C20S2- World War II Begins (HW) Flashcards
Hitler starts to defy Treaty of Versailles
Why?
How?
Hitler began defying the Treaty of Versailles primarily because he viewed its terms as deeply humiliating and detrimental to Germany, particularly the restrictions on military power, territorial losses, and the “war guilt” clause, which fueled resentment among the German population; he used this resentment to gain power and actively began rebuilding the German military, reoccupying demilitarized zones like the Rhineland, and introducing conscription, all in direct violation of the treaty’s stipulations, gradually escalating towards another war.
The Austrian Anschluss
The Anschluss was the Nazi annexation of Austria into the German Reich in 1938
The idea of the Anschluss arose after the 1871 unification of Germany, which excluded Austria from the German Empire. The Nazis wanted to expand their territory, and many Austrians supported a union with Germany.
The Munich Crisis (appeasement)
The Munich Crisis was a series of events in September 1938 that led to the signing of the Munich Agreement, a treaty between Britain, France, Italy, and Germany that allowed Nazi Germany to take control of the Sudetenland, a German-speaking region of Czechoslovakia:
The Munich Agreement was a treaty signed in 1938 by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, French and Italian leaders, and Adolf Hitler. The agreement was an example of appeasement, a foreign policy that aims to prevent war by negotiating with an aggrieved country.
Hitler Demands Danzig
In the spring of 1939, Adolf Hitler demanded the annexation of Danzig to Germany and the creation of German highways through the Polish Corridor. Hitler’s demands were a pretext for the beginning of World War II.
The Nazi-Soviet Pact
The Nazi-Soviet Pact, also known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact or Hitler-Stalin Pact, was a non-aggression agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that was signed on August 23, 1939:
The Fall of France
The Fall of France, also known as the Battle of France, was a German invasion of France and the Low Countries during World War II:
The German attack began with air raids on Belgium and the Netherlands, followed by parachute drops and ground forces. The Germans used a strategy called Blitzkrieg, which combined tanks, air, and mechanized infantry to conquer the area quickly.
The Miracle at Dunkirk
The “Miracle of Dunkirk” is the name given to the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, France during World War II:
Battle of Britain
The Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom from Nazi Germany’s air force, the Luftwaffe. The battle was fought mainly over southern England.
Destroyers for bases
The Destroyers for Bases deal was an agreement between the United States and Britain in 1940 that involved the US transferring 50 World War I-era destroyers to the Royal Navy in exchange for 99-year leases to British bases:
America First Committee
The America First Committee (AFC) was an American isolationist pressure group against the United States’ entry into World War II.
Lend-Lease Act
The Lend-Lease Act was a law passed in 1941 that allowed the United States to provide aid to nations that were considered vital to its defense:
The act was designed to help the United States defeat Nazi Germany without entering the war directly. It was also intended to keep the war from reaching U.S. shores until the country was better prepared.
The act allowed the president to:
Lend or lease war supplies to nations without expecting repayment
Receive long-term leases at military bases around the world in exchange for the supplies
Spend funds allocated by Congress as he saw fit
Hemispheric Defense Zone
To allow the United States to provide supplies and arms to Britain while remaining neutral
Roosevelt declared the western half of the Atlantic to be neutral territory, and ordered the U.S. Navy to patrol the area and identify the location of German submarines
Atlantic Charter
The Atlantic Charter was a joint declaration released by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on August 14, 1941 following a meeting of the two heads of government in Newfoundland. The Atlantic Charter provided a broad statement of U.S. and British war aims.
The Atlantic Charter, signed by the United States and Great Britain during World War II, outlined the Allied powers’ vision for a post-war world, emphasizing principles like self-determination, freedom from fear and want, and international cooperation, essentially serving as a blueprint for the future international order, including the establishment of the United Nations; it also signaled strong solidarity between the two nations against Axis aggression
Reuben James
The USS Reuben James (DD-245) was a US Navy destroyer that was sunk by a German U-boat in 1941. It was the first US Navy ship to be lost to enemy action during World War II.
strategic materials
During World War II, the key “strategic materials” Japan desperately needed were primarily oil, rubber, tin, and other raw materials found in Southeast Asia; as Japan lacked significant domestic sources of these vital commodities, their acquisition through military expansion in the region became a primary motivation for their aggression, particularly against the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) and British Malaya.
