents (Night of the Long Knives).

    • Indoctrinated youth and promoted Nazi ideology.