1
Q
What are the four main causes of WWI (M.A.I.N.)?
A
Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism
2
Q
What is militarism?
A
Arms race between industrialized countries increasing tensions.
3
Q
Why did European countries form alliances before WWI?
A
To protect borders from rivals — countries signed treaties guaranteeing mutual defense.
4
Q
What was imperialism’s role in causing WWI?
A
Competition for colonies in Africa/Asia. Britain threatened by Germany’s rapid economic growth.
5
Q
Why were the Balkans called the “powder keg of Europe” by 1914?
A
Extreme ethnic tensions + Russia sponsoring Pan-Slavism among Slavic peoples.
6
Q
What is Pan-Slavism?
A
Belief that all Slavic peoples shared a common nationality, backed by Russia.
7
Q
What was the immediate cause (spark) of WWI?
A
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by the Black Hand (wanted Bosnia united with Serbia).
8
Q
What was the “blank check”?
A
Germany’s promise to fully support Austria-Hungary, leading Austria to declare war on Serbia.
9
Q
What is a war of attrition?
A
A stalemate where whichever side holds out longer wins — war to the last man.
10
Q
What is total war?
A
Channeling a nation’s entire resources into the war effort — government controls economy and culture.
11
Q
How did governments achieve total war?
A
Raised taxes, borrowed money, naval blockades, propaganda to control public opinion.
12
Q
What was trench warfare?
A
Soldiers fought from long ditches, creating a stalemate on the Western Front.
13
Q
Name five new technologies used in WWI.
A
Machine guns, long-range artillery, tanks, poison gas (mustard gas), aircraft, submarines (U-boats).
14
Q
What was mustard gas?
A
Chemical weapon causing blisters, blindness, suffocation, burns — first chemical warfare.
15
Q
What were U-boats and unrestricted submarine warfare?
A
German submarines sinking ships without warning using stealth.
16
Q
What was the Battle of Verdun?
A
Longest WWI battle (300 days), 500,000+ casualties.
17
Q
What was the Battle of the Somme?
A
Bloodiest single day — 60,000 British soldiers died in one day.
18
Q
What happened on the Eastern Front?
A
Russia suffered heavy losses and left in 1917. Ottomans blocked the Dardanelles and committed the Armenian Genocide.
19
Q
What role did colonies play in WWI?
A
Colonial subjects recruited as soldiers, many hoping service would lead to independence.
20
Q
Why did the US enter WWI? (3 reasons)
A
1) Unrestricted submarine warfare. 2) Sinking of the Lusitania (1915). 3) Zimmerman Telegram (1917).
21
Q
What was the 1918 Spanish Flu?
A
Influenza epidemic killing 50–100 million people worldwide.
22
Q
How did WWI end?
A
US troops joined Allied counter-attack. Bulgaria and Ottomans surrendered. Revolution in Austria-Hungary and Germany. Kaiser stepped down. Armistice signed November 11, 1918.
23
Q
What were Wilson’s 14 Points?
A
Free trade, no secret treaties, self-determination, reduced arms, League of Nations.
24
Q
Who were the “Big Four” at the Paris Peace Conference?
A
Britain, France, Italy, United States. (Russia had left WWI in 1917.)
25
What were the main conditions of the Treaty of Versailles?
War guilt clause, $33B reparations, lost colonies, Alsace-Lorraine to France, military capped at 100K men, no tanks/subs, no troops in Rhineland, League of Nations created.
26
What was the war guilt clause?
Germany held fully responsible for starting WWI.
27
What was the mandate system?
German/Ottoman territories split between France and England under League of Nations oversight — not independence.
28
Why was the League of Nations weak?
The US never joined (Senate refused), making it ineffective.
29
What is self-determination?
The right of people to choose their own government.
30
How was media used to promote WWI on the home front? (2 examples)
1) Propaganda posters for enlistment and war bonds. 2) Newspapers/films demonized the enemy.
31
What other new technologies (beyond weapons) were used during WWI?
Radio communication, barbed wire, trench periscopes, motorized transport.
32
What were the Tanzimat Reforms?
Ottoman reforms: equal rights, ended jizya, abolished janissaries, centralized bureaucracy.
33
Why was the Ottoman victory in the Crimean War considered a Pyrrhic victory?
Won the war but took on crippling foreign loans that weakened the empire.
34
What happened after Ottoman reforms highlighted weakness?
Sultan revoked constitution (1878), turned to repression. Russo-Turkish War led to independence for Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro.
35
Who were the Young Turks?
Secret revolutionary group — intellectuals and military officers who created a constitution in 1908 and seized power in 1913.
36
What did the Young Turks want?
A Turkish nation with one culture, one language, one religion.
37
Why did the Ottoman Empire side with the Central Powers in WWI?
Long-standing conflicts with Russia (an Allied power).
38
What happened to the Ottoman Empire after WWI?
Divided into mandates administered by Britain and France. Empire ended.
39
Why did post-WWI borders in the Middle East cause lasting conflict?
Borders ignored ethnic/religious/linguistic diversity. Ex: Iraq combined Sunni, Shi’a, and Kurds.
40
Who was Mustafa Kemal Ataturk?
Led Turkish independence, westernized and secularized the new state.
41
How did the decline of the Ottoman Empire compare to the decline of the Qing Dynasty in China?
Both tried reforms, faced wars and nationalist revolts, had revolutionary groups seize power, and ultimately collapsed.
42
What were the external factors that caused the Ottoman Empire to collapse?
European imperialism, military defeats, Russian Pan-Slavism, Allied support for nationalist revolts.
43
What were the internal factors that caused the Ottoman Empire to collapse?
Failed reforms, ethnic divisions, war debt, Young Turk revolution, Armenian Genocide.
44
What were the long-term causes of the Russian Revolution?
Industrial Revolution (discontented workers), Russo-Japanese War, Bloody Sunday / 1905 Revolution.
45
What were the short-term causes of the Russian Revolution?
WWI losses and food shortages + Rasputin’s influence on the royal family.
46
Who was Tsar Nicholas II?
Last Russian emperor. Son had hemophilia, leading to Rasputin’s influence.
47
Who was Rasputin?
Claimed priest hired to heal the Tsar’s son. His influence discredited the monarchy.
48
Who was Vladimir Lenin?
Leader of the Bolsheviks — wanted communism in Russia.
49
What was a soviet?
A workers’ council that also governed locally. Each town had at least one.
50
What were the three parts of the Russian Revolution?
1) February Revolution — Tsar abdicates. 2) October Revolution — Bolsheviks take power. 3) Civil War — Red vs. White Army.
51
What was the February Revolution (1917)?
Food riots → provisional government → Tsar steps down.
52
How did Lenin return to Russia in 1917?
Germany sent him by armored train to destabilize Russia. Slogan: “Peace, Land, and Bread!”
53
What happened during the Bolshevik Revolution (October 1917)?
Soviets backed Bolsheviks, overthrew government. Lenin abolished private property, nationalized industry, seized bank accounts and Church property, cancelled foreign debts.
54
What was the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?
Took Russia out of WWI — gave Germany significant territory, population, and resources.
55
What happened in the Russian Civil War?
Red Army (Bolsheviks) vs. White Army (everyone else). 800K soldiers killed, 8M died from famine/disease.
56
What was War Communism?
Lenin’s wartime policy — government seized all food from peasants to fuel the war.
57
What was the New Economic Policy (NEP)?
Post-Civil War reform allowing some capitalism so peasants could sell surplus and boost food production.
58
What happened after Lenin died in 1924?
Stalin seized power — totalitarian ruler with a command economy.
59
What were Stalin’s Five Year Plans?
Rapid industrialization. Government controlled all jobs, hours, movement. Secret police enforced compliance. Industrial production grew 25% (1928–1937).
60
What were collective farms under Stalin?
Government seized land, forced collective farming. State set prices. Resistant kulaks sent to camps or executed.
61
What was the Ukrainian Holodomor (1929–1932)?
Forced famine punishing Ukrainian nationalists and kulaks. 2.5–10 million died of starvation.
62
How did Stalin maintain his totalitarian state?
Controlled industry/education/religion. Terror (gulags, secret police). Propaganda (art, film). Cult of personality.
63
What was the Great Purge?
Stalin removed Old Bolsheviks, put them on trial, replaced them with loyal young members.
64
What was the Comintern?
“Communist International” — supported revolutionary groups worldwide, spread anti-capitalist propaganda.
65
What is a command economy?
Government decides what to produce, how, and who gets it.
66
What were gulags?
Soviet forced labor camps for political prisoners.
67
What were the external factors that caused the Russian Empire to collapse?
Military defeats (Russo-Japanese War, WWI), war debt, exposure to Marxism.
68
What were the internal factors that caused the Russian Empire to collapse?
Inequality, autocratic Tsar, Bloody Sunday, bad working conditions, food shortages, Rasputin.
69
What were the political and economic conditions in Russia before the revolution?
Autocratic rule, no democracy, massive inequality, terrible factory conditions, food shortages, WWI losses.
70
What were the long-term impacts of the Russian Revolution?
First communist state (USSR), inspired global communist movements, totalitarianism under Stalin, led to Cold War.
71
How does the Russian Revolution compare to the French Revolution?
Both: inequality + food shortages → overthrew monarchy → radical phase (Terror) → authoritarian ruler (Napoleon/Stalin) → land redistribution + attacked Church.
72
What new states emerged by the end of the 1800s? (2 examples)
1) Germany — federal, constitutional monarchy. 2) Japan (post-Meiji) — constitutional monarchy with imperial ambitions.
73
What were the external factors that caused the Qing Empire (China) to collapse?
Opium Wars, Sino-Japanese War, unequal treaties, foreign spheres of influence.
74
What were the internal factors that caused the Qing Empire to collapse?
Taiping Rebellion, Boxer Rebellion, failed Self-Strengthening Movement, Sun Yat-sen’s revolution (1911).
75
Why did democracies fail after WWI? (2 main reasons)
1) Couldn’t fix the economy. 2) Weak leadership — governments split between socialism and conservatism.
76
What is totalitarianism?
State has complete power over all aspects of life — economy, politics, culture, religion, social.
77
What is fascism?
Extreme nationalism, people subordinate to the state/leader. Anti-communist, appeals to middle/upper classes.
78
Who invented the term “fascism” and what did it mean?
Mussolini — “everything within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.”
79
What is Nazism?
Hitler’s form of fascism — more racist (Aryan supremacy), heavy on imperialism and militarism.
80
Why was Italy ripe for fascism after WWI? (4 reasons)
1) Promised land given to Yugoslavia. 2) Workers/peasants inspired by Russian Revolution. 3) Veterans jobless. 4) Government split into factions.
81
What were the Black Shirts?
Mussolini’s militia — rejected democracy, marched on Rome in 1922.
82
How did Mussolini come to power?
Black Shirts marched on Rome → King made Mussolini Prime Minister (1922).
83
What did Mussolini do as “Il Duce”?
Suppressed press/rivals, rigged elections, banned strikes, businesses served the fascist state.
84
What were the results of the Great Depression globally?
Mass unemployment, tariffs, loss of faith in capitalism, rise of authoritarian regimes.
85
What was the Weimar Republic?
Germany’s post-WWI democracy — elected chancellor, bill of rights, women’s suffrage. Weak due to many small parties.
86
What caused the 1923 economic crisis in Germany?
Printed money for reparations → France occupied Ruhr Valley → workers struck → hyperinflation.
87
What is hyperinflation?
Government prints so much money it becomes nearly worthless.
88
Why did the German middle class and youth support radical movements?
Middle class feared communism. Youth were unemployed, distrusted democracy, wanted change.
89
What was Hitler’s political party?
National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party).
90
How did Hitler rise to power?
Powerful speaker + propaganda. Gained support after Depression. Appointed Chancellor 1933, dictator within a year.
91
What was Mein Kampf?
Hitler’s book — racial ideology, opposition to Versailles, plans for German expansion.
92
What were the key elements of Nazi ideology?
Lebensraum, abolish Versailles, unite German speakers, Aryan supremacy, autarky, Führer principle, blamed communists and Jews.
93
What was the Third Reich?
Hitler’s name for his regime, established 1933.
94
What led to authoritarian rule in Eastern Europe?
Weak new states from collapsed empires + economic/ethnic conflicts + scapegoating of Jews.
95
How did increased militarism show in the 1930s?
Italy invaded Ethiopia, Japan took Manchuria, Germany expanded and rearmed.
96
What were the Zaibatsu?
Powerful Japanese businessmen who influenced government during the Meiji era.
97
Why did ultranationalism rise in Japan?
Meiji changes, Zaibatsu influence, Great Depression, limited resources, growing population, 1923 earthquake.
98
What did Japanese ultranationalists do once in power?
Opposed the West, cult around Hirohito, ended school democracy, built military, invaded China (1931, 1937), Rape of Nanking.
99
What were the Axis Powers?
Germany, Italy, Japan — agreed to fight communism and not block each other’s expansion.
100
What was the Anschluss?
Hitler’s unification of Austria and Germany, violating Versailles.
101
What was the Sudetenland?
German-speaking region of Czechoslovakia given to Hitler via the Munich Agreement.
102
What is appeasement?
Giving in to an aggressor’s demands to avoid conflict.
103
What was the Munich Agreement (1938)?
Chamberlain let Hitler take the Sudetenland in exchange for a promise of no more expansion.
104
Why did Western powers pursue appeasement? (4 reasons)
1) Feared communism more than fascism. 2) Depression = focus on domestic issues. 3) Post-WWI pacifism. 4) US Neutrality Acts.
105
What was the Nazi-Soviet Pact?
Hitler and Stalin agreed not to fight each other and to split Poland.
106
Why did Hitler and Stalin sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact?
Hitler wanted Poland without Soviet interference. Stalin wanted to avoid war with Germany.
107
What event started World War II?
Germany invaded Poland (Sept 1, 1939). England and France declared war Sept 3.
108
What were the major causes of WWII?
Versailles resentment, totalitarian regimes, Great Depression, failed appeasement, aggressive expansion, weak League of Nations.
109
Why didn’t the Treaty of Versailles resolve the causes of WWI (and how did this lead to WWII)?
Humiliated Germany, didn’t fix nationalism/imperialism/economic instability. Weak League couldn’t enforce peace. Hitler exploited the anger.
110
What was Stalin’s role in the interwar period?
Totalitarian dictator, cult of personality, military buildup, signed Nazi-Soviet Pact.
111
What is a cult of personality?
Leader uses propaganda to create a godlike image of themselves.
112
What is Social Darwinism in the context of Nazi Germany?
False belief in Aryan racial superiority — used to justify racism and genocide.
113
What was Lebensraum?
Nazi concept of expanding German territory eastward for “living space.”
114
How did governments get more involved in the economy after WWI? (2 examples)
1) USA — FDR’s New Deal (jobs programs, regulations). 2) USSR — Stalin’s Five Year Plans (total state control).
115
What were the different types of government economic responses to the Great Depression?
1) New Deal (USA) — democratic spending. 2) Five Year Plans (USSR) — communist control. 3) Fascist corporatism (Germany, Italy, Spain). 4) Nationalization (Mexico, Brazil).
116
What colonial expansion occurred between WWI and WWII? (3 examples)
1) Japan → Manchuria (1931) and China (1937). 2) Italy → Ethiopia (1935). 3) Britain/France maintained Middle East mandates.
117
How did Great Britain mobilize under Winston Churchill during WWII?
Powerful speeches, total war production, rationing, propaganda to maintain morale during the Blitz.
118
How did the United States mobilize under FDR during WWII?
Converted industry to war production, draft, war bond propaganda, Japanese internment, women in workforce (“Rosie the Riveter”).
119
How did Germany mobilize under Hitler during WWII?
Nazi propaganda, forced labor from occupied lands and camps, all industry toward war, Hitler Youth indoctrination.
120
How did the USSR mobilize under Stalin during WWII?
Communist propaganda, relocated factories east of Urals, scorched earth tactics, secret police, accepted massive civilian casualties.
121
What new military technologies were used in WWII?
Atomic bombs, fire-bombing, radar/sonar, improved tanks, aircraft carriers, jet engines, long-range bombers.
122
What major genocides occurred in the 20th century (besides the Holocaust)?
1) WWI — Armenian Genocide (1.5M killed). 2) 1920s–30s — Holodomor (2.5–10M starved). 3) 1970s — Cambodia (1.5–2M killed). 4) 1990s — Rwanda (800K killed in 100 days).
123
What factors lead states to implement policies resulting in mass atrocities?
Extremist governments, dehumanization via propaganda, scapegoating during crises, intense nationalism, no international accountability.
AP World
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