Anarchism
What: Political belief that society should function without government.
When: 1800s–present.
Where: Europe, U.S.
Why: Reaction to industrial inequality.
Significance: Inspired revolutionary movements and political violence in the late 19th century.
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Anarchism | What: Political belief that society should function without government.
When: 1800s–present.
Where: Europe, U.S.
Why: Reaction to industrial inequality.
Significance: Inspired revolutionary movements and political violence in the late 19th century. |
New Imperialism | What: Period of aggressive European expansion.
When: 1870–1914.
Where: Africa, Asia.
Why: Resources, markets, nationalism, “civilizing mission.”
Significance: Reshaped global politics; caused conflicts that led to WWI. |
Charles Darwin | Who: British naturalist.
When: 1809–1882.
Where: England.
Why notable: Created theory of evolution by natural selection.
Significance: Inspired Social Darwinism (misuse of his theories). |
Social Darwinism | What: Misapplication of Darwin’s ideas to human society.
When: Late 1800s.
Where: Europe, U.S.
Why: Justified inequality & imperialism.
Significance: Used to support racism, eugenics, and colonialism. |
Socialism | What: Economic system where workers/community own production.
When: 1800s–present.
Why: Response to poor industrial working conditions.
Significance: Influenced labor reforms & revolutions. |
Karl Marx | Who: German philosopher/economist.
When: 1818–1883.
Significance: Wrote Communist Manifesto; foundation of communism. |
Leon Czolgosz | Who: Anarchist who assassinated President McKinley.
When: 1901 (Buffalo, NY).
Significance: Led to Theodore Roosevelt becoming president. |
Nationalism | What: Pride/loyalty to one’s nation.
Significance: Fueled unification movements & caused WWI tensions. |
Giuseppe Garibaldi | Who: Italian nationalist leader.
When: Mid-1800s.
Significance: Helped unify Italy. |
Franco-Prussian War | What: War between France & Prussia.
When: 1870–1871.
Significance: German unification; French desire for revenge helped cause WWI. |
Eugenics | What: Belief in improving human population through selective breeding.
Significance: Influenced racist laws; ties to Nazi ideology. |
The White Man’s Burden | What: Poem by Kipling claiming Europeans had a duty to “civilize” others.
Significance: Justified imperialism. |
Francis Galton | Who: Darwin’s cousin; founder of eugenics.
Significance: Pseudoscience used to justify racism. |
Quinine | What: Drug to treat malaria.
Significance: Allowed Europeans to colonize Africa. |
Battle of Omdurman | When: 1898 (Sudan).
Significance: Showed European military superiority. |
Triple Entente | What: Alliance of France, Russia, Britain (1907).
Significance: One major side in WWI. |
Central Powers | Who: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire.
Significance: Main opponents in WWI. |
Black Hand | What: Serbian nationalist group.
Significance: Planned assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. |
Gavrilo Princip | Who: Black Hand member.
When: 1914 (Sarajevo).
Significance: Sparked WWI. |
Archduke Franz Ferdinand | Who: Heir to Austria-Hungary throne.
Significance: His assassination started WWI. |
Schlieffen Plan | What: German plan to quickly defeat France then Russia.
Significance: Failed, leading to trench warfare. |
Vladimir Lenin | Who: Leader of Bolsheviks.
Significance: Led Russian Revolution; first leader of Soviet Union. |
Russian Revolution (1917) | What: Overthrow of Tsar → rise of communism.
Significance: Created USSR; changed global politics. |
Western Front | Where: France & Belgium (WWI).
Significance: Stalemate, trench warfare. |
Trench warfare | What: Defensive fighting in trenches.
Significance: Huge casualties, stalemate. |
Mustard Gas | What: Chemical weapon (WWI).
Significance: Caused horrific injuries; later banned. |
Battle of Verdun | When: 1916 (France).
Significance: One of WWI’s bloodiest battles. |
Lusitania | What: British passenger ship sunk by Germans (1915).
Significance: Pushed U.S. toward WWI. |
14 Points | What: Woodrow Wilson’s peace plan (1918).
Significance: Basis for League of Nations. |
League of Nations | What: International peace organization (1919).
Significance: Failed to prevent WWII. |
Battle of Gallipoli | When: 1915–1916 (Turkey).
Significance: Failed Allied campaign; boosted Turkish nationalism. |
Spanish Flu (1918-19) | What: Global pandemic after WWI.
Significance: Killed ~50 million people. |
Treaty of Versailles | What: Peace treaty ending WWI (1919).
Significance: Blamed Germany → led to WWII. |
Woodrow Wilson | Who: U.S. President during WWI.
Significance: Proposed 14 Points, League of Nations. |
Joseph Stalin | Who: Soviet dictator (1920s–1953).
Significance: Totalitarian rule, Great Purge, WWII ally. |
Adolf Hitler | Who: Nazi dictator of Germany.
Significance: Started WWII; responsible for Holocaust. |
Mein Kampf | What: Hitler’s book.
Significance: Outlined Nazi ideology |
Kristallnacht | What: 1938 Nazi attack on Jewish businesses & synagogues.
Significance: Start of violent persecution. |
Lebensraum | What: Hitler’s idea of “living space” for Germans.
Significance: Justified invasion of Eastern Europe |
Munich Conference | What: 1938 agreement giving Hitler Sudetenland.
Significance: Failed appeasement. |
Final Solution | What: Nazi plan to exterminate Jews.
Significance: Led to Holocaust. |
Pearl Harbor | When: Dec 7, 1941 (Hawaii).
Significance: Brought U.S. into WWII. |
Open Door Policy | What: U.S. policy for equal trade in China (1899).
Significance: Protected U.S. trade interests. |
Matthew Perry | Who: U.S. naval officer.
Significance: Forced Japan to open trade (1853). |
Manhattan Project | What: U.S. program to build atomic bombs.
Significance: Ended WWII; started nuclear age. |
Greater East Asian co-Prosperity Sphere | What: Japan’s imperial justification.
Significance: Masked military expansion. |
Meiji Restoration | What: Modernization of Japan (1868).
Significance: Turned Japan into major power. |
Hiroshima | What: First atomic bomb dropped (1945).
Significance: Helped end WWII; massive casualties. |
Cold War | What: U.S. vs USSR ideological conflict (1947–1991).
Significance: Shaped global politics. |
Iron Curtain | What: Churchill’s term for division of Europe.
Significance: Symbol of Cold War. |
Containment | What: U.S. policy to stop spread of communism.
Significance: Led to Korean & Vietnam Wars. |
Truman Doctrine | What: Aid to nations resisting communism (1947).
Significance: Beginning of U.S. Cold War policy. |
Marshall Plan | What: U.S. aid to rebuild Europe.
Significance: Prevented spread of communism. |
NATO | What: Military alliance (1949).
Significance: Collective defense against USSR. |
Mao Zedong | Who: Communist leader of China.
Significance: Led PRC; Cultural Revolution. |
Yuri Gagarin | Who: First human in space (1961).
Significance: Soviet space victory. |
Korean War | When: 1950–1953.
Significance: First major Cold War conflict. |
Vietnam War | When: 1955–1975.
Significance: U.S. loss; antiwar movement. |
Fidel Castro | Who: Communist leader of Cuba.
Significance: Led Cuban Revolution; Cold War hotspot. |
Sputnik I | What: First satellite (USSR, 1957).
Significance: Started Space Race. |
Miracle on Ice | What: U.S. hockey win over USSR (1980 Olympics).
Significance: Symbolic Cold War victory. |
McCarthyism/Red Scare | What: Anti-communist hysteria (1950s).
Significance: Violations of civil liberties. |
Cuban Missile Crisis | What: 1962 nuclear standoff U.S.–USSR.
Significance: Closest to nuclear war. |
Détente | What: Easing Cold War tensions (1970s).
Significance: Led to arms agreements. |
Ronald Reagan | Who: U.S. president (1981–1989).
Significance: Tough stance ended Cold War momentum. |
Mikhail Gorbachev | Who: Last Soviet leader.
Significance: Reforms led to USSR collapse. |
Persian Gulf War | When: 1990–1991.
What: U.S.-led coalition vs Iraq after Kuwait invasion.
Significance: Showed U.S. military dominance. |
Yasser Arafat | Who: Leader of PLO.
Significance: Major figure in Arab-Israeli conflict. |
Arab-Israeli Conflict | What: Ongoing conflict over land in Middle East.
Significance: Major global tension. |
PLO | What: Palestinian Liberation Organization.
Significance: Represented Palestinian nationalism. |
War on Terror | What: U.S.-led response to 9/11.
Significance: Wars in Afghanistan & Iraq. |
Cultural Revolution (China) | What: Mao’s campaign to enforce communism (1966–76).
Significance: Chaos, deaths, destroyed culture |
Tiananmen Square Massacre | When: 1989 (China).
What: Gov’t crushed pro-democracy protests.
Significance: Symbol of repression. |
Iranian Revolution | When: 1979.
What: Overthrew Shah → Islamic Republic.
Significance: Major Middle East shift. |
Taliban | Who: Islamist group in Afghanistan.
Significance: Governed 1996–2001; sheltered Al-Qaeda. |
Al-Qaeda | What: Terrorist group led by Osama bin Laden.
Significance: Responsible for 9/11. |
Mujahedeen | What: Afghan fighters against USSR (1980s).
Significance: Some groups later became Taliban/Al-Qaeda. |
Arab Spring | When: 2010–2012.
What: Pro-democracy uprisings in Arab world.
Significance: Toppled dictators; unrest continues. |
ISIS | What: Extremist terrorist organization.
Significance: Created a “caliphate” in Iraq/Syria. |
Paris Agreement (2016 | What: Global climate agreement.
Significance: Nations pledged to reduce emissions. |
The Communist Manifesto | 1848 text by Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels calling for worker revolution and criticizing capitalism. |
Zionism | Jewish nationalist movement seeking a homeland in Palestine; led to creation of Israel. |
Nationalism | Strong loyalty to one’s nation; major force behind revolutions, imperialism, and modern states. |
Battle of Obdurman/Omdurman | 1898 British defeat of Sudanese forces using modern weapons; showed power of industrial militaries. |
King Menelik | Ethiopian emperor who modernized his army and defeated Italian invaders at the Battle of Adwa (1896). |
Taiping Rebellion | Massive civil war in China (1850–64) led by Hong Xiuquan; weakened Qing dynasty and killed millions. |
Open Door Notes of 1900 | U.S. policy insisting on equal trade access in China; protected American commercial interests. |
El Nino/ENSO | Periodic warming of Pacific Ocean altering global climate; has caused famines and environmental stress. |
Charles Darwin | Scientist who developed theory of evolution; his ideas influenced science and (misused) imperial ideologies. |