World War II Causes, Key Events, and U.S. Role: A Comprehensive Study Guide

"Four Freedoms" speech

A speech by FDR encouraging support for U.S. entry into the war.

Arsenal of democracy

A term used by FDR to describe the U.S.'s role in supplying the Allies with war materials.

Allies

The alliance of countries including Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union, among others.

Anschluss

The annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938.

Appeasement / Munich Conference

A policy of making concessions to an aggressor in the hopes of avoiding war, exemplified by the Munich Conference where Britain and France allowed Germany to annex the Sudetenland.

Atlantic Charter

A joint declaration released by FDR and Winston Churchill in August 1941, outlining the goals for the post-war world.

Axis Powers

The alliance of countries including Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Fascism

A political ideology characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized control, ultranationalism, and the suppression of opposition.

Lend-Lease Act

A program under which the United States supplied the Allied nations with war materials between 1941 and 1945.

Nazism

The political ideology and practices associated with the Nazi Party in Germany, characterized by extreme nationalism, racism (especially antisemitism), and totalitarian control.

Neutrality Acts

A series of laws passed by the U.S. Congress in the 1930s to limit U.S. involvement in future wars.

Non-Aggression Pact

A treaty between two or more states that includes a promise by the signatories not to engage in military action against each other.

Pearl Harbor

The surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, leading to U.S. entry into WWII.

Treaty of Versailles

The peace treaty that ended World War I, often cited as a cause of WWII due to its harsh terms imposed on Germany.

U.S. isolationism

A policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries.

Interventionism

A policy of intervening in the affairs of another sovereign state.

America First Committee

A non-interventionist pressure group against the American entry into World War II.

Bases for Destroyers

The Destroyers-for-bases agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom in September 1940, where the U.S. transferred fifty destroyers in exchange for land rights on British possessions.

Cash n Carry

A policy requested by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt at a special session of the United States Congress on September 21, 1939, subsequent to the outbreak of war in Europe. It replaced the Neutrality Acts of 1936.

M.A.I.N.- causes of WW2

This acronym typically refers to the causes of WWI (Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism). While these factors also played a role in the lead-up to WWII, the document does not elaborate on this specific acronym in the context of WWII.

Office of War Mobilization

An independent agency of the United States government formed during World War II to coordinate all government agencies involved in the war effort.

Price Administration

The Office of Price Administration (OPA) was established within the Office for Emergency Management of the United States government by Executive Order 8875 on August 28, 1941. The functions of the OPA were to control prices and rents after the outbreak of World War II.

Office of War Information

A U.S. government agency created during World War II to consolidate existing government information services and deliver propaganda both at home and abroad.

War Production Board

An agency of the United States government that supervised war production during World War II.

deficit spending

Government spending, in excess of revenue, of funds raised by borrowing rather than from taxation.

patriotic activities

Actions or efforts by citizens to show love for their country, often encouraged during wartime.

propaganda

Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

rationing

The controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, or services, typically in times of war.

Rosie the Riveter

A cultural icon representing the women who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II, symbolizing women's economic power.

WACs & WAVES

Women's Army Corps (WAC) and Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) were women's military units during World War II.

Double V Campaign

A campaign that aimed for victory against fascism abroad and racial discrimination at home during World War II.

C.O.R.E. (1942)

The Congress of Racial Equality, an organization founded in 1942 to work for civil rights and racial equality.

Detroit Race Riot

A violent conflict that occurred in Detroit in 1943, highlighting racial tensions during World War II.

A. Philip Randolph

A civil rights leader who organized the March on Washington Movement and advocated for fair labor practices during World War II.

Executive Order 8802

An order signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 prohibiting racial discrimination in the national defense industry.

Tuskegee Airmen/Red Tails

The first African American military aviators in the U.S. Armed Forces, who fought in World War II.

WACs

Women's Army Corps, the women's branch of the United States Army.

WAVES

Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, the women's branch of the United States Naval Reserve.

James Farmer

A civil rights activist who co-founded CORE.

Navajo code talkers

Native Americans who used their indigenous languages to transmit secret messages during World War II.

1943 repeal of Chinese Exclusion Act

The Magnuson Act, signed into law on December 17, 1943, repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, allowing Chinese immigration for the first time since 1882.

Executive Order 9066

A United States presidential executive order signed and issued during World War II by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, authorizing the Secretary of War to prescribe certain areas as military zones, paving the way for the internment of Japanese Americans.

Japanese internment

The forced relocation and incarceration in camps in the interior of the country of between 110,000 and 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, most of whom lived on the Pacific coast.

Korematsu v. United States

A landmark United States Supreme Court case decided in 1944, which upheld the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066.

Bracero Program

A series of laws and diplomatic agreements, initiated on August 4, 1942, when the United States signed the Mexican Farm Labor Agreement with Mexico. This agreement brought millions of Mexican guest workers to the United States.

Zoot-Suit Riots of 1943

A series of racial attacks in June 1943 in Los Angeles, California, between U.S. servicemen and Mexican American youth, who were recognizable by the zoot suits they wore.

Battle of the Atlantic

A key event in the European Theater of World War II.

Battle of Stalingrad

A key event in the European Theater of World War II.

Operation Torch

A key event in the European Theater of World War II.

Operation Overlord / D-DAY

A key event in the European Theater of World War II.

Battle of the Bulge

A key event in the European Theater of World War II.

Nuremberg Laws

Laws that were part of the causes of the Holocaust.

Jewish ghettos

Areas where Jews were forcibly segregated during the Holocaust.

Wannsee Conference - Final Solution

A key event in the planning of the Holocaust.

Kristallnacht

A significant event leading to the Holocaust.

Nuremberg Trials

A series of military tribunals held by the Allied forces under international law and the laws of war after World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of Nazi Germany.

What did the US know about the Holocaust?

This refers to the historical debate and ongoing research into the extent of U.S. knowledge and response to the Holocaust during World War II.

Battle of Midway

A decisive naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4-7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.

Battle of Okinawa

A major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Marine and Army forces against the Imperial Japanese Army.

Battle of Iwo Jima

A major battle in which the United States Marine Corps landed and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.

island hopping

A military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against the Empire of Japan and the Axis powers during World War II.

kamikaze pilots

Japanese suicide pilots who intentionally crashed their planes into Allied ships.

Manhattan Project

A top-secret research and development undertaking by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons.

dropping of atomic bombs on Japan

The United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively, leading to Japan's surrender and the end of World War II.

the Big Three

Refers to the leaders of the major Allied powers during World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt (United States), Winston Churchill (United Kingdom), and Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union).

Franklin Roosevelt

The 32nd President of the United States, who led the country through the Great Depression and World War II.

Winston Churchill

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during much of World War II.

Joseph Stalin

The dictator of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953.

Tehran war conferences

A strategy meeting of Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill from 28 November to 1 December 1943, after the Anglo-Soviet Invasion of Iran.

Yalta war conference

A meeting of Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin in February 1945 to discuss the post-war reorganization of Germany and Europe.

Potsdam war conference

A conference held in Potsdam, Germany, from July 17 to August 2, 1945, where the Big Three (Truman, Churchill/Attlee, and Stalin) gathered to decide how to administer punishment to the defeated Nazi Germany.

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower

A five-star general in the United States Army during World War II and served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe.

Gen. George Patton

A senior officer of the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean and European Theaters of World War II.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur

An American five-star general and Field Marshal of the Philippine Army. He was Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

Adm. Chester Nimitz

A fleet admiral of the United States Navy. He played a major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, commanding Allied air, land, and sea forces during World War II.

Harry S. Truman

The 33rd President of the United States, who authorized the use of atomic bombs against Japan.

founding of the United Nations

An intergovernmental organization established on October 24, 1945, to promote international cooperation and to create and maintain international order.

Adolph Hitler

The dictator of Nazi Germany, responsible for the Holocaust and the initiation of World War II in Europe.

Benito Mussolini

The fascist dictator of Italy during World War II.

Hideki Tojo

A general of the Imperial Japanese Army and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during much of World War II.

VE Day (May 8, 1945)

Victory in Europe Day, marking the formal acceptance by the Allies of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces.

VJ Day (August 15, 1945)

Victory over Japan Day, marking the day Japan surrendered in World War II.