Second World War and the Americas Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to the Second World War and its impact on the Americas, based on IB History HL Paper 3 summary notes.

Isolationism (1933-1941)

US policy favoring non-involvement in international conflicts, particularly influenced by disillusionment following World War I.

Neutrality Acts (1935-1939)

Series of acts passed by the US Congress from 1935 to 1939 intended to limit US involvement in future wars.

Cash-and-Carry (1939)

US policy in 1939 allowing sale of materiel to belligerents as long as they paid immediately in cash and transported the goods on their own ships.

Destroyers-for-Bases (1940)

Agreement in 1940 between the US and UK where the US provided old destroyers to Britain in exchange for leases on British naval bases.

Lend-Lease Act (1941)

Act of 1941 that allowed the US to provide military aid to foreign nations during World War II.

D-Day (1944)

Allied military operation in 1944, when American, British, and Canadian forces landed on the coast of Normandy. Marked the start of the campaign to liberate Europe.

Island Hopping

A military strategy employed by the United States in the Pacific War against Japan and involved selectively attacking specific enemy-held islands and bypassing others

Orthodox View (Atomic Bombs)

Historical perspective arguing that the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a military necessity to end World War II quickly and save lives.

Revisionist View (Atomic Bombs)

Historical perspective suggesting that the use of atomic bombs was primarily to intimidate the Soviet Union and demonstrate US power rather than solely for military reasons.

Bretton Woods System

Economic system established at the end of World War II which created institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Japanese American Internment

The forced relocation and incarceration during World War II of between 110,000 and 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry who lived on the Pacific coast in camps in the interior of the country

Executive Order 8802

US presidential executive order issued in 1941 that prohibited racial discrimination in the national defense industry. It was the first federal action, though limited, to promote equal opportunity and prohibit employment discrimination in the United States.

Double V Campaign

An American propaganda campaign that aimed to persuade African Americans to support the war effort. It had a double meaning: victory abroad and victory over racial prejudice at home.