Post WWII

Invasion of Ethiopia

Italy, under Benito Mussolini, invaded Ethiopia in 1935 to expand its empire, showing the weakness of the League of Nations.

Rome-Berlin Axis

An alliance formed in 1936 between Italy and Germany, forming the foundation of the Axis powers in WWII.

Concentration camps

Prison camps where the Nazis detained, forced into labor, and often killed millions of people, especially Jews and other targeted groups.

Kristallnacht

A violent anti-Jewish pogrom in Nazi Germany in November 1938, where Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues were destroyed.

Anschluss

The annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938.

Appeasement

A policy of giving in to aggressive demands (especially by Hitler) to avoid conflict, mainly practiced by Britain and France.

Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

A non-aggression pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, secretly agreeing to divide Eastern Europe.

Blitzkrieg

A fast, coordinated military attack using tanks, aircraft, and infantry to quickly overwhelm the enemy.

Battle of Britain

An air battle where the United Kingdom defended itself against German air attacks, preventing invasion.

Operation Barbarossa

Germany’s massive invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, breaking their non-aggression pact.

Attack on Pearl Harbor

A surprise attack by Japan on a U.S. naval base in Hawaii, leading the United States to enter WWII.

Holocaust

The systematic murder of about six million Jews and millions of others by the Nazis during WWII.

Potsdam Conference

A meeting between Allied leaders after WWII to decide how to manage defeated Germany and shape postwar Europe.