US History Chapter 14 : Coming of War

totalitarianism

Theory of government in which a single party or leader controls the economic, social, and cultural lives of its people.

Benito Mussolini

Fascist dictator of Italy from 1922-1943.

Joseph Stalin

Communist dictator of the Soviet Union from 1927-1953

Adolf Hitler

the leader of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945.

Anti-Semitism

Prejudice against Jews

Spanish Civil War

Bloody conflict that raged from 1936-1939 where fascist Nationalists were victorious against the democratic Republican government of their country

appeasement

a policy of granting concessions (giving in) to a potential enemy in the hope that it will maintain peace

Munich Pact

Agreement that preserved peace by giving Germany the Sudetenland in exchange for a promise of no more territorial demands

blitzkrieg

A sudden attack using tanks, planes, and motorized vehicles in an all-out assault with an emphasis on speed and power

Axis Powers

Germany, Italy, Japan, and others during WWII

Allies

Britain, France, the United States, the Soviet Union, and others during WWII

Winston Churchill

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, including much of WWII, and from 1951 to 1955

Lend-Lease Act

law passed in 1941 that authorized the President to sell, transfer, exchange, or otherwise dispose of any defense materials in the interest of the United States

Atlantic Charter

1941 pledge signed by US president FDR and British prime minister Winston Churchill not to acquire new territory as a result of WWII and to work for peace after the war

Hideki Tojo

Japanese prime minister from 1941 to 1945

Pearl Harbor

the site of the United States Navy's main Pacific Base.

WAC

Women's Army Corps, which allowed women to serve in non-combat roles in the U.S. Army during WWII

December 7, 1941

date of the attack on Pearl Harbor, marking America's entry into WWII

September 1, 1939

date of Germany's invasion of Poland, marking the beginning of WWII

isolationism

view that the United States should stay out of conflicts with other nations

interventionism

view that the United States should be involved in world politics and conflicts such as WWI and WWII

Franklin D. Roosevelt

President of the US from 1933-1945, including most of World War II

Neville Chamberlain

Great British prime minister from 1937-1940 who advocated peace and a policy of appeasement

Blitz

Sustained bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 1940 and 1941

Bataan Death March

Brutal march of American and Filipino prisoners by the Japanese army in 1942

Doolittle's Raid

an air raid in 1942 by the United States on Tokyo and other targets in Japan

Battle of Britain

Conflict between British and German air forces fought over Britain during 1940-1941

Battle of Coral Sea

A 1942 battle between Japanese and American naval and air forces that stopped the Japanese advance on Australia.

Miracle at Dunkirk

Event in 1940 in which more than 300,000 British and French troops were rescued from the harbor beaches by people in privately owned boats