#AP World History: Modern - Unit 7: Global Conflict - The Ultimate Study Guide 🚀

#Unit 7 Overview: Global Conflict

Key Concept

The core idea: Global conflict reshaped power dynamics. Industrialization fueled nationalism, which challenged dominant nations, leading to imperialism and interregional conflicts. 💥

Global conflict changed the status quo through shifts in power. Industrialization = Nationalism = More challenges to dominant nations = Imperialism = Interregional conflicts 🔫

#Contextualizing the Unit 💥

The 1900s saw a rapidly industrializing world, with nations like Japan and Russia catching up to Western Europe and the U.S. The Second Industrial Revolution brought technological advancements (railroads, telegraphs), making life more convenient. However, imperialism in Asia and Africa intensified conflicts due to new, deadlier weapons (flamethrowers, machine guns, tanks). These advancements allowed powerful nations to wage wars for land and influence. People began to challenge the social order, leading to new political and economic ideologies (communism, fascism, republics).

What happened BEFORE and AFTER each global conflict in terms of politics, society, and economy? Let's dive in! 🕘

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#Image Courtesy of US National Archives on Giphy

#Main Events Timeline

1910-1920: Mexican Revolution
1914-1918: World War 1
1915: Armenian genocide starts
1917: Russian Revolution
1919: World War 1 ends, postwar negotiations in the Paris Peace Conferences
1920: League of Nations founded (and later disbanded)
1927-1936: Chinese Civil War
1928: Stalin initiates his first Five Year Plan in Soviet Russia
1929-1933: Great Depression
1939-1945: World War 2
1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor
1941-1945: The Holocaust
1945-1950: Chinese Communist Revolution
1945: Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings
1945: United Nations created
1947: Japanese Empire ends
1994: Rwandan genocide

#Major Trends (1900 - Present) 📈

Industrialization: Transformed the world 🏭
New Weapons: Led to drastic increases in death tolls
Communication: Telegraph & radio networks improved battlefield communication
MAIN Causes of Global Conflicts
- Militarism: Arms race between nations → destructive firepower
- Alliances: Nations fighting → allies jump in → multinational conflict
- Imperialism: Nations competing for control of territories
- Nationalism: Nations wanting to demonstrate military & political might
Wartime Production: Overproduction → lower demand & prices → unemployment → Great Depression → increase in government involvement in economy
European Loans: European economies weakened after WWI due to loans to the US
Rise of Extremism: “Failure of capitalism” → rise of socialism & fascism
Postwar Agreements: Division of colonies among winners
Anti-Imperialism: Local nationalism → anti-imperialist movements → decolonization
Ethnic Prejudice: Genocides and violence against minorities
New Global Entities: Emergence of organizations like the League of Nations, UN 🌎
Treaties & Alliances: (Marshall Plan, NATO, Warsaw Pact) → capitalism vs. socialism → Cold War

Memory Aid

MAIN causes of WWI: Remember Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism.

#Streams and Resources

#2018-2019

🏆Trivia - World War I 🏆Trivia -World War II

#2019-2020

🏆Trivia - World Wars in World History

🏆Trivia - Causation in Global Conflict

#Practice Questions

✍️ 2017 - LEQ #3: CCOT of Global Balance of Power

✍️ 2018 - LEQ #4: 20th Century Political Ideologies

✍️ 2018 - SAQ #1: Mass Violence and Governance

✍️ 2019 - LEQ #4: State Controlled Economies

Practice Question

#Practice Questions

Multiple Choice Questions

Which of the following was a major cause of World War I? (A) The rise of communism in Russia (B) The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (C) The economic competition between the United States and Japan (D) The formation of the United Nations
The Great Depression of the 1930s was primarily caused by: (A) The destruction of European infrastructure during World War I (B) Overproduction and decreased consumer demand (C) The spread of communist ideology (D) The implementation of the Marshall Plan
Which of the following best describes the policy of appeasement? (A) A policy of economic sanctions imposed on aggressor nations (B) A policy of granting concessions to aggressor nations to avoid war (C) A policy of military intervention to protect democratic governments (D) A policy of promoting international cooperation through diplomacy

Short Answer Question

Briefly explain ONE way in which the First World War (1914-1918) impacted the political landscape of Europe. Briefly explain ONE way in which the Second World War (1939-1945) impacted the political landscape of Europe. Briefly explain ONE way in which the First World War and Second World War were similar in their impact on the political landscape of Europe.

Free Response Question

Analyze the social and economic effects of TWO major global conflicts in the 20th century. Be sure to address the causes and consequences of each conflict.

Scoring Breakdown

Thesis (1 point): Presents a historically defensible thesis/claim that establishes a line of reasoning.
Contextualization (1 point): Describes a broader historical context relevant to the prompt.
Evidence (2 points): Provides specific examples of social and economic effects for each of the TWO chosen global conflicts. Explains how the evidence supports the argument.
Analysis and Reasoning (2 points): Analyzes the causes and consequences of each conflict, demonstrates a complex understanding of the topic by connecting it to a larger historical process.

Exam Tip

#Final Exam Focus 🎯

High-Priority Topics: World War I & II (causes, consequences, global impact), the Great Depression, rise of totalitarian regimes, decolonization, Cold War.
Common Question Types: Causation, comparison, continuity and change over time (CCOT), periodization.
Time Management: Allocate time wisely for each section. Don't spend too much time on one question. Outline your essays before writing.
Common Pitfalls: Not addressing all parts of the prompt, vague evidence, lack of analysis, not connecting to the big picture.
Strategies: Use specific evidence, analyze cause and effect, make connections between different units, practice past FRQs.

Common Mistake

Avoid: Simply listing events without analyzing their significance and impact. Always explain why something happened and what its consequences were.

#Recommended Readings

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
- Life from the perspective of German soldiers on the Western Front during World War I
Night by Elie Wiesel
- Life as a Jew in Germany during WWII and in Auschwitz, based on the author’s experiences as a Holocaust survivor.

Quick Fact

Quick Tip: Remember the acronym SPICE (Social, Political, Interaction with the Environment, Cultural, Economic) to analyze any historical event or trend.