Key Terms of 20th Century Global History

Bolsheviks

The Bolshevik movement arose during the crisis of the Tsarist Empire. Dissatisfaction at the political level was due to the autocratic government of the Tsars and led to political opposition made up of liberal bourgeois parties and Marxist revolutionary parties.

Soviets

Soviets were assemblies of workers and soldiers during the Russian Revolution.

USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)

The USSR was created in 1912 (comprising Russia and Asian republics). It was organized as a federal state and adopted the NEP (New Economic Policy), which combined capitalist and communist policies.

Dawes Plan

This plan established a circular flow of payments designed to stabilize post-WWI reparations:

• The U.S. lent money to Germany to pay reparations.
• Germany paid back the Allies (England and France) at an agreed-upon lower rate.
• The Allies paid back the U.S. with money received from Germany.

Black Thursday (October 29, 1929)

A sharp drop in prices caused many investors to sell stock at an extremely fast pace, some of them finding no buyer. As a result, prices plummeted (Wall Street, 29/10/1929).

Great Depression

It lasted from 1930 to 1931. When the crisis spread from the U.S. to the rest of the world, it became a global crisis and the biggest economic crisis in history.

Autarchy

Economic self-sufficiency, emphasizing the use of domestic resources and limiting imports as much as possible.

Fascism

Fascism was the creation of journalist Benito Mussolini, who founded the National Fascist Party in 1921. Using parliamentary groups, he gained the support of the Church, the King, and landowners.

Nazism

Nazism arose through Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers' Party, who fought the communists. Hitler won the support of a large part of the middle class and, in the elections, won 13.8 million votes, leading to him being called Chancellor of Germany.

Night of the Long Knives (1938 Event)

Fearing that the paramilitary SA had become too powerful, Hitler ordered actions in Germany and Austria during the night of November 9/10/1938, against Jewish citizens. These actions were carried out by storm troopers and civilians, while the authorities watched without intervening.

Pact of Steel (May 22, 1939)

Hitler and Mussolini signed this pact, which linked the countries politically and militarily in the case of war. They established the so-called Rome-Berlin Axis, which came to include Japan as well once the war had started.

German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact (August 23, 1939)

Stalin and Hitler signed a pact in which both high contracting parties obligated themselves to desist from any act of violence, aggressive reaction, or any attack against each other.

Holocaust

Genocide carried out by the regime of Nazi Germany against the Jews of Europe during the course of World War II. The murder took place in all German-occupied territories in Europe.

United Nations (UN)

Allies created a new international organization that replaced the inefficient League of Nations. It was founded on 26/06/1945 at the San Francisco Conference, and the Charter was signed by 50 states.