HST Final Study Guide: ID's

Berlin Blockade/Airlift (1948–49)

  • First major crisis of the Cold War between the USSR and Western Allies.
  • Stalin blocked Western Allies’ access to West Berlin to force them out.
  • U.S. and Britain responded with the Berlin Airlift, supplying West Berlin by air.
  • Signified the West's commitment to resisting Soviet expansion in Europe.

Beveridge Report (1942)

  • Authored by British economist William Beveridge during WWII.
  • Proposed social insurance and welfare reforms to address "Five Giants" (Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor, Idleness).
  • Foundation for the postwar British welfare state, including NHS.
  • Popular across political lines, shaping postwar British politics.

Chernobyl (1986)

  • Nuclear disaster in the USSR (now Ukraine), worst in history.
  • Caused by flawed reactor design and operator error during a safety test.
  • Massive radioactive contamination; long-term health and environmental impact.
  • Symbol of Soviet secrecy and mismanagement; fueled criticism during Glasnost.

Einsatzgruppen

  • Nazi mobile killing units active in Eastern Europe during WWII.
  • Targeted Jews, Roma, communists, and others; precursor to death camps.
  • Responsible for mass shootings, particularly during Operation Barbarossa.
  • Integral to the implementation of the Holocaust.

European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)

  • Founded in 1951 by six European nations (incl. France, West Germany).
  • Aimed to prevent war through economic integration of key industries.
  • First step toward European Union; created a common market in coal and steel.
  • Promoted postwar reconciliation and cooperation.

European Social Model

  • Broad term for Europe's approach to combining capitalism with social welfare.
  • Emphasizes social protections: health care, education, labor rights.
  • Contrasts with U.S.-style liberal capitalism.
  • Integral to EU identity and political debates.

Five Year Plan (Soviet)

  • Introduced by Stalin in 1928 to industrialize USSR rapidly.
  • Focused on heavy industry and collectivization of agriculture.
  • Led to major economic shifts and widespread famine, especially in Ukraine.
  • Central tool in Stalin's command economy.

Glasnost & Perestroika (1980s)

  • Gorbachev's twin policies to reform the USSR: openness (Glasnost) and restructuring (Perestroika).
  • Aimed to increase transparency, reduce censorship, and revitalize the economy.
  • Encouraged political liberalization but also criticism of the regime.
  • Contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Kristallnacht (1938)

  • “Night of Broken Glass”: state-organized pogrom against Jews in Nazi Germany.
  • Hundreds of synagogues burned, Jewish businesses looted, 30,000 men arrested.
  • Turning point from discrimination to active persecution.
  • Prelude to the Holocaust.

Lebensraum

  • Nazi concept of "living space" to justify territorial expansion.
  • Claimed Germans needed more land for agriculture and resources.
  • Used to legitimize invasions of Eastern Europe and USSR.
  • Tied to racial ideology and genocide.

March on Rome (1922)

  • Mussolini’s paramilitary “Blackshirts” marched to demand power.
  • King Victor Emmanuel III appointed Mussolini as Prime Minister.
  • Marked the beginning of fascist rule in Italy.
  • Inspired other authoritarian movements.

Margaret Thatcher

  • UK Prime Minister (1979–1990); first woman in the role.
  • Known for neoliberal policies: privatization, deregulation, anti-union stance.
  • Deeply divisive figure; reshaped British economy and politics.
  • Strong supporter of the U.S. and NATO.

Marshall Plan (1948)

  • U.S. economic aid program to rebuild Western Europe after WWII.
  • Aimed to prevent spread of communism through economic stability.
  • Provided over 1212 billion in aid.
  • Key to Western Europe's recovery and integration.

Mikhail Gorbachev

  • Last leader of the Soviet Union (1985–1991).
  • Introduced Glasnost and Perestroika.
  • Tried to reform communism, but reforms led to USSR’s collapse.
  • Won Nobel Peace Prize for ending Cold War tensions.

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact (1939)

  • Agreement between Hitler and Stalin not to attack each other.
  • Included secret protocol dividing Eastern Europe (Poland, Baltics).
  • Shocked the world; enabled WWII by allowing Hitler to invade Poland.
  • Broken in 1941 when Germany invaded USSR.

NEP (New Economic Policy)

  • Introduced by Lenin in 1921 to stabilize post-Civil War Russia.
  • Allowed some private trade and small businesses.
  • Temporarily reversed war communism to boost the economy.
  • Replaced by Stalin’s Five-Year Plans.

Nikita Khrushchev

  • Soviet leader after Stalin; de-Stalinization campaign.
  • Known for Cuban Missile Crisis and space race investments.
  • Mixed success in reforming the USSR’s economy and diplomacy.
  • Famous for “We will bury you!” rhetoric and shoe-banging incident.

Nuremburg Laws (1935)

  • Racist laws stripping Jews of German citizenship and rights.
  • Banned marriage/relations between Jews and “Aryans.”
  • Legal foundation for Nazi racial policies.
  • Paved way for systematic persecution and Holocaust.

Occupation of Ruhr (1923)

  • France and Belgium occupied German industrial region over reparations.
  • German workers went on strike; led to hyperinflation crisis.
  • Increased tensions in Weimar Germany and anti-French sentiment.
  • Showed fragility of post-WWI settlement.

Slobodan Milosevic

  • Serbian nationalist leader; president during Yugoslav Wars.
  • Promoted ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, Kosovo.
  • Tried at The Hague for war crimes.
  • Symbol of post-Cold War Balkan instability.

Slansky Trial (1952)

  • Stalinist show trial in Czechoslovakia against Communist leaders.
  • Anti-Semitic overtones; accused of Zionism and treason.
  • Reflected Cold War paranoia and Soviet control of Eastern Bloc.
  • Slansky and others executed; symbol of repression.

Solidarity (Poland)

  • First independent labor union in Soviet Bloc (led by Lech Wałęsa).
  • Formed in 1980 at Gdańsk Shipyard.
  • Key role in resisting communist rule; inspired others.
  • Helped lead to democratic transition in Poland.

Squadrismo

  • Italian fascist paramilitary groups (Blackshirts).
  • Used violence against socialists, trade unions.
  • Helped Mussolini seize power in March on Rome.
  • Early model of fascist street violence.

Tito (Josip Broz)

  • Yugoslav communist leader; resisted Nazi occupation.
  • Broke from Stalin in 1948; led non-aligned movement.
  • Maintained unity in ethnically diverse Yugoslavia.
  • Held authoritarian rule but independent from USSR.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (1918)

  • Peace treaty between Bolsheviks and Central Powers in WWI.
  • Russia exited war, ceding large territory to Germany.
  • Allowed Bolsheviks to focus on internal consolidation.
  • Deeply unpopular; fueled opposition to Bolsheviks.

Treaty on European Union / Maastricht (1992)

  • Established the EU and common currency (Euro).
  • Deepened European integration beyond economics.
  • Introduced European citizenship and common policies.
  • Marked a major step in post-Cold War European unity.

Volksgemeinschaft

  • Nazi idea of a “people’s community” unified by race.
  • Aimed to eliminate class division in favor of national unity.
  • Excluded Jews, Roma, and other “undesirables.”
  • Central to Nazi propaganda and social control.

Yalta Conference (1945)

  • Wartime summit of Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin.
  • Agreed on postwar division of Germany and Europe.
  • Set stage for United Nations and Soviet dominance in Eastern Europe.
  • Controversial in its perceived concessions to Stalin.

Essay