Unit+VI

**__World War I__** **Black Hand (September 6, 1901)**- Mackenzie  The Black Hand was a secret military group made up of members of the Serbian army. The purpose of this society was for the liberation of Austro-Hungary Southern Slavs and the unification of the Slav’s. This group is important because they successfully assassinated the Archduke of Austria Franz Ferdinand in June of 1914 due to nationalist tensions. This assassination by the Black Hand was a short-term cause of World War I because after the assassination, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Due to the alliances between Serbia and Russia and the alliances that Russia and Russia’s enemies held eventually the entire world was pulled into this small war between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. Click here to learn more.

**League of Nations (1919-1946) **- Breanne  The League of Nations was an organization of governments of nations worldwide that was created because of the Paris Peace Conference at the end of World War I. Its main goal was to maintain the peace achieved at the end of the war and prevent future wars through negotiation and mediation. At its height, it consisted of 58 nations. Because the League of Nations lacked its own army, it had to depend on the Great Powers for military enforcement; this was ultimately a weakness that lead to its downfall in the 1930s when it was unable to prevent the hostility of the Axis powers from creating a conflict that eventually lead to World War II. Despite the League of Nations’ ultimate failure, it did prevent numerous conflicts in the 1920s and was replaced by the United Nations at the end of the war.

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To learn more about the League of Nations, click [|here]. ======

militarism


 * Trench warfare-Rebecca **

Trench warfare is a type of warfare in which many trenches parallel to one another are used to protect soldiers from the enemy’s fire and even most of the enemy’s artillery. Trench warfare emerged out of the first World War in 1914 due to the failure of the Schlieffen Plan. The life in the trenches was very harsh and often ended with disease and fungal infections like trench mouth and trench foot. Trench warfare began a whole new type of war and introduced, out of the failure of the Schlieffen plan, the idea of fighting a multi-front war. Also with the introduction of trenches came the introduction of harmful gasses and other harmful substances that could be thrown into the trenched themselves. Trench warfare is known for the beginning of two extremely devastating wars. Click [|here] to learn more about trench warfare.

The Triple Alliance was a defensive, military alliance established in 1882 between Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy. The purpose of the alliance was if any nation in the alliance was attacked by another European power, the other two would give mutual support. The opposition to the Triple Alliance was the Triple Entente, which consisted of Britain, France, and Russia. Although, since Germany and Austria-Hungary took the offensive during the war, Italy stayed out of the fray, but later on Italy went on to oppose the Central powers because of Austrian land promised by the Allied powers. At the end of the Great War, the Triple Entente took victory, and so the Triple Alliance was disbanded, but the alliance will be remembered as one of the greatest opponents of the Allied powers of WWI. To learn more click [|here]
 * Triple Alliance (1882-1914)- Sam **

**Triple Entente (1914-1918)** - Ellen  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> The Triple Entente was a “friendly agreement” between France, Russia, and Great Britain that lasted from the beginning to the end of World War I. France and Russia were already in a military alliance, but Britain refused to enter into any formal alliances. Together, these three European powers, along with others including the U.S., battled Germany and Austria-Hungary in the First World War. The alliance system, the Triple Alliance vs. the Triple Entente, was one of the many causes that led to the outbreak of war in Europe. At the end of WWI, the Allied Powers, which they came to be known as, won the war, but their heavy reparations on Germany became one of the main causes of World War II. Click [|here] to learn more about the Triple Entente.

** Treaty of Versailles (June 28, 1919) - Brie ** The Great War between Germany and the Allied Powers ended with the signing of the Versailles Treaty in France. Under the terms of the peace treaty, Germany had to severely limit its military activity, pay for all the damages that occurred during the war, and forfeit about ten per cent of its territory. Additionally, Germany was forced to accept full responsibility for the war under Clause 231. Unilaterally, these harsh punishments inflicted on Germany occurred without any of the German delegates present. The German people were not content with the oppressive terms of the treaty because it was an obvious initiative to destroy German economic, political, and military influence. The Treaty of Versailles clearly caused animosity between Germany and the other nations. As such, it was the first step towards World War II. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> Click [|HERE]for more information

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">**William II**-William

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">William II was German Kaiser from the onset of the Empire to the formation of the Weimar republic. He came to power in the highly contentious era of competing superpowers steadily maintaining peace through diplomacy. William II was largely responsible for the end of this as he entered into war with Russia and France and invaded Belgium for the sake of asserting final German military dominion throughout Europe. These poorly though out actions lead direclty to Germany's humiliation and decline. William's legacy was ultimately that of a desperate Germany clinging to a fiercely aggressive nationalism which lead to the foundation of Nazism, the advent of Adolf Hitler, and the most catastrophic of humanity's many wars.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">**__Russian Revolution__** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Bolsheviks - Brie The Bolsheviks were a Russian group during the pre World War I era that followed Marxian ideology and originated from the Social Democrat Party. Bolshevik principles had slight variations from traditional Marxist thought. They stated that the vanguard party would lead the proletariat revolution and stressed the importance for the dictatorship of the proletariat. Under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin, the Bolsheviks gained power in the Russian Revolution of 1917. In an effort to gain the support of the working class, they stated that they would seek peace with Germany and end Russian involvement during World War I. Also, they declared that conditions in factories would improve and redistribute land to peasants. By seizing power during the weakened condition of the government, the Bolsheviks laid the foundations for the communist governments of Lenin, Stalin, and the Union of Social Soviet Republics (USSR). Click [|HERE]to learn more

Vladimir Lenin was a leader of the October Revolution in 1917 as a Russian Marxist revolutionary and a communist politician. Lenin was also a member of the Bolsheviks and headed the Soviet state from 1917 to 1924. He tried to establish control of Russia during the Russian Civil War through his leadership in the Soviet and attempted to create a socialist economic system. Lenin is remembered by many people as one of the most significant political leaders of the 20th century. Lenin is even known today for his Marxist-Leninist theory that led to rebellions that shook the world and especially the Soviet.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Lenin, Vladimir I.- (1870-1924) Rebecca **

Click [|here] to learn more about Lenin.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">**Nicholas II (1868-1918)** - Ellen <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> Nicholas II ruled as the last emperor of Russia from the death of Alexander III in 1894 until his abdication 1917. He has been nicknamed Bloody Nicholas because of the many conflicts he got Russia into during his reign. It was the loss to the Japanese in the Russo-Japanese War of 1905 that brought about the Russian Revolution in 1905. Nicholas II also helped start WWI by mobilizing Russian troops to the German and Austro-Hungarian border. After the February Revolution of 1917, Nicholas chose to abdicate and he, along with the rest of his family, was assassinated in 1918. In 2000, Nicholas was canonized as a passion bearer in the Russian Orthodox Church. Click [|here] to learn more about Emperor Nicholas II.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">**October Revolution (1917)**- Mackenzie <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The October Revolution was led by the Bolsheviks and was due to the return of Lenin and represented the world socialist revolution. The Bolsheviks helped to speed up the Revolution. This revolution overthrew the Russian Provisional Government and gave the power to the local soviets. This created the Soviet Union. This effected the time because the government was taken over by the Bolsheviks on October 24th, which then eventually caused the Russian civil war. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Click here to learn more.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">**Trotsky, Leon** -Breanne

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Leon Trotsky (1879-1940) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">was a Russian Marxist revolutionary who was a crucial figure in the Bolshevik seize of power in Russia. A member of the Social Democratic Party, he joined the Menshevik faction the Social Democrats split. After developing his theory of permanent revolution, Trotsky joined the Bolshevik and became a leader in the communist take-over of power. Trotsky assumed the role of foreign commissar and founded the Red Army, which defeated the White Russian forces in the civil war. As a cohort of Lenin, he expected to take over Lenin’s role after his death, but he was outdone by Stalin and exiled soon after. Trotsky’s contributions to the Bolshevik seize of power make him an important figure in the era and his competition with Stalin for Lenin’s position make him well known even today. ====== <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline;">To learn more about Leon Trotsky, click <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">[|here] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline;">.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">**__Interbellum__** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">**collectivization**- William <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Collectivization was a communist policy in the Soviet Union. It was administered by Joseph Stalin throughout his reign. It forced millions of peasants onto collective farms, to which they would contribute and from which they would all benefit. This policy was somewhat relaxed in reforms which allowed for private plots for personal use, and these plots became very abundant. Collectivization was an enormous shift for the economic workings of the communist nation and it remains an agricultural model for modern people's republics.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">fascism - Brie Fascism is a political ideology that evolved during the post World War I era in Italy and Germany. Fascism sought to create a nation focused on rebuilding itself around one group of like minded peoples. The governing belief or ethos was that rebuilding the nation (fatherland or motherland) was for the good of the people no matter the sacrifice. The political leaders sought to control the people through the use of propaganda, mass rallies, secret police, and appeal to nationalistic feelings. In Mussolini’s Italy, he attempted to create a modern version of the Roman Empire by expanding Italy’s territories into Ethiopia, controlling industries, and achieving the recognition of Italian independence from the Vatican. Fascism was one of the majors issues that contributed to the outbreak of World War II because Germany and Italy sought to rebuild grand empires based on the belief of their nation’s pre-ordained strength, superiority, and destiny to rule others. Click [|HERE]to learn more

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">**Hitler, Adolph**-William <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Adolf Hitler was a fascist extremist and head of the Nazi party which ruled Germany largely from 1935-1945. He came to power as chancellor through the workings of the Weimar republic, though quickly seized all powers relegated to the other aspects of government under the Enabling act and was declared the totalitarian ruler of Germany. He quickly seized Austria and the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia with little international protest, claiming that Germanic peoples ought to be unified under his rule. He then went on to occupy the entirety of Czechoslovakia and eventually to invade Poland, which finally drew the attention of the Allied Powers and began World War II. Coming to occupy most of Europe, Hitler initiated several programs which sought to eliminate all races which were deemed inferior by Nazi dogma, and this lead to the unnecessary deaths of 9 million individuals. The war was eventually won by a combination of the United States' intervention, a resurgent military effort by the USSR, and the continued resistance of the remaining free nations in Europe, and Hitler's government ended with his suicide in the Spring of 1945, just after the allied march on Berlin. Hitler's legacy is a shameful one for humanity, representing all that is wrong with the species, and serving as an example of the destructive nature of uncontrolled power.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">**Keynes, John Maynard (** **1883-1946)**- Mackenzie <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">John Maynard Keynes was a British economist who is known for Keynesian economics, which he wrote about in // General Theory of Employment Interest and Money. // He believed that to improve the economy the government should spend money to help get money back into the community and eventually other private companies will gain money from the government and then spend money and improve their business to help improve the economy. This idea was important to the Interbellum because it helped get America and Europe out of the Great Depression. Many current leaders such as United States Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama followed Keynes economic ideas. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Click here to learn more.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">**Mussolini, Benito (1883-1945)** - Ellen <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> Benito Mussolini was an Italian politician who is credited as being one of the key figures in the creation of fascism. Originally a member of the Italian Socialist Party, Mussolini orchestrated a coup d'etat in 1922, known as the March to Rome, and put himself in charge of Italy. He turned Italy into a police state with the help of the OVRA, a secret police force that kept everyone in line. From 1923 until his arrest in 1942, Mussolini made many changes that turned Italy into a fascist state; he introduced the economic policy corporatism and used propaganda to control the people. In 1940, he declared war against Britain and France and entered WWII on the side of the Axis Powers. After disastrous results in WWII, Mussolini was dismissed by King Emmanuel III in 1942 and was executed two years later by communist partisans while trying to escape. Click [|here] to learn more about Benito Mussolini.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">**New Economic Policy (NEP) (March 1921)**- Breanne <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> New Economic Policy was an economic policy suggested by Vladimir Lenin. This policy he called “state capitalism” let the state continue their control over banks, industries, and foreign trade while small businesses were permitted to collect profit. The decree that promoted it required farmers to give up some of their raw goods as a “tax” to the government; this idea was extended to other industries with other decrees over time. This economic policy greatly increased production because there was an incentive to grow more; previously farmers had to give all their surpluses to the government, receiving no compensation, but now the farmers could sell their surplus for profit. Though it was eventually replaced by Stalin’s Five Year Plan in 1928, it was a fairly successful policy that ramped up agricultural production and only began to fall apart when the industrial production fell behind that of agriculture. To learn more about the New Economic Policy, click [|here] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.

Joseph Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 1941 until his death. He was among the Bolsheviks that brought the October Revolution in 1917 in Russia. Joseph Stalin came to power after Vladimir Lenin and used his position of power to consolidate his power to eventually put down all of the opposition groups within the Communist Party. Stalin is extremely known for his Five Year Plan that was used to increase industrialization rapidly. He transformed the USSR from a mostly agrarian society to a large industrial power which then became the world’s second largest economy after WWII. Stalin is a very significant figure from European history and would still have a 35% vote from all Russians if he was still alive and is still viewed as someone who ultimately did more good than bad throughout Russia today. To learn more about Stalin, click [|here].
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Stalin, Joseph- (1878-1953) Rebecca **


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Totalitarianism-Sam **

Totalitarianism is a form of dictatorship, in which the government has control over political, economical, social, intellectual, and cultural matters, of the nation. This form of government was most evident in the post-WWI period of European history. This movement is first seen in Russia, after Lenin’s death, when Joseph Stalin takes over the Soviet Union and controls all the aspects in life of the citizens through his domestic policy. A similar movement also happens Italy with Benito Mussolini. Finally, the rise of Nazi Germany where Adolph Hitler creates the Nazism movement, where biological racism was integrated into the minds of the German peoples. The totalitarianism movement was extremely significant because it was unlike any other form of government in European history, where the socialists’ views of the eighteenth century actually became a reality.

To learn more click [|here]

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">**Wiemar** **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> Republic-Sam ** The Weimar Republic was the German democratic government established in 1919 after the Versailles treaty in 1918. The purpose of the government was to bring Germany into a new peaceful era replacing the old imperialist form of government. Although, the Weimar Republic shortly fell apart in the 1920’s and 30’s. This happened not only because of economic obstacles, such as unemployment and high inflation, but also political issues, like extremist groups from both left and right sides trying to overthrow the government. Each of these problems for the Weimar Republic resulted in the rise of Nazism and Adolph Hitler. The Weimar Republic was the small stepping stone for Hitler to take power and eventually cause World War 2.

**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__World War II__ **
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">appeasement (policy of) - Brie The policy of appeasement is a diplomatic policy that advocates for making allowances to the provoker to avoid war. This principle was applied to Hitler's Germany and Mussolini’s Italy during the period between World War I and World War II. Britain and France prior to War World II desired to avoid another devastating war like World War I because they remembered the horrendous cost in life and national treasure as well as the disturbing aftermath. By allowing Hitler to rebuild its navy, to annex Austria, and to acquire Sudetenland, they allowed Germany to become stronger and pose an even more serious threat to the fragile European society. The policy of appeasement was ultimately a failure with catastrophic consequences. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Click [|HERE]to learn more

Neville Chamberlain served as Prime Minister in the United Kingdom as a conservative politician. Chamberlain is best known for his leadership of Britain in the Second World War when he declared war on Germany for their invasion of Poland. He also is best known for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938 which permitted the Nazi Germans to annex Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland. Chamberlain eventually resigned the premiership because they were forced to retreat from Norway and he knew that a strong government would be supported by all parties, which is one thing he lacked. Chamberlain was remembered for many things but suffered from political attacks from both the right and the left. He is most importantly known for his contribution to WWII on the side of the British and their support for Poland. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">To learn more, click [|here].
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Chamberlain, Neville- (1869-1940) Rebecca **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">**Churchill, Winston (1874-1965)** - Ellen <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> Winston Churchill was a conservative British politician best known for his leadership as Prime Minister during WWII. From the time he took office as British Prime Minister in 1940, until 1945, Churchill took a stand against Hitler and Nazism. He helped create the commando units that snuck in behind German lines and disrupted their military. His patriotic speeches stirred nationalistic feeling among the people and inspired them to go out and win the war. His relationship with American president Franklin Roosevelt was key in helping form an alliance with the United States. His role in WWII and tension with Russia afterwards defined Europe for the next 50 years. In 1953, he received the Nobel Prize for Literature and was named an honorary citizen of the United States in 1963. Click [|here] to learn more about Winston Churchill.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">**Molotov-Ribbentropp Pact (1939)**- Breanne <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, also known as Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union, was a non-aggression pact that ensured both the Soviet Union and Germany’s neutrality towards one another if either were attacked by another nation. This pact also secretly divided Romania, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland into German and Soviet territories with the expectation that these countries would be “rearranged” in the coming years.The other world powers were shocked to see the Soviet Union and Germany allied with one another, however it made sense for the Soviet Union. Stalin knew that Hilter’s main goal was to attack Russia and after Britain refused to form an alliance against Germany, Stalin was forced to make concessions with Germany. The pact was eventually broken 2 years after it was formed on June 22, 1941 when Germany invaded the Soviet Union. It has been argued this pact (and its conclusion) was a key cause of the Second World War because it freed up Hitler to invade Poland, ended Britain’s hopes of an alliance with Russia to stop Hitler, and showed the British that Hitler was a cunning opportunist. To learn more about the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, click [|here] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">**Munich Conference (September 29, 1938)**- Mackenzie <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Munich Conference was a conference called by Neville Chamberlain of the United Kingdom to avoid fighting and war between Germany and Czechoslovakia after Czechoslovakia refused to give into Hitler’s demands. Adolf Hitler of Germany, Neville Chamberlain of the United Kingdom, Edouard Daladier of France and Benito Mussolini of Italy, attended the conference. This effected the time because the conference agreed to annex Sudetenland provided that Hitler promised not to invade anywhere else. Germany later broke that agreement in March of 1939 and invaded and annexed all of Czechoslovakia. Chamberlain then released news that Hitler couldn’t be trusted and World War II started a few months later. Although this conference was to keep peace between Europe Hitler’s actions eventually were one of the causes of World War II. Click here to learn more.

The Yalta conference was the second wartime meeting during the post-WW2 period held at the Livadia palace in 1945 between the heads of the government from the Soviet Union, United States, and Great Britain. The meeting was held to discuss the reorganization of Europe because of the problems caused by World War 2. The effects of the conference were that both western and eastern Germany would be divided between the allies. Also, it allowed for the USSR to enter the Pacific War and nations occupied by Germany were given democratic governments. The importance of the Yalta conference was that it was one of factors which led to the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Yalta conference-Sam **

To learn more click [|here]

= = = = =**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">__The Cold War__ **= <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">**de Gaulle, Charles**- William <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Charles de Gaulle was a powerful french politician. Active in the military from World Wars one and two, his political power came in the 1950's and 60's. After leading the Free French Army during World War II, he remained influential in the politics of the fourth republic until a governmental crisis lead to his gaining substantial power and the office of president under the new fifth republic, the constitution of which he contributed to greatly. He promoted French nationalism fervently and ofersaw its atomic weaponry program. de Gaulle's legacy is one of national stability for France, and its continued status as a world power.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">de-Stalinization- Rebecca **

De-Stalinization is the process of eliminating the “cult of personality” or the Stalinist political system. This process of de-Stalinization started around the time of Stalin’s death in 1953 by a man named Khrushchev who succeeded Stalin himself. The process of elimination included removing Stalin’s name from cities, landmarks, and facilities that had been named for or after him. Many were disappointed that de-Stalinization didn’t lead to greater liberalism in Russia. De-Stalinization is known for its role in Khrushchev’s removal from power in 1964. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Click [|here] to learn more about de-Stalinization.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">**“iron curtain” (1945-1991)** - Ellen <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> The iron curtain was a term made popular by Winston Churchill and symbolized an imaginary boundary separating Europe into two parts. These boundaries lasted from the end of WWII in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. This boundary separated the Warsaw Pact countries, the Soviet Union and other communist countries to the east, and NATO countries to the west. The countries to the east were all connected to communist Soviet Union in some way, whereas most of the countries to the west had democratic governments. The actual iron curtain fence stretched for thousands of miles and was especially strong in Germany, known as the Berlin Wall. The time while the curtain was in place was filled with heightened tension between the Soviet Union and the United States that almost led to another world war. The fall of the wall in 1990 signaled the end of the Cold War and the fall of communism. Click [|here] to learn more about the iron curtain.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Khrushchev, Nikita - Brie April 15 1894, – September 11, 1971) Nikita Khrushchev was born near the Russian Ukraine border in April 1894. During Khrushchev’s early years in the political sphere, he participated in Stalin’s great purges and later became one of Stalin’s close advisors. However, after Stalin’s death, Khrushchev delivered his “Secret Speech” in which he denounced Stalin’s “cult of personality” and his purges throughout Russia. During his reign of the “Khrushchev Thaw” much of Russia’s internal oppressive policies were reversed to allow greater freedom in press, to encourage international trade, to promote economic reforms, and to increase the modernization of Russia; the primary objective of these reforms was to encourage economic growth to better compete with the West in general and the U.S.A specifically. He actively participated in the military arms race between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialists Republic which culminated in the 1961 Cuban Missile Crisis. Secondly, he was the architect behind the “Iron Curtain” and the Berlin Wall that separated the Eastern bloc, which was controlled by Soviets, and the Western bloc, which was controlled by the United States; this polarized the entire world into two factions: those aligned with the United States (Western bloc) and those aligned with the Soviet Union (Eastern bloc). Under Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet Union reached the peak of its power but after the Cuban Missile Crisis it began its gradually decline. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Click [|HERE]to learn more


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Marshall Plan-Sam **

The Marshall Plan was a U.S. program in 1948 designed to aid in the rebuilding of Europe’s economies. The plan was that the U.S. would help promote free trade in markets and spread the word of capitalism in western Europe. This plan definitely assisted in western Europe’s economic recovery. Some of the motivation behind this plan was to prevent communism and the Soviet Union from overpowering western Europe economically. The Marshall Plan was one of the many factors that fueled the rivalry between capitalist and communist nations during the Cold War. To learn more click [|here]

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">**Treaty of Rome (March 25, 1957)**- Mackenzie <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Treaty of Rome was an agreement between Belgium, France, Italy, West Germany and Luxemburg. This treaty made peace and improved economic conditions in Europe after the Cold War. The Common Market became the European Economic Community where trade of the members of the EEC had no tariffs between members. This effected the time because it kept cost lost and improved the standard of living for all. This is important because it is known to be the origin of the European Union and introduced the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Commission. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Click here to learn mre.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">**Warsaw Pact (1955-1991)** -Breanne <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lead by the Soviets, the Warsaw Pact, also known as the Warsaw Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance, was a defense treaty between eight different nations in Eastern Europe, including Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union. Created in response to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), these communist states all shared the same goal: to prevent the recurrence of an invasion of Russian territory, which had previously lead to disaster. This pact required each nation to promise to aid the others in case of an attack from another nation. An underlying cause that surfaced during the course of this pact was the reinforcement of communist dominance in Eastern Europe. This pact was a strong and successful one until the 1980s when anti-communism and anti-Soviet movements began and the pact began to disintegrate. As a strong military force, the Warsaw Pact was very effective in achieving their goals of spreading communism and avoiding war, providing some stability between the allied Soviet and the United States. To learn more about the Warsaw Pact, click [|here] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.