World War I: The Great War
Which acronym do historians use to identify the four long-term triggers for World War I?
M.A.I.N. (Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism)
Which political ideology, established by Benito Mussolini in Italy, teaches that the nation is more important than the individual?
Fascism
What was the name of the fast-paced, "lightning war" style of attack used by Hitler to quickly conquer Western Europe?
Blitzkrieg
What was the term used by Winston Churchill to describe the invisible boundary dividing democratic Western Europe from communist Eastern Europe?
The "Iron Curtain"
On June 28, 1914, what specific event served as the immediate "spark" that triggered the alliance system and started the war?
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
What were the strict government plans Joseph Stalin used to take total control over all industry and farming in the Soviet Union?
The 5-Year Plans
Which surprise attack on a U.S. naval fleet on December 7, 1941, officially brought the United States into World War II?
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
What was the name of the U.S. strategy aimed at stopping the expansion of communism by providing aid to weak countries?
Containment
By 1915, the war on the Western Front had settled into a stalemate characterized by what type of defensive fighting in deep ditches?
Trench Warfare
What 1938 night of state-sponsored violence saw the destruction of Jewish businesses and synagogues across Germany?
Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass
Which invention used radio waves to help the British "see" German planes before they could launch their air raids?
Radar
What was the name of the first man-made satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, which started the Space Race?
Sputnik
What was the name of the secret German proposal asking Mexico to attack the United States in exchange for its lost territory?
The Zimmerman Telegram
Which specific term in the Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to accept sole and total responsibility for starting World War I?
"War Guilt Clause"
What was the name of the Allied strategy in the Pacific which involved taking key islands to build airbases closer to Japan?
Island Hopping
During which 13-day crisis in 1962 was the world on the very brink of nuclear war over missiles placed in the Caribbean?
The Cuban Missile Crisis
What was the name of Germany’s failed strategic plan to avoid a two-front war by quickly defeating France before turning to face Russia?
The Schlieffen Plan
What was the name of the campaign used by Joseph Stalin to solidify his power by killing millions of political rivals and perceived threats?
The Great Purge
Besides saving American lives, what was one major political reason the United States decided to drop the atomic bomb at the end of the war?
To intimidate the Soviet Union
What was the name of the military policy in which both sides knew an attack would lead to the destruction of both, actually helping prevent a direct war?
Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)