The Modern World from 1914 to about present study guide summary

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The Modern World from 1914 to about present study guide summary

Unit 5: The Modern World, 1914 CE – present
1. World War I
Students are required to know the causes, major events, and consequences of WWI

Causes

Imperialism

No new lands to expand into – some nations didn’t have many colonies (Germany, Italy)
Rivalries as nations competed for colonies
Sometimes armed conflict in colonial lands for control over resources

Nationalism

Pride in one’s nation, want one’s nation to be the best and most powerful
Fostered conflict as nations competed to be the best
Justified imperialism, militarism
Caused disruptions in multi-ethnic nations (Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire); rebellions, revolts against foreign rule

Militarism

Build up of a country’s military; keeping a large standing army
Nations expanded their militaries as a show of power
Arms race: each nation needed to have a standing army because their neighbors had standing armies

Alliances

Bismarck: German chancellor behind alliance system in Europe
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy allied; France, Great Britain, Russia allied

Events

Assassination of Archduke Frantz Ferdinand: Serbian terrorists kill the Austrian duke and his wife as they honeymooned in Sarajevo

Austria demands Serbian submission
Russia offers to back Serbians in defying Austrians
Austria and Germany declare war on Serbia and Russia (along with Russia’s allies)

Schlieffen Plan

Germany knows Russia will take longer to mobilize, so plans to attack France first and then loop back through Germany to meet Russian troops
Germany begins invasion by first cutting through Netherlands and Belgium
Great Britain outraged at Germany’s attack on neutral nations, begins to mobilize for war
Conquest of Belgium takes longer than planned, by the time Germany gets to France, the French are ready to meet them in battle, and English arrive to reinforce French lines

Trench warfare

War stalemates in France
Both sides dig trenches; space between = no man’s land
Terrible conditions

Technology

Tanks
Poison gas
Airplanes
Machine guns

War worldwide

China, Japan declare war on Germany and attack German spheres of influence in China
Colonies in Africa involved
Ottoman Empire: joins with Germany and Austria, wants to protect lands from increasingly aggressive Russia
US joins after Russia pulls out (Revolution)

Consequences

Wilson’s 14 points: Wilson wants self-determination (for Europeans only); formation of League of Nations to ensure peaceful resolutions to conflicts; fair treatment for Germany and Austria
Treaty of Versailles: war guilt clause that blames Germany and requires millions in reparations; creation of mandates = colonies controlled by members of the League of Nations (primarily Britain and France), such as the Middle East (former lands of Ottoman Empire), and were mostly lands taken away from the losers of the war

In general, this treaty failed to resolve the initial conflicts and underlying causes of the war

Destruction

Death of a generation of men
Widespread destruction of farmlands, towns, roads

New countries

Austria-Hungary broken into Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia
Poland, Romania returns
Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia gain independence

China falls under Japanese control

Why you should know this: You will be asked specific questions about the causes and consequences of WWI. You may also be asked to compare aspects of WWI with other wars, either with those that came before or with those that came after WWI.

Example: Using the following documents, compare the nature of the postwar world envisioned by the victorious nations after WWI and WWII.

To answer this question thoroughly, you would need to have an understanding of the causes of world conflict and how the leaders of the nations involved attempted to resolve (successfully or unsuccessfully) the conflict at the close of war. You would need to be familiar with peace settlements as well as negotiations along the way to achieving peace.

2. The Great Depression
The Great Depression had a global impact, so AP students are expected to know how the Great Depression happened, its worldwide effects, and attempts at recovery from the economic decline.

Causes

Overproduction

Agricultural
Factories

Destruction of WWI

Germany unable to pay reparations
Great Britain and France unable to pay war debts to US

Bank failures

Banks failed in Europe as people couldn’t pay back loans

Stock Market Crash

Buying stock on the margin artificially inflated prices
Stock values fell dramatically as people sold their stocks
Millions of dollars “vanished” as stock prices bottomed out
Banks failed as people couldn’t pay back loans

Worldwide effects

Overproduction of agricultural goods caused drop in prices, hurting Latin American and African economies based on one or two cash crops
Tariffs put in place to protect domestic businesses, caused a decline in world trade
Widespread unemployment as businesses failed due to decline in trade
Inflation of prices, especially in Germany
Europe, USA, Japan, Latin America, Africa

Responses

Social welfare programs

Government pushes reforms that help relieve suffering caused by Depression
USA: New Deal, Social Security, soup kitchens/bread lines, welfare

Rise of Fascism

Italy, Germany, Japan, Spain
Attractive to people hurt by Depression
Leaders stressed taking drastic measures to overcome economic decline, renewed interest in building military and becoming aggressive

Why you should know this: The Great Depression had a huge impact on the world’s economy
and had significant consequences in terms of how each nation responded to the suffering brought about by the Depression.

Example:

Which of the following was true of the Great Depression?

It was alleviated by the flow of US funds to Europe during the 1930’s
Global agriculture saw underproduction and low prices during the 1920s and 1930s
It was unaffected by Allied war debts
It was caused by an underproduction of raw materials in European colonies
It was tied into the payment of war reparations

You would have to be aware of the causes of the Great Depression, beyond just the
stock market crash in the US, to identify the correct answer, (E).

3. World War II
As with WWI, AP* students are required to know the causes, major events, peace settlements, and significance of WWII.

Causes

Fascist leaders

Fascist parties became popular during the Great Depression in especially hard-hit countries like Germany and Italy because Fascist leaders effectively used scapegoats to place blame for the economic hardship; they also advertised plans for recovery that involved their nation becoming powerful and aggressive
Fascism in Germany (Hitler), Italy (Mussolini), Spain (Franco), and Japan (Hirohito and his staff of Generals)

Aggression

Japan

1931: invades Manchuria
1937: invades China (Rape of Nanking)

Germany

1938: Anschluss (unification of Germany and Austria)
1938: annexation of Sudetenland (part of Czechoslovakia)
1939: annexation of all of Czechoslovakia

Italy

1935: invades Ethiopia

Appeasement

Great Britain, France allow acts of aggression for fear of another war
1938: Munich Conference

Hitler promises not to invade any more territories
Great Britain and France accept

1939: Soviet Union signs treaty of nonaggression with Germany

“Final straw”

September 1939: Hitler invades Poland

Major Events

Alliances

Axis powers: Germany, Italy, Japan
Allied powers: Great Britain, France, Soviet Union (later, the USA)

War in Europe

Germany quickly overtakes France and establishes a puppet government, called Vichy France
British unable to do much due to German fortifications along France’s northern boarders
1944: with the help of the US, British, French, Canadian, and American troops land on the beaches of Normandy and push through Germany fortifications
May 1945: Allied Victory over Europe

War in Africa

German and Italian troops take over British and French lands in North Africa
British troops fight to reclaim these lands
Desert Fox: German General Rommel, known for master strategy in the deserts of North Africa

War in the Pacific

Japanese expand to control China, Korea, French Indochina, Dutch East Indies, Philippines, etc.
December 1941: attack on Pearl Harbor; US declares war on Axis powers
Island-hoping campaign: US forced to liberate the Pacific island by island
Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki led to victory in the pacific in August 1945

Holocaust

Final Solution: Hitler’s plan to eliminate Jews in repayment for their supposed role in the Great Depression (diversionary tactic used for Hitler to gain power and win popularity)
Concentration Camps: work camps built to keep Jews, Greek Orthodox, Gypsies, Communists, Handicapped, Homosexuals, and anyone else Hitler didn’t like or wanted to get rid of
Extermination Camps: some “work” camps were actually extermination camps, where people were sent to be killed

Gassing: most people that died were “gassed” in large rooms that looked like shower rooms and then their bodies were burnt
Executions: sometimes people were just executed and buried in ditches they had been forced to dig themselves
Experimentations: Germany doctors ordered to perform medical experiments on prisoners, especially those that were already sick, were twins/triplets, or had some other kind of abnormality

Technology

Atomic weapons

Peace Negotiations and Settlements

1943: Tehran Conference

Allied powers decide to liberate France first
Soviet Union to push through Eastern Europe and open an Eastern Front

1945: Yalta Conference

Soviets agree to help the US fight Japan
Decision to partition Germany into zones

1945: Potsdam Conference

Soviets to control Poland
Decision to separate Austria from Germany

Significance and Consequences of WWII

US occupation of Japan

Establishment of a constitutional monarchy; efforts led by MacArthur

Korea divided by US and Soviets
China gained freedom from Japan, but immediately saw civil war between Nationalists (KMT – Chiang Kai-shek) and the Communists (Mao Zedong)
Soviet occupation of most of Eastern Europe, creation of the Eastern bloc (communist satellites of USSR)
Nuremburg Trials: Prosecution of war criminals involved in the Holocaust
End of Western European dominance over the world; colonies push more than ever for independence
United Nations: organization to settle disagreements peacefully
Shift in world power to the USA and the USSR
Ushering in of the Cold War

Why you should know this: You will be asked questions about the causes, events, and
consequences of WWII. You will also be asked to compare WWI and WWII

Example:

The nation that rose in power during WWI but declined in power during WWII was

Great Britain
Japan
Russia
The Ottoman Empire
Austria

If you are able to successfully compare the characteristics about both wars, you will
arrive at the correct answer, (B)

4. The Rise of the Soviet Union
The history of Russia as tsarist rule collapsed and revolutionaries ushered in a new form of government, communism, has had a profound effect on the world during the Modern Era. As such, AP students are required to understand the circumstances surrounding the rise of communism in Russia, as well as the policies of communist leaders from Lenin to Gorbachev.

Era	Events
Pre-Revolution	Romanov family on the throne (tsars of Russia) Poverty gap between peasants and aristocracy Lag in industrialization leaves Russia behind other nations and dependent on Europe for imports 1905: revolution temporarily ends absolute power of tsar; creation of Duma (a parliament); tsar dissolves it a few months later entrance into WWI disastrous for Russia; millions of soldiers killed; caused shortages on the homefront; tsar left capital to oversee conduct of war
Revolution and Lenin	1917: First revolution removes tsar from power 1917: Second revolution brings Bolsheviks (communists) to power 1918: Russia pulls out of war; Lenin comes to power Civil War: Red army vs. White army; tsar assassinated; Bolsheviks maintain control over Russia and begin instituting communist policies such as land redistribution, establishment of Soviets (political and economic communities) Policies fail to work and industrial and agricultural production declines Lenin implements New Economic Plan (NEP) which allows some privatization, resulting in renewed economic growth 1923: Birth of USSR 1924: death of Lenin
Stalin Stalin	Stalin takes over after Lenin Purges: Stalin eliminates any opponents Collectivization: collecting farmlands together to be farmed by peasants collectively and produce given to the government for distribution; unsuccessful in the long run because of lack of innovation Five Year Plans: plans for economic growth in industry, agriculture WWII: USSR gains control over Eastern Europe and establishes Communist regimes there (with the exception of Greece and Yugoslavia, which was communist, but not under the direct control of USSR) Beginning of the end of the “friendly” relationship between China and USSR Emphasis on industrial production, especially for the military (production of atomic weapons) Satellite rebellion against USSR: 1956, Hungary; 1961 construction of Berlin Wall to prevent escape of East Germans in to West Germany; 1968, Prague Spring led to Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia; 1970’s, Solidarity in Poland challenges Soviet rule
Khrushchev	1956: Stalin dies, Khrushchev comes to power end of severe political oppression that characterized Stalin’s rule; de-Stalinization 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis: Soviets build nuclear missile sites in Cuba, aimed at the US; brinkmanship = policy of escalating aggression to the point of war “Space Race”: race with US to produce space technologies (satellites, rocket-ships, etc.) Continued deterioration of relationship between China and USSR
Brezhnev	1964: Brezhnev comes to power 1979: Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
Gorbachev	1985: Gorbachev comes to power begins initiating reforms that attempt to modernize Russia and improve its economic and cultural state Glasnost: openness, end of censorship, criticism of government allowed Perestroika: economic reform that allowed some private ownership (reflection of Lenin’s NEP); revival of foreign investment in Soviet economy; increased production of consumer goods Widespread disagreement with Gorbachev’s reforms; represent move away from communism as envisioned by Stalin and Khrushchev Increased independence for Eastern bloc countries

Why you should know this: You will be asked specific questions about the rise of communism in Russia, as well as about specific events and policies of Soviet leaders. You will also most likely need this information for an essay, for comparisons, evidence of changes, or background information to help interpret and analyze a document

Example:

Mikhail Gorbachev allowed all of the following EXCEPT

The production of consumer goods
Discussion of government policies
Private land ownership
Democratic government
Foreign investments

Knowing the characteristics and trends of Soviet rule will, as well as knowing the
simple fact that Gorbachev was a communist ruler, not a democratic ruler, no matter how
liberal and democratic his reforms might have seemed compared to Stalin, would lead you
immediately to the correct answer, (D).

5. The Cold War
The Cold War was a tense time in world history where, as nations gained atomic weapons, the world held its breath in fear of a nuclear war. The struggle between the USA and the USSR had political, social, cultural, and economic consequences worldwide. AP students will need to be aware of these consequences in their global context.

Nature of Consequence	Events/Significance
Political	“iron curtain”: phrase used by Winston Churchill to describe post WWII Europe; curtain dividing free and oppressed nations 1946: Great Britain, France, US combine their German zones to make West Germany; Soviet section becomes East Germany 1947: Marshall Plan – US gives money/loans to countries trying to recover from the war without turning to totalitarian rulers; reflected US policy of containment (containing the spread of communism) 1947: Truman Doctrine – US promises to give aid to countries fighting against communism; reflected policy of containment; after Greece 1947-1948: Berlin Airlift – Soviets blockade West Berlin in protest of US involvement with West Germany economy 1949: NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) – alliance between US, Canada, most of Western Europe 1950-1953: Korean War – North Korea, backed by USSR and China, invades South Korea; UN coalition forces support South Korea and regain territories 1954: Geneva Conference – France gives control of North Vietnam to Ho Chi Minh, South Vietnam to US-backed regime of Ngo Dinh Diem 1955: Warsaw Pact – alliance between Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries 1961: Bay of Pigs invasion – US promises to support Cuban exiles to retake Cuba from Castro; backs out of plans for air support and Cubans are massacred 1962: Cuban Missile Crisis – US discovers Soviet missiles in Cuba late 1960’s: Vietnam War – Thousands of US troops in Vietnam fighting to keep the south independent from the north 1972: SALT I treaty between US and USSR begins détente 1973: US begins to leave Vietnam 1975: South Vietnam taken over by North Vietnam 1979: SALT II treaty; USSR invades Afghanistan 1989: Berlin Wall torn down; Tiananmen Square protests in China 1991: Fall of Soviet Union as Soviet Republics declare independence
Economic	Economic disruption in Communist countries, especially those tied politically to the Soviet Union Soviet focus on industrialization at the expense of the production of the basic goods needed to maintain quality of life During the “Space Race”, Soviets spent so much money on new technologies that they then lacked the money to expand other industries and therefore their economy Embargo against Cuba: after Castro goes communist, the US refuses to trade with Cuba, driving Cuba to seek economic aid from the Soviets Many nations sought aid after WWII; the US and USSR “competed” in a way to try to give aid in exchange for alliances “non-aligned” nations frequently got financial aid from both sides China’s plan for industrialization, The Great Leap Forward, involved back-yard industrial production with no real plan to build and staff industrial factories; led to economic decline for the country as peasants struggled to meet industrial quotas while trying to meet agricultural needs at the same time
Cultural Cultural	Nuclear Age: new vocabulary and fears (nuclear weapons, bomb shelters, nuclear fall-out, “duck and cover”, etc.) The Red Scare: fear of communist infiltration in the US, led to McCarthyism (persecution of people known to have or have had in the past a connection to the communist party) The study of Russian in public schools Emphasis on Math and Science in American Schools to beat the Russians at their own game Communist culture tended to revolve around extolling the virtues of the communist worker-revolutionary and portray greed as evil US begins mass exportation of American culture and values as a part of trying to solidify American superiority and power in the face of Russian opposition Communist de-emphasis on religion led to increase in secularization in communist areas, except Poland (where Catholic influence remained strong) Cultural Revolution in China intended to stamp out opposition and growing democratic currents; push for China to revive its interest in Communistic values Spy movies and books that pit KGB members against CIA operatives (Mission Impossible, Hunt for Red October) become very popular
Social	Groups of immigrants from Soviet/former Soviet countries enter the lower classes of countries where they settle (industrialized “Western Nations) Communist leaders/revolutionaries attempt to eliminate social classes, driving aristocrats and wealthy people away (many tried to escape illegally) Communist invasion of and defeat in Afghanistan led to the rise of the Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist political group; once in power, the Taliban promoted a strongly patriarchal, Islamic social structure, with women forced to wear the veil and long robes

Why you should know this: You will be asked about specific events during the Cold War, as well as what the consequences of Cold War events were.

Example

An example of brinkmanship is found in

the Cuban Missile Crisis
the Arab-Israeli War
the Iran-Iraq War
the Cultural Revolution
the Korean War

If you know the significance of the events listed above, as well as facts about those events, you would easily pick out
(A) as the correct answer

6. Decolonization
A major theme of the 20th century has been the decline in power of Western Europe. This theme is especially evident as more colonies worldwide became independent nations after the end of WWII. European departure from areas in Africa and Asia had diverse effects.

Example: Compare the economic and social characteristics of communist China and the Soviet Union from 1945-1990.

To answer this question successfully, you would have to have an understanding of the economic and social characteristics in both the USSR and China during the Cold War (the approximate span of the dates). You would also need to be aware of changes in these structures over this time period.

Source : http://www.lcps.org/cms/lib4/VA01000195/Centricity/Domain/4549/HUBBS_Review_Guide_1914-the_Present.doc

Web site link to visit: http://www.lcps.org

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