20th+century+political+and+social+movements

=20th Century Political and Social Movements=

World War I
The first major political movement of the twentieth century was the First World War. The First World War was considered to be the “war to end all wars.” A major catalyst of the war occurred on June 28th, 1914, when the archduke of Austria was assassinated by a Bosnian-nationalist. The resulting war occurred as nations allied themselves with either the Bosnians or the Austrians. Because of longstanding rivalries between European nations, the war grew to epic proportions. More than 70 million military personnel were involved in this huge conflict.

The countries that initially defended the Bosnians were known as the “Entente Powers”. The countries that comprised the Entente were: the United Kingdom, the United States, the Russian Empire, France, Canada, Australia, the Empire of Japan, and Italy.

The countries the allied themselves with Austria were known as the “Central Powers”. These countries were: the German Empire, the Austrian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria.

This war was the first time in history that trench warfare was used.

The First World War ended with the defeat of the Central Powers by the Entente Powers. The resulting distribution of blame and rebuilding duties eventually led to the Second World War.

Many social changes came about through the First World War. One being that many nations were renamed, or changed hands after the conflict. Another result of World War I was that a large number of men were killed in the conflict, and those that returned often suffered from a condition known as, “shell-shock”. This generation became known as the “lost generation”.

A multimedia history of the war can be found at: []

World War II
The Second World War occurred between the years of 1939 and 1945. The war began when Nazi Germany invaded Poland, prompting the British Commonwealth and France.

Another cause of the war was the mass genocide of Jewish persons living in Germany, ordered by its dictator Adolf Hitler. This genocide was known as the Holocaust. The purpose of the Holocaust was to create a master Aryan race in Germany. This genocide killed between 9 and 11 million people.

Like the First World War, the Second World War had two major sides. One of these was the Allied Powers. The Allied Powers consisted of the United States, the United Kingdom, the USSR, and China.

The other side was known as the “Axis Powers”. The countries which comprised the Axis Powers were: Germany, Italy, and Japan.

The Second World War cumulated in Europe to D-Day (June 16th, 1944), an invasion of France from the coast of Normandy. This invasion allowed the Allied Powers to corner Germany and Italy, leading to their surrender.

The War against Japan ended in September, 1945, with the dropping of the first two atomic bombs ever used in warfare.

By the end of the Second World War, over 100 million soldiers had been mobilized. 60 million people had died, 40 million of which were civilians. The Second World War resulted in the United Nations, as well as the occupation of Germany.

More information can be found at: [], [], and [].

More information about the Holocaust can be found at: []

The Civil Rights Movement
A major social movement of the twentieth century was the Civil Rights movement. In America, the most known of these movements was the African-American Civil Rights Movement.

The African-American Civil Rights Movement occurred in response to the treatment of African-American US citizens as a lesser group of people. The movement involved a number of protests, including sit-ins, marches, and boycotts.

The African-American Civil Rights Movement resulted in the abolishment of separate facilities for African-Americans, as well as greater protection of African-American voting rights.

More Information can be found at: []

The Cold War
Starting in the mid-1940s and ending in the 1990s, the USSR and the United States were involved in what was known as the “Cold War”. It was called the Cold War because the two nations never directly fought each other. Instead, they fought to build better nuclear and space technology, in order to become the stronger nation. They also fought through other nations, by taking sides and supporting a nation, or part of a nation, in its fight against another nation. Examples of this kind of conflict include: the Korean War, The Vietnamese War, the Afghan Conflict, and Grenada. The main conflict of the Cold War was political ideology. The Soviet Union was communist, while the United States was Democratic. Each side fought to spread their political ideology and halt the spread of the other side’s.

More information can be found at: []

Wiki Scavenger Hunt Questions 1) On what day was the Archduke of Austria assassinated?

2) Name five of the nations that were part of the Entente Powers.

3) Approximately how many more soldiers were mobilized in World War II than in World War I?

4) Name four conflicts that were indirectly part of the Cold War.

5) Which nations was part of the Entente Powers during World War I, but members of the Axis Powers in World War II?

page by: Jen Fredette