World War II and the Cold War Review

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary, events, and figures from World War II and the Cold War as discussed in the lecture notes.

Treaty of Versailles

The agreement that ended World War I but treated Germany harshly by requiring it to accept blame, pay huge sums of money, and reduce its military.

Appeasement

The policy of giving Hitler what he wanted, such as territory, in hopes of avoiding war.

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

An agreement where Germany and the Soviet Union promised not to attack each other and secretly planned to divide Eastern Europe.

Axis Powers

The military alliance during World War II consisting of Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Allied Powers

The military alliance during World War II consisting of the United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and France.

Kristallnacht

Also known as the "Night of Broken Glass," a violent 1938 attack by Nazi supporters against Jewish businesses, homes, and synagogues.

The Holocaust

The murder of about six million Jewish people by the Nazis during World War II.

Pearl Harbor

The U.S. naval base that was the site of a surprise Japanese attack on December 7, 1941, leading the U.S. to enter World War II.

War Bonds

Financial investments purchased by civilians on the home front to help the government fund the war effort.

Tuskegee Airmen

The first African American military pilots in the U.S. armed forces who helped challenge racial discrimination in the military.

Internment of Japanese Americans

The forced relocation of over 100,000 Japanese Americans to camps following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Atomic Bombing of Japan

The August 1945 attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that led to Japan's surrender and the end of World War II.

Cold War

A long period of tension (1945–1991) between the U.S. and Soviet Union characterized by threats and competition rather than direct major fighting.

Iron Curtain

The symbolic and physical division between communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe.

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization; a military alliance of the United States, Canada, and Western European countries formed for mutual defense.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance created by the Soviet Union and its Eastern European allies in response to the formation of NATO.

Containment

The United States policy focused on stopping the spread of communism to new countries.

Proxy Wars

Conflicts where the U.S. and Soviet Union supported opposite sides instead of fighting each other directly.

Korean War

A proxy war from 1950–1953 between the communist-supported North and U.S.-supported South that ended with the country still divided.

Vietnam War

A proxy war from 1955–1975 between communist North Vietnam and U.S.-supported South Vietnam that became very unpopular in the U.S.

McCarthyism

Associated with the Second Red Scare, the practice of accusing people of being communists without providing strong evidence.

Space Race

A scientific competition between the U.S. and Soviet Union involving milestones like the launch of Sputnik 1 and the Apollo 11 Moon Landing.

Tet Offensive

A large 1968 surprise attack by North Vietnamese forces that served as a turning point by decreasing U.S. public support for the Vietnam War.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

A 1989 event that symbolized the end of communist control in Eastern Europe and the approaching end of the Cold War.