Land reform

is when a government changes who owns land, usually by taking land from wealthy landowners and giving it to poor farmers so land is shared more fairly.

caudillo

is a strong military or political leader who rules with a lot of personal power, often like a dictator. Many Latin American countries had caudillos after gaining independence.

Porfirio Diaz

the president and dictator of Mexico from 1876 to 1911.

• He ruled Mexico for more than 30 years in a period called the Porfiriato.
• He helped modernize Mexico by building railroads, factories, and industries.
• However, most of the wealth went to rich landowners and foreign investors, while many peasants lost their land and lived in poverty.

Major impact:

• His unfair rule and lack of democracy caused the Mexican Revolution in 1910.
• Many Mexicans rebelled because they wanted land reform and political freedom.

Emiliano Zapata

Zapata was a revolutionary leader who fought for poor farmers during the Mexican Revolution.

• He believed land should belong to the people who worked it.
• His famous slogan was “Land and Liberty.”
• He created a plan called the Plan of Ayala, which demanded that land be taken from wealthy landowners and returned to peasants.

Major impact:

• He became a symbol of the fight for land reform and justice in Mexico.
• His ideas influenced later Mexican land reforms.

Francisco “Pancho” Villa

Pancho Villa was a famous revolutionary general who fought in northern Mexico during the Mexican Revolution.

• He led a powerful army called the Division of the North.
• He fought against the government of Porfirio Díaz and later other political leaders he believed were unfair.
• He gained support from poor farmers and workers.

Major impact:

• He helped defeat the dictatorship of Díaz.
• He also attacked the U.S. border town of Columbus, New Mexico in 1916, which caused the U.S. military to try to capture him.

War Guilt Clause

part of the Treaty of Versailles that forced Germany to accept full blame for starting World War I and required Germany to pay heavy war reparations.

Zionism

a political movement that supported the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. This movement eventually led to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.

Suffrage

the right to vote in elections. Many groups fought for suffrage, especially women during the early 1900s.

Germ Theory

the scientific idea that microscopic germs cause diseases. This discovery helped improve medicine, sanitation, and public health.

Civil disobedience

the act of peacefully refusing to obey unfair laws in order to protest injustice.

Example:

• Refusing to follow segregation laws
• Peaceful protests

economic depression

a long period of severe economic decline when businesses fail, unemployment is high, and many people lose money and jobs.

Inflation

when prices rise and money becomes less valuable, meaning people need more money to buy the same goods.

Example:
Bread that used to cost $1 now costs $5.

Appeasement

the policy of giving in to the demands of an aggressive country in order to avoid war.

Example:
European countries allowed Germany to expand territory in hopes that Hitler would stop.

Germany’s Third Reich

the name used by the Nazi government under Adolf Hitler from 1933 to 1945. Hitler believed it would be a powerful German empire that would last for 1,000 years.

Lebensraum

“living space.” It was Hitler’s idea that Germany needed to expand into other countries, especially in Eastern Europe, to gain land and resources for German people.

cult of personality

occurs when a dictator uses propaganda to create a powerful public image so people see them as a heroic or almost god-like leader.

Adolf Hitler

the leader of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945.

• He created a totalitarian dictatorship in Germany.
• He promoted extreme nationalism and racism.
• He blamed Jews and other groups for Germany’s problems.

Major actions:

• Started World War II in 1939 by invading Poland.
• Ordered the Holocaust, the murder of about 6 million Jews and millions of others.
• Expanded Germany using military force to create Lebensraum.
• His actions caused the deadliest war in human history.

Benito Mussolini

the dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943 and the founder of Fascism.

• He created the first fascist government in Europe.
• Fascism is a political system where the government has total control and people have few freedoms.
• He used propaganda and violence to maintain power.

Major actions:

• Took control of Italy after political instability following WW I.
• Invaded Ethiopia in 1935 to expand Italy’s empire.
• Formed an alliance with Hitler during World War II.
• Helped spread fascism in Europe.
• His rule contributed to the causes of World War II.