World War II Flashcards
yielding to an enemy’s demands in order to maintain peace; the way in which Europe dealt with Hitler in the 1930s.
appeasement
the 1938 agreement in which Britain and France appeased Hitler by agreeing that Germany could annex the Sudetenland, a German-speaking region of Czechoslovakia;
Munich Pact
a system in which the government totally controls all aspects of society, including the economy; Soviet Union under Stalin
Totalitarianism
a political movement based on an extreme nationalism in which the state comes first and individual liberty is secondary; Italy under Mussolini
Fascism
a form of fascism that promoted the belief that Germans and other Nordic peoples were superior to other races; Germany under Hitler
Nazism
a country marked by extreme nationalism; the military controls the civilian government; territorial expansion is used to obtain raw materials
Militarism
legislation passed by Congress in 1936 and 1937 designed to keep the United States out of European conflicts, such as the Spanish Civil War; a major reason for America’s neutrality at the start of WWII
Neutrality Acts, 1936/1937
Agreement signed in August 1939 between Germany and the Soviet Union that neither would attack the other if war broke out in Europe; furthered the territorial interests of both countries; agreement broken in 1941 with Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union
Non-Aggression Pact
“lightning war,” the German military strategy during World War II of attacking without warning; use of aerial bombing, quickly followed by fast-moving vehicle attacks (tanks), and then followed up with infantry troops.
blitzkrieg
the assembling of troops and equipment for war
mobilization
a government that is run by citizens of a conquered country who carry out the policies of the conqueror; e.g. Vichy France after 1940
puppet government
legislation passed by the U.S. Congress in 1941 adopting a plan to lend arms (guns, ammo, vehicles) to Britain, with payment to come after the war.
Lend-Lease Act
location of United States Pacific fleet in 1941; site of Japanese surprise attack on December 7, 1941; brought the United States into WWII
Pearl Harbor
President of the United States from 1933-1945; led the United States through the Great Depression and WWII; part of the “Big Three” of Allied leaders
Franklin D. Roosevelt
leader of Nazi Germany; gifted speaker; anti-Semitic views lead to the events of the Holocaust
Adolf Hitler
dictator-leader of the Soviet Union during the course of the war; murdered millions of his own citizens in political purges before and during the war; part of the “Big Three” of Allied leaders
Joseph Stalin
fascist leader of Italy from the 1920s-1944; failed military leader; part of the Axis leadership
Benito Mussolini
military general that led Japan’s government during the course of WWII; part of the Axis leadership
Hideki Tojo
Prime Minister of Great Britain through much of WWII; led the British people during “the Blitz” bombings of 1940-41; part of the “Big Three” Allied leadership
Winston Churchill
a system for limiting the distribution of food, gasoline, and other goods so that the military can have the weapons, equipment, and supplies it needs; U.S. citizens were forced to practice this throughout the course of WWII.
rationing
the federal agency set up to manage the conversion of industries to military production during World War II
War Production Board
the total value of the goods and services produced in a country in a year
gross domestic product (GDP)
a new tax system that increased tax rates on individuals and companies; increased the number of individuals required to pay income tax; this system simplified tax collecting through a withholding system, whereby employers portioned a certain amount from every paycheck to send directly to the government. This system of payroll taxes is still in place today.
Revenue Act of 1942
a system of legal restrictions on the prices charged for goods; most necessary goods and products were under this system during WWII.
price controls
Government Issue; term to describe all the provided materials/supplies to American soldiers; quickly became the term for the United States soldiers themselves
GI
a center for confining people who have been relocated for reasons of national security;
internment camp
an executive order issued by FDR in 1942 allowing internment camps to be set up to exclude current residents believed to be a threat to security; led the forced internment of Japanese-Americans.
Executive Order 9066
the 1944 Supreme Court decision declaring that the government had the right to keep Japanese Americans in internment camps
Korematsu v. United States
fictional character from the federal government and used to represent all the real women who worked to support the war effort by working manufacturing jobs.
Rose the Riveter
a women’s unit of the U.S. Army, established in 1942; women underwent the same rigorous training as men; never saw combat though.
Womens Army Corps (WAC)
a campaign in which black leaders called for all citizens to fight against racism by seeking a “double victory”—a victory for democracy at home and abroad; this was an origin of the Civil Rights Movement as black Americans sought equal treatment under the law.
Double V Campaign
a group of Army Air Corps pilots and support crews, established in 1941 as the first black combat unit; highly decorated and honored, these pilots became known for their expert flying and fierce determination to finish each mission with no casualties.
Tuskegee Airmen
an agency created in 1944 that arranged for Jewish refugees to stay at centers in Italy and North Africa, as well as in former army camps in the United States
War Refugee Board
racial clashes in Los Angeles in 1943 between mobs of sailors, Marines and Mexican American youths (pachucos);
Zoot Suit Riots
