The Modern World, DEP-FOC
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
deportation
deportation, expulsion by executive agency of an alien whose presence in a country is deemed unlawful or detrimental.......
depression
depression, in economics, a major downturn in the business cycle characterized by sharp and sustained declines......
Desert Rats
Desert Rats, group of British soldiers who helped defeat the Germans in North Africa during World War II. The Desert......
Devers, Jacob L.
Jacob L. Devers was a U.S. general during World War II, whose 6th Army Group successfully penetrated German-held......
Diary of a Young Girl, The
The Diary of a Young Girl, journal by Anne Frank, a Jewish teenager who chronicled her familyâs two years (1942â44)......
Diaz, Armando
Armando Diaz was an Italian general who became chief of staff during World War I. A graduate of the military colleges......
Did Lucille Times Boycott Buses Before Rosa Parks?
On December 1, 1955, 42-year-old Rosa Parks, an African American woman, refused to surrender her seat to a white......
Dietrich, Josef
Josef Dietrich was a German SS officer who commanded Adolf Hitlerâs bodyguard and later led an SS panzer (armoured)......
Dill, Sir John Greer
Sir John Greer Dill was a British field marshal who became the British chief of staff during the early part of......
disarmament
disarmament, in international relations, any of four distinct conceptions: (1) the penal destruction or reduction......
dissidents in the Soviet Union and Russia
dissidents in the Soviet Union and Russia, critics of the regimes in the Soviet Union and 21st-century Russia.......
Djibouti
Djibouti, small strategically located country on the northeast coast of the Horn of Africa. It is situated on the......
Dobrynin, Anatoly Fyodorovich
Anatoly Fyodorovich Dobrynin was a Soviet diplomat, ambassador to the United States (1962â86), and dean of the......
Doctorsâ Plot
Doctorsâ Plot, (1953), alleged conspiracy of prominent Soviet medical specialists to murder leading government......
Dogger Bank, Battle of
Battle of Dogger Bank, naval engagement between British and German battle cruisers during World War I. It was fought......
Dollmann, Friedrich
Friedrich Dollmann was a German army commander during World War II. Dollmann joined the German army in 1899 and......
Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic, country of the West Indies that occupies the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola, the second largest......
domino theory
domino theory, theory adopted in U.S. foreign policy after World War II according to which the âfallâ of a noncommunist......
Doolittle Raid
Doolittle Raid, (April 18, 1942), during World War II, U.S. Army Air Forces bombing raid on Tokyo and other Japanese......
Doolittle, James H.
James H. Doolittle was an American aviator and army general who led an air raid on Tokyo and other Japanese cities......
Doorman, Karel
Karel Doorman was a Dutch rear admiral who commanded a combined American, British, Dutch, and Australian naval......
doughboy
doughboy, nickname popularly given to United States soldiers during World War I. The term was first used during......
Douhet, Giulio
Giulio Douhet was an Italian army general and the father of strategic air power. Trained as an artillery officer,......
Dowding, Hugh Caswall Tremenheere Dowding, 1st Baron
Hugh Caswall Tremenheere Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding was a British air chief marshal and head of Fighter Command......
Drees, Willem
Willem Drees was a statesman and socialist leader who was the prime minister of the Netherlands from 1948 to 1958.......
Dresden, bombing of
bombing of Dresden, during World War II, Allied bombing raids on February 13â15, 1945, that almost completely destroyed......
Du Bois, W.E.B.
W.E.B. Du Bois was an American sociologist, historian, author, editor, and activist who was the most important......
du Pont, Pierre Samuel
Pierre Samuel du Pont was a manufacturer and the largest American munitions producer during World War I. Pierre......
Dulles, John Foster
John Foster Dulles was the U.S. secretary of state (1953â59) under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was the architect......
Dumbarton Oaks Conference
Dumbarton Oaks Conference, (August 21âOctober 7, 1944), meeting at Dumbarton Oaks, a mansion in Georgetown, Washington,......
Duncan, David Douglas
David Douglas Duncan was an American photojournalist noted for his dramatic combat photographs of the Korean War.......
Dunford, Joseph
Joseph Dunford is a U.S. general who served as commandant of the United States Marine Corps (2014â15) before becoming......
Dunkirk evacuation
Dunkirk evacuation, (1940) in World War II, the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and other Allied......
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl, a name that encompasses both a section of the Great Plains and a period of drought in the United......
Dzerzhinsky, Feliks Edmundovich
Feliks Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky was a Bolshevik leader and the head of the first Soviet secret police organization.......
DĂśnitz, Karl
Karl DĂśnitz was a German naval officer and creator of Germanyâs World War II U-boat fleet who for a few days succeeded......
DâAquino, Iva Toguri
Iva Toguri DâAquino was one of several announcers on propaganda radio broadcasts directed at U.S. troops from Japan......
EAM-ELAS
EAM-ELAS, communist-sponsored resistance organization (formed September 1941) and its military wing (formed December......
East Germany
East Germany, former country (1949â90) that constitutes the northeastern section of present-day...
East Prussia
East Prussia, former German province bounded, between World Wars I and II, north by the Baltic Sea, east by Lithuania,......
Eastern bloc
Eastern bloc, group of eastern European countries that were aligned militarily, politically, economically, and......
Eastern Front
Eastern Front, major theatre of combat during World War I that included operations on the main Russian front as......
Eastern Front
Eastern Front, (June 22, 1941âMay 8, 1945), major theatre of combat during World War II that included operations......
Eberbach, Heinrich
Heinrich Eberbach was a German tank force commander in World War II. Eberbach entered the German army in July 1914......
economic growth
economic growth, the process by which a nationâs wealth increases over time. Although the term is often used in......
economic planning
economic planning, the process by which key economic decisions are made or influenced by central governments. It......
Ecuador
Ecuador, country of northwestern South America. Ecuador is one of the most environmentally diverse countries in......
- Introduction
- Tropical, Coastal, Andes
- Indigenous, Mestizo, Afro-Ecuadorian
- Quechua, Spanish, Shuar
- Crops, Livestock, Fisheries
- Trade, Exports, Imports
- Local Govt, Provinces, Cantons
- Education, Literacy, Schools
- Culture, Cuisine, Traditions
- Art, Music, Dance
- Media, Publishing, Culture
- Colonial History, Spanish Rule, Indigenous Peoples
- Garcia Moreno, Reforms, Catholicism
- Independence, Revolution, Quito
- Ecuador from the late 20th century
EDES
EDES, nationalist guerrilla force that, bolstered by British support, constituted the only serious challenge to......
Egypt
Egypt, country located in the northeastern corner of Africa. Egyptâs heartland, the Nile River valley and delta,......
- Introduction
- Nile, Deserts, Pyramids
- Oases, Monasteries, Deserts
- Soils, Deserts, Agriculture
- Desert, Nile, Wildlife
- Ancient, Coptic, Bedouin
- Arabic, Coptic, Nubian
- Nile, Delta, Oases
- Rural Settlements, Nile Valley, Oases
- Population, Migration, Urbanization
- Agriculture, Fishing, Nile
- Resources, Power, Nile
- Manufacturing, Textiles, Industries
- Trade, Nile, Deserts
- Transportation, Telecommunications, Infrastructure
- Politics, Society, Economy
- Local Gov, Provinces, Districts
- Politics, Constitution, Elections
- Housing, Architecture, Nile Valley
- Culture, Religion, Cuisine
- Art, Architecture, Music
- Ancient, Pyramids, Temples
- Islamic Conquest, Pharaohs, Nile
- Caliphate, Nile, Pyramids
- Tulunid Dynasty, Cairo, Nile
- Fatimid, Cairo, Nile
- Ayyubid Dynasty, Cairo, Nile
- Mamluk, Ottoman, 1250-1800
- Arabic Culture, Nile Valley, Ancient Civilization
- Ottoman, Nile, Civilization
- Ottoman Rule, Nile Delta, Deserts
- French Occupation, British Rule, 1882
- Muhammad Ali, Successors, 1805-82
- Abbas I, Said, 1848-63
- European Intervention, Colonization, Revolt
- Abbas Hilmi II, Ottoman Rule, Modernization
- WWI, Independence, Revolution
- Interwar, Nationalism, Revolution
- WWII, Aftermath, Revolution
- Revolution, Republic, Nile
- Sadat, Revolution, Arabism
- Mubarak, Politics, Revolution
- Unrest, Revolution, 2011
- Revolution, Democracy, Elections
- June 30 Revolution, Arab Spring, Tahrir Square
- Autocracy, Revolution, Repression
Eichelberger, Robert L.
Robert L. Eichelberger was a U.S. Army general who during World War II retrieved strategic Japanese-held islands,......
Eichmann, Adolf
Adolf Eichmann was a German high official who was hanged by the State of Israel for his part in the Holocaust,......
Eighth Route Army
Eighth Route Army, larger of the two major Chinese communist forces that fought the Japanese from 1937 to 1945.......
Einsatzgruppen
Einsatzgruppen, units of the Nazi security forces composed of members of the SS, the Sicherheitspolizei (Sipo;......
Eisenhower Doctrine
Eisenhower Doctrine, (January 5, 1957), in the Cold War period after World War II, U.S. foreign-policy pronouncement......
Eisenhower, Dwight D.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was the 34th president of the United States (1953â61), who had been supreme commander of the......
El Salvador
El Salvador, country of quickly shifting terrain of volcanoes, fertile valleys, and Pacific shores in the heart......
Elat
Elat, port city, southern extremity of Israel. It lies at the south tip of the Negev and at the head of the Gulf......
Ellsberg, Daniel
Daniel Ellsberg was an American military analyst and researcher who, in 1971, leaked portions of a classified 7,000-page......
Emblems of Australia
Australia has a federal form of government, with a central government and six constituent statesâNew South Wales,......
Emperors and Empresses Regnant of Japan
Traditionally, the ruler and absolute monarch of Japan was the emperor or empress, even if that person did not......
empire
empire, major political unit in which the metropolis, or single sovereign authority, exercises control over territory......
Enigma
Enigma, device used by the German military command to encode strategic messages before and during World War II.......
Enola Gay
Enola Gay, the B-29 bomber that was used by the United States on August 6, 1945, to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima,......
Enver PaĹa
Enver PaĹa was an Ottoman general and commander in chief, a hero of the Young Turk Revolution of 1908, and a leading......
Erzberger, Matthias
Matthias Erzberger was a leader of the left wing of the Roman Catholic Centre Party in Germany and signatory of......
Estonia
Estonia, country in northeastern Europe, the northernmost of the three Baltic states. Estoniaâs area includes some......
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, landlocked country on the Horn of Africa. The country lies completely within the tropical latitudes and......
- Introduction
- Mountains, Plateaus, Valleys
- Soils, Climate, Agriculture
- Ethnicities, Languages
- Christianity, Islam, Animism
- Rural, Urban, Highlands
- Agriculture, Coffee, Trade
- Federalism, Constitution, Governance
- Healthcare, Nutrition, Poverty
- Education, Literacy, Schools
- Athletics, Soccer, Rugby
- Zagwe, Solomonic, Dynasties
- Imperialism, Menelik, Revolution
- Haile Selassie, Imperialism, Revolution
- Derg, Famine, Revolution
- Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Eurasia
Eurasia, geological and geopolitical term that relates in the former sense to the single enormous landmass composed......
Europe
Europe, second smallest of the worldâs continents, composed of the westward-projecting peninsulas of Eurasia (the......
- Introduction
- Geology, Tectonics, Plate Boundaries
- Hercynian, Orogenic, Belt
- Cenozoic, Igneous, Provinces
- Geography, Climate, People
- Mediterranean, Balkan, Iberian
- Climate, Regions, Weather
- Flora, Fauna, Ecosystems
- Wildlife, Fauna, Ecosystems
- Migration, Ethnicity, Religion
- Religions, Faiths, Beliefs
- Trade, Manufacturing, Services
- Resources, Power, Geography
- Manufacturing, Industries, Trade
- Tourism, Culture, History
Europe, James Reese
James Reese Europe was an American bandleader, arranger, and composer, a major figure in the transition from ragtime......
Evans, Walker
Walker Evans was an American photographer whose influence on the evolution of ambitious photography during the......
Evers, Medgar
Medgar Evers was an American Black civil rights activist, whose murder received national attention and made him......
Executive Order 9066
Executive Order 9066, (February 19, 1942), executive order issued by U.S. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, which granted......
extermination camp
extermination camp, Nazi German concentration camp that specialized in the mass annihilation (Vernichtung) of unwanted......
Fahd of Saudi Arabia
Fahd of Saudi Arabia was the king of Saudi Arabia from 1982 to 2005. As crown prince and as an active administrator,......
Falkenhayn, Erich von
Erich von Falkenhayn was a Prussian minister of war and chief of the imperial German General Staff early in World......
Falkland Islands, Battle of the
On November 1, 1914, a powerful German fleet commanded by the famed admiral Maximilian von Spee destroyed a much......
Fallujah, First Battle of
First Battle of Fallujah, U.S. military campaign during the Iraq War that began April 4 and ended May 1, 2004.......
Fallujah, Second Battle of
Second Battle of Fallujah, joint American, Iraqi, and British military campaign from November 7 to December 23,......
Far Eastern Republic
Far Eastern Republic, nominally independent state formed by Soviet Russia in eastern Siberia in 1920 and absorbed......
Farmer, James
James Farmer was an American civil rights activist who, as a leader of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE),......
Fat Man
Fat Man, atomic bomb dropped on the city of Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945. Its use was the second and last......
Fay, Sidney Bradshaw
Sidney Bradshaw Fay was a U.S. historian known primarily for his classical reexamination of the causes of World......
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), a U.S. government agency created under the Banking Act of 1933 (also......
Federation of South African Women
Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW), multiracial womenâs organization that was one of the most important......
Fedorenko, Nikolai Trofimovich
Nikolai Trofimovich Fedorenko was a Soviet diplomat, ambassador to the United Nations (1963â68), and Oriental scholar.......
Ferdinand
Ferdinand was a prince (1887â1908) and the first king (1908â18) of modern Bulgaria. The youngest son of Prince......
Ferdinand I
Ferdinand I was the king of Romania from 1914 to 1927, who, though a Hohenzollern and a believer in German strength,......
final solution
final solution, Nazi plan to eliminate Europeâs Jewish population. The âfinal solutionâ was implemented from 1941......
Finland
Finland, country located in northern Europe. Finland is one of the worldâs most northern and geographically remote......
- Introduction
- Forests, Fauna, Flora
- Arctic, Nordic, Saami
- Lutheranism, Orthodoxy, Paganism
- Lapland, Karelia, Ostrobothnia
- Economy, Trade, Technology
- Resources, Power, Economy
- Labour, Taxation, Economy
- Justice, Law, Courts
- Culture, Nature, SĂĄmi
- Art, Music, Design
- Museums, Art, Music
- Sami, Vikings, Fennoscandia
- Swedish Rule, Sovereignty, Independence
- Reforms, Russian Rule, Autonomy
- Independence, Sovereignty, Autonomy
- Early Independence, Sovereignty, Autonomy
- Language, Dialects, Finnish
- WWII, Occupation, Resistance
- Postwar Economy, Arctic Region, EU Member
- Nordic Cooperation, Arctic Region, Baltic Sea
Finletter, Thomas K.
Thomas K. Finletter was an American lawyer and government official whose policy recommendations reshaped the United......
fireside chats
fireside chats, series of radio addresses delivered by U.S. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1944. Although......
First, Ruth
Ruth First was a South African activist, scholar, and journalist known for her relentless opposition to South Africaâs......
Fisher, John Arbuthnot Fisher, 1st Baron
John Arbuthnot Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher was a British admiral and first sea lord whose reforms between 1904 and......
Five Eyes
Five Eyes, intelligence-sharing alliance among five Anglophone countries: the United States, the United Kingdom,......
flag of NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was founded in the aftermath of World War II (1939â45). The war had......
Flandin, Pierre-Ătienne
Pierre-Ătienne Flandin was a lawyer, politician, and several times a minister during the final years of Franceâs......
FlossenbĂźrg
FlossenbĂźrg, Nazi German concentration camp, established in 1937 in the market town of FlossenbĂźrg, near the Czech......
Flying Tigers
Flying Tigers, American volunteer pilots recruited by Claire L. Chennault, a retired U.S. Army captain, to fight......
Foch, Ferdinand
Ferdinand Foch was a marshal of France and commander of Allied forces during the closing months of World War I,......