Europe History 2 Study Guide KEY
Causes of WWII through the Collapse of the USSR
Arms Race- The building up of nuclear weapons between the Soviet Union and United States.
Berlin Wall- The wall built in Germany that divided East/West Berlin. 103 miles long. 1961-1989.
Collective farming – Government owned farms. Government divided the harvest among the population and the farmers.
Communism- A government system where the government owns/controls most farms and businesses and all means of production. Found in most of Eastern Europe and Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Fascism- A government system where one supreme dictator holds all power. Suppresses criticism and opposition through force, nationalism and racist views. (Think Nazis)
Holocaust- The genocide or mass killing of 6 million+ Jews and other groups of people by the Nazis before and during WWII.
Iron Curtain- The invisible wall that divided East/West Europe during the Cold War. This idea was put in place by Winston Churchill.
Militarism- The building up of a country’s military using strong armies and threats of war.
NATO- North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The countries of Western Europe and The United States formed this to protect democracy, prevent spread of communism, and fight against the Warsaw Pact.
Nazism- The building of power by the Nazi Party or National Socialist Party in Germany. Ruled by Adolf Hitler.
Puppet government- When one country’s government is ruled by another country’s government and does what they tell them to do.
Reunification- Reunification is when two things which were formerly divided, come back together. When the Berlin Wall came down and the Iron Curtain was lifted, Germany experienced REUNIFICATION as East and West were reunited.
Soviet Union- A large and powerful communist country made up of 15 smaller republics. Russia was the largest. Existed from 1922-1991.
Warsaw Pact- The countries of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union formed this alliance to support the spread of communism and fight the countries in NATO.
Stalin- The second communist leader of The Soviet Union following Vladimir Lenin. Sentenced people to Siberia/Labor camps if they spoke against the government. Had 5 year plans for The Soviet Union.
Mikhail Gorbachev- The last leader of the Soviet Union before it was dissolved back into Russia and the other smaller republics. Brought in the ideas of Glasnost, Perestroika, and Demokratizatsiya to help the economy. Was in power when the Berlin Wall came down and East/West were reunited.
Hitler- The dictator/chancellor/leader of the Nazi Party in Germany before and during WWII. “Promised” to fix Germany’s problems following WWI and the Treaty of Versailles.
Causes of the Cold War- The main causes were the differences in belief. Soviets believed in Communism and a strong government rule on the businesses/economy, while the United Stated believed in Democracy and privately owned businesses/economy. The Cold War continued through the Arms Race and building up of Nuclear Weapons. It never turned “hot” as it never included actual physical combat.
Events leading to the building & collapsing of Berlin Wall- The wall was built around West Berlin to prevent/stop the spread of communism. It was torn down after 20+ years of seeing the communist/soviet government limiting the rights of its citizens.
Stalin’s Five Year Plan- Stalin’s sets of economic goals to improve Russia/Soviet Union. This included things like building new factories, which had all decisions made by the government. He also believed the country could be strengthened through agriculture so he created collective farms where the government owned the land, peasants worked and produced crops, and the government distributed it to the people of the country.
Reunification of Germany- In 1989 the Berlin wall came down and Germany, East and West, were reunified. This also symbolized the lifting of the Iron curtain and the end of Communist rule in most of Eastern Europe.
Review Questions:
What was the purpose of NATO and the Warsaw Pact? Who were the members of each?
The purpose of NATO was to protect democracy and prevent the spread of communism and eventually a spark of a third world war (nuclear). The members included USA and Western Europe.
The purpose of the Warsaw Pact was to spread communism and project the ideals of the Soviet government to other nations around the world. The members were Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries.
What was the purpose of Stalin’s 5 Year Plan?
Stalin’s sets of economic goals to improve Russia/Soviet Union. This included things like building new factories, which had all decisions made by the government. He also believed the country could be strengthened through agriculture so he created collective farms where the government owned the land, peasants worked and produced crops, and the government distributed it to the people of the country.
What caused the collapse of the Soviet Union?
The collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and reunification of Germany also symbolized the lifting of the iron curtain. This led to the eventual dissolving of the Soviet Union.
(see below)
When did the Soviet Union end? What event ended it?
Once Germany reunified, other Soviet countries began to seek independence, leading to its collapse. The soviet union finally ended in 1991 where many countries were created, with Russia being the largest.
When/Why was the Treaty of Versailles signed? (Hint: What war did it end? Punishments?)
The treaty of Versailles ended WWI in 1919. It was designed to punish Germany for WWI and it punished them by placing the blame on them, making them pay 33 billion $$ in reparations, reducing the size of their military, and giving up lands gained in the war.
What are 3 causes of WWII and what are 3 effects of WWII?
Causes: 1. World-wide depression with the stockmarket crash of 1929. The depression hit the whole world hard, especially Germany.
2. The treaty of Versailles left Germany in shambles and looking for someone to blame. They were without money, jobs, or hope.
3. With Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in power, they placed blame on the Jews (led to the holocaust) and banks, and promised to fix things. The Nazis ended up breaking the terms of the Treaty by invading Poland and other countries, which led to the actual outbreak of WWII.
Other causes included: Anti-communism, Japanese Expansion, Rise of dictators, US isolationism, nationalism, and militarism.
Effects:
1. The war led to the allies dividing Germany into 4 sections to prevent them from becoming too powerful again.
2. The rise of the Superpowers! US and Soviets. The US allied with west Europe to create NATO while the Soviets took control of many smaller Eastern European countries who were weakened by the war and set up a communist puppet government. This alliance was the Warsaw Pact.
Eventually led to the Cold War.
3. Creation of the United Nations to promote Justice and World peace.
Also, womens rights increased. As men were being sent off to war, women had to step up into jobs/positions originally held by men in industry and agriculture. This led to more self-confidence, independence, and power/equality to women!