AP World: Totalitarianism

General Tojo Hideki

japanese general who dominated internal politics from the mid-1930's; gave the military dominance over civilian cabinets; Japanese army officer who initiated the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and who assumed dictatorial control of Japan during World War II

Lenin

most active Russian Marxist Leader; insisted on importance of disciplined revolutionary cells; leader of Bolshevik Revolution

Politburo

Executive committee of Soviet Communists Party; 20 members

USSR

Federal system of socialist republics established in 1923 in various ethnic regions of Russia; firmly controlled by Communist party; diminished nationalities protest under Bolsheviks; dissolved 1991.

New Economic Policy

Initiated by Lenin in 1921; state continued to set basic economic policies, but efforts were now combined with individual initiative; policy allowed food production to recover

Great Depression

International economic crisis following WWI; began with collapse of American stock market in 1929; actual causes included collapse of agricultural prices in 1920's; included collapse of banking houses in US & Western Europe, massive unemployment; contradicted optimistic assumptions of 19 c.

Juan Peron

Military leader in Argentina who became dominant political figure after military coup in 1943; used position as Minister of Labor to appeal to working groups & poor; became president in 1946; forced into exile in 1955; returned & won presidency in 1973

Red Army

Military organization constructed under leadership of Leon Trotsky, Bolshevik follower of Lenin; made use of people of humble background

Hitler

Nazi leader of fascist Germany from 1933 to his suicide in 1945; created a strongly, centralized state in Germany; eliminated all rivals; launched Germany on aggressive foreign policy to WWII; responsible for genocide of European Jews

Spanish Civil War

War pitting authoritarian & military leaders in Spain against republicans & leftists (1936-1939); Germany & Italy supported royalists; Soviet Union supported republicans; led to victory of royalist forces

Benito Mussolini

Italian fascist leader after WWI; created 1st fascist government (1922-1943) based on aggressive foreign policy & new nationalist glories

Collectivization

Creation of large, state-run farms rather than individual holdings; allowed more efficient control over peasants, though often lowered food production; part of Stalin's economic & political planning; often adopted in other communist regimes

Totalitarian state

A new kind of government in the 20th century that exercised massive, direct control over virtually all activities of its subjects; existed in Germany, Italy & Soviet Union

National Socialist Party

Also known as nazi power; led by Hitler in Germany; picked up political support during economic chaos of Great depression; advocated authoritarian state under single leader, aggressive foreign policy to reverse humiliation of Versailles treaty; took power in Germany in 1933

Guernica

An aerial attack on the town of Guernica (in Spain); city was bombed with German and Italian planes/bombs; caused widespread destruction and civilian deaths; Pablo Picasso painted a mural to illustrate the tragedies inflicted upon the Spaniards as a result of this attack

Socialist Realism

Attempts within USSR to relate formal culture to masses in order to avoid adoption of western European cultural forms; begun under Stalin; fundamental method of Soviet fiction, art & literary criticism

Fascism

Political philosophy that became predominant in Italy & Germany during 1920's & 1930's; attacked weakness of democracy, corruption of capitalism; promised vigorous foreign & military programs; undertook state control of economy to reduce social friction

Gestapo

Secret police in Nazi Germany, known for brutal tactics

Five year plam

Stalin's plans to hasten industrialization of USSR; constructed massive factories in metallurgy, mining & electric power; led to massive state planned industrialization at cost of availability of consumer products

Stalin

Successor to Lenin as head of USSR; strongly nationalist view of communism; represented anti-western strain of Russian tradition; crushed opposition to his rule; established series of five-year plans to replace New Economic Policy; fostered agricultural collectivization; led USSR through WWII; furthered cold war with western Europe & US; died in 1953