World War 2 Vocab Flashcards
Allied Powers
The main Ailled Powers were Great Britain, The United States, China, and the Soviet Union. The leaders of the Allies were FDR (US), Winston Churchhill (GB), and Joseph Stalin (SU).
Atomic Bomb
A nuclear weapon. During World War 2 it was used by the US against Japan in an attempt to end the war in the Pacific.
Appeasement
To Calm or quiet, to give in to even when it is worth to do so.
Axis Power
The main Axis powers were Germany, Japan and Italy. The axis leaders were Adolf Hitler (G), Benito Mussolini (I), and Emperor Hirohito (J).
Blitzkrieg
A German term for “Lighting War”. It consisted of sudden violent attacks.
Bushido Code
The code of conduct followed by Japan’s samurai warriors. The word Bushido can be translated as the “way of the warrior”.
Casualties
A person killed or injured in war.
Communism
A political and economic system where the major productive resources in a society are owned by the public or the state, and wealth is divided amoung citizens equally.
Concentration Camp
The mass slaughter of European civilians, especially Jews, by the Nazis during World War 2.
Dictator
A leader that rules in an abolsute and often oppressive way, has total governmental control.
Fascism
A political system headed by a dictator in which the government controls business and labor and opposition is not permitted.
Final Soultion
The Nazi plan to eliminate the Jewish people of Europe was implemented between 1941-1945. A euphemism or substitute term for mass murder or genocide. The term refers to the last in a line of “solution” to the “problem” of what to do with the Jews.
Genocide
The deliberate destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group.
Higgins Boat
A boat created specifically for the D-Day invasion. It allowed the troops to pull directly on the shore and try to eliminate the difficulty of running through water and sand.
Holocaust
The mass slaughter of European civilians, especially Jews, by the Nazis during World War 2.
Internment Camp
A camp for political prisoners or prisoners of war. They were established in the United States to hold people of Japanese descent following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Island Hopping
The military strategy used by the Allies in World War 2. Involved traveling form island to island, in the Pacific, in a chain to get closer to Japan.
Kamikaze
A member of a Japanese air attack division in World War 2 assigned to make a suicidal crash on target (such as a Ship).
Monarchy
A form of government led by a single person knows as a monarch, who holds the highest power. Monarchs, such as kings, queens, emperors, or empresses, use their titles to rule their country and citizens.
Nazi
A member of a German fascist party controlling Germany from 1933 to 1945
Totalitarianism
A type of government that attempts to assert total control over the lives of its citizens.
