AP World History - World War II Vocabulary

Axis Powers

Alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II, united by their expansionist ambitions and opposition to the Allied Powers.

Allied Powers

Coalition of nations, including the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and China, that fought against the Axis Powers in World War II.

Winston Churchill

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II, known for his leadership and resistance against Nazi Germany.

German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact

An agreement in which the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany pledged not to attack each other and secretly divided Eastern Europe into spheres of influence.

Blitzkrieg

Military strategy used by Nazi Germany that emphasized rapid, coordinated attacks with tanks, aircraft, and infantry to quickly overwhelm and defeat enemies.

Lend-Lease Act

Allowed the supply of military aid to Allied nations like Britain and the USSR without direct involvement in the war, strengthening their fight against the Axis Powers.

Rosie the Riveter

Cultural icon representing American women who worked in industry during World War II, symbolizing their contribution to the war effort and the push for gender equality in the workforce.

Pearl Harbor

Naval base in Hawaii that was attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, leading to the United States' entry into World War II.

Battle of Britain

Series of aerial combat between the British Royal Air Force and Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe, marking the first major defeat of Hitler's forces and preventing a German invasion of Britain.

Battle of Stalingrad

Soviet forces decisively defeated the German army, marking the beginning of a major Soviet offensive on the Eastern Front.

Battle of El Alamein

Key turning point in the North African Campaign, where Allied forces defeated the Axis powers, halting their advance into Egypt and securing the Suez Canal.

Battle of Midway

Battle in which the U.S. Navy, using intelligence to ambush the Japanese fleet, dealt a decisive blow, turning the tide in the Pacific War.

Island Hopping

Military strategy focused on capturing key islands to bypass heavily fortified Japanese positions.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

President of the United States through the Great Depression and most of World War II.

D-Day

Allied landing on the beaches of Normandy, marking the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control during World War II.

Dunkirk

Mass evacuation of British and Allied troops from the beaches of Dunkirk, France, after being surrounded by German forces.

V-E Day

Marked the official surrender of Nazi Germany, ending the war in Europe and signaling the defeat of Hitler’s regime.

Albert Einstein

Theoretical physicist known for his role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II, through his letter to FDR

Manhattan Project

Secret U.S. research and development program during World War II, aimed at creating the first atomic bombs

J. Robert Oppenheimer

American physicist and the scientific director of the Manhattan Project, overseeing the development of the first atomic bombs

Trinity Test

First successful detonation of an atomic bomb

Luftwaffe

Aerial warfare branch of Nazi Germany's military

Kamikaze

Japanese suicide pilots during World War II who deliberately crashed their planes into Allied ships in a desperate attempt to inflict maximum damage.

Hiroshima

Japanese city where the United States dropped the first atomic bomb, leading to Japan’s eventual surrender

Nagasaki

Second city to be bombed by the atomic bomb

Firebombing

Tactic in which bombs were dropped on cities, causing widespread fires and destruction

Atomic Bomb

Highly destructive explosive device that uses nuclear reactions, typically fission, to release massive amounts of energy.

V-J Day

Marked the official surrender of Japan, effectively ending World War II

Big Three

The leaders of the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom during World War II

Tehran Conference

Meeting between the Big Three which discussed military strategy, including the planning of the D-Day invasion, and the post-war order.

Yalta Conference

Big Three meeting that discussed the post-war reorganization of Europe, the formation of the United Nations, and the Soviet Union's role in the Pacific War.

Potsdam Conference

Final meeting between the Allied leaders, discussed post-war Europe, finalized Germany’s division, and demanded Japan’s unconditional surrender.

Nuclear Proliferation

Spread of nuclear weapons and technology to countries not recognized as nuclear-armed states

Total War Economy

System in which a nation's entire economic and industrial resources are mobilized for the war effort