WW11 Flashcards
Appeasement
the action or process of appeasing
Pacifism
the belief that any violence, including war, is unjustifiable under any circumstances, and that all disputes should be settled by peaceful means.
Anschluss
the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in March 1938.
Axis Powers
a group of countries that opposed the Allied powers in World War II, including Germany, Italy, and Japan as well as Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia.
Stalingrad
A major battle between German and Soviet troops in World War II. The battle was fought in the winter of 1942–1943 and ended with the surrender of an entire German army. Stalingrad is considered a major turning point of the war in favor of the Allies.
Nazi-Soviet Pact
signed by Hitler and Stalin, said that the Germans and Soviets would not fight each other/invade each other for 10 years, allowed the Germans to invade Poland soon after pact was signed
Luftwaffe
was the aerial warfare branch of the combined German Wehrmacht military forces during World War II.
Blitzkrieg
German term meaning “lightning war”, used to describe Germany’s novel military tactics in World War II, which involved the rapid movement of infantry, tanks, and airpower over large areas
Dunkirk
city in the northwest corner of France where the allied troops were trapped by the advancing Germany Army. 800 British ships, ranging from warships to fishing boats, crossed the channel from England to rescue over 300,000 British and French troops
Vichy
Puppet state established by Germany in southern france after the German invasion
Lend Lease Act
Allowed FDR to sell of lend war materials to “any country whose defense the PResident deems vital to the defense of the US”
Holocaust
the Nazis had massacred six million Jews including Jehovah Witnesses, disabled, gay, and anyone who showed hated towards Germany
Rosie the Riveter
popular name for women who worked in war industries during WWII.
Aircraft carrier
ships that transport aircraft and accommodate the take-off and landing airplanes
D-day
allied forces under dwight d. eisenhower landed on the beaches of normandy in history’s greatest naval invasion.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
was an American politician and Army general who served as the 34th President of the United States from 1953 until 1961
Yalta Conference
here, the three leaders agreed that the Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan within three months of Germany’s surrender
Island Hopping
during WWII, Allied strategy of recapturing some Japanese-held islands while bypassing others
VE Day
Victory in Europe
Douglas MacArthur
United States general who served as chief of staff and commanded Allied forces in the South Pacific
Kamikaze
pilots who undertook suicide missions
VJ Day
Victory over Japan Day September 2nd
Manhattan Project
code name for the project to build the first atomic bomb
Hiroshima
mid-sized city in Japan where the first atomic bomb was dropped
Nagasaki
city in Japan where the second atomic bomb was dropped
Nuremberg
a city in southern Germany where Hitler staged Nazi rallies in the 1930’s and where Nazi crime trials were held after WWII
United Nations
international organization established after WWII with the goal of maintain peace and cooperation in the international community
Truman Doctrine
United States policy, established in 1947, of trying to contain the spread of communism
Marshall Plan
massive aid package offered by the IS to Europe to help countries rebuild after WWII
NATO (Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization)
a military alliance between several North Atlantic states to safeguard them from the presumed threat of the Soviet Union’s communist bloc; countries from other regions later joined the alliance
Warsaw Pact
mutual-defense alliance between the Soviet union and seven satellites in Eastern Europe set up in 1955.
