Contemporary Era Chart and Definitions 1900-Present

Contemporary Era Important Events WWI Dates: July 28, 1914 – November 11, 1918 Groups involved: Britain, France, Italy, Russia, U.S. vs. Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire Causes: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism Outcomes: League of Nations, unfair Treaty of Versailles, Mandate States, WWII

Contemporary Era Important Events Russian Revolution Dates: March 1917 – February 1918 Groups involved: Working class, Bolsheviks Causes: angry working class, Poor ruling by Czar, desire to exit WWI Outcomes: Vladimir Lenin takes over, implements industrial reforms, installs a Marxist government

Contemporary Era Important Events WWII Dates: September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945 Groups involved: Britain, France, Russia, U.S. vs. Germany, Italy, Japan Causes: Treaty of Versailles, Rise of totalitarian dictators, aggressive foreign policy Outcomes: Europe in ruins, Soviet Union and U.S. main World Powers, Cold War

Contemporary Era Important Events Cold War Dates: 1947 – 1991 Groups involved: U.S. vs. Soviet Union Causes: Capitalist vs. Communist ideology, economic and military competition, increased nuclear threat Outcomes: Collapse of the Soviet Union, independence for Soviet Republics, Germany re-unified

Contemporary Era Important Events Chinese Communist Revolution Dates: 1946-1950 Groups involved: Mao Zedong, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Causes: Control of China by other countries, unfair treatment of peasants, Young people’s desire to modernize China Outcomes: transformed the lives of women, education declined, redistribution of land to peasants

Contemporary Vocab Nationalism (2 definitions) Globalization Genocide 1) The strong belief that the interests of a particular nation-state are of primary importance 2) the belief that a people who share a common language, history, and culture should constitute an independent nation Globalization The process of international integration arising from the interchange of world views, products, ideas and other aspects of culture. Genocide the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation.