Key Events and Concepts of WWI and WWII

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key events and figures from WWI and WWII.

Woodrow Wilson

28th President of the U.S. who led during WWI and pushed for the League of Nations.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

German naval tactic of sinking ships without warning; helped draw the U.S. into WWI.

Lusitania

British ship sunk by a German U-boat in 1915, killing Americans and turning U.S. opinion against Germany.

Zimmermann Telegram

Secret message from Germany to Mexico promising land if they joined WWI against the U.S.; caused outrage and entry into WWI.

John Pershing

Commander of U.S. forces in WWI; helped turn the tide of the war for the Allies.

Treaty of Versailles

Peace treaty ending WWI; punished Germany harshly and set the stage for WWII.

Fourteen Points

Wilson’s plan for peace after WWI, including self-determination and the League of Nations.

19th Amendment

Granted women the right to vote in 1920; major step for gender equality.

League of Nations

International organization formed after WWI to promote peace; U.S. never joined, weakening its power.

Teapot Dome Scandal

1920s corruption scandal involving oil reserves; damaged trust in government.

Great Depression

Economic collapse beginning in 1929; led to widespread unemployment and hardship.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

32nd President; led U.S. through the Great Depression and WWII.

New Deal

FDR’s programs to fight the Great Depression through relief, recovery, and reform.

Nye Committee

Senate group that investigated arms manufacturers; influenced U.S. isolationism before WWII.

Pearl Harbor

Japanese attack on U.S. base in 1941; led to U.S. entry into WWII.

Bataan Death March

Forced march of U.S. and Filipino POWs by Japan; symbol of wartime brutality.

Island Hopping

U.S. strategy in the Pacific to capture key islands and move closer to Japan.

Tehran Conference

1943 meeting of FDR, Churchill, and Stalin; planned D-Day and discussed postwar Europe.

Operation Overlord

Code name for the D-Day invasion of Normandy; began liberation of Western Europe.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Supreme Allied Commander during WWII and later U.S. President.

Kamikaze

Japanese suicide pilots who targeted Allied ships; showed Japan’s desperation late in WWII.

Iwo Jima

Major Pacific battle in 1945; gave U.S. a strategic base near Japan.

Operation Downfall

Planned Allied invasion of Japan; never occurred due to atomic bombs.

Fat Man / Little Boy

Atomic bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima; ended WWII.

Executive Order 9066

Authorized Japanese internment during WWII; later viewed as a civil rights violation.

Japanese Internment

Forced relocation of Japanese Americans during WWII; caused lasting injustice.