Fascism & WW2

Fascism

Authoritarian political ideology emphasizing nationalism and totalitarianism.

Great Depression

Worldwide economic collapse beginning in 1929, causing unemployment.

Hyperinflation

Rapid increase in prices, eroding currency value.

Treaty of Versailles

1919 agreement imposing harsh penalties on Germany post-WWI.

Totalitarianism

Political system where the state recognizes no limits to authority.

Benito Mussolini

Italian leader who founded the Fascist Party in 1919.

Il Duce

Nickname for Mussolini, meaning 'The Leader'.

Propaganda

Information used to promote a political cause or point of view.

Indoctrination

Teaching individuals to accept a set of beliefs uncritically.

Gestapo

Nazi secret police known for brutal tactics.

Aryan Master Race

Nazi ideology promoting racial superiority of Aryans.

Blitzkrieg

Military tactic of rapid, surprise attacks to overwhelm enemies.

Adolf Hitler

Leader of Nazi Germany, known for fascist policies.

Der Führer

Hitler's title meaning 'The Leader' in German.

Mein Kampf

Hitler's book outlining his ideology and plans for Germany.

The Third Reich

Nazi regime in Germany from 1933 to 1945.

Battle of Stalingrad

Turning point battle in WWII, lasting five months.

D-Day

June 6, 1944, Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France.

V-E Day

Victory in Europe Day, marking Germany's surrender on May 8, 1945.

Rape of Nanking

Japanese atrocities committed in China during WWII.

Battle of Midway

Turning point in Pacific War, significant U.S. naval victory.

Kamikaze

Japanese suicide pilots attacking enemy ships during WWII.

Atomic Bombs

Nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

VJ Day

Victory over Japan Day, marking Japan's surrender.

Francisco Franco

Leader of Spanish fascists during the Spanish Civil War.

Appeasement

Policy of conceding to aggressive powers to avoid conflict.

Nuremberg Laws

1935 laws institutionalizing racial discrimination against Jews.

Kristallnacht

1938 pogrom against Jews in Nazi Germany.

Einsatzgruppen (S.S.)

Nazi death squads responsible for mass killings.

Wannsee Conference

1942 meeting planning the Final Solution to the Jewish Problem.

Concentration Camps

Detention centers for political prisoners and later, Jews.

Auschwitz

Infamous Nazi death camp in Poland.

United Nations

International organization formed post-WWII to promote peace.

Nuremberg Trials

Trials of Nazi leaders for war crimes after WWII.

Mein Kampf (my struggle)

Work written by Hitler while in prison in 1923; the book outlines his policies for German expansion, war, and elimination of non-Aryans

Third Reich

The Third German Empire, established by Adolf Hitler in the 1930s.

Germany invasion of Poland

The spark that started WWII

New prime minister of England

Winston Churchill

People who fight Nazi occupation in Europe

The Resistance, The Underground, Partisans

Germany attacks England

The Blitz

Operation Barbarossa

Codename for Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II.

Pearl Harbor

Base in hawaii that was bombed by japan on December 7, 1941, which eagered America to enter the war.

Island-Hopping campaign

US strategy to reach mainland Japan by capturing key islands

Emperor Hirohito

emperor of Japan during WWII. his people viewed him as a god

who was behind Emperor Hirohito

group of army generals

why did Japan want to conquer Asia

natural resources (front was liberating Asian countries from European Imperialism

Italy invades

Ethiopia

what was given to Germany at the Munich Conference?

piece of Czechoslovakia

Munich Conference

1938 conference at which European leaders attempted to appease Hitler by turning over the Sudetenland to him in exchange for promise that Germany would not expand Germany's territory any further.

Axis powers

Germany, Italy, Japan

when did WW2 begin in Asia

when Japan invades China

Ghetto

jews were forcibly kept in these

Marshall Plan

A United States program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe (1948-1952)

non-aggression

The act of not fighting or attacking

Proliferation

a rapid increase

Munich Pact

A 1938 agreement between Great Britain and Germany to appease Hitler