World Studies 2009- Final Norman Luu

______WORLD STUDIES STUDY GUIDE _____

WORLD WAR ONE

1. Causes:
a. Congress of Vienna
i. No single state can control Europe
ii.New borders
b. Nationalism
i. “Big 5” countries got all the power
ii.Countries without representation want power
c. Industrialization
i. Inventions, weapons
ii.INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
d. Unification of Nation States
i. Germany- Otto von Bismarck
ii.Italy- Piedmont
e. Imperialism
i. War over foreign territories
f. Militarism
i. Stockpiling weapon s
g. Alliances
i. Secret alliances
h. Pan Slavism
i. Mega-alliance with Russia and Slavs
i. Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
i. Princip.
2. Austrian/German secret alliance
3. Germany began to militarize
4. France saw this as a threat, militarized themselves
5. Russia began to militarize because of Pan Slavism, thought Serbia was in danger
6. Germany used the Schlieffen plan- invaded France
a. But went through Belgium.
b. Britain agreed to stay out of the war unless Belgium was messed with
c. Britain’s ticked, they go to war
7. Trench warfare didn’t do anything
World Studies 2009- Final Norman Luu

8. Planes weren’t all that great

9. War of Attrition: They’re fighting, but nobody’s winning, only the body count
matters
10. Lusitania- builds foundation for US reasoning to enter the war
a. Sinks because of German sub
b. Leads to restricted German sub warfare; they didn’t want US in the war
11. Zimmerman telegram
a. Germany promises Mexico some of US if they enter the war
b. US declares war in Feb 1917
i. But...we have no weapons or way to get there
ii.We ask Britain to pick us up but they deny
c. We finally get there, Spring 1918
d. Everyone’s tired, we’re fresh troops
12. 11 hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 war is over
th

a. Germany surrenders
13. Wilson proposes peace without victory, 14 points
a. Rejected because France and Britain wanted to beat Germany into the
ground
14. Treaty of Versailles
a. France/Britain “won” belief
b. Losers: Germany, Austria/Hungary, and Ottomans
c. Punishment: lose territories, colonies
d. War guilt clause- Germany is forced to sign that they take the blame for
WWI, pay expenses for the war
e. Germany turns into a republic
f. Establishes League of Nations

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

1. Everyone’s poor, starving

2. Czar Nicholas is still rich, has all power, and didn’t give rights
3. Russia keep losing in WWI, Czar is useless
4. Princes and nobles want change, ask Czar
5. Rasputin
a. “Healer”- healed Czar’s son
b. Influences Czar in WWI
c. Princes kill him
6. Czar STILL doesn’t change his ways
World Studies 2009- Final Norman Luu

7. March 1917- Czar is overthrown

8. Provisional Government established
9. Lenin returns to Russia after exile
a. Promises peace, bread, land
b. Communism
c. Proletariat- industrial workers vs. Bourgeoisie- middle class/rich
d. 98% agricultural, 2% industrial
e. Revolution through modernizing agriculture
10. Nov 1917- Successful revolution, called Russia Soviet Union

INTERWAR

1. Art didn’t make sense because it was chaotic

2. Cabaret
3. Simple architecture
4. Technology helps build up army
5. Economy goes down, especially Germany’s because of the War guilt clause

TOTALITARIANISM

1. Dictatorship that tried to control every aspect of the lives of people

2. Technology allowed for this: radio, cars, telephone
3. Tools: censorship, indoctrination, terror
4. Existed first in Russia, then Italy, Japan, Germany
5. Italy
a. Why?
i. Constitutional monarchy
ii.Versailles treaty- nationalist are angry because Italy didn’t get
territory
iii.Depression
iv.Laissez-faire
b. Mussolini
i. Created fascist party- combo of socialism and nationalism
ii.Black shirts
iii.Is “appointed” by the king
iv.Admired Hitler
v.Didn’t really do anything for Italy, except made the trains run on
time
vi.Depended on Hitler for the most part
World Studies 2009- Final Norman Luu

c. Lenin
i. Secret police, killed 250,000 opponents
ii.New Economic policy- allowed capitalism back into communism
1. Relaxed censorship, you can own some land
iii.Lenin Dies
d. Stalin
i. Fought vs. Trotsky for power
ii.Executed political opposition
iii.5 year plan- like industrialization on speed
1. Results:
a. Steel up 400%
b. Oil up 300%
c. Massive urbanization
d. But quality of goods fell
iv.Collective farming, like communes
v.Insane propaganda
vi.Benefits: everything was free, but bad quality
vii.Allowed divorce, women were equal
viii.Great Terror
1. He went crazy, sent prisoners to Siberia or had them killed
2. “purged” the population
3. Gulags- prison camps, killed people there
4. 20 MILLION DEAD IN RUSSIA BEFORE WWII BREAKS
OUT
e. Hitler
i. Extreme nationalism + racism = Nazism
ii.Brown shirts
iii.Beer Hall Putsch: 1923, he got drunk people to overthrow
government. Failed, he got thrown into jail
iv.Mein Kampf: written while in jail, blueprint for future plans
v.Enabling act- he gets dictatorial powers for 4 years
vi.Creates Gestapo- secret police
vii.Nuremburg laws- Jews were no longer citizens of Germany
viii.Kristallnacht- creates the ghetto
ix.Hitler blames Jews, homosexuals, etc for all the problems in
Germany
x.Laws made to prevent Jews from teaching/civil services
xi.Holocaust- 6 million Jews killed
World Studies 2009- Final Norman Luu

1. Slavs, gypsies, homosexuals, communists, mentally

handicapped, and political prisoners killed as well
xii.Youth encouraged to beat up teachers/parents who seemed
disloyal to the Reich (the German state)
xiii.Results:
1. Jobs up
a. Women took jobs
2. Standard of living up
3. Profits up

ROAD TO WWII

1. Treaty of Versailles didn’t create an enduring peace BECAUSE it punished

Germany
2. League of nations without US and USSR didn’t have the will or support to
sustain peace
3. Many pacts made war illegal
4. Great Depression
a. Germany kept paying money because of the war guilt clause
b. Ran out so just kept printing more money
c. Price of German currency shot down
d. Chain reaction with other countries
e. Hitler promises change
5. Withdrawal from the League of Nations
a. Japanese invasion of Manchuria- League did nothing, Japan withdraws
b. Hitler withdraws from the league in 1933, then rearms Germany
c. Invasion of Ethiopia angers league, Italy withdraws
6. Spanish civil war
a. Testing ground for new tech of Italy/Germany
b. Mussolini allies with Germany to help with Spain

FIRST MOVES

1. Germany reoccupies the Rhineland, violates Versailles treaty and Locarno Pact
2. France isn’t willing to enforce treaty without British help, but Britain doesn’t
want another war
3. Nothing’s done
World Studies 2009- Final Norman Luu

4. Japan invades China, nothing is done

5. Hitler takes over a lot of central Europe
6. Neville Chamberlain- British prime minister talks with Germany
a. Adopted a policy of appeasement with Britain, France, Italy, Germany
b. Appeasement: Making concessions to an aggressor in order to avoid war
7. Germany invades Czechoslovakia
8. Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact- a secret agreement between Germany and
USSR that Poland would be cut in half between the two
9. Germany invades Poland
10. Blitzkrieg- Lightning war
a. Planes first
b. Tanks
c. Foot soldiers
11. Sitzkrieg- Hitler waits 7 months, then invades
12. Takes over France in less than 6 weeks
a. Vichy France- basically Nazi France

WORLD WAR TWO

1. Battle of Britain
a. One of the first battles of WWII
b. Air-only
c. British channel formed a defense
d. Germany would use Britain to get to US
e. Radar helped
f. Frustrated with opposing planes, they bombed cities
g. Eventually Germany pulled out
i. Stalled a year before another attack, bought time for the rest of the
world
ii.First time Hitler lost
2. Battle of Stalingrad
a. Oil/water transport
b. Hitler wanted the oil fields and to lower Russian morale
c. Everyone helped
i. Civilians fought
ii.Women/Children built trenches
iii.Factory workers built tanks
d. Winter killed off the Germans
World Studies 2009- Final Norman Luu

e. Germany lost- 1.7-2 million killed

f. Lasted 199 days
3. Pearl Harbor
a. Tariff on oil = Japanese bombing
b. Two wave attack- used torpedo and dive bombers
c. America wasn’t ready
d. Japan won the battle because it was a surprise attack
e. Results: US joined the war, racism against Asians skyrocketed
4. North Africa
a. Oil in middle east- try to stop it from getting into the hands of Axis
powers
b. Wanted another route into Europe, and open ports in the Mediterranean
c. Plan: Sicily, then Italy, then Europe
d. Results: Germany out of Africa
5. Battle of the Bulge
a. Divide Western allies
b. Needed to reach the river in 4 days
c. Arden forest in Belgium
d. Surround/attack allies
e. Forested battle- ground artillery used, foggy.
f. Allies win- 81,000 dead compared to German 100,000
g. US airpower helped
h. African Americans were introduced in the war
i. Opened up port of Antwerp, so supplies could be transported
j. “Bulge” were the bulges in the enemy lines
6. Pacific Theater
a. Island hopping- take over one island, then go to the next in hopes of
getting closer to Japan
b. Battle of Coral Sea- first major battle between US and Japan
c. Midway- one of the biggest turning points in the Pacific- allowed the US
to get closer to Japan, not vice versa
d. Okinawa- last major battle in the Pacific Theater, US won
7. Atomic Bomb
a. Island hopping isn’t going so well, too many troops are being lost
b. US orders the dropping of atomic bombs
c. Fat Man- Nagasaki, plutonium
d. Little Boy- Hiroshima, Uranium
e. 1 mile radius, 11 miles high
World Studies 2009- Final Norman Luu

f. Ended the Pacific Theater

HOLOCAUST

1. Wannsee conference- Jan 20, 1942, Germans decide to carry out the Final Solution
2. Predicted 11 million Jews would die in 20 countries
3. Gassing, concentration camps would be used
4. 6 million Jews killed at Auschwitz
5. After WWII, International Military Tribunal held trials against major criminals
6. Jews were eager to leave but couldn’t because of the Great Depression
7. 1948: Congress passes Displaced Persons Act: created 400,00 visas for Jews

COLD WAR

1. Started: Soviet’s attempt to spread control westward

a. US ignored it at the beginning
2. Turned into a scramble to stop communism from spreading/in the Soviet’s case,
to spread communism
3. Berlin- invaded, sealed off the railways in order to keep western powers out
a. Marshall plan- US airlifted supplies in
4. Race to beat each other- space race, nuclear weapons, etc
5. US won:
a. Congo- Mobutu
b. Afghanistan- Omar
c. Chile- Pinochet
6. Soviet Union wins:
a. Cuba- Castro
b. China- Mao Zedong
c. Vietnam- Ho Chi Minh