The Modern World, UST-YAM
Industrialization, nationalism, world war, decolonization, and technological change have made the modern world a time of staggering disruption and reinvention. Explore the forces that shaped it.
The Modern World Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Ustinov, Dmitry Fedorovich
Dmitry Fedorovich Ustinov was a Soviet military and political figure who was minister of defense from 1976 to 1984.......
Utah Beach
Utah Beach, the westernmost beach of the five landing areas of the Normandy Invasion of World War II. It was assaulted......
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan, landlocked country in Central Asia. It lies mainly between two major rivers, the Syr Darya (ancient......
V-2 rocket
V-2 rocket, German ballistic missile of World War II, the forerunner of modern space rockets and long-range missiles.......
Van Fleet, James Alward
James Alward Van Fleet was a U.S. military officer who was a division and corps commander during crucial World......
Vance, Cyrus
Cyrus Vance was an American lawyer and public official who was secretary of state from 1977 to 1980 during the......
Venezuela
Venezuela, country located at the northern end of South America. It occupies a roughly triangular area that is......
- Introduction
- Rivers, Lakes, Coastline
- Immigration, Ethnicity, Diversity
- Oil, Agriculture, Manufacturing
- Services, Infrastructure, Economy
- Education, Literacy, Schools
- Sports, Recreation, Culture
- Independence, Revolution, BolĂvar
- Andes, Geography, Climate
- Hugo Chavez, Politics, Economy
- The presidency of NicolĂĄs Maduro
Venizélos, Eleuthérios
EleuthĂ©rios VenizĂ©los was the prime minister of Greece (1910â15, 1917â20, 1924, 1928â32, 1933), the most prominent......
Verdun, Battle of
Battle of Verdun, (February 21âDecember 18, 1916), World War I engagement in which the French repulsed a major......
Versailles, Treaty of
Treaty of Versailles, peace document signed at the end of World War I by the Allied and associated powers and by......
Verwoerd, Hendrik
Hendrik Verwoerd was a South African professor, editor, and statesman who, as prime minister (1958â66), rigorously......
Vichy France
Vichy France, (July 1940âSeptember 1944), France under the regime of Marshal Philippe PĂ©tain from the Nazi German......
Victoria
Victoria was the queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1837â1901) and empress of India (1876â1901).......
Victorian architecture
Victorian architecture, building style of the Gothic Revival that marks the movement from a sentimental phase to......
Victorian era
Victorian era, in British history, the period between approximately 1820 and 1914, corresponding roughly but not......
Viet Cong
Viet Cong (VC), the guerrilla force that, with the support of the North Vietnamese Army, fought against South Vietnam......
Vietnam
Vietnam, country occupying the eastern portion of mainland Southeast Asia. Tribal Viets inhabiting the Red River......
- Introduction
- Monsoon, Tropical, Humid
- Ethnic Groups
- Rice, Aquaculture, Forestry
- Politics, Economy, Society
- Health, Welfare, Poverty
- Sports, Recreation, Culture
- Chinese Rule, Dynasties, History
- Tran Dynasty, Expansion, Confucianism
- French Colonization, Indochina, Unification
- Colonialism, Resistance, Unification
- WWII, Independence, Conflict
- French Colonialism, War, Divided Nation
- Economic Reforms, Conflict, Growth
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial, national monument in Washington, D.C., honoring members of the U.S. armed forces who......
Vietnam War
Vietnam War, (1954â75), a protracted conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies......
- Introduction
- French Rule, Division, Conflict
- Diem Regime, Viet Cong, Conflict
- Conflict, US Involvement, Outcome
- Conflict, US Involvement, Aftermath
- Gulf of Tonkin, US-Vietnam, Conflict
- US Involvement, Conflict, Outcome
- Guerilla Tactics, Air Power, Casualties
- Tet Offensive, Homefront Impact, US Defeat
- De-escalation, Negotiation, Vietnamization
- Negotiation, Withdrawal, Conflict
- Fall, Saigon, US Withdrawal
Vietnam War Timeline
The Vietnam War was one of the most complex and controversial conflicts of the 20th century. Hereâs a timeline......
Vittorio Veneto, Battle of
Battle of Vittorio Veneto, decisive Italian victory and the final offensive launched on the Italian Front during......
Vlasov, Andrey Andreyevich
Andrey Andreyevich Vlasov was an anti-Stalinist military commander who, captured by the Germans early in World......
Vo Chi Cong
Vo Chi Cong was a strongly anti-French Communist revolutionary who was among the earliest fighters for Vietnamâs......
Vo Nguyen Giap
Vo Nguyen Giap was a Vietnamese military and political leader whose perfection of guerrilla as well as conventional......
Voroshilov, Kliment Yefremovich
Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov was a military and political leader of the Soviet Union who served as head of state......
Voting Rights Act
Voting Rights Act, U.S. legislation (August 6, 1965) that aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local......
Vrba, Rudolf
Rudolf Vrba was a Slovak Jewish biochemist, one of five Jewish prisoners to ever escape Auschwitz, the most lethal......
Vught
Vught, small German Nazi concentration camp near the town of Vught, 2 miles (3 km) south of the city of Hertogenbosch,......
Vyshinsky, Andrey
Andrey Vyshinsky was a Soviet statesman, diplomat, and lawyer who was the chief prosecutor during the Great Purge......
Wagner Act
Wagner Act, the most important piece of labour legislation enacted in the United States in the 20th century. Its......
Wainwright, Jonathan M.
Jonathan M. Wainwright was a U.S. Army general who won distinction as the hero of Bataan and Corregidor in the......
Wake Island, Battle of
Battle of Wake Island, (December 8â23, 1941), during World War II, battle for Wake Island, an atoll consisting......
Waldheim affair
Waldheim affair, controversy concerning the military record of former Austrian diplomat and statesman Kurt Waldheim......
Walker, Walton H.
Walton H. Walker was an American army officer, commander of the U.S. Eighth Army during the difficult opening months......
Wallis, Jim
Jim Wallis is an American Evangelical pastor and social activist who was the founder and editor in chief of Sojourners......
Wang Ching-wei
Wang Ching-wei was an associate of the revolutionary Nationalist leader Sun Yat-sen, rival of Chiang Kai-shek (Jiang......
Wannsee Conference
Wannsee Conference, meeting of Nazi officials on January 20, 1942, in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee to plan the......
war
war, in the popular sense, a conflict between political groups involving hostilities of considerable duration and......
War of Attrition
War of Attrition, inconclusive war (1969â70) chiefly between Egypt and Israel. The conflict, launched by Egypt,......
war on terrorism
war on terrorism, term used to describe the American-led global counterterrorism campaign launched in response......
War Refugee Board
War Refugee Board (WRB), United States agency established January 22, 1944, to attempt to rescue victims of the......
War Resistersâ International
War Resistersâ International (WRI), an international secular pacifist organization with headquarters in London......
Warsaw Ghetto
Warsaw Ghetto, 840-acre (340-hectare) area of Warsaw that consisted of the cityâs old Jewish quarter. During the......
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, resistance by Polish Jews under Nazi occupation in 1943 to the deportations from Warsaw......
Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact, (May 14, 1955âJuly 1, 1991) treaty establishing a mutual-defense organization (Warsaw Treaty Organization)......
Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising, (August-October 1944), insurrection in Warsaw during World War II by which Poles unsuccessfully......
Was Coco Chanel a Nazi Spy?
Historians generally agree that Coco Chanel had ties to Nazi officials and tried to benefit from Nazi policies,......
Watts Riots of 1965
Watts Riots of 1965, series of violent confrontations between Los Angeles police and residents of Watts and other......
Wavell, Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl
Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell was a British field marshal and government administrator whose victories......
Weapons of World War I
World War I is known for the savagery of its trench warfare, but the weapons available to the warâs combatants......
Weather Underground
Weather Underground, militant group of young white Americans formed in 1969 that grew out of the anti-Vietnam War......
Weddigen, Otto
Otto Weddigen was a German submarine commander whose feat of sinking three British armoured cruisers in about an......
Wedemeyer, Albert Coady
Albert Coady Wedemeyer was an American military leader who was the principal author of the 1941 Victory Program,......
Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht, the armed forces of the Third Reich. The three primary branches of the Wehrmacht were the Heer (army),......
Weil, Simone
Simone Weil was a French mystic, social philosopher, and activist in the French Resistance during World War II,......
Wells, Ida B.
Born into slavery, Ida B. Wells would in her lifetime become the most famous Black woman in the United States for......
Wessel, Horst
Horst Wessel was a martyr of the German Nazi movement, celebrated in the song âHorst Wessel Lied,â which was adopted......
West Bank
West Bank, area of the former British mandate of Palestine that was under Jordanian control after the 1948 Arab-Israeli......
West Germany
West Germany, from 1949 to 1990, a republic consisting of the western two-thirds of what is now Germany. West Germany......
Westerbork
Westerbork, small refugee camp and transit camp for Jews during World War II, located near the village of Westerbork......
Western Front
Western Front, major theatre of World War I. The name refers to the western side of territory under the control......
Westmoreland, William
William Westmoreland was a U.S. Army officer who commanded U.S. forces in the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1968. After......
Weygand, Maxime
Maxime Weygand was a French army officer who in World War I served as chief of staff under Gen. (later Marshal)......
What Is the Origin of the Term Holocaust?
Human history has few tragedies that rival the magnitude and moral bankruptcy of the Holocaust, the systematic......
White Rose
White Rose, German anti-Nazi group formed in Munich in 1942. Unlike the conspirators of the July Plot (1944) or......
White, Walter
Walter White was the foremost spokesman for African Americans for almost a quarter of a century and executive secretary......
Whitney, John Hay
John Hay Whitney was an American multimillionaire and sportsman who had a multifaceted career as a publisher, financier,......
Why are North and South Korea divided?
The division of the Korean Peninsula is one of the most enduring legacies of the Cold War. For more than a thousand......
Why Did the Soviet Union Collapse?
On January 1, 1991, the Soviet Union was the largest country in the world, covering some 8,650,000 square miles......
Why is it called the Cold War?
Historians use the phrase âCold Warâ to refer to the long period of rivalry between the United States and the Soviet......
Why wasnât Auschwitz bombed?
The question âWhy wasnât Auschwitz bombed?â is not only historical. It is also a moral question emblematic of the......
Wicker, Roger
Roger Wicker is an American politician who was appointed as a Republican to the U.S. Senate from Mississippi in......
Widdowson, Elsie
Elsie Widdowson was an English nutritionist who, in collaboration with her longtime research partner, Robert A.......
Wiesel, Elie
Elie Wiesel was a Romanian-born Jewish writer, whose works provide a sober yet passionate testament of the destruction......
Wiesenthal, Simon
Simon Wiesenthal was the founder (1961) and head (until 2003) of the Jewish Documentation Centre in Vienna. During......
Wilhelm II
Wilhelm II was the German emperor (kaiser) and king of Prussia from 1888 to the end of World War I in 1918. He......
Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina was the queen of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948, who, through her radio broadcasts from London during......
Wilkins, Roy
Roy Wilkins was a Black American civil rights leader who served as the executive director (1955â77) of the National......
Williams, Hosea
Hosea Williams was an American civil rights leader and politician who was a major figure in the struggle against......
Wilson, Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron
Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson was a British field marshal, commander in chief in the Middle East (FebruaryâDecember......
Wilson, Sir Henry Hughes, Baronet
Sir Henry Hughes Wilson, Baronet was a British field marshal, chief of the British imperial general staff, and......
Wilson, Woodrow
Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of the United States (1913â21), an American scholar and statesman known for......
Winkelman, Henri Gerard
Henri Gerard Winkelman was a general who commanded the armed forces of the Netherlands during the German invasion......
Winterbotham, Frederick William
Frederick William Winterbotham was a British secret-service official who played a key role in the Ultra code-breaking......
Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan
Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan, the United States governmentâs removal of its last remaining......
Wojtek the Bear
Wojtek the Bear, Syrian brown bear adopted by soldiers in the Polish army during World War II. The bear, who was......
Wolfowitz, Paul
Paul Wolfowitz is a U.S. government official, who, as deputy secretary of defense (2001â05) in the administration......
Women Airforce Service Pilots
Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), U.S. Army Air Forces program that tasked some 1,100 civilian women with noncombat......
Women in World War I: A Photo Gallery
Women have long played a vital role during wartime. In World War I (1914â18), however, their contributions grew......
Wood, Gar
Garfield Arthur Wood was a U.S. driver and builder of racing motorboats, also credited with devising the small,......
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was a work program for the unemployed that was created in 1935 under U.S.......
World Disarmament Conference
World Disarmament Conference, conference convened in Geneva in 1932â34 and attended by delegates of more than 60......
World War I
World War I, an international conflict that in 1914â18 embroiled most of the nations of Europe along with Russia,......
- Introduction
- Nations, Resources, 1914
- Technology, 1914, Arms Race
- Eastern Front, Strategy, 1914
- Western Front, Trench Warfare, 1914
- Battle of Marne, Trench Warfare, Mobilization
- Eastern Front, 1914, Trench Warfare
- Serbian Campaign, 1914
- Naval Battles, U-Boats, Blockades
- German Colonies, Loss, WWI
- Dardanelles, Strategies, 1915-16
- Western, Eastern, 1915
- Eastern, Western, Naval
- Italy, Italian Front, 1915-16
- Battle of Verdun, Somme, Brusilov
- Battle of Jutland, Naval Warfare, WWI
- Eastern Front, 1916, Trench Warfare
- Peace Moves, U.S. Policy, Feb 1917
- Trenches, Armistice, U-Boats
- US Entry, Causes, Impact
- Caporetto, Trenches, Armistice
- Western Front, June-Dec 1917
- Air Warfare, Trench Warfare, Armistice
- Last Offensives, Allies Victory
- Armistice, Treaty, Legacy
- Balkan Front, 1918
- Vittorio Veneto, Armistice, Treaty
- Austria-Hungary, Collapse, Causes
- Armistice, Treaty, Legacy
- Casualties, Armistice, Legacy
World War II
World War II, conflict that involved virtually every part of the world during the years 1939â45. The war was in......
- Introduction
- Axis, Allies, Resources
- Europe, 1939-41
- Baltic States, Russo-Finnish War
- Invasion, Norway, Allies
- Invasion, Low Countries, France
- Dunkirk Evacuation
- Italy, French, Armistice
- Battle of Britain, RAF, Luftwaffe
- Central Europe, Balkans, 1940-41
- Europe, Pacific, 1940-41
- East Africa, Axis, Allies
- Lend-Lease, Allies, Axis
- Atlantic, Mediterranean, 1940-41
- Invasion, Soviet Union, 1941
- Pacific, Japan, Allies
- Japanese Policy, 1939-41
- Pearl Harbor, Japanese Expansion, July 1942
- Fall of Singapore, Japanese Occupation, British Surrender
- Axis Powers, Blitzkrieg, Pacific Theater
- Libya, Egypt, 1941-42
- Southern Russia, 1942, Axis
- Allies, Decisive Victories, Europe
- El Alamein, Rommel, 1942-43
- Stalingrad, Retreat, 1942-43
- Northwest Africa, 1942, Invasion
- Tunisia 1942-43
- Air Warfare, 1942-43
- German Occupation, Europe, Holocaust
- Casablanca, Trident, 1943
- Allied Landings, Defeat of Axis
- Allies, Italy, Volte-Face
- German Strategy, 1943
- Pacific Theater, Japan, Allies
- Pacific Theater, Allies, Axis
- Italian Front, 1944
- Europe, Pacific, Victory
- Eastern Front, June-Dec 1944
- Philippines, Borneo, 1944
- Burma, China, 1944-45
- Soviet Advance, Oder, 1945
- Yalta, Allies, Axis
- Potsdam, Allies, Axis
- Japanese Surrender, Pacific Theater, Atomic Bombs
- Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Atomic Bombs
- Costs, Impact, Legacy
- Human Cost, Material Losses
- Pacific, Japan, China
Wyden, Ron
Ron Wyden is an American politician who was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 1996 and began representing......
Xiâan Incident
Xiâan Incident, (Dec. 12â25, 1936), in Chinese history, seizure of the Nationalist generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek......
Yad Vashem Holocaust History Museum
Yad Vashem Holocaust History Museum, museum in Jerusalem that commemorates the victims of the Holocaust. It was......
Yagoda, Genrikh Grigoryevich
Genrikh Grigoryevich Yagoda was the head of the Soviet secret police under Stalin from 1934 to 1936 and a central......
Yalta Conference
Yalta Conference, (February 4â11, 1945), major World War II conference of the three chief Allied leadersâPres.......
Yamamoto Isoroku
Yamamoto Isoroku was a Japanese naval officer who conceived of the surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl......