World War II and Cold War Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes about WWII, dictators, the Cold War, and related topics.

Fascism

A political system headed by a dictator that calls for extreme nationalism and often racism and no tolerance of opposition.

Blackshirts

Fascist militia in Italy.

Il Duce

The Leader; Title taken by Benito Mussolini.

Mein Kampf

Adolf Hitler's book outlining his political ideology and plans for Germany.

Storm Troopers

Nazi paramilitary units.

Der Fuhrer

The Leader; Title taken by Adolf Hitler.

Appeasement

Giving in to unjust demands in order to avoid all-out conflict.

Anschluss

Unification of Austria and Germany.

Nazi-Soviet Pact

Non-aggression treaty between Germany and the USSR, secretly calling for the division of Poland.

Blitzkrieg

Lightning war tactics used by Germany during WWII.

Isolationism

US policy of remaining neutral and isolated from foreign conflicts.

Cash and carry

Policy of selling nonmilitary supplies to warring nations on a cash-and-carry basis.

Internationalism

Belief in international cooperation and involvement in world affairs.

Neutrality Act of 1939

Allowed for the sale of weapons on a cash-and-carry basis.

FDR’s Four Freedoms

Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

Lend-Lease Act

Lend or lease arms to countries vital for US defense.

Hemispheric Defense Zone

Declared the western Atlantic to be neutral, allowing the US to inform British ships of German submarines.

Atlantic Charter

Agreement between FDR and Churchill for a postwar world of democracy, nonaggression, free trade, economic advancement, self-determination, and freedom of the seas.

Double V Campaign

Victory over Hitler’s facism and over racism at home.

Cost-plus

A government contract to pay a manufacturer the cost to produce an item plus a guaranteed percentage.

Reconstruction Finance Corporation

Loans to convert factories.

Sunbelt

A region in the United States, generally considered to stretch across the Southeast and Southwest.

Zoot Suit Riots

Attacks against Mexican Americans in Los Angeles by American soldiers and sailors.

Office of Price Administration and Civilian Supply; Office of Economic Stabilization

Government worked to regulate wages and prices in order to prevent runaway inflation.

Rationing

System restricting the amount of goods that individuals can purchase.

Victory gardens

Gardens planted by civilians during wartime to supplement food supplies.

Bataan Death March

The Bataan Death March was the forcible transfer of 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war by the Imperial Japanese Army.

Kamikaze

Japanese suicide pilots.

Convoy System

A system in which merchant ships travel with naval vessels for protection

Strategic Bombing

Between January 1943-May 1945, the US and Britain dropped 53,000 tons of explosives on Germany every month. Resulted in Oil shortage, wrecked railroad system, and eliminated German aircraft production

Invasion of Italy

German and Italian fascist forces would hold out until May 1945. Deadliest campaign for infantry troops on the Western Front.

Operation Overlord

Presided over by General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Firebombing of Japan

Bombs filled with napalm Viewed as the quickest way to destroy Japan’s war production. The firebombing of Tokyo killed an estimated 100,000 civilians and destroyed 250,000 buildings

Manhattan Project

Secret US project to build an atomic bomb. Employed over 130,000 people at a cost of $2 billion

International Military Tribunal

Punish German and Japanese leaders for war crimes

Nuremberg Laws

Laws restricting Jews including stripping of citizenship, banning of marriage between Jews and Germans, Jewish passports, etc.

Final Solution

A planned point of evolution to eradicate the Jews from Europe. First proposed the deportation of Jews to Madagascar

Concentration Camps

Worked as slave labor until they died of exhaustion, disease, or malnutrition

Extermination Camps

Constructed to specifically kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible

Bretton Woods System

FDR’s postwar vision was a new economic and political system that would keep world peace and promote economic growth

World Bank

Rebuild Europe (immediate task) Promote economic development around the world through loans (continuing task)

International Monetary Fund

Help countries with trade deficits, prevent trade wars, and stabilize currency values

Dumbarton Oaks

Designed the United Nations.

McCarthyism

“practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence”

Taft-Hartley Act

Outlawed closed shops (only hiring union members) Allowed right-to-work laws (new workers don’t have to join a union)

New Frontier

Presidential Commission on the Status of Women, Grants for the research on developmental disabilities and construction of mental health centers

Earl Warren

Chief Justice from 1953-1969 Desegregation of schools “One Person, One Vote”

flexible response

The buildup of conventional troops and weapons to allow a nation to fight a limited war without using nuclear weapons

Space Race

The Cold War competition over dominance of space exploration capability