HIST 102 Exam 2

"White Man's Burden"

A phrase coined by English author and poet Rudyard Kipling, which also happens to be the name of one of his famous poems (published in 1899). Kipling illustrates the belief that it was the white race's obligation to proselytize, educate, colonize, and in other words "civilize" less developed peoples of the world. Essentially, "The White Man's Burden" symbolizes a justification of practicing imperialism, despite the nation's moral values, by stating that it is an honorable duty of a superior race to "help" less developed nations by colonizing and teaching those they saw inferior the "right way." The publication date shows that this idea came out during the Scramble for Africa, and consequently became an important method of rationalizing Britain's imperialistic endeavors in Africa.

the Great Depression

A time marked by utter economic disaster which started in 1929 with the crash of the US stock market and continued into the 1930s. It caused an extremely high unemployment rate , especially in Germany (1/3 of workforce was jobless), as well as a national feeling of unrest and fear for the future. The Depression's failing economy caused a general sense of distress and yearning for things to turn around, which played a huge role in the rise of Fascism. Charismatic leaders, such as Adolf Hitler, came to power because of a nation's blind desperation and the promise of economic prosperity under their rule.

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler lived from 1889-1945, he was born in Austria but lived most of his life in Germany. He was a member of the Nazi Party and blamed WWI on Jews. which was justified by Social Darwinism and the belief in superiority of the Aryan race. As a result of the first world war and the Treaty of Versailles, Germany's economy was destroyed which made the nation's people fearful and desperate for a strong leader. This ultimately allowed Hitler to rise to power in 1933 despite his radical anti- Semitism and questionable beliefs. He saw Judaism as a race rather than a religion, and believed they were at the bottom of the social ladder and polluted the gene pool. The Nazi party's emphasis on social darwinism justified the belief that it was their right and obligation to eliminate threats to the nation, which consequently lead to the imprisonment of Jews, war criminals, homosexuals, and other "contaminating" minorities in concentration camps. Hitler sparked the beginning of WWII in 1939 with the German invasion of Poland.

First International

Also known as the International Working Men's Association, the First International was an international organization of left-wing radicals that first convened in 1864. It was unifying force for labor in Europe and was eventually headed by Karl Marx, which marked the end of his political isolation. The association conferred about problems faced by the working class, and Marx used it as a platform to spread his beliefs regarding socialism and the need for revolution against capitalist society. Members of the First International hoped that the Paris Commune, a radical socialist government that ruled in France for a short period in 1871, would be the spark for revolution across Europe. Obviously, this didn't happen.

Romanticism

Artistic movement from 1700-1840s which began in Germany and England that appealed to emotion rather than reason, and countered the emphasis of rationalism stressed by the Enlightenment. Romantic characteristics include nature as a source of inspiration, spontaneity, emotional exuberance, and the imagination as important in rejecting the classical emphasis on order, balance, and rationality. The art, music, and literature produced during this movement counters stiff Enlightenment boundaries by stressing a highly emotional and authentic response to nature. This movement was important because it began to shape a new relationship between the sexes, with an emphasis on personal connection and acceptance of another's authentic self. It also formed the roots of nationalistic feelings by stressing individuality and an importance in one's sense of belonging.

Emily Davison

Davison was an English suffragette who died when she threw herself in front of the king's horse as a protest during the Epsom Derby on June 4, 1913. She was a long time active protestor and campaigner for women's right to vote, a cause which she literally sacrificed her life for. After her death, Emily Davison's body was carried through the streets of London by 2,000 suffragettes. Her demise was seen by some as martyr like, as it was one of the most defining moments in the campaign for women's struggle for suffrage.

New Imperialism

During the 19th century in Europe, a period called New Imperialism was made possible by several factors: Technological advances due to advances in modern weapons, medicine, and transportation, availability of financial capital, the transform of western markets, a growing need for consumer goods, and nationalism all played a significant role in this age of reformed expansion. This mode of modern industrial enterprise was more liberally based when compared to its ancestral counterparts, as European powers sought to influence other less developed nations rather than colonize them. These nations saw it was their duty to civilize the "savage" races due to Social Darwinism and the belief that their own nation or race was superior to that of the group they sought to influence.

Trade Unions

Early labor organizations that brought together workers in the same trade to fight for better wages, hours, and working conditions.Many trade unions resorted to strikes and violence to get what they wanted and make themselves heard. Towards the end of the 1800s these unions became very powerful internationally which led to the emergence of new political parties, such as Marxism, which focused heavily on eliminating the enormous class disparity between aristocratic factory owners and the working class factory laborers. The working class largely outnumbering the wealthy led these parties to quickly gain political stamina.

Primo Levi

Primo Levi was a Jewish chemist from Italy who detailed his experiences during the Holocaust as a prisoner of concentration camps. He became one of the most influential witnesses to the horrors of the Holocaust after writing his book, "Survival in Auschwitz," which detailed his experiences within the death camp. This book was written only 3 years after the end of World War II, making it one of the first autobiographical accounts of the Holocaust to be published. Levi died in 1987 of suicide after jumping off the stairwell of his childhood home.

Sweat Shops

Factories that employed poor men, women, and children for extremely low wages in industrialized cities during the Industrial Revolution. They were usually in textile mills where businesses would mass produce clothing and garments. The working conditions in these sweat shops were absolutely horrid, and typical jobs consisted of extremely long hours with very little pay, unsafe or unhealthy working conditions, violence against workers, and policies that severely restricted workers' freedoms, including limiting bathroom breaks and even conversations with fellow workers. These conditions were a result of factory owners' greed and their goal to make a lot of fast money through mass production and cheap labor. Sweat shops are significant because their poor conditions led to the formation of workers' unions to fight against mistreatment and create safer, more ideal working conditions.

Fascism

Fascism is a 20th century form of radical authoritarian nationalism that aims to create a single-party state headed by a dictator. This leader seeks to create national unity by requiring the subordination of individuals' self interest to the interest of the collective nation or race. This ideology is anti- socialist, anti- communist, and not representative of democracy. It is highly militaristic and opposed to individualism, but is often marked by a charismatic leader who has a way of attracting and magnetizing individuals in a way that constructs a collective charisma. People embraced fascism mostly as a result of consumerism and fear, especially after the Great Depression's detrimental effect on the economy. The ideology consequently led to the loss of individual liberties, as well as indoctrination, repression, violence, and murder of those living under Fascist regimes.

Franz Ferdinand

Ferdinand was an Archduke and heir to the Austrian throne. He was assassinated in 1914 by a Serbian nationalist, which set off a rapid chain of events and lead to Austria declaring war on Serbia. His assassination is known as "the Spark" for World War I, because a week after his death, Europe's great powers were pulled into the conflict and the war officially began. This event was significant as it lead to several different groups of allies' involvement in the war.

Karl Marx

Karl Marx is the father of the most radical form of socialism called communism, or Marxism, which necessitated revolution as a solution to the issue of class disparity. He called for class consciousness and an international labor movement during the 19th century, because he recognized a large gap between what he called the proletariat (the working class) and the bourgeoisie (aristocrats). Marx wanted to move away from class systems and establish an equalized economic playing field, but he believed the only way to do this was through a radical revolution.

Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley, daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, was the author of one of the most powerful stories written during the period of Romanticism: Frankenstein. Her novel was an indictment of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, as it criticized the emphasis of public over private and science over personal relationships. Shelley also criticized the Enlightenment presumption that there was nothing science could not achieve; instead she claimed there are limits to science and technology that must be respected, as conquering natural law could have devastating consequences. She emphasized that private relationships were just as important as public life and science, which played a role in marriage shifting towards a union based on mutual affection rather than being simply an economic transaction.

Mary Wollstonecraft

Mary Wollstonecraft was an English author and advocate for women's rights during the late 18th century who wrote "Vindication of the Rights of Women." She advocated for women's education and influenced the early feminist movement by encouraging women to gain power through education. Though she didn't believe in eliminating the separation of men and women's spheres, her advocacy for women's education played a role in shaping a new relationship between the sexes.

Suffragettes

Members of the early feminist movement who worked to win women the right to vote and overarching equality. They were prominent in European countries, as well as America, throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These women believed the right to vote would not simply be given to them and they would have to take it by force, and they often resorted to taking extraordinary measures such as disrupting political meetings, chaining themselves to houses of parliament, and breaking shop windows as a means of getting their point across. These women shaped femininity tremendously, and played a momentous role in women eventually gaining the right to vote. The figure of the New Woman emerged from their movements. They set the baseline for future feminist movements to come.

Nationalism

Nationalism is one of the 4 origins of New Imperialism; it is marked by a great sense of pride in one's country and the belief that one's own nation or race is the best and most fit to survive. Nationalism can be seen frequently throughout history, but one of its earliest appearances was during the period of New Imperialism in Europe. Pride in one's nation/race helped nations to band together as a collective, distinct group, which gave rise to imperialism and led to land grabs during the Scramble for Africa. The underlying belief of "survival of the fittest" played a large role in this, as it led people to believe their own nation was the most fit to survive and therefore would be able to win wars and colonize new territories.

"Cottonopolis"

Otherwise known as "Cotton City," "Cottonopolis" was the nickname given to Manchester, England. During the 19th century, Manchester was the heart of the cotton industry in Britain as it was the international trading center for cotton and textiles. "Cottonopolis" was famed as the world's first industrial city during the Industrial revolution because its rapid mass production of cotton allowed the good to flood the world market. It is significant because it brought in large sums of money and formed new trade relationships, making it a key example of the impact urbanization, the Industrial Revolution, and capitalism had on Britain's economy. The rise of socialist beliefs as a response to capitalism can be seen in debate over the working man's troubles that spawned as a result of the highly industrialized nation; topics such as working conditions, hours, wages, and unions were debated in order to give workers rights and a safe work environment.

Social Darwinism

Social Darwinism is the belief that Darwin's theory of natural selection could be applied to human societies, and it was used by ruling classes, races, or nations as a means to justify their domination of those they considered weak. The idea that certain groups (most specifically, white males) were biologically superior to others originated in the late 19th century in Britain, where it was used to support imperialism as well as gender, class, and racial hierarchies. It came into play with Laissez- Faire capitalism as a way to justify the low pay and overworking of the lower class. Social Darwinism played a key role in rationalizing western imperialism and warfare during the 19th century. It created a sense of nationalism and was used as a way to justify the colonization of African territories by European powers during the period of New Imperialism, commonly known as the "Scramble for Africa." The theory was also adopted by Adolf Hitler during the 20th century; he used it as a way to argue superiority of the Aryan race and bring about the power of the Third Reich, and ultimately, to justify the imprisonment and genocide of Jews and other minorities in concentration camps during World War II.

Russian Revolution

The Russian Revolution took place in 1917, and it was a workers revolution that wanted to solve the problem of the labor movement by using the communist (Marxist) way, revolution. In February 1917, Tsar Nicholas II was removed from power and replaced by a Provisional government (temporary government). The new government was highly unstable, not necessarily supported by the masses, and was highly influenced by political forces that represented workers and soldiers as well as favored full scale socialism. During this time of instability, Lenin returned from his time in exile to try to to put the Bolshevik party in power with promises of food and peace. His plan did not initially work. In October 1917, Lenin was able to successfully overthrow the Provisional government and established the Bolshevik led Soviet Union. Lenin quickly realized that a democratic system would not work (meaning he would not stay in power), therefore he abandoned the democratic and established a dictatorship. The Russian Revolution was significant because it was the establishment of the first communist dictator (Lenin), led to widespread famine and death, and lead to a civil war among differing political parties. The Russian revolution also brought Russia out of WWI.

Trench Warfare

The form of warfare commonly employed throughout WWI where soldiers fought out of tranches facing each other. The trenches were breeding grounds for lice, rats, and disease, and forced soldiers to fight in unsanitary conditions, often alongside the decomposing bodies of their lost friends. This form of warfare was a result of technology advancing faster than troops could move, and made the use of new technology, such as mustard gas, easy and effective. Trench warfare is significant because it ultimately prolonged the war; soldiers were stuck, literally rotting, waiting for the opposing armies to strike because no one wanted to make the first move.

Scramble for Africa

The frenzied imposition of European control over most of Africa between 1870 and 1940, during the age of New Imperialism. European nations scrambled for more influence, resources, and power, and justified the imperial overtaking of Africa through Social Darwinism. Europeans believed they were racially superior to the original occupants of the land, and saw their imperial ploy as an attempt to civilize and dignify the inferior race. They saw it as their duty, as the "white man's burden," to help steer the inferior race in the right (white) direction. The scramble for Africa significantly expanded the empires of Europe and added to growing feelings of nationalism, as empire building became central to the self image of many European countries. It led to long lasting tensions among African tribes and contributed to the Rwandan genocide.

Triple Alliance (Central Powers)

The political and military alliance formed between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire prior to WWI. It was formed to counter balance the threat of the alliance between Britain, France, and later Russia. It led to the formation of the Central Powers during the war.

Triple Entente (Allies)

The political and military alliance formed between Great Britain, France, and Russia prior to WWI as a means to counter the Triple Alliance. Its goal was to balance European powers, while also sorting out spheres of influence and establishing ties between nations. After Russia was attacked by Austria-Hungary in 1914, this alliance is what called on France and Britain to enter World War I. It led to the formation of the Allied Powers during the war.

Treaty of Versailles

The treaty that ended World War I in 1918 and forced Germany to assume all blame and responsibility for the war. World powers severely punished Germany and made them aid war relief efforts in neighboring countries, pay war reparations, deconstruct their army, and surrender 13% of their territory among other retributions. The economic impact these punishments had on Germany were severe, and they contributed to the failing economy of the Great Depression, which ultimately allowed Hitler's rise to power. During this time of weakness, the German people sought a political leader who would create a steady and prosperous economy once more; this desperation is what allowed Hitler to take office and quickly make drastic decisions.

World War I

Total war that occurred from 1914-1918 between the Central Powers (triple alliance) and the Allied Powers (triple entente). It began in 1914 with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. World War I was the first war where trenches, artillery, machine guns, and chemical warfare were used regularly, which resulted in an alarming amount of casualties and destruction. It officially ended with the Treaty of Versailles in 1918, which placed blame for the war solely on Germany and forced the nation to be responsible for war reparations. This war ultimately sets the stage for the rise of fascism and WWII due to its negative large-scale economic impact, as well as the impact it had on the people of nations involved.