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Joseph Stalin

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Russian leader who succeeded Lenin as head of the Communist Party and created a totalitarian state by purging all opposition (1879-1953)

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Benito Mussolini

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Fascist dictator of Italy (1922-1943). He led Italy to conquer Ethiopia (1935), joined Germany in the Axis pact (1936), and allied Italy with Germany in World War II. He was overthrown in 1943 when the Allies invaded Italy.

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fascism

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A system of government characterized by strict social and economic control and a strong, centralized government usually headed by a dictator. First found in Italy by Mussolini.

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allies

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Group of nations, including the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union, who opposed the Axis powers

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wolf packs

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German submarines that traveled in groups in the North Atlantic Ocean to attack US ships and merchant ships.

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Pearl Harbor

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United States military base on Hawaii that was bombed by Japan, bringing the United States into World War II. Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941.

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blitzkrieg

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"Lighting war", typed of fast-moving warfare used by German forces against Poland n 1939

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appeasement

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The idea that Britain could pacify Germany and make sure there was no war at any cost.

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non-aggression pact

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1939-Secret agreement between German leader Hitler and Soviet Leader Stalin not to attack one another and to divide Poland

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final solution

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'The Final Solution for the Jewish Question' was the cover name for Hitler's plan to destroy all the Jews in Europe, It began in December 1941

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Neville Chamberlain

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Prime Minister of Great Britain from -1940. Famous for appeasing Hitler at the Munich Conference.

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atlantic charter

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(FDR) 1941, met on a boat, FDR and Chuchill meeting that stated that condemned aggression, affirmed national self-determination, and endorsed the principles of collective security and disarmament.

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Adolf Hitler

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This dictator was the leader of the Nazi Party. He believed that strong leadership was required to save Germanic society, which was at risk due to Jewish, socialist, democratic, and liberal forces.

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nazism

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The doctrines of nationalism, racial purity, anti-Communism, and the all-powerful role of the State. The National Socialist German Workers Party, otherwise known as the Nazi Party. Nazism was advocated by Adolf Hitler in Germany.

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neutrality acts

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The Neutrality Acts of 1935, 1936, and 1937 stipulated that when the president proclaimed the existence of a foreign war certain restrictions would automatically go into effect. No American could legally sail on a belligerent ship, or sell or transport munitions to a belligerent nation, or make loans to a belligerent. This displayed that America was not willing to go to war and desired to remain neutral and isolationist.

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lend-lease act

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Approve by Congress in March 1941; The act allowed America to sell, lend or lease arms or other supplies to nations considered "vital to the defense of the United States."

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draft

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trade embargo

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the partial or complete prohibition of commerce and trade with a particular country, in order to isolate it

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Austria

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in 1938, Hitler invaded and annexed this country, violating the Treaty of Versailles

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battle of Britain

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an aerial battle fought in World War II in 1940 between the German Luftwaffe (air force), which carried out extensive bombing in Britain, and the British Royal Air Force, which offered successful resistance.

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Kristallnact

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"Night of Broken Glass" Anti-Jewish riots of November 9-10 1938. Planned by the German government and the Gestapo. Over 1,000 synagogues were burned, Jewish stores looted and Jewish men arrested

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The St. Louis

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a ship from Europe with 1000+ refugee Jews sailed to Cuba, but were rejected; they asked USA if they could come, but FDR ignored their plea because of immigration quotas

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division of Poland

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Charles de Gaulle

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French general and statesman who became very popular during World War II as the leader of the Free French forces in exile (1890-1970)

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totalitarianism

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a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)

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Francisco Franco

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Spanish General; organized the revolt in Morocco, which led to the Spanish Civil War. Leader of the Nationalists - right wing, supported by Hitler and Mussolini, won the Civil War after three years of fighting.

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axis powers

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In World War II, the nations of Germany, Italy, and Japan, which had formed an alliance in 1936.

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Hideki Tojo

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(1884-1948) Japanese nationalist and general; he took control of Japan during World War II. He was later tried and executed for war crimes. Ordered attack on Pearl Harbor.

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Soviet Union

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Repub. presidents of 1920's refused to grant diplomatic recognition to this Communist regime. Roosevelt granted recognition in 1933 to increase U.S. trade and boost economy.Invaded by Hitler of June 1941

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Shoot on Sight

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July 1941, US extended support for Britain even more by protecting its ships from submarine attack. FDR ordered US Navy to escort British ships carrying lend-lease materials from US. When an American destroyed 'Greer' was attacked by a German submarine, FDR ordered the Navy to attack all German ships on sight. US now fighting an undeclared naval war against Germany.

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Sudetanland

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part of Czechoslovakia that Hitler demanded as his "last territorial demand". Given to him in Munich Agreement by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in 1938.

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Fall of France

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Germans attacked France on May 10, 1940. By June 22, the largest and most powerful democracy in Europe surrendered.

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Concentration Camps

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prison camps used under the rule of Hitler in Nazi Germany. Conditions were inhuman, and prisoners, mostly Jewish people, were generally starved or worked to death, or killed immediately.

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The Munich Pact

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The agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler. Britain and France agreed that Hitler could take the Sudetenland. In exchange, Hitler had to respect Czechoslovakia's new borders.

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Dunkirk

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French port where 300,000 British and French troops were trapped by the Germans; daring rescue by 800 warships, ferries, and fishing boats across the English Channel

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Luftwaffe

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German airforce

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Dwight D. Eisenhower

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leader of the Allied forces in Europe during WW2--leader of troops in Africa and commander in DDay invasion.

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Battle of the Bulge

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December, 1944-January, 1945 - After recapturing France, the Allied advance became stalled along the German border. In the winter of 1944, Germany staged a massive counterattack in Belgium and Luxembourg which pushed a 30 mile "bulge" into the Allied lines. The Allies stopped the German advance and threw them back across the Rhine with heavy losses.

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Omar Bradley

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1893 - 1981, U.S. General during WWII. On July 25, 1944, he unleashed a massive air and land bombardment against the enemy at St. Lô, providing a gap in the German line of defense through which General George Patton and his army could advance.

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The Italian Campaign

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In July 1943, roughly 160,000 American and British trips invaded the island of Sicily. Unprepared to fight, the Italians quickly retreated to the Italian mainland. By the end of the month, the fascist regime has collapsed and Mussolini had fled to northern Italy. The Italian government soon surrendered unconditionally and even joined the Allies. Despite Hitler's eleventh-hour campaign to restore Mussolini to power, the Allies finally captured Rome in June 1944.

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V-E day

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Victory in Europe Day on May 8th, 1945 celebrated the official defeat of the Nazis and end of WWII in Europe.

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Robert J. Oppenheimer

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American physicist; he led the Manhattan Project laboratory in Los Alamos, which developed the ﬁrst nuclear bomb.

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Battle of Coral Sea

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fought from 4-8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged each other. It was also the first naval battle in history in which neither side's ships sighted or fired directly upon the other. It saved Port Moresby and stopped the Japanese advance on New Guinea

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Battle of Okinawa

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First Japanese Home island (only 340 miles from mainland Japan) to be invaded. Island of immense strategic value. Involving over 500,000 troops and over 1,200 ships. Battle showed Japanese determination to resist invasion.

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Nuremberg Trials

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Series of trials in 1945 conducted by an International Military Tribunal in which former Nazi leaders were charged with crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, and war crimes

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Japanese Internment

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Japanese and Japanese Americans from the West Coast of the United States during WWII. While approximately 10,000 were able to relocate to other parts of the country of their own choosing, the remainder-roughly 110,000 men, women and children-were sent to hastly constructed camps called "War Relocation Centers" in remote portions of the nation's interior.

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JACL

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Japanese American Citizens League-group of Japanese-Americans who worked to get restitution for the losses they experienced during WWII internment camps

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George Patton

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Known as "Old Blood and Guts," George S. Patton, Jr. was one of the most colorful generals of World War II. During World War II he served in North Africa and Sicily before becoming the commander of the Third Army.

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Battle of Stalingrad

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a 1942-1943 battle of World War II, in which German forces were defeated in their attempt to capture the city of Stalingrad in the Soviet Union thanks to harsh winter; turning point of war in Eastern Europe

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Battle of the Atlantic

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Germany's naval attempt to cut off British supply ships by using u-boats. Caused Britain and the US to officially join the war after their ships were sunk. After this battle, the Allies won control of the seas, allowing them to control supply transfer, which ultimately determined the war. 1939-1945

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Manhattan Project

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Code name for the secret United States project set up in 1942 to develop atomic bombs for use in World War II

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Doolittle's Raid

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Lt. Colonel Doolittle's psychological point was to bomb Tokyo and several other Japanese cities. This did little damage. It was an important psychological point for both Americans and Japanese: Japan was vulnerable to attack. It was the first mainland bombing in Japan, it did little damage but boosted American morale.

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Chester Nimitz

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A high-grade naval strategist who fought in the Battle of Midway under Admiral Raymond A. Spruance. All of the fighting was done by aircraft and victory ensued. He successfully took Japanese island strongholds in the Pacific by utilizing naval, air, and ground units.

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Battle of Midway

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U.S. naval victory over the Japanese fleet in June 1942, in which the Japanese lost four of their best aircraft carriers. It marked a turning point in World War II.

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Nagasaki

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Japanese city in which the second atomic bomb was dropped (August 9, 1945)

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Japanese Occupation

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The US put the Prime minister on trial and sentenced him to death. MacArthur was general. US reshaped the Japanese free market. Lasted 7 years

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Harry Truman

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33rd president of the United States. He assumed the presidency at the death of FDR in 1945 and served until 1953. Under his leadership the United States saw the end of the Second World War with the dropping of the two atomic bombs on Japan and also the establishment of the Truman Doctrine for foreign policy, which seeks to limit the spread of Communism.

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Aachen

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a city in western Germany near the Dutch and Belgian borders

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D-Day

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June 6, 1944 - Led by Eisenhower, over a million troops (the largest invasion force in history) stormed the beaches at Normandy and began the process of re-taking France. The turning point of World War II.

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Operation Torch

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begun Nov 1942, American forces landed in Morocco and Algeria, and pressing eastward trapped the German and Italian armies being driven westward by the British, forcing German and Italian troops to surrender, despite Hitler's orders to fight to the death.

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Majdenek

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Hiroshima

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City in Japan, the first to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, on August 6, 1945. The bombing hastened the end of World War II. (p. 797)

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Douglas MacArthur

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(1880-1964), U.S. general. Commander of U.S. (later Allied) forces in the southwestern Pacific during World War II, he accepted Japan's surrender in 1945 and administered the ensuing Allied occupation. He was in charge of UN forces in Korea 1950-51, before being forced to relinquish command by President Truman.

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kamikaze

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Japanese suicide pilots who loaded their planes with explosives and crashed them into American ships.

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Battle of Iwo Jima

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On 19 February 1945, Marines landed on Iwo Jima in what was the largest all-Marine battle in history. It was also the bloodiest in Marine Corps history. The Marine Corps suffered over 23,300 casualties. The capture of Iwo Jima greatly increased the air support and bombing operations against the Japanese home islands. Of the savage battle, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz said, "Among the Americans who served on Iwo Island, uncommon valor was a common virtue."

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Yalta Conference

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FDR, Churchill and Stalin met at Yalta. Russia agreed to declare war on Japan after the surrender of Germany and in return FDR and Churchill promised the USSR concession in Manchuria and the territories that it had lost in the Russo-Japanese War

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GI Bill

answer

A 1944 law that gives military veterans financial and education benefits.

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Nisei

answer

American-born children of Japanese immigrants; second generation Japanese Americans.

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