War, war and war.
1914-19 - WWI - Europe fights long pent-up rivalries in trenches due to MAIN. The Americans come in at the end and save the day. Germany gets screwed over in the Treaty of Versailles
Russia goes communist in the Russian Revolution. To conserve letters, they drop off the "-ia" at the end of their name, scramble the rest, and come up with USSR, otherwise know as the Soviet Union.
1920s-1930s - Global depression. People are poor, and after WWI, many are angry (ahem, Germany). Dictators start to look good. How messed up does your situation have to be to make a Hitler or Mussolini look good? Japan needs fuel and resources for their new idea for global domination and take Manchuria and parts of China.
1939-1945. WW2 - A contiuation of WWI, but this time Germany starts out strong and scary. When Japan attacks the US, the US gets involved in the war against Germany (allied with Japan) and drops not one, but two, atomic bombs on Japan.
Gandhi goes on enough hunger strikes and marches and India gets independence from Britain in 1947. And so does Pakistan. Gandhi mentions something about Hindus and Muslims getting along and gets assassinated.
China goes communist. To conserve letters, they become the PRC - the People's Republic of China.
Plenty of African countries get their independence. Ghana first in 1957. Many follow. France has a hard time letting go and fights a long, protacted war in Algeria.
The Cold War wages. Countries are part of the 1st world - the US, Europe and Friends, the 2nd World - the USSR, the Eastern bloc, and the 3rd World - those who refuse to take sides, and therefore don't get aid, so they're poor.
France has a hard time letting go in Vietnam and fights a long protracted war, and hands it over to the US who also has a hard time letting go. Vietnam wins.
Not a lot happens in the 80s or 90s that is on the AP Exam. Focus on the end of the Cold War and globalization and the UN.
I look forward to see what kind of history your exceptional young minds create.
Your notes should have this info, so you can fcous your reading on these concepts.
Know these terms and locations.
Includes almost everything you need to know from this unit.