AP EURO UNIT 17: 1939-1945 WWII

Appeasement

Policy of giving in to territorial demands to avoid war, adopted by many nations.

Molotov Ribbentrop Pact

Agreement between Germany and Russia to divide Poland and stop aggression.

Blitzkrieg

German Nazi invasion of France in May 1940 using rapid attacks.

Luftwaffe

Hitler's new air force, contributed to the Blitzkrieg in France.

Panzer Division

German Army component with tanks, infantry, and artillery for attacks.

Lend-Lease Act

US sending weapons and supplies to aid England in war against Germany.

Unconditional Surrender

Agreement between US, Britain, and Russia to fight together until Axis powers surrender.

Nazi New Order

Social organization of the expanding Nazi empire during WWII.

Final Solution

Hitler's plan to exterminate the Jewish race through the Holocaust.

Einsatzgruppen

German special force used to find, kill, and bury Jews during WWII.

Cold War

Post-WWII ideological conflict between communist Russia and democratic America.

League of Nations

International organization formed after WWI to promote peace and prevent future wars.

Treaty of Versailles

Peace treaty that ended WWI, imposed harsh penalties on Germany.

Geneva Convention

International agreement on humanitarian treatment in war.

Grand Alliance

Coalition between US, Britain, and Russia during WWII to defeat Axis powers.

Axis Powers

WWII alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Yalta Conference 1945

WWII meeting between US, UK, and USSR to discuss war strategy against Germany.

Potsdam Conference 1945

WWII meeting between US, UK, and USSR to negotiate terms for defeated Germany.

Iron Curtain

Metaphorical divide between communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe.

Auschwitz

Infamous Nazi concentration camp where mass exterminations took place.

Nuremberg Laws

Antisemitic laws in Nazi Germany that deprived Jews of their rights.

Night of Broken Glass

Violent anti-Jewish pogrom in Nazi Germany in 1938.