World War 2

• Appeasement: a policy of trying to avoid conflict by accepting some demands of the aggressor
• Blitzkrieg: German for “lightning war.” The fast, forceful style of fighting used by Germany By using artillery, Stuka bombers, panzer tanks, infantry
• Einsatzgruppen: German mobile killing squads assigned to carry out final solution
• Final solution: name given to Hitler’s/Nazi plan to exterminate the Jewish population of Europe
• Island hopping: military strategy of capturing only certain islands of a country and bypassing the others. America used this strategy against the Japanese in the pacific to gain islands that had airfields and ports
• Lebensraum: “living space” major motivation for Nazi Germany, territorial aggression(for example taking over Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland).
• Lend lease act: 1941 legislation, allowing the United States to supply war materials to great Britain
• Luftwaffe: German Air Force in World War II. Hitler effectively used this Air Force to take control of much of Europe by 1942
• Manhattan Project(fat man and little boy): codename for the World War II project to develop the first atomic bomb. The United States dropped 2 atomic bombs on Japan in August of 1945.
• Cash and carry: United States, sells ammunition, but countries must receive with own shipping, US attempt to remain neutral
• Munich conference: the meeting between Germany, Britain, France, and Italy, where Germany asked for the return of Sudetenland. Example of appeasement, as Hitler was granted this request
• Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact: 1939 agreement dividing Poland and eastern Europe into spheres of influence. enemies Hitler and Stalin agreed not attack each other for a period of 10 years.
• Nurenberg trials: post-war trials of Nazi and Japanese leaders, charged with crimes against peace in humanity
• Phony war: early phase of World War II marked by little activity in Western Europe. This period saw no fighting between the axis and the Allied powers.
• Yalta conference: meeting between “Big 3” (USSR, USA and Great Britain) to discuss post World War II Europe in Asia
• Allied powers: Britain, Soviet Union, USA, France, China
• Anti-Comintern Pact: treaty between Germany and Japan, promising a common front against communism
• Axis powers: Germany, Italy, Japan
• Battle of Britain(1940): series of airstrikes on Britain by Germany from August to November of 1940 in an attempt to gain air supremacy
• Invasion of Manchuria(1931): Japan invaded Manchuria and set up a Manchukuo a Japanese state that lasted till the end of World War II
• Magiot Line: French defensive system built on the French/German border. A line of concrete and steel fortifications.
• Neutrality Acts: passed in 1939 to prevent US involvement in World War II
• Pearl Harbor: base in Hawaii that was bombed by Japan on December 7, 1941 which led America to enter the war
• Rome-Berlin axis: the alliance between Italy and Germany ( Mussolini and Hitler)
• Sudetenland(Czechoslovakia): Historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia. It was land that was once part of Germany, Hitler wants it back
• Sino-Japanese war: a war between China and Japan for influence, power, territory
• Annexation: Action of forcefully seizing territory
• Self-determination: right to choose one’s government
• Vichy: French government while under Nazi occupation
• Dunkirk: a large allied power evacuation from a French beach
• Operation Barabosa: German invasion of Soviet Union
• Causes of WW2: consequences of world war 1 (treaty of versailles), world wide economic depression, rise of authoritarianism(dictators), axis aggression(expansion), appeasement
• Consequences of world war 1: territorial claims, military restrictions, league of nations, reparations, war guilt, punished germany
• Italy and Japan both upset with minimal territorial gains
• Economic depression: 1929 crash of the stock market in the U.S. turning into the Great Depression which spread to Europe and the rest of the world. Many people turned to powerful government/leaders
• Authoritarianism: Italy (Mussolini, nationalism, state first then people), Soviet Union (Stalin, gov. controls all society), Japan ( Tojo, military is in great power, strong role in gov. ), Germany ( Hitler, fascism, racism toward Jews).
• Axis Aggression: Italy ( Mussolini dictator 1922, 1935 invades Ethiopia, league of nations dont stop it, french/ british mad because of intrests in N.A., mussolini looks to hitler for support
• Axis aggression: German aggression ( break violations of Versailles, 1933 Hitler says they rearm, March 7, 1936 Hitler troops in Rhineland, July 1936 DMZ, tests air force and aids Spanish general, October 1936 Hitler makes an alliance with Mussolini creating axis between berlin and Rome, Hitler signs Anti-comintern pact w/ Japan, March 1938 Hitler annexed Austria
• Czechoslovakia: Sudetenland - region of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans who wanted to join Germany. Chamberlain gave them what they wanted so as not to provoke Hitler. This led to more demands from Hitler until he took over the whole country.
• Munich pact (September 1938): Hitler invited Britain, France and Italy to Munich Germany to discuss reacquiring Sudetenland