Modern History: Key Figures and Movements

Balfour Declaration

• British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour supported a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
• This statement encouraged Jewish migration and significantly impacted the Zionist movement.
• It created tension and conflict between Jewish and Arab populations.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

• Elected first president of the Republic of Turkey.
• Led the Turkish nationalist movement after the Ottoman Empire's collapse.
• Unified Turkish resistance and organized the War of Independence to secure Turkish sovereignty.
• Modernized and secularized Turkey, abolishing the caliphate, replacing Islamic law, promoting women's rights, adopting the Latin alphabet, and banning traditional attire.

Gandhi's Non-Violence

• Developed the strategy of satyagraha (truth force), emphasizing active resistance through non-violent means.
• Key components included boycotts, civil disobedience, and peaceful protests.
• Unified India's ideologies under a common theme of non-violence.

Gandhi's Early Career

• Organized Indian diaspora communities to oppose discriminatory laws in South Africa.
• Developed satyagraha, a strategy to resist unjust laws.
• Organized mass civil disobedience campaigns.

Sun Yat-sen and Jiang Jieshi

• Sun Yat-sen led the 1911 revolution and established the Republic of China.
• Founded the Kuomintang (GMD) party, promoting nationalism, democracy, and economic well-being.
• Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek) succeeded Sun Yat-sen, unified China under the GMD, and led the Northern Expedition.
• Governed with an authoritarian, military-focused approach.
• Faced internal challenges from the CCP and the Second Sino-Japanese War.
• Received allied support during WWII.
• Later fought the CCP in a civil war, and the CCP took control of China.

Japanese Aggression Against China

• Japan invaded China, capturing Nanjing and committing widespread atrocities, including the Rape of Nanjing.
• Led to significant conflict and loss of life.
• The communists gained support from rural peasants during the war.

European Responses to the Depression

Fascism

• Political ideology characterized by authoritarian leadership, extreme nationalism, dictatorial control, and suppression of opposition along with emphasis on a specific race or nationality.
• Elements include militarism, anti-communism, and the glorification of national power.

Collectivization

• Stalin's policy of consolidating individual farms into large state-controlled farms to boost production and industrialize the Soviet Union.
• This led to severe famine, displacement, and widespread deaths.

Lateran Agreement

• Agreement between the Vatican and the Kingdom of Italy, recognizing Vatican City's independence and resolving disputes between church and state.
• Provided financial compensation for lost church property.

Hitler's Rise to Power

• Hitler's rise was propelled by the Great Depression, dissatisfaction with the Weimar Republic, and the appeal of Nazi ideology.
• Supporters included the middle class, nationalists, business elites, and unemployed workers.
• Hitler's rise marked a shift from democratic rule to Nazi totalitarianism.

Appeasement

• British and French policy of concessions to Hitler's demands to prevent war.
• Criticized for emboldening Hitler and failing to prevent WWII.

Neville Chamberlain

• British Prime Minister during appeasement towards Nazi Germany.
• Signed the Munich Agreement.

Munich Conference

• Involved Britain, France, Germany, and Italy.
• Agreement allowed Hitler to annex the Sudetenland in exchange for a non-expansion promise.
• Seen as a significant failure and example of appeasement.

New Order

• Hitler's plan to racially organize Europe under Nazi domination.
• Reflects his totalitarian and racist vision. This plan led to the Holocaust.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

• US general during WWII leading the allied forces in Europe.
• Overseer/executor of the D-Day invasion.
• Later became US president.

Battle of Midway

• Decisive naval battle between Japan and the US, weakening the Japanese navy.

Battle of Stalingrad

• Major turning point on the Eastern Front, with the Soviet Union defeating the German Sixth Army.

Potsdam Declaration

• US, Britain, and Soviet Union demanded Japan surrender, threatening destruction if refused.
• A key factor in Japan's ultimate surrender.

United Nations Security Council

• Consists of the US, Soviet Union, Great Britain, China, France.

NATO

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization, formed as an anti-Soviet military alliance responding to Cold War tensions.

First, Second, Third Worlds

• First World: Industrialized capitalist countries (e.g., U.S., Western Europe).
• Second World: Communist, industrialized countries (e.g., Soviet Union, its allies).
• Third World: Less industrialized, economically underdeveloped countries (e.g., Africa, Asia, Latin America).

Frantz Fanon

• Author of Black Skin, White Masks and The Wretched of the Earth.
• Explored the psychological effects of racism and colonialism.

Chinua Achebe

• Author of Things Fall Apart, exploring the impact of colonialism on African traditions.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

• Leader of the Muslim League and founder of Pakistan, advocating for a separate Muslim nation.

Gamal Abdel Nasser

• Egyptian leader who advocated for Arab nationalism and unity.

1967 War

• Conflict between Israel and Arab nations (Egypt, Jordan, Syria).
• Israel won, occupying territories like the West Bank, Gaza, and Golan Heights.

Great Leap Forward

• Chinese attempt at rapid industrialization and economic modernization.
• Resulted in widespread famine.

Red Guards

• Chinese student movement during the Cultural Revolution aiming to enforce Maoist ideology and eliminate opposition.

Shigeru Yoshida

• Japanese politician and Prime Minister involved in post-war economic recovery.

Kwame Nkrumah

• First President of Ghana, advocate for African independence and unity.

Nikita Khrushchev

• Soviet leader after Stalin, promoting de-Stalinization and reforms.

Konrad Adenauer

• First Chancellor of West Germany, aiding in post-war recovery.

Charles de Gaulle

• French leader in post-WWII France, advocating for French independence.

Yom Kippur War

• Conflict between Israel and Egypt and Syria, with Israel gaining assistance from the US and victory

Saddam Hussein

• Iraqi leader who led an eight-year war with Iran.

Augustin Pinochet

• Chilean dictator who implemented neoliberal reforms.
• Faced domestic opposition and human rights abuses.

Nelson Mandela

• Anti-apartheid revolutionary and South African President.
• Led resistance against apartheid and later negotiated an end to apartheid.
• Established a truth and reconciliation commission.

Deng Xiaoping

• Leader after Mao's death who implemented economic reforms and four modernizations (agriculture, industry, science, and technology).

Benazir Bhutto

• First female elected head of a Muslim state in Pakistan.

Nicolae Ceauşescu

• Romanian communist dictator who faced an uprising and was executed.

Vladimir Putin

• Russian president emphasizing nationalism, public order, and economic reform.

Rachel Carson

• American biologist and author of Silent Spring, addressing environmental concerns.

Explore the significant events and personalities shaping modern history, including the Balfour Declaration, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's reforms, and Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence. This quiz covers pivotal moments that influenced nationalism, sovereignty, and social change across nations.