Ch. 1 - Towards Another War
MODERN WORLD HISTORY STUDY GUIDE
Chapter 1 : The World Moves Toward Another War (1920 - 1939)
The End of World War I
1. Treaty of Brest-Litousk-
-ended Russian participation in World War I
-the Soviets agreed to massive territorial losses
2. Paris Peace Conference-
-members of the winning nations of World War I met to decide the reparations (conditions) for the defeated countries
-Germany was not allowed to negotiate, or even attend the meetings, until the end when Germany was to sign
3. “Big Four”-
-the four major victorious powers, Britain, France, Italy, and the United States
-represented the twenty-seven nations which were on the winning side of the war
4. League of Nations-
-organization established after World War I to promote international peace
-sixty-three nations were members
-headquarters was located in Geneva, Switzerland
-unable to fulfill its chief aims of disarmament and peacekeeping in the 1930’s, it lost members and fell into disuse before World War II
5. Treaty of Versailles-
-established unrealistic demands of Germany
-signed on June 28, 1919
-Germany was forced to give up territory, disarm and limit it’s military, pay heavy reparations, and agree to the war guilt clause
6. Polish Corridor-
-gave Poland a narrow strip of land, allowing them access to the North Sea
-divided northern German into two parts
-part of the Treaty of Versailles
Stalin and the Birth of the Soviet Union
7. Union of Soviet Socialist Republic-
-began with the seizure of power in Russia by the Bolsheviks (Communists) in 1917
-early communist ideals were swept aside and the government evolved into a dictatorship
-the USSR was a nation ruled through fear
8. Joseph Stalin-
-managed to gain control of the Soviet Union after Lenin’s death
-created a dictatorship in the USSR which would last until his death in 1953
-made Russia an industrial giant and military power
-his shortsighted policies caused the deaths of millions
-ordered the death of millions more in order to stay in power
9. Five-Year Plan-
-plan designed to increase production in the Soviet Union
-industrialization was achieved at the cost of agriculture
-millions died
10. Leon Trotsky-
-closely associated with Lenin, the Bolsheviks, the Russian Revolution, and the creation of the USSR
-political rival with Stalin over control of the Soviet Union after Lenin’s death
-expelled from the Soviet Union in 1928, living in several countries before ending in Mexico
-continued to try and discredit Stalin
-axed to death by the Soviet secret police in his home near Mexico City
11. Great Purges-
-Stalin’s attempts to remove his political rivals
-millions were executed, murdered, or sent away
12. Gulags-
-forced labor camps part of punishment under Stalin’s Soviet legal system
-official Soviet figures, 10 million between 1934 and 1947 were imprisoned
-millions of the camp inmates died from cold, disease, malnutrition, and summary executions
-camps were dismantled after Stalin, but forced labor was used throughout Soviet control
13. German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact-
-publicly, Germany and Soviet Union agreed neither would attack each other
-secretly they agreed to divide Poland and take over the Baltic states between the two
-Stalin wanted to keep the Soviet Union safe and acquire new
territory
14. Russo-Finnish War-
-also called the Winter War
-waged by the USSR against Finland following the German invasion of Poland
-using highly mobile ski troops, the Finns put up an unexpectedly fierce defense
-after two months, the Soviet Union controlled a large portion of Finland
-Finland eventually allies with Germany and regains land, only to loose it again at the end of the war
Industrial Japanese Aggression in the Pacific
15. Osachi Hamaguchi-
-assassinated prime minister of Japan
-allowed the military to gain control of Japan
-the country quickly began taking over regions of Southeast Asia
16. Mukden Incident-
-Japan accused China of blowing up part of a Japanese railroad in Manchuria
-although disputed, it is believed the Japanese conducted the act of terror to give them a reason to attack China
-opened the door for Japanese invasion of China
-condemned by the League of Nations, it exposed it’s weakness of enforcement
17. Second Sino-Japanese War-
-longest Asia war of the Twentieth Century (1937-1945)
-a product of Japanese Imperialism and her attempt to politically control China
18. Rape of Nanking-
-Nanking had about 1 million citizens, most fleeing the Japanese takeover of Manchuria
-Japanese soldiers entered the and over the next six weeks, killed and 300,000 Chinese, most civilians
-80,000 women were raped and then brutally executed
-stores were looted and buildings and homes burned
-the judgment of a war times trial condemned seven to death and sixteen Japanese to life in prison
-the book, The Rape of Nanking, by Iris Chang, clearly describes the scene
-even today, Japanese government denies the extent or that the event even happened
19. Indochina
-Japan invaded this region seeking to increase their military successes and to further isolate China from necessary supplies
-France put up no resistance since they were occupied by Germany
-treaty signed in Sept. 1940 with Vichy government gave Japan control
-as a result, the U.S. placed an
embargo on Japan
Mussolini Takes Control of Italy
20. Benito Mussolini (early life)-
-named Benito after Mexican revolutionary Benito Juárez
-rejected by the socialists for his views concerning World War I
-helped developed the Fascist movement which gained support in rural regions of Italy
-led Italy into an era of military expansion prior to World War II
21. Fascism-
-authoritarian political movement that developed in Italy
-developed by reaction against the political and social changes brought about by World War I and the spread of socialism and communism
-name was derived from the fasces, an ancient Roman symbol of authority consisting of a bundle of rods and an ax
22. Black Shirts-
-secret police used by the Fascist Party in Italy
-used to guarantee that the Fascists would remain in power
-responsible for the spread of terror and fear among the Italian people
23. Giacomo Matteotti-
-accused the National Fascist Party of fraud in the 1924 Italian election
-was kidnapped and killed eleven days later allegedly by the Fascists
24. March on Rome-
-30,000 Fascists march in a parade in Rome
-fearing a civil war, King Victor Emmanuel surrendered public authority to the Fascists
25. Ethiopian Invasion-
-Italy attacks the north African nation of Ethiopia to begin a campaign of Italian imperialism
-although Italy took political control of the country Ethiopia never surrendered
36. Rome-Berlin Axis-
-alliance between Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy