Europe Since 1815 Test Three Study Guide
April Theses- The February Revolution brought the abdication of Czar Nicholas II and the rise of
a provincial government that support fighting in World War One. Bolshevik leader Vladimir
Lenin was in exile and believed that fighting the war was a barrier to achieving a revolutionary
victory. After returning from exile in 1917, Lenin released his main viewpoints in the April
Theses. In these documents, Lenin called for the soviet councils to hold power, criticized social
and liberal democrats in the provisional government, called for Bolsheviks not to cooperate with
the provisional government, and demanded new communist policies. Aided by division among
the provisional government and growing unpopularity, the April Theses laid the ideological
foundations for the later October Revolution that brought the Bolsheviks and Lenin into power.
Battle of Stalingrad- In 1941, Hitler launched a major offensive against the Soviet Union with
Operation Barbarossa. This operation brought initial success with blitzkrieg tactics, but became
bogged down during the severe winter. Hitler still believed that victory was certain and launched
an attack against Stalingrad in 1942. This attack could have been successful, but overconfidence
pushed Hitler to transfer some forces into other battlefields. The Soviet soldiers managed to hold
off the assault and launch a counterattack that used tanks and encircled the German forces until
their defeat in 1943. This battle was important because the Soviet Union gained momentum and
demonstrated that the German war machine was vulnerable. Also, an overwhelming majority of
the German survivors never returned home once taken captive.
Beer Hall Putsch- Germany experienced economic uncertainty following WWI from having little
ability to make reparation payments. This difficulty prompted France to occupy the industrial
center of the Ruhr. Workers launched a strike rather than work in the occupied factories and
received payments from the government, which started an economic crisis with hyperinflation
since the government simply created the money. Hitler capitalized upon the economic unrest and
planned with General Ludendorff in 1923 to launch a revolt that could build upon nationalism
and overthrow the Weimar Republic. The effort failed and Ludendorff was acquitted, but Hitler
was found guilty. However, the judge issued a light sentence that Hitler only partially served. It
was during this time that Hitler gained the limelight and wrote his manifesto Mein Kamph.
Dawes Plan- The reparations payment forced upon Germany after defeat during World War One
were more than the county could handle. The inability to meet the reparations schedule prompted
France to take the industrial Ruhr, which then created a strong economic crisis when the German
government printed money for strikers. After this crisis ended, the League of Nations constructed
a commission in 1924 that extended reparation payments through the Dawes Plan. This plan put
reparation payments under an American commissioner and did not lower the actual amount that
Germany would pay. Overall, this plan lowered the importance that reparations held and bettered
relations between the Allies and Germany. The economy finally improved and industries became
more competitive, which helped when reducing unemployment.
Enabling Act- In 1933, Hitler became the German chancellor and made extensive efforts towards
consolidating his power. A promise was made that the upcoming parliamentary elections would
be the last ones ever. In these elections, the Nazis used extensive intimidation that only helped to
bring them slightly less than half the vote. Even though the party had accomplished less than the
desired outcome, Hitler still managed to frighten enough members into passing the Enabling Act
that granted dictatorial powers over the next four years. With this power, Hitler banned all other
, political parties and dissolved state parliaments. The individual states lost what autonomy still
remained and Nazi officials controlled state governments. The Nazi Party now had complete
control over the government and would not relinquish that hold until losing World War Two.
Fourteen Points- The ineffective spring offensive from 1918 marked the last effort that Germany
would make during the first world war. President Woodrow Wilson observed that the war would
end soon and issued guidelines for permanent peace. These guidelines were called the Fourteen
Points. The first point called for open accords rather than secret treaties that influenced the war.
Wilson also called for impartial settlement of colonial rivalries and freedom of the seas, which
Britain strongly opposed. The final point insisted that nations form some association that would
settle future conflicts. Wilson thought that including national recognition within this point would
ensure lasting peace. Additionally, the leniency of these points convinced Germany and Austria-
Hungary that defeat was more acceptable. One more important point is that trumpeting national
sovereignty encouraged independence decrees throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
February Revolution- Domestic discontent developed within Russia over increasing food scarcity
and czarist resistance against reform. Unrest became revolution in February 1917 when female
workers launched bread riots and encouraged other workers to abandon their positions. Forces in
Petrograd fired upon these protestors, but the workers became even more radicalized and forced
capital troops to flee or join the revolution. This turnaround smashed czarist authority and led the
Duma to craft a liberal provisional government that supported abdication. Czar Nicholas II
reluctantly abdicated for the structure that placed the provisional government with support for
republican democracy and individual rights at the top. However, the soviet councils gained
power within localities and regiments. Soviet councils flourished throughout the country and
formed the Congress of Soviets that Lenin and the Bolsheviks would use when taking power.
Joseph Goebbels- Once Hitler gained dictatorial authority in 1933, considerable effort was made
towards building his image among the public. Josef Goebbels played a key role in this process as
the minister of propaganda. This position meant supervising every aspect of German cultural and
intellectual life. Every piece of art and media down through the local level had to receive support
from the propaganda ministry to ensure that nothing criticized Hitler. Also, Goebbels had a chief
role towards instilling Nazi beliefs throughout society. One illustration was how the propaganda
ministry encouraged movies that disparaged Jews. The most important movie called Jew Suess
depicted a Jewish banker that was executed after betraying the state. In the end, Goebbels was so
devoted to the regime that he committed suicide with his wife once German defeat became sure.
Kursk- In 1943, Hitler attempted to overcome the disastrous Stalingrad defeat when ordering that
German forces attack vulnerable Soviet positions outside the Russian city of Kursk. In the largest
tank battle ever with nearly ten thousand tanks, Soviet forces manage to repel the massive attack
despite suffering astonishing casualties. Winning against overwhelming numbers was important
because the German divisions no longer seemed invincible. The momentous victory allowed the
Soviet Union to permanently take the offensive just when invasion through Sicily and the Balkan
states forced Hitler to divert additional forces. The Soviet army would have lesser trouble when
regaining lost territory within the Crimea, although many soldiers still would die along the way.
Russian Civil War- This conflict began in 1918 when generals raised armies to fight against the
Bolsheviks that controlled the Russian government. These soldiers were named the Whites for
opposing the red communists. This war considerably threatened the Soviet government and the
April Theses- The February Revolution brought the abdication of Czar Nicholas II and the rise of
a provincial government that support fighting in World War One. Bolshevik leader Vladimir
Lenin was in exile and believed that fighting the war was a barrier to achieving a revolutionary
victory. After returning from exile in 1917, Lenin released his main viewpoints in the April
Theses. In these documents, Lenin called for the soviet councils to hold power, criticized social
and liberal democrats in the provisional government, called for Bolsheviks not to cooperate with
the provisional government, and demanded new communist policies. Aided by division among
the provisional government and growing unpopularity, the April Theses laid the ideological
foundations for the later October Revolution that brought the Bolsheviks and Lenin into power.
Battle of Stalingrad- In 1941, Hitler launched a major offensive against the Soviet Union with
Operation Barbarossa. This operation brought initial success with blitzkrieg tactics, but became
bogged down during the severe winter. Hitler still believed that victory was certain and launched
an attack against Stalingrad in 1942. This attack could have been successful, but overconfidence
pushed Hitler to transfer some forces into other battlefields. The Soviet soldiers managed to hold
off the assault and launch a counterattack that used tanks and encircled the German forces until
their defeat in 1943. This battle was important because the Soviet Union gained momentum and
demonstrated that the German war machine was vulnerable. Also, an overwhelming majority of
the German survivors never returned home once taken captive.
Beer Hall Putsch- Germany experienced economic uncertainty following WWI from having little
ability to make reparation payments. This difficulty prompted France to occupy the industrial
center of the Ruhr. Workers launched a strike rather than work in the occupied factories and
received payments from the government, which started an economic crisis with hyperinflation
since the government simply created the money. Hitler capitalized upon the economic unrest and
planned with General Ludendorff in 1923 to launch a revolt that could build upon nationalism
and overthrow the Weimar Republic. The effort failed and Ludendorff was acquitted, but Hitler
was found guilty. However, the judge issued a light sentence that Hitler only partially served. It
was during this time that Hitler gained the limelight and wrote his manifesto Mein Kamph.
Dawes Plan- The reparations payment forced upon Germany after defeat during World War One
were more than the county could handle. The inability to meet the reparations schedule prompted
France to take the industrial Ruhr, which then created a strong economic crisis when the German
government printed money for strikers. After this crisis ended, the League of Nations constructed
a commission in 1924 that extended reparation payments through the Dawes Plan. This plan put
reparation payments under an American commissioner and did not lower the actual amount that
Germany would pay. Overall, this plan lowered the importance that reparations held and bettered
relations between the Allies and Germany. The economy finally improved and industries became
more competitive, which helped when reducing unemployment.
Enabling Act- In 1933, Hitler became the German chancellor and made extensive efforts towards
consolidating his power. A promise was made that the upcoming parliamentary elections would
be the last ones ever. In these elections, the Nazis used extensive intimidation that only helped to
bring them slightly less than half the vote. Even though the party had accomplished less than the
desired outcome, Hitler still managed to frighten enough members into passing the Enabling Act
that granted dictatorial powers over the next four years. With this power, Hitler banned all other
, political parties and dissolved state parliaments. The individual states lost what autonomy still
remained and Nazi officials controlled state governments. The Nazi Party now had complete
control over the government and would not relinquish that hold until losing World War Two.
Fourteen Points- The ineffective spring offensive from 1918 marked the last effort that Germany
would make during the first world war. President Woodrow Wilson observed that the war would
end soon and issued guidelines for permanent peace. These guidelines were called the Fourteen
Points. The first point called for open accords rather than secret treaties that influenced the war.
Wilson also called for impartial settlement of colonial rivalries and freedom of the seas, which
Britain strongly opposed. The final point insisted that nations form some association that would
settle future conflicts. Wilson thought that including national recognition within this point would
ensure lasting peace. Additionally, the leniency of these points convinced Germany and Austria-
Hungary that defeat was more acceptable. One more important point is that trumpeting national
sovereignty encouraged independence decrees throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
February Revolution- Domestic discontent developed within Russia over increasing food scarcity
and czarist resistance against reform. Unrest became revolution in February 1917 when female
workers launched bread riots and encouraged other workers to abandon their positions. Forces in
Petrograd fired upon these protestors, but the workers became even more radicalized and forced
capital troops to flee or join the revolution. This turnaround smashed czarist authority and led the
Duma to craft a liberal provisional government that supported abdication. Czar Nicholas II
reluctantly abdicated for the structure that placed the provisional government with support for
republican democracy and individual rights at the top. However, the soviet councils gained
power within localities and regiments. Soviet councils flourished throughout the country and
formed the Congress of Soviets that Lenin and the Bolsheviks would use when taking power.
Joseph Goebbels- Once Hitler gained dictatorial authority in 1933, considerable effort was made
towards building his image among the public. Josef Goebbels played a key role in this process as
the minister of propaganda. This position meant supervising every aspect of German cultural and
intellectual life. Every piece of art and media down through the local level had to receive support
from the propaganda ministry to ensure that nothing criticized Hitler. Also, Goebbels had a chief
role towards instilling Nazi beliefs throughout society. One illustration was how the propaganda
ministry encouraged movies that disparaged Jews. The most important movie called Jew Suess
depicted a Jewish banker that was executed after betraying the state. In the end, Goebbels was so
devoted to the regime that he committed suicide with his wife once German defeat became sure.
Kursk- In 1943, Hitler attempted to overcome the disastrous Stalingrad defeat when ordering that
German forces attack vulnerable Soviet positions outside the Russian city of Kursk. In the largest
tank battle ever with nearly ten thousand tanks, Soviet forces manage to repel the massive attack
despite suffering astonishing casualties. Winning against overwhelming numbers was important
because the German divisions no longer seemed invincible. The momentous victory allowed the
Soviet Union to permanently take the offensive just when invasion through Sicily and the Balkan
states forced Hitler to divert additional forces. The Soviet army would have lesser trouble when
regaining lost territory within the Crimea, although many soldiers still would die along the way.
Russian Civil War- This conflict began in 1918 when generals raised armies to fight against the
Bolsheviks that controlled the Russian government. These soldiers were named the Whites for
opposing the red communists. This war considerably threatened the Soviet government and the
