World War II: Causes, Major Battles, and Home Front

Fascism

A political ideology characterized by authoritarian nationalism and often dictatorial power.

Communism

A political and economic ideology advocating for a classless system in which the means of production are owned communally.

Militarism

A belief or policy that emphasizes the importance of military power and readiness.

Benito Mussolini

An Italian politician and leader of the National Fascist Party, ruling Italy as Prime Minister from 1922 until his ousting in 1943.

Axis Powers

The coalition led by Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II.

Totalitarianism

A political system in which the state recognizes no limits to its authority and seeks to regulate every aspect of public and private life.

Emperor Hirohito

The Emperor of Japan during World War II, who reigned from 1926 to 1989.

Hideki Tojo

The Prime Minister of Japan during much of World War II, known for his militaristic policies.

Japanese Empire

The historical empire of Japan, which expanded its territory through military conquests in the early 20th century.

Joseph Stalin

The leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953, known for his totalitarian rule.

Adolf Hitler

The leader of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945, known for his role in initiating World War II and the Holocaust.

Nazi

A member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, led by Adolf Hitler, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945.

Aggression

Violent acts or behavior intended to harm or intimidate others.

Appeasement

The policy of pacifying an aggressive nation by granting concessions to avoid conflict.

Japan Invades Manchuria 1931

The invasion by Japan's Kwantung Army of the Manchuria region of China on September 18, 1931, following the Mukden incident.

U.S. Neutrality Laws - 1935-1936-1937

Laws that made it illegal for Americans to sell or transport arms or war materials to belligerent nations.

Spanish Civil War

A conflict from 1936 to 1939 influenced by U.S. neutrality acts, leading to an arms embargo.

Japan Invades China 1937

The invasion marked by the Nanjing Massacre, where the Japanese army committed mass rape and murder of Chinese civilians.

Quarantine Speech

A speech by FDR calling for an international quarantine against aggressive nations, criticized for suggesting closer involvement in war.

Munich Pact

An agreement in 1938 allowing Germany to annex the Sudetenland to prevent another world war.

Non-Aggression Pact

A treaty between Germany and the Soviet Union, signed in 1939, also known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

Invasion of Poland (Blitzkrieg)

A rapid military campaign by Germany in 1939 that led to the start of WWII, characterized by swift attacks using tanks and air power.

Cash/Carry (Neutrality Act of 1939)

Policy allowing belligerents to purchase nonmilitary goods from the U.S. if they paid in cash and transported the goods themselves.

Fall of France/Britain Stands Alone - Battle of Britain

A military campaign where the UK defended against Nazi Germany, marking Germany's first major defeat.

Selective Training and Service Act / Conscription

The first peacetime conscription law in the U.S., requiring men aged 21 to 36 to register for military service.

Tripartite Pact

An agreement between Germany, Italy, and Japan forming the Axis Powers during WWII.

F.D.R Third Term

Franklin D. Roosevelt's election to a third term in 1940, breaking the two-term precedent and leading to the 22nd Amendment.

Lend-Lease

An act allowing the U.S. president to provide military supplies to allied nations without immediate payment during WWII.

Invasion of the Soviet Union

Operation Barbarossa, a major escalation of WWII that opened the Eastern Front and involved the largest land war in history.

Atlantic Charter

Statement issued on Aug. 14 1941 that set out American and British goals for the world after the end of WWII, months before the US officially entered the war. Outlined aims of US and UK for the postwar world: no territorial aggrandizement, no territorial changes made against the wishes of the people, restoration of self-government to those deprived of it, reduction of trade restrictions, global cooperation, etc.

Pearl Harbor (events leading up to-results)

Escalating tension over Japanese expansionism in Asia, which culminated in a US oil embargo against Japan in 1941. Japan decided to cripple the US fleet.

Japanese American Internment Camps

US forcibly relocated and incarcerated about 12000 people of Japanese descent in ten concentration camps operated by the War Relocation Authority, mostly in the western interior of the country. Two thirds were U.S. Citizens.

Women's Auxiliary Army Corps / Rosie the Riveter

Rosie the Riveter was an iconic poster of a female factory worker flexing her muscle, exhorting other women to join the WWII effort with the declaration that 'we can do it!' Women's branch of the United States Army. Created as an auxiliary unit, for women with non-combat roles during WWII.

War Production Board

An agency of the United States government that supervised war production during WWII. Converted peacetime industries to wartime production, allocated scarce materials like steel and rubber, and set priorities for military contracts to ensure armed forces were supplied with necessary equipment.

Office of War Mobilization

U.S. government agency created in May 1943 to centralize and coordinate wartime efforts during WWII. Led by James F Byrnes, oversaw all domestic mobilization.

Propaganda (War Bonds - Rationing - Victory Gardens etc.)

Used to encourage citizens to buy war bonds such as rationing and planting victory gardens. Appealed to the duty of sacrifice and often used shock or fear factors in order to convince people to buy bonds.

Impact on minority groups (on Homefront & at war)

Minority groups faced discrimination at home and at war, but also made essential contributions and challenged inequalities. Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps, Mexican Americans dealt with discrimination and violence, including Zoot Suit riots.

The Manhattan Project

Manhattan Project was a research and development program undertaken during WWII to produce the first nuclear weapons. Led in the US in collaboration with the UK and Canada. Employed nearly 13000 people at its peak and cost nearly $2 billion.

Battle of the Atlantic (Enigma)

Enigma code was a German encryption machine used to send radio messages during WWII. Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous military campaign of WWII, securing the supply lines necessary for Britain to survive and for the allies to launch future operations in Europe.

Operation Torch

Allied invasion of French North Africa during WWII. Compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa while allowing American armed forces the opportunity to begin their fight against Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy on a limited scale.

Casablanca Conference

A meeting in January 1943 between FDR and Churchill to decide on the call for unconditional surrender of Axis Powers.

Unconditional Surrender

A policy that meant no negotiations and complete surrender without any guarantees.

Invasion of Italy

The Allied invasion of Italy, which included the successful amphibious landing on Sicily, leading to Italy's surrender and the deposition of Mussolini.

Tuskegee Airmen

African American military pilots who played a crucial role in the Allied invasion of Italy by escorting bombers and engaging enemy aircraft.

Teheran Conference

A December 1943 strategy meeting of the Allies, where Stalin, FDR, and Churchill coordinated military strategy against Germany and Japan.

D-Day

Also known as Operation Overlord, it was the largest amphibious landing in history, liberating Western Europe from German occupation.

Battle of the Bulge

The last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front, which initially gained territory but ultimately failed to split the Allied forces.

Fall of Berlin

The final battles of WWII that ended with the fall of Berlin to the Soviet Red Army and Hitler's suicide.

V-E Day

Victory in Europe Day, marked on May 8th, 1945, which officially signaled the surrender of all German military options.

Battle at Bataan

A battle fought by the US and the Philippine Commonwealth against Japan, leading to the Bataan Death March and General Douglas MacArthur's vow to return.

Battle of Midway

A major naval battle in the Pacific Theater where American forces ambushed and destroyed four Japanese aircraft carriers.

Island Hopping

A strategy used by Allies to bypass heavily fortified enemy islands to establish bases and cut off supply lines.

Guadalcanal

The first major Allied land offensive against Japan, where John Basilone earned the Medal of Honor for his valor.

Kamikaze

Japanese pilots who conducted suicide attacks against Allied naval vessels using planes as guided bombs.

Iwo Jima

The site of the flag raising on Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, symbolizing control of the peak.

Okinawa

A major battle that served as the last significant obstacle before a potential ground invasion of Japan.

Potsdam Conference

A meeting held in the Soviet occupation zone to plan postwar peace and avoid mistakes from the Paris Peace Conference.

Hiroshima

The city bombed on August 6, 1945, resulting in the deaths of 150,000 to 246,000 people, primarily civilians.

Nagasaki

The city bombed on August 9, 1945, marking the second use of atomic bombs in warfare.

V-J Day

Victory over Japan Day, marking the surrender of Imperial Japan and the end of WWII.