Download AP WORLD HISTORY – PERIOD VI (1900

AP WORLD HISTORY – PERIOD VI (1900-2015)
World History Concepts for March 21st – 25th: Chapter 20
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States responded in a variety of ways to the economic challenges. At the beginning of the century in the United States and
parts of Europe, governments played a minimal role in their national economies. With the onset of the Great Depression,
governments began to take on a more active role in economic life.
Military conflicts occurred on an unprecedented global scale, as World War I and World War II became the first “total wars”
where governments used ideologies such as fascism, nationalism, and communism to mobilize all of their states resources
including people in both home countries and colonies (e.g the Gurkhas of Nepal for Britain).
Improved military technology (e.g. airplanes, the atomic bomb) and new tactics (trench warfare, firebombing) led to
increased levels of wartime casualties in places such as Dresden and Hiroshima.
The proliferation of conflicts led to various forms of ethnic violence (e.g. the Armenian Genocide of Turkey and the
Holocaust of Germany) and the displacement of peoples resulting in refugee populations (Jews in Palestine)
Governments also used a variety of strategies, including political speeches, art, media, and intensified forms of nationalism,
to mobilize these populations.
Vocabulary for 3x5 Cards: New Deal, fascism, kristallnacht, Peace Preservation Law, Gurkhas, Treaty of Versailles, firebombing,
comfort women, European Economic Community (EEC)
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NOTE: Not all of the vocabulary terms required for your answers need notecards, only the ones above.
Monday, March 21st. Read from “The First World War: European Civilization in Crisis” on page 982 to “Capitalism Unraveling: The
Great Depression” on page 990.
Prompt: Identify three causes of World War I and explain how each contributed to the war starting.
Use and underline the following terms in your answer: Slavic nationalism
Tuesday March 22nd. Read from “Capitalism Unraveling: The Great Depression” on page 990 to “Democracy Denied: Comparing
Italy, Germany, and Japan” on page 994.
Prompt: Analyze changes in the role governments played in their national economies as a result of the Great Depression.
Use and underline the following terms in your answer: New Deal
Wednesday, March 23rd. Read from “Democracy Denied: Comparing Italy, Germany, and Japan” on page 994 to “Japanese
Authoritarianism” on page 999.
Prompt: In what ways were Nazi programs a response to Germany’s perceived problems? Trace the connection between at least
three “problems” Germany faced after the war and three Nazi “solutions”.
Use and underline the following terms in your answer: communism, fascism, propaganda, freikorps, kristallnacht
Thursday, March 24th. Read from “Japanese Authoritarianism” on page 999 to “A second World War” on page 1003.
Prompt: Compare and contrast the German versus Japanese response to the Great Depression using three categories of
comparison (your choice).
Use and underline the following terms in your answer: Peace Preservation Law, Cherry Blossom Society
Friday, March 25th. Read from “A Second World War” on page 1003 to “The Recovery of Europe” on page 1012.
Prompt: Analyze the causes and effects (during the war) of World War II. Make sure you address at least three of the following
categories: political, economic, military, social
Use and underline at least three of the following terms in your answer: Gurkhas, Great Depression, Treaty of Versailles, firebombing,
atomic bomb, Holocaust, comfort women, : European Economic Community (EEC), Marshall Plan, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO)
Glossary:
Slavic Nationalism: Movement among the Slavic ethnic group throughout eastern and central Europe to break free from dominant empires. Led to the assassination
of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina).
New Deal: Program initiated by President Roosevelt in response to the Great Depression from 1933-1942, which included an “experimental combination of reforms
seeking to restart economic growth and prevent similar calamities” (Strayer, 993). The economic programs were inspired by the work of economist John Maynard
Keynes, who believed that governments should actively intervene in the economy to promote stability and growth.
Fascism: Political ideology that arose between 1919 and 1945, which advocated for ultra-nationalism, use of violence against enemies of the state, and the adoration
of a single leader. Fascists rejected individualism, liberalism, feminism, parliamentary democracy, and communism,” which were thought to “divide and weaken the
nation”. (Strayer, 994)
Propaganda: Use of mass media to sway political opinion.
Freikorps: German volunteer para-military units that targeted German Communists before World War II.
Kristallnacht: November 9, 1938 Nazis destroyed the windows of Jewish shops, clarifying their intent to target the Jewish population and foreshadowing the
Holocaust.
Peace Preservation Law: Enacted in 1925 in Japan, a law that prohibited protest against the Imperial government on pain of long-term jail sentences and even
execution.
Cherry Blossom Society: Ultranationalist militant organization organized by young officers in the Japanese military advocating militarization and aggressive expansion
of Japan and threatening government overthrow if thwarted.
Gurkhas: Nepalese special forces soldiers used by the British Government to fight in mountainous terrain during World War II.
Treaty of Versailles: Treaty settling the Great War (WWI), in which Germany was forced to take responsibility for the war. The outcome also maintained European
control over former colonial areas as “mandates”, later prompting some to resist colonization (e.g. Vietnam versus the French)
Firebombing: Practice made popular during World War II where planes at high altitude dropped incendiary (fire-starting) bombs on cities with the intent of creating
fires to destroy all structures and life within.
Atomic bomb: Explosive device based on destabilization of unstable elements resulting in a chain-reaction and massive, irradiant explosion developed by the United
States and deployed in Japan during World War II.
Holocaust: The systematic, industrialized genocide of the Jewish population of Europe as well as gypsies (Roma), homosexuals, Christian Scientists, the disabled, and
others considered “unfit” by the Nazi Regime in territory it occupied.
Comfort women: Chinese and Korean women who were forced to be sex slaves by the Japanese government for the purpose of keeping Japanese soldiers “happy”.
European Economic Community (EEC): Economic alliance and resource-sharing arrangement, beginning with steel and coal, between Western European nations
designed to integrate the economies of Europe and prevent future competition that might lead to war. Lead to the European Union.
Marshall Plan: Plan formed by the United States after World War II to encourage war-torn countries toward democracy and away from communism. Involved
massive, low-interest loans to be used for economic recovery.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): Military alliance formed at the conclusion of World War II in order to encourage cooperation between formerly
antagonistic Western European countries and provide a united front against the Soviet Union and its Eastern European allies.