09 Europe Between the Wars and the Second World War Free Online FlashCards

What ended tsarist rule in the February Revolution?

In February 1917, protests and a military mutiny forced Tsar Nicholas II to abdicate.

Who led the October Revolution, and what did the Bolsheviks promise?

Led by Vladimir Lenin, the Bolsheviks overthrew the Provisional Government and promised “peace, land, and bread.”

What were soviets during the Russian Revolution?

Soviets were councils of workers and soldiers that wielded influence alongside the Provisional Government.

How did Stalin consolidate power and transform the USSR?

After Lenin’s death, Stalin consolidated power, imposed rapid industrialization and forced agricultural collectivization, and used purges and repression against perceived opponents.

What burdens did the Treaty of Versailles impose on Germany?

The 1919 Treaty of Versailles imposed territorial losses and reparations on Germany, adding to the challenges facing the Weimar Republic.

How did the Great Depression affect Germany?

The Great Depression began in 1929, bringing mass unemployment and renewed instability to Germany.

What political ideas and methods defined fascism?

Fascism was authoritarian and ultranationalist; it rejected liberal democracy, promoted obedience to a powerful leader, and treated political violence and militarism as tools of national renewal.

What especially distinguished Nazism from fascism more broadly?

Nazism shared fascism’s authoritarian nationalism but was especially defined by racial ideology and antisemitism.

What did the secret agreement in the 1939 Nazi-Soviet pact provide for?

Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a nonaggression pact that included a secret agreement to divide parts of Eastern Europe into spheres of influence.

What event began the European war in 1939?

Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Britain and France declared war two days later, beginning the European war.

How did Japan's expansion connect to the wider Second World War?

Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 and began a full-scale war against China in 1937. Its attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 brought the United States into the wider conflict.

Which countries were the principal Axis powers, and which led the Allies?

The principal Axis powers were Germany, Italy, and Japan. The leading Allied powers included Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States.