Names

1. Hitler: Hitler was one of the most brutal dictators of the 20th century. He
led the Nazi Party (NSDAP) and in a situation of crisis, when people were
hopeless and desperate due to the economic crash in 1929, the radical
ideals of the Nazis started becoming popular. Hitler slowly gained
absolute power as he was appointed as Chancellor in 1933 and became
president a year later, after Hindenburg died. After Hitler eliminated his
enemies he began the encirclement of society using the Gestapo, his secret
police. His ideology was that Germans are the “Aryan” race and all the
others are either servants or should be killed. This included the ideal of
strong antisemitism, as Hitler issued a bunch of laws persecuting the
Jews. He also used propaganda to brainwash people into supporting the
regime. Hitler spent most of the countries money on weaponry. As a result
he ignored the Versailles Peace Treaty multiple times, gradually drifting
Europe towards the WWII.
2. Stalin: Stalin was a brutal dictator of Russia in the 20th century. By 1927
he isolated his major opponents and started the 5-year plan. His aim was
to achieve autarchy, by nationalising all businesses, promoting heavy
industry and introducing collectivisation in agriculture. However this plan
was based on irrational ideals and could never be achieved. In 1934 most
people voted against Stalin in the Party Congress, so he became more
paranoid. This led to the purges in the 30s, when many people were
convicted in show trials with fabricated evidence. During this period he
eliminated his major political opponents and most of the military leaders
making them defenceless in the upcoming WWII. Despite this mass
murder Stalin still remained popular due to his cult of personality.
3. Daladier: He was the Prime Minister of France before WWII. The French
followed 2 main principles before the war. One was preparing for possible
war, thus building the Maginot line. The other was trying to avoid war and
keep long-lasting peace in Europe.
4. Chamberlain: He was the Prime Minister of Great Britain before WWII.
Britain tried to keep the balance of powers in Europe between the 2 wars.
Chamberlain was concerned about the communist USSR, however he
failed the realise the danger of Hitler and Nazi Germany.
5. Goebbels: He was the one who controlled the propaganda in the Nazi
Germany. This included burning books that were against the Nazi regime,
posters, marches, speeches and strong censorship. They made it seem like
Germany economy was booming, but in reality, it wasn’t.
6. Himmler: He was one of the most important military and political leaders
of the Nazi regime. He led the SS and the Gestapo and was the most
influential person after Hitler.
7. Mussolini: Benito Mussolini organised the Fascist Party in Italy. His aim
was to restore the glory of the Roman Empire in the country. As Italians
were not satisfied with the peace treaties ending WWI and the country
was in economic crisis extreme ideals started to spread. Consequently,
Mussolini’s ideals became more and more popular. The fascists (Black-
shirts) launched a campaign of terror against the communists. With this,
he weakened his opponent and also gained the support of those who
feared proletariat dictatorship would be established, like in Russia. Then,
in October 1922 the fascists surrounded Rome and King Victor Emmanuel
III appointed Mussolini as Prime Minister. This event is called ‘Marcia su
Roma’. After this he slowly gained absolute power as he dissolved the
Parliament in 1928. He wanted everything under state control, so he
established a corporation system.
8. Göring: He was a Nazi military leader and one of the leaders of the
NSDAP. He led the air force of the Germans and played an important role
in the establishment of the Gestapo and the deathcamps. After the war he
was charged with multiple war crimes but killed himself before his
execution.
9. Nicolai II.: He was the last czar of Russia. He was forced to abdicate in
1917 but he tried to come back, so a civil war broke out between the
whites (supporting the czar) and the Reds (Bolsheviks). The Bolsheviks
won and Lenin ordered the execution of the czar and his family.
10.General Franco: In 1936 the Spanish Popular Party won the elections.
However, many military leaders of the country preferred fascism, as a
result General Francisco Franco led a revolt against the legally elected
government. Both sides asked for help from Europe, however all the
western democracies remained neutral. On the other hand, Mussolini of
Italy and Hitler of Germany supported fascism in Spain and provided
Franco with troops, aircraft, canons, tanks, aid etc. As a result, in 1939
Franco became the fascist dictator of Spain and ruled the country for over
30 years.
11.Lenin: He was one of the main organizers if the Bolsheviks and he
introduced communism in Russia. In 1917 in a state of chaos Lenin took
matters into his own hands and launched the April Theses in which he
achieved the dictatorship of the proletariats. After that his first measures
were introducing 8-hour workday, he nationalised everything, and
managed to solve foreign affairs too (Treaty of Brest-Litovsk). Soon after,
 a civil war broke out between the Whites (czar supporters) and the Reds
(Bolsheviks). When the Bolsheviks won, Lenin executed the czar and his
family and in 1922 Russia became USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist
Republic).
Notions-
12.Bolshevik: They were a group of communists formed in Russia, led by
Lenin and Trotsky. In 1917 Lenin published his ‘April Theses’, in which
he explained his ideal of permanent revolution. With this, he tried to
achieve the dictatorship of the proletariats. By the end of October, the
Bolsheviks completed their takeover. This event is called the October
Revolution. Later on Lenin did hold the first elections, but as the results
were not in his favour, he dissolved the Parliament and gained absolute
power.
13.Gulag: Everybody, who did not agree the regime of Stalin was either
killed, imprisoned, or deported to the gulag. The gulag was a forced
labour camp with horrible living conditions.
14.cult of personality: It was a crucial part of Stalin’s regime. It was a form
of propaganda, which depicted Stalin as a caring father figure. There were
pieces art of him, his voice was recorded and played everywhere, fils,
songs were made just to praise Stalin. This cult of personality was so
effective, that even after his death people worshipped him.
15.Purging: In 1934 people voted against Stalin in the Party Congress. This
led to him being extremely paranoid, establishing the purges, which meant
even more terror than before. Many people were put on trial with false
charges and fabricated evidence and were convicted.
16.NKVD: The NKVD was the Soviet secret police of Stalin. Everybody,
who was plotting against the regime was found and convicted. The
punishments varied from being killed, to being imprisoned, or sent to the
gulag.
17.NSDAP: The NSDAP, also known as the Nazi Party was led by Hitler.
They became extremely popular after the economic crash in 1929. This
event hit Germany the most, and people became hopeless and desperate.
In a situation of crisis the Nazis offered people the simple solution that
they needed to their problems.
18.New Deal: After the economic crash in 1929 the people of the United
States figured that the only way to recover their economy was with some
kind of state intervention. In 1933 Franklin Delano Roosevelt became
president and he launched the so-called ‘New Deal’, which was a
programme of reforms to resurrect the countries economic stability. This
 included a financial settlement with bank deposits insured by the federal
government, public work projects to help the unemployed, a system of
security with old-age and unemployment insurance. In industry and
agriculture further government loans with low interest rates and fair rules
of competition were created.
19.Anti-Comintern Pact: In 1936 Germany made an agreement with Japan.
The 2 fascist countries made this cooperation, called the Anti-Comintern
Pact, against Communism, so mainly against the USSR. A year later Italy
joined the alliance too, thus forming the Axis Powers.
20.Berlin- Rome Axis: In 1936 the 2 fascist countries, Italy and Germany
harmonized their foreign policies by forming the Berlin-Rome Axis.
Germany accepted the Italians to rule the Mediterranean and Italy
recognised Central-and Eastern Europe as a German Lebensraum.
21.Maginot line: The French prepared for trench warfare with the Maginot
Line, that was a long line of fortifications along the Germany border.
22.Molotov- Ribbentrop Pact: Stalin saw that western countries will not do
anything about Hitler’s expansion towards the east. So he took matters
into his own hands and started negotiating with the Nazis. In the end
Germany and the USSR signed a Non-Aggression Pact, the so-called
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
23.Hitlerjugend: Hitlerjugend was a form of propaganda, where the Nazis
brainwashed children. They taught them how to endure pain and
suffering, to prepare them for the war. They even turned against their
parents if they caught them plotting against the regime. Girls had their
own separate groups (KKK= Kinder, Küche, Kirche). They were taught to
stay at home, provide for the family and give birth to Aryan babies.
24.Kristallnacht: In 1934 Hitler eliminated major members of the SA,
starting with Ernst Hröm. The reason why he turned against his own men
is that he considered the SA too socialist.
25.Nuremberg Laws: In 1935 several laws were introduced by Hitler
against the Jews. First of all, marriages were banned between Germany
and Jews. They couldn’t display the national flag or the Reich and had to
wear the star of David. They were also deprived of their citizenship and
couldn’t use public transportation.
26.Lebensraum: It was a part of the Nazi ideology, which meant the living
space of the Aryan Lebensborn babies. This territory would have been in
eastern Europe.
27.Lebensborn: It was a breeding program in the Nazi Germany, which
meant that Hitler tried to breed as many Aryan babies as possible.
 28.Briand-Kellogg Pact: In order to keep long lasting peace in Europe the
Briand-Kellogg Pact was signed by more than 50 countries. This intended
to establish the renunciation of war as an instrument of national policy.
However, there was no real way to punish those, who ignored this pact, so
this agreement didn’t stop WWII from breaking out.
29.League of Nations: The League of Nations was an attempt to keep peace
in Europe after WWI. The 2 main forces of this league were Britain and
France, as the league had no forces of its own. This ideal of the League of
Nations did not last for long as there was plenty of conflict among the
members too.
30.Nazi ideology: The base of the Nazi ideology is that Germans are
superior, they are the Aryan race, and this kind should be bred. All the
other races are useless and are either servants (Slavs etc.) or should be
eliminated (Jews, Gypsies, Blacks etc.). There was even a breeding
program (Lebensborn), to breed Aryan babies. Their new living place
would have been in Eastern Europe (Lebensraum).
31.Fascist corporational system: After Mussolini seized absolute power in
Italy, he set up state corporations. He forced the capitalists into one
corporation to avoid economic conflicts. He dealt with wages prices and
working conditions.
What happened and when
32.Night of the Long Knives: In 1934, after Hitler became chancellor, he
eliminated the major leaders of the SA, starting with Ernst Hröm. The
reason behind killing his own men was that Hitler considered them too
socialist.
33.Hitler became chancellor: In January 1933 Hitler was appointed to be
Chancellor by the president, Hindenburg. The reason why the Germany
political elite didn’t stop this, was that they didn’t take Hitler seriously.
They wanted him to put things back to order in a situation of chaos, and
they would replace him.
34.Dawes Plan: After WWI Germany was in huge debt. The problem was,
that they couldn’t pay the reparations to Britain, as a result, Britain
couldn’t pay their loan back to the U.S.A. In 1924, the United States, who
didn’t suffer major losses from WWI came up with the Dawes Plan, to
allow a flow of money among the three countries. As a result Germany
managed to start paying the reparations and recover their economy and
Great Britain could finally pay the loan back. However, the issue was, that
every country relied on each other, so if any of these lines are broken, the
whole system collapses.
35.The “birth” of the Soviet Union: After the Russian revolution the
Bolsheviks had problems solidifying their borders. They managed to
agree with every neighbouring country, even Poland, who demanded more
territories, than the Russians would have liked to give. Then, another civil
war broke out between the whites (anti-communists) and the reds
(Bolsheviks). The Bolsheviks won and Lenin ordered the execution of the
Czar and his family. Several soviet republics were formed all around the
former territory of Russia, so Lenin had to unite these republics. He
succeeded in 1922, and Russia became the United Soviet Socialist
Republic (USSR).
36.Anschluss: Although Germany and Austrian unification was forbidden by
the Versailles Peace Treaty, majority of the Austrian population supported
the Nazis. So Hitler sent an ultimatum to the Austrian Chancellor,
demanding him to resign and on 12th March 1938 the Nazi Germany
annexed Austria.
37.Hitler marches into Prague: After Hitler was successfully took over
Sudetenland due to the Munich conference, he promised not to take
further aggressive actions such as this. However, Czechoslovakia fall
apart in less than half a year as they couldn’t fulfil the needs of Ethnic
minorities. Hungary and Poland both got territories, as an independent
Nazi Slovakia was formed. As a result, the gate of Prague was open to
Hitler and in March 1939 he took over the city.
38.Munich Conference: Expecting to extend the Lebesraum Hitler claimed
Sudetenland, as that territory had a high German population. He
demanded Czechoslovakia to give up Sudetenland or else he would
invade it. As Hitler already ignored many principles of the Versailles
Peace Treaty, France and Britain were expected to react to Hitlers actions.
Instead Hitler organised the Munich Conference. It took place in October
1938 among four European powers: Germany, Italy, GB and France. They
agreed that Hitler could take Sudetenland in order to keep peace and in
exchange he promised to respect the new borders of Czechoslovakia and
other countries.
39.Spanish Civil War: In 1936 the Spanish Popular Party won the elections.
However, many military leaders of the country preferred fascism, as a
result General Francisco Franco led a revolt against the legally elected
government. Both sides asked for help from Europe, however all the
western democracies remained neutral. On the other hand, Mussolini of
Italy and Hitler of Germany supported fascism in Spain and provided
Franco with troops, aircraft, canons, tanks, aid etc. As a result, in 1939
 Franco became the fascist dictator of Spain and ruled the country for over
30 years.
40.Beer-hall Coup: After WWI Germany was in ruins. Hyperinflation,
unemployment and the humiliation of the war caused chaos and tension in
the country. So I 1923 Hitler figured he would take advantage of the
situation and organised a coup in Munich. However this was quickly put
down and Hitler was sent to prison. In prison he wrote his infamous
‘Mein Kampf’ in which he explained his political ideals.
41.Five-Year Plan: The Five-Year Plan was introduced by Stalin in Russia.
He started nationalising all businesses, promoting heavy industry and he
also introduced collectivisation in agriculture. The main aim of this plan
was to achieve autarchy. Autarchy is a form of economy which is non-
dependant on other countries (as Russia was surrounded by enemies).
42.Marcia su Roma: The worse the economy got in Italy the more
Mussolini’s radical ideals started spreading. The fascists (Black-shirts)
launched a campaign of terror against the communists. With this, he
weakened his opponent and also gained the support of those who feared
proletariat dictatorship would be established, like in Russia. Then, in
October 1922 the fascists surrounded Rome and King Victor Emmanuel
III appointed Mussolini as Prime Minister. This event is called ‘Marcia su
Roma’