Cold War and Aftermath
What name did Winston Churchill give to the imaginary division between Western democratic Europe and Eastern communist Europe?
Iron Curtain
What Enlightenment idea argued that governments derive their power from the people and not from God?
Popular sovereignty / governments receive authority from the people (Lockean idea).
What was the Industrial Revolution’s main change in how goods were produced?
Shift from hand production to machine/factory production.
What term describes a strong nation taking control of weaker lands and establishing colonies?
Imperialism (or colonization)
What event sparked the start of World War I?
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary.
What US policy aimed to stop the spread of communism by providing financial and military aid to vulnerable countries (name one program)?
Marshall Plan
Name two leaders who helped Latin American colonies gain independence.
Simon Bolivar, Jose de San Martin, Miguel Hidalgo, Toussaint L’Ouverture (any two).
Define urbanization and give one major consequence for cities during the Industrial Revolution
Urbanization = movement to cities for factory work; consequence: overcrowding, pollution, poor living conditions
Name one effect of the “Scramble for Africa.”
Over 90% of Africa colonized; disruption of local societies; arbitrary borders causing long-term conflict.
What treaty ended World War I and name one punitive term it imposed on Germany
Treaty of Versailles; Germany forced to accept blame, pay reparations (about $30 billion), reduce military, cede territory.
What was the Berlin Airlift and why was it necessary?
The Berlin Airlift was an operation by the US/UK/France to fly food and supplies into West Berlin after the Soviet blockade (1948–49)
List three key causes of the French Revolution.
Estate system unfair taxation, influence of Enlightenment ideas, economic crisis/state debt, absolute monarchy abuses.
What is laissez-faire capitalism? Give one criticism raised by Karl Marx.
Laissez-faire = minimal government interference in economy; Marx’s criticism: exploitation of proletariat by bourgeoisie, widening class struggle.
Explain the outcome of the Opium Wars for China and what “sphere of influence” means.
China lost Opium Wars, forced into unequal treaties and spheres of influence where foreign powers controlled trade and ports.
Name two characteristics common to totalitarian regimes between the world wars
Characteristics: censorship and propaganda, single-party rule, secret police, suppression of opposition, state control of many aspects of life
Explain how the Cuban Missile Crisis nearly led to nuclear war and how it was resolved.
The Soviet missile deployment to Cuba led to a U.S.–Soviet standoff; resolution: Soviets removed missiles after US pledged not to invade Cuba and secretly removed US missiles from Turkey.
Explain how nationalism contributed to the unification of either Italy or Germany; name one major leader involved
Italy: Garibaldi, Mazzini, Cavour united Italian states; Germany: Bismarck used “blood and iron” (wars) to unify German states.
Explain collectivization as used by Stalin (or the Great Leap Forward under Mao) and one major effect on peasants.
Collectivization: private farms combined into state-run collectives; effect: resistance, famine, forced starvation (e.g., Ukraine under Stalin).
Briefly describe the Meiji Restoration and how it changed Japan’s role in the world.
Meiji Restoration modernized Japan’s economy, military, and government (industrialization and westernization), allowing Japan to become an imperial power.
Describe one strategic reason Hitler failed to conquer the Soviet Union.
Harsh winter, vast territory, and scorched-earth tactics; vast size and climate stalled German advance at Stalingrad
Describe two major consequences of the Cold War on world politics (one related to alliances and one related to proxy wars).
NATO/Warsaw Pact formation; numerous proxy wars (Korea, Vietnam), division of Germany and long-term military buildups/arms race.
Compare the causes and outcomes of the Russian Revolution (1917) and the Chinese Communist Revolution (1949).
Russian: Bolsheviks, WWI hardships, resulted in Communist state under Lenin; Chinese: long civil war, Mao gained peasant support, Great Leap Forward/Cultural Revolution; compare land promises, role of peasants, establishment of Communist one-party states.
Describe how industrialization influenced imperialist expansion in the 19th century (connect resources, factories, and colonies).
Industrial countries sought raw materials and markets; colonies provided resources (coal, iron, etc.) to feed factories and export markets.
Explain one reason decolonization after WWII led to conflict in a newly independent country (use India/Pakistan, Vietnam, or South Africa as an example).
Partition of India led to violence between Hindus and Muslims (Kashmir conflict); Vietnam split and led to war; apartheid and later struggle in South Africa — examples of conflict after decolonization
Explain two major events of World War II and their significance (choose among D-Day, Pearl Harbor, or the atomic bombings).
D-Day: Allied invasion of Normandy that opened a Western front and led to liberation of Western Europe; Pearl Harbor: brought US into WWII; Atomic bombs: led to Japanese surrender and showed destructive power of nuclear weapons.