Unit 8: Age of Conflict and Global War (1914–1945)

Concert of Europe

A diplomatic agreement established in 1815 that was meant to maintain the balance of power in Europe.

Total War

A war that requires the mobilization of all a nation's resources and targets the entire enemy population.

Liberal Democracy

A political ideology emphasizing individual rights, civil liberties, and democratic governance.

Communism

A political and economic ideology advocating for a classless society and communal ownership of the means of production.

Fascism

A far-right political ideology characterized by dictatorial power, extreme nationalism, and suppression of opposition.

M.A.N.I.A.

An acronym summarizing the causes of WWI: Militarism, Alliances, Nationalism, Imperialism, Assassination.

Militarism

The belief in building up strong armed forces to prepare for war.

Anglo-German Naval Race

A competition between Britain and Germany to build the largest naval fleet prior to WWI.

Triple Alliance

A military alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy before WWI.

Triple Entente

An alliance between Great Britain, France, and Russia before WWI.

Balkans

A region in Southeast Europe known as the 'Powder Keg of Europe' due to ethnic tensions and nationalism.

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The event on June 28, 1914, that triggered WWI.

Schlieffen Plan

Germany's strategy for a quick victory over France by invading through Belgium.

Trench Warfare

A type of combat in which opposing troops fight from trenches facing each other.

Battle of Verdun

One of the longest battles of WWI characterized by immense casualties and negligible gains.

Machine Guns

Rapid-fire weapons that transformed warfare by making traditional cavalry charges ineffective.

Poison Gas

Chemical weapons used in WWI, such as chlorine and mustard gas, that caused severe injury and psychological impact.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

Germany's strategy of sinking merchant ships indiscriminately during WWI.

Women's Suffrage

The right of women to vote, which expanded in several countries after WWI.

Armistice

An agreement to stop fighting, which ended WWI on November 11, 1918.

Paris Peace Conference

The meeting in 1919 where the peace terms of WWI were negotiated.

Treaty of Versailles

The treaty that ended WWI and imposed heavy reparations on Germany.

War Guilt Clause

Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles, assigning blame for the war to Germany.

Reparations

Payments that Germany was required to make after WWI—around 132 billion gold marks.

New Economic Policy (NEP)

Lenin's policy in the early 1920s that reintroduced limited capitalism to revive the Soviet economy.

Five-Year Plans

Stalin's state-directed initiatives aimed at rapid industrialization in the USSR.

Collectivization

Stalin's policy of consolidating individual peasant farms into large, state-run collectives.

Holodomor

A man-made famine in Ukraine caused by Stalin's policies, leading to millions of deaths.

The Great Purge

Stalin's campaign of political repression in the late 1930s, involving executions and imprisonments.

Weimar Republic

The democratic government established in Germany after WWI, known for its instability.

The Great Depression

A worldwide economic downturn that began in 1929 and led to severe economic and social hardship.

Keynesian Economics

An economic theory advocating for government intervention to stimulate demand during recessions.

Popular Fronts

Alliances of leftist parties formed in response to rising fascism in Europe.

Totalitarianism

A political system where the state seeks to control all aspects of public and private life.

Benito Mussolini

The Italian leader who founded Fascism and established a dictatorial regime.

Adolf Hitler

The leader of Nazi Germany who rose to power in the aftermath of WWI.

Beer Hall Putsch

A failed coup attempt by Hitler in 1923 that led him to write 'Mein Kampf'.

Kristallnacht

The 1938 pogrom against Jews in Germany, marked by widespread violence and destruction.

The Final Solution

Nazi Germany's plan for the systematic extermination of Jews during the Holocaust.

Nuremberg Laws

Racist laws enacted in Nazi Germany that stripped Jews of citizenship and rights.

Yalta Conference

The 1945 meeting where Allied leaders discussed post-war reorganization of Europe.

United Nations

An international organization established after WWII to promote peace and cooperation among countries.

Blitzkrieg

A military strategy of rapid, surprise attacks to quickly defeat opponents.

D-Day

The Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, which marked the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe.