20th Century History: Key Terms & Definitions

Posted on May 29, 2025 in History

This document provides a concise reference for key terms and figures from significant historical periods of the 20th century, including the Russian Revolution, the economic shifts of the 1920s and the Great Depression, and the rise of Fascism and Nazism.

Key Concepts of the Russian Revolution

Autocracy

A political system similar to absolutism, where one person holds absolute power.

Czar

The monarch of Russia before the 1917 revolution.

Bolsheviks

Russian communists led by Vladimir Lenin, who seized power in the October Revolution of 1917.

Mensheviks

Russian socialists who opposed the Bolsheviks, advocating for a more gradual transition to socialism.

Duma

The Russian parliament, established in 1906.

Soviet

A council of workers, peasants, and soldiers, formed during the Russian Revolution to discuss revolutionary aims and organize.

White Army

The anti-Bolshevik forces during the Russian Civil War, composed of diverse groups opposing the Red Army.

Red Army

The army of the Bolsheviks, led by Leon Trotsky, which fought and won the Russian Civil War.

USSR

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; the name of Russia and its associated republics after the 1917 revolution.

Dictatorship of the Proletariat

A Marxist concept where the working class (proletariat) holds political power, controlling the means of production.

Collectivist Society

An idea under Joseph Stalin to transform the USSR into a major industrial power through collective ownership and centralized planning.

Gulag

A system of forced labor camps in the Soviet Union, primarily for political prisoners and opponents of Stalin’s regime.

CPSU

Communist Party of the Soviet Union; the ruling political party of the USSR.

Supreme Soviet

The highest legislative body of the Soviet Union.

Nicholas II

The last Tsar of Russia, overthrown during the February Revolution of 1917.

Alexander Kerensky

Led the provisional government after the fall of Tsarism, supported by liberal parties in the Duma.

Vladimir Lenin

The undisputed leader of the Bolshevik Revolution and the first head of the Soviet state, succeeded by Joseph Stalin.

Leon Trotsky

A key figure in the Bolshevik Revolution, rival of Stalin, and founder of the Red Army.

Joseph Stalin

Succeeded Lenin as the dictator of the Soviet Union, rival of Trotsky, and implemented totalitarian policies.

February Revolution

A revolution in February 1917, sparked by World War I’s consequences, military defeats, and food shortages, leading to the fall of Tsarism.

October Revolution

A revolution in October 1917 where the Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, seized power amidst popular discontent and Russia’s slow recovery from war.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

A peace treaty signed with Germany in March 1918, in which Russia lost significant territories.

Russian Civil War

A conflict (1918-1922) between the Red Army (Bolsheviks) and the White Army (anti-Bolsheviks), ultimately won by the Red Army.

Creation of the USSR

The establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in December 1922, a federal state uniting nations of the former Tsarist empire, governed by a parliament.

Understanding 1920s Economics & the Great Depression

Taylorism

A system of scientific management focused on optimizing industrial productivity through efficiency, standardization, and time-and-motion studies.

Fordism

An industrial system based on mass production, high wages, and mass consumption, exemplified by Henry Ford’s application of Taylorism to automobile manufacturing.

Speculative Bubble

An economic phenomenon where asset prices rise rapidly due to speculation, often detached from intrinsic value, driven by demand rather than fundamentals.

The Roaring Twenties

A period of significant economic prosperity, cultural dynamism, and social change in the United States during the 1920s, establishing it as a leading global economic power.

Consumerism

A social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts, often linked to personal identity and happiness.

Overproduction

A situation where the supply of goods or services exceeds the demand for them, leading to surpluses and potential economic downturns.

Stocks

Shares of ownership in a company, traded on a stock exchange, representing a claim on the company’s assets and earnings.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

The 32nd U.S. President who implemented the New Deal programs to combat the Great Depression.

Black Thursday

October 24, 1929, the day the Wall Street Crash of 1929 began, leading to widespread panic on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

The Wall Street Crash of 1929

A severe stock market crash that began in October 1929, leading to a dramatic collapse in stock values and contributing to the Great Depression.

The Great Depression

A severe worldwide economic depression that began after the 1929 stock market crash and spread globally, characterized by high unemployment and economic contraction.

New Deal

A series of programs, public works projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted in the United States by President Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1939 to combat the Great Depression.

Fascism and Nazism: Core Terms

Blackshirts

Also known as Squadristi, a fascist paramilitary group in Italy, loyal to Benito Mussolini.

Il Duce

Italian for “The Leader,” the title adopted by Benito Mussolini as the leader of the National Fascist Party and later as the dictator of Italy.

Fascio

A bundle of rods with an axe protruding, an ancient Roman symbol adopted by Italian Fascists to represent unity and authority.

Benito Mussolini

The founder of Italian Fascism and dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943, who inspired other totalitarian leaders like Adolf Hitler.

Victor Emmanuel III

King of Italy who appointed Mussolini as Prime Minister in 1922, effectively enabling the Fascist takeover.

March on Rome

A large-scale demonstration and coup d’état by Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Party in October 1922, which led to his appointment as Prime Minister of Italy.

Dictatorship

A form of government characterized by a single leader or group of leaders with absolute power, often totalitarian and suppressing dissent.

Nazism

The totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with the Nazi Party in Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, based on racial supremacy and extreme nationalism.

Reichstag

The German parliament during the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany.

Chancellor

The head of government in Germany, a position held by Adolf Hitler from 1933.

Führer

German for “leader,” the title adopted by Adolf Hitler to signify his absolute authority as head of state and government.