World History Study Guide

Caroline Tan

Imperialism

1. Imperialism is control by a powerful nation over a weaker, less developed one. European countries wanted to pursue imperialism to spread their own traditions and culture. Also, the concept of helping help their “little brothers” in foreign countries was extremely prevalent.
2. 6 motives are economic, military, political ideological, religious, and exploratory. For economic, countries imperialized others in order to hold a monopoly on trade. Countries also wanted more markets to sell goods and more trade routes. Europe believed having colonies would secure military bases and war material. Furthermore, Europe wanted to increase national security, a political interest. Ideologically, they exercised a policy of “social darwinism,” where they believed control over another nation was a natural way to progress human civilization. Religious ideals included spreading Christianity. Finally, Europe desired to explore the unknown for scientific research and adventure.
3. A colony is when the imperializing country completely takes over the territory of another nation; the imperial country usually appoints one of its own members to reign over the colony. The citizens of the colony become citizens of the protector nation. A protectorate is a territory whose leader reports to the imperializing nation and follows of the will of that ruler. A sphere of influence is a country under economic and military control of another nation.
4. Direct rule is a type of policy where the imperializing nation rules over the large and important matters of the colony. Indirect rule is a type of colonial policy where the traditional local power structure is incorporated into the colonial power structure.
5. European powers had superior weaponry and quickly industrialized.

WWI

6. MANIA: Militarism Alliances Nationalism Imperialism A Spark. Militarism induced the idea of “survival of the fittest,” giving countries the mindset of becoming the biggest and toughest nation. War was glorified. Alliances led to World War I because it increased fear and distrust. Nationalism was revived when Russia sponsored Pan-Slavic nationalism. Imperialism led to WWI by making Britain feel threatened by German unification. Finally, Franz Ferdinand’s assassination lit the “spark” which started WWI.
7. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand led to Emperor Francis Joseph giving Serbia an ultimatum. Eventually, German Kaiser William II gives Austria-Hungary a “blank check” for its war against Serbia, and the war officially begins. Serbia gets help from Russia, Germany declares war on Russia, and Russia gets help from France.
8. The Triple Entente Powers included France, the UK, Russia, and Italy, and the US. The Central Powers consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.
9. People expected the war to be short and quick. Trench warfare was prevalent in the Western Front. The fighting in WWI was different than the fighting in previous wars because the technology was so much more superior. New methods of warfare were being used, including flamethrowers, tanks, barbed wire, and machine guns. They impacted the war by affecting the number of people who could die in a short amount of time.
10. The Eastern front had a trench warfare stalement.
11. Russia was taken out of the war so early because of the Russian Revolution, headed by Lenin and the Bolsheviks.
12. The German Revolution and escape of the Kaiser led to the armistice with Germany. A ceasefire came into effect.
13. The US entered the war because of the submarine incident, where Germany sank seven of the US’ submarines, and the Zimmerman note.
14. Wilson’s Fourteen Points were a series of rules following WWI that were aimed at maintaining world peace. Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France, and the League of Nations was created.
15. The Treaty of Versailles blamed Germany for the war, and forced it to pay enormous reparations. Germany had to return Alsace-Lorraine to France, and pay victorious nations land and military costs. This fueled nationalistic resentment and bitterness.

Russian Revolution

16. Czar Nicholas II was a weak and ineffectual ruler. Russia was falling behind because it failed to industrialize and maintained an agrarian society.
17. Rasputin was a “mad monk.” He was a Russian mystic and healer who exercised enormous control over the Czarina.
18. WWI affected Russia because it severely weakened the economy and lowered the population.
19. Karl Marx believed that the proletariat would eventually overthrow the bourgeoisie and create a classless society. Eventually, the need for a government would subside. The goal was a classless, anarchist society. It will be achieved through a proletariat revolution.
20. Communism denounces free enterprise and tries to make everybody as equal as possible. Capitalism thrives on free enterprise and has an “each man for himself” mindset. Russia was not an ideal place for revolution because it wasn’t industrialized enough.
21. The February Revolution led to the fall of Nicholas II of Russia, and tried to establish a democratic republic. The October Revolution was when Lenin overthrew the Provisional government and created the USSR. The Provisional Government was the government following the decline of the Czar; the government held state power and the national network of Soviets. Lenin won the civil war against the Provisional Government.
22. Lenin was the leader of the Bolsheviks. He changed Marxist’s ideas to fit Russia by arguing that the revolution should be led by “professional revolutionaries,” instead of the working class in general.
23. The Mensheviks were a separate political party. The Bolsheviks were the Communists, led by Lenin. They came into power through the October Revolution. Changes included redistributing land to the peasants and eliminating private enterprise.
24. The Red Terror was the campaign of mass arrests and executions led by the Bolsheviks. It’s goal was to weed out potential dissidents and “enemies of the people.”
25. The NEP was introduced by Lenin to protect the Russian Economy. It allowed small businesses to reopen, while the state still kept control of banks, foreign trade, and large industries. Farmers had to give a specific amount of product as a tax. The NEP greatly increased agricultural production and created an economic recovery.
26. Joseph Stalin came into power some point after Lenin. He came into power by picking cabinet members loyal to himself. Changes included collectivization of agriculture.
27. Stalin tried to maintain his power and reputation through propaganda and control of the media.
28. Collectivization was merging multiple individual farms into large, government-run ones. The collectives were meant to increase food production and thus food supply. The Five-Year Plan was an ambitious plan to industrialize Russia in five year. Neither was particularly successful.
29. The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution. Stalin essentially wiped out all traces of those who he considered a threat, even altering historical documents to remove all traces of their existence.
30. People lived on large collectives and constant fear. Stalin tried to control his people by maintaining control over important economic factors, including businesses and trade, and utilizing propaganda.
31. He laughed a command economy and forced rapid industrialization. The USSR went from an agrarian society to industrial powerhouse in a short span of time.

WWII

32. A totalitarian state is one which seeks to control all aspects of its citizen’s political, social, and economic life. Germany and the USSR became totalitarian states in the 1930’s.
33. Totalitarian leaders get their power by gaining the support of the masses and enforcing that rule by strict control over the population. It rose in Russia through Stalin , Italy through Mussolini, Germany through Hitler, and Japan through the military.
34. Fascism is a system of government under control of a dictator with stringent laws and rules. It differs from Communism because it focuses more on censorship and dictatorship. Its goal is not to make everybody equal. Italy and Nazi Germany are both examples of fascist governments.
35. Germany was in severe economic debt and was struggling after WWI. It helped Hitler come to power because the civilization was angry at the former government for giving in to the terms of the Versailles Treaty. The Nazis blamed the Jews and government for Germany’s hardships.
36. Hitler legally came into power by being appointed Chancellor by President Hindenburg in 1933. People followed him because he promised to restore Germany’s reputation and fix the economic crisis.
37. Japan became a world power by quickly building efficient, modern factories that outproduced older industries in the West. It adapted latest technology and benefited from a well-educated and skilled work force. Workers saved much of their pay, giving banks the capital to invest in industrial growth. The government was able to invest heavily in the economy because of the military restrictions. Japan wanted to expand to increase its hegemony. It took over parts of China.
38. The Rape of Nanking was a Japanese complete slaughter of the city of Nanking. When a military is in power, all decisions are made with much more violence and force.
39. Appeasement is the process of giving into demands in order to avoid war. WWII unfolded from the League of Nations’ consistent complying with Germany’s demand in order to maintain the peace. The militarists simply wanted money. The war ended with a Japanese loss; US triumphed.
40. Jews from all over Europe were infinitely safer than where they had originally been. Nazi Germany was defeated, and two of Japan’s major cities bombed. The US and Soviet Union emerged as world superpowers.
41. The Cold War was a period of time in history where relationships between the US and Soviet Union were extremely distant.
42. The Iron Curtain was Winston Churchill’s metaphorical term for the disconnect between the East and the West. NATO stood for North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which was an alliance between the United States and Britain to prevent the spread of communism. NATO nations pledged to help one another if any one of them was attacked. The Warsaw Pact was created in response to NATO, and included the Central and Eastern European Communist states. The Warsaw Pact nations agreed not to get into each other’s plans for expansion.

Holocaust

43. Anti-Semitism has been evident in European history since the fourth century BCE. In Greece and Egypt, people regarded Semitic-speaking people as “strangers” and “barbarians.” The monotheism of Jewish practices and strict adherences to law drew suspicion. Jews were forbidden to pay religious homage to the emperor. People thought that Jews were responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. Stereotypes include “blood libels,” where people believed that Jews used children’s blood to bake bread used for the commemoration of Passover.
44. Social Darwinism and Eugenics influenced Hitler because they led him to believe that some people were born genetically superior to others. It justified his actions against the Jews; he thought that the strong race (Aryans) had to wipe out the weaker race (Jews) in order for civilization to continue strong.
45. Hitler thought that the Jews were naturally an inferior race.
46. Hitler instigated the Nuremberg Laws, which prohibited Jews from marrying non-Jews, holding public office, and working as government employees. During the Boycott of Jewish Businesses stage, Jews were isolated socially and economically and used as scapegoats. As a result, tens of thousands of Jews were fired. Resistance included a one-day boycott. The Nuremberg Laws stage enforced severe restrictions on Jewish life. Resistance included the 1933 National Representation of German Jews. Kristallnacht, or “Night of the Broken Glass,” was a stage of the Holocaust where entire Jewish towns were looted and destroyed. Many people fled Germany as a sign of resistance. Jewish Ghettos was another stage; ghettos were created to prevent the spread of typhus disease. Resistance included the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Another stage, Camps, included concentration and prisoner-of-war camps, to which “asocial” and dissidents were sent. Resistance included the Poet Society. Deportations throughout Europe tried to rid the country of Jews; Denmark opposed the slaughter. The Final Solution was another stage of the Holocaust, where Jews were sent to Death Camps. The White Rose was a method of resistance. Finally, Liberation was a step of the Holocaust, where survivors went to Displaced Persons Camps. Israel was established and the Nuremberg Trials took place.
47. One result of the Holocaust was the Partition Plan, which created Israel. The main officers of the Holocaust were tried during the Nuremberg Trials for Crimes against Humanity, among others.
48. The six steps to genocide are: scapegoating, party of hate, gaining political power, passing discriminatory laws, forcing separation, and exterminating the group. Genocides in the 20^th Century include the Cultural Revolution, lead by Mao Zhedong of China, and the Rwanda genocide. Right now, there is genocide in Darfur.

China

49. The Qing Dynasty fell because of the Opium War, poorly maintained irrigation systems, Unequal Treaties, and Taiping Rebellion. West Imperialism affected China’s stability because it insisted on trading opium and forced China to sign the Unequal Treaties.
50. Sun Yat-sen was the founder of the Chinese Republic. His 3 Principles of the People are nationalism, democracy, and livelihood.
51. The May 4^th movement was a student-organized protest against imperialism. It reflected China’s dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Versailles, and helped fuel the Communist takeover.
52. Chiang Kai-shek was the leader of the Chinese Republic before it was taken over by Mao. The main goal of the Kuomintang was to reunite China; democracy and Communist meant little.
53. Mao Zhedong is the leader of the Communist Party and People’s Republic of China. He wanted to industrialize China and spread Communist ideals. He changed Marx’s ideas by saying the revolution should be led by larger peasant masses, rather than the working class.
54. The Chinese Civil War was between the Kuomintang and the CCP. When the Japanese invaded, the Kuomintang was forced to ally with the CCP and defeat the Japanese. This helped arm the CCP, something that eventually led to their successful victory over the Kuomintang. After being defeated, the Nationalist fled to the island of Taiwan and set up their own government.
55. The Communists took control of businesses and severely restricted civilian freedom.
56. The goal of the Great Leap Forward was to industrialize China and make agriculture more efficient. It failed because the goods turned out to be of low quality. Furthermore, the commune system slowed food output and bad weather led to a terrible famine.
57. The Cultural Revolution was the period of time where China tried to purge itself of any non-revolutionary tendencies. Intellectuals were targeted. It affected society because there were no longer any intellectuals within the government to run hospitals and care for the sick.
58. Den Xiaoping focused less on political purity and spent more time on practical matters. He backed a program called the Four Modernizations, which emphasized agriculture, industry, science, and defense. He allowed the private ownership of property and replaced communes with the responsibility system.
59. The goal of the protest was to acquire greater political freedom. The government responded with force, using tanks to mow over its citizens.
60. Today, China is a major industrial power. It has a fast-growing economy and enormous population.

Other Things:

61. The spectrum contains liberals, conservatives, and independents. Democrats tend to end up in the liberal section, Republicans in conservative section, and independents in any area they choose.
62. Usually there is a general idea or country feeling, i.e. nationalism, that helps to fuel major world wars and minor revolutions. They happen in that order because the general consensus is the driving force behind many revolutions; people wouldn’t revolt if they didn’t all feel dissatisfied with the current government.
63. Many countries affect one another. During World War II, FDR was making domestic changes to the United States. It wasn’t until Japan attacked Pearl Harbor that the US officially got involved in the war.
64. Different parts include: thesis statement, background, arguments and subsequent examples, as well as a conclusion that summarizes the thesis statement.