U.S. chapter 17 Flashcards
alliance
a promise between two or more countries to fight together against their enemies in time of war
neutral nations
countries that decide not to take sides during a war
U-boats
submarines used by the Germans in World War 1
dictator
person who rules by force and allows his people little or no freedom
Communism
form of government that takes over a country and claims to own her businesses, homes and land
Fascist Party
form of government that controlled Italy after World War 1; allowed people to own their own property, but took away their freedoms
National Socialist Party (Nazi Party)
form of government led by Adolf Hitler in Germany after World War 1
atomic bomb
powerful and destructive bomb used at the end of World War 2 to bring the war in Japan to a quick end
concentration camps
German prison camps found at the close of World War 2 where millions of men, woman, and children had been penned up with very little food or had been cruelly massacred
truce
an agreement to stop fighting
World War 1
one of the two greatest wars the world has ever known; fought from 1914 to 1918
Kaiser Wilhelm 2
ruler of Germany during World War 1
Allies
countries that sided against Germany in World War 1; countries that sided against the Axis powers in World War 2; the most powerful Allies during World War 2: Great Britain, Russia, and the United States
Central Powers
countries that sided with Germany in World War 1
Archduke Francis Ferdinand
man who was shot to death with his wife while visiting Bosnia; their deaths triggered the beginning of World War 1
President Woodrow Wilson
President of the United States during World War
Lusitania
English passenger liner sunk by the Germans near the beginning of World War 1
Zimmermann Note
German letter asking Mexico to enter World War 1 on Germany’s side
Veterans Day
celebrated each year on November 11, the day on which World War 1 ended; honors all those who have served in the armed forces of our country
League of Nations
organization that was formed after World War 1 to try to preserve world peace
“Roaring Twenties”
name given to the prosperous years in America just before the Great Depression
Calvin Coolidge
first American President to give his inaugural address over the radio
Great Depression
A hard time in America when banks closed and many people did not have jobs
Joseph Stalin
Communist dictator of Russia after Lenin; one of the cruelest dictators the world has ever known
Benito Mussolini
Fascist dictator of Italy
Adolf Hitler
Nazi dictator of Germany
Emperor Hirohito
emperor of Japan
Tojo
military leader of Japan who became more powerful than Hirohito
World War 2
one of the two greatest wars the world has ever known; fought from 1939 to 1945
Franklin D. Roosevelt
President of the United States during World War 2
Axis powers
Germany, Italy, Japan
V-E Day
Victory in Europe Day; May 7, 1945 the day Germany surrendered
United Nations
world organization establishment after World War 2 so that the nations of the world could work together to solve their problems
President Harry S. Truman
man who became President when Franklin D. Roosevelt died
Berlin Wall
“Wall of Shame” built by the Communists between Communist East Berlin and free West Berlin
Korean War
war that began when Communist North Korea invaded South Korea
Geneva, Switzerland
city where the headquarters for the League of Nations were set up
Soviet Union
cruel empire formed by the Communist Party near the end of the World War I under the leadership of Lenin; threatened to control other countries
Poland
country where World War 2 started
Pearl Harbor
location of an important United States navy base in the Hawaiian Islands; a Japanese air raid on this navy base brought the United States into World War 2
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
two Japanese cities on which the atomic bombs were dropped at the close of World War 2
Berlin
German city which was divided after World War 2
