30: A Second Global Conflict and the End of the European World Order Flashcards
National Socialist (Nazi) Party
Also known as the Nazi party; led by Adolf Hitler in Germany; picked up political support during the economic chaos of the Great Depression; advocated authoritarian state under a single leader, aggressive foreign policy to reverse humiliation of the Versailles treaty; took power in Germany in 1933.
Churchill, Winston
(1874-1965) British prime minister during World War II; responsible for British resistance to German air assaults.
blitzkrieg
German term for lightning warfare; involved rapid movement of airplanes, tanks, and mechanized troop carriers; resulted in early German victories over Belgium, Holland, and France in World War II.
Vichy
French collaborationist government established in 1940 in southern France following defeat of French armies by the Germans.
Battle of Britain
The 1940 Nazi air offensive including saturation bombing of London and other British cities, countered by British innovative air tactics and radar tracking of German assault aircraft.
Holocaust
Term for Hitler’s genocide of European Jews during World War II; resulted in deaths of 6 million Jews.
Battle of the Bulge
Hitler’s last-ditch effort to repel the invading Allied armies in the winter of 1944-1945.
Pearl Harbor
American naval base in Hawaii; attack by Japanese on this facility in December 1941 crippled American fleet in the Pacific and caused entry of United States into World War II.
Battle of the Coral Sea
World War II Pacific battle; United States and Japanese forces fought to a standoff
Midway Island
World War II Pacific battle; decisive U.S. victory over powerful Japanese carrier force.
United Nations
International organization formed in the aftermath of World War II; included all of the victorious Allies; its primary mission was to provide a forum for negotiating disputes.
Tehran Conference
Meeting among leaders of the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union in 1943; agreed to opening of a new front in France.
Yalta Conference
Meeting among leaders of the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union in 1945; agreed to Soviet entry into the Pacific war in return for possessions in Manchuria, organization of the United Nations; disputed the division of political organization in the eastern European states to be reestablished after the war.
Potsdam Conference
Meeting among leaders of the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union just before the end of World War II in 1945; Allies agreed upon Soviet domination in eastern Europe; Germany and Austria to be divided among victorious Allies.
total war
Warfare of the 20th century; vast resources and emotional commitments of belligerent nations were marshaled to support military effort; resulted from impact of industrialization on the military effort reflecting technological innovation and organizational capacity.