World Wars & 20th Century Ideologies
Overview
| The 20th Century Conflict | The 20th Century was defined by global conflicts and the struggle between competing ideologies: Liberal Democracy, Communism, and Fascism. |
1. Major 20th Century Revolutions
| Russian Revolution (1917) | Sparked by WWI losses, economic misery, and autocratic rule. March Revolution overthrew Tsar Nicholas II and set up liberal provisional government (Mensheviks under Kerensky). November Revolution saw Bolsheviks under Lenin seize power, establishing first socialist state, leading to formation of USSR in 1923, later ruled by Joseph Stalin. |
| Chinese Revolution (1911/1949) | In 1911, Sun Yat-sen's Xinhai Revolution overthrew Manchu Qing Dynasty, establishing a republic. Following civil war between Nationalist Kuomintang (KMT under Chiang Kai-shek) and Chinese Communist Party (CCP under Mao Zedong), and historic 6,000-mile Long March (1934-35), CCP emerged victorious in 1949, founding People's Republic of China while KMT fled to Taiwan. |
| Turkish Revolution (1923) | Led by Mustafa Kemal Pasha (Ataturk) following defeat of Ottoman Empire in WWI. Repelled foreign occupation, established Republic of Turkey, and pushed through radical modernization reforms, including abolishing Islamic Caliphate in 1924, secularizing legal system, and adopting Latin alphabet. |
2. Totalitarianism & The Great Depression
| The Great Depression (1929–1939) | Triggered by Wall Street Crash of October 1929. Led to global industrial collapse, mass unemployment, and protectionism. Resolved in USA through President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs of state-led relief, recovery, and reform. |
| Italian Fascism | Founded by Benito Mussolini in 1919. Exploited post-WWI nationalist discontent and fear of communism. Mussolini seized power after March on Rome (1922), establishing a totalitarian state based on aggressive nationalism and corporatism. |
| German Nazism | Adolf Hitler's National Socialist (Nazi) Party grew by exploiting humiliation of Treaty of Versailles, severe hyperinflation, and high unemployment from Depression. Hitler appointed Chancellor in 1933, dismantled democratic institutions (Weimar Republic), and established a racial totalitarian state. |
3. The World Wars
| World War I Causes & Alliances | Imperialist rivalries, militarism, Anglo-German naval race, and secret alliances. Triggered by assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. Allied Powers (UK, France, Russia, Italy, USA) defeated Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria). |
| World War I Outcomes | Treaty of Versailles (1919) imposed harsh terms on Germany; collapsed Russian, German, Austro-Hungarian, and Ottoman Empires; established League of Nations (1920). |
| World War II Causes & Trigger | Rise of expansionist Axis powers, policy of appeasement by Western democracies, and weakness of League of Nations. Triggered by German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939. |
| World War II Events & Outcomes | Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (1941) brought USA into war; atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 1945). Ended with defeat of Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan), founding of United Nations Organization (UNO) on 24 October 1945, partition of Germany, and start of Cold War. |
4. World History Chronology
| 776 BC | First recorded Olympiad in ancient Greece. |
| 753 BC | Traditional date for founding of Rome by Romulus. |
| 327–326 BC | Alexander the Great's campaign in India. |
| 44 BC | Julius Caesar assassinated by Roman senators. |
| 622 AD | Hijira marks start of Islamic era. |
| 1215 AD | Magna Carta signed by King John in England. |
| 1453 AD | Fall of Constantinople to Ottoman Turks; stimulates Renaissance. |
| 1498 AD | Vasco da Gama establishes sea route to India. |
| 1517 AD | Martin Luther posts 95 Theses, starting Reformation. |
| 1815 AD | Napoleon Bonaparte defeated at Battle of Waterloo. |
| 1917 AD | Russian Bolshevik Revolution overthrows Tsarism. |
| 1945 AD | World War II ends; United Nations founded. |
5. Historical Sites & Sobriquets
| Key Historical Sites | Corsica/St. Helena (Napoleon's birth and exile); Macedonia (Alexander's birthplace); Hiroshima (first atomic bomb target); Mecca/Medina (Islamic cradle); Jerusalem (holy site for Judaism, Christianity, Islam). |
| Fuehrer | Adolf Hitler. |
| Desert Fox | General Erwin Rommel. |
| Man of Blood and Iron | Otto von Bismarck. |
| Maid of Orleans | Joan of Arc. |
| Little Corporal / Man of Destiny | Napoleon Bonaparte. |
| Bard of Avon | William Shakespeare. |
| Iron Duke | Duke of Wellington. |
UPSC Relevance
| World History (Mains) | World Wars, Redrawing of National Boundaries, Colonization & Decolonization. |
| Political Philosophies | Communism, Capitalism, Socialism, Fascism - their impact on 20th-century world. |
| International Institutions | Evolution from League of Nations to UNO. |
| Contemporary Relevance | Link between Japanese resurgence and modern Asian economy. |