World War II Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for reviewing key concepts from World War II lecture notes.

League of Nations

An international organization established after World War I to promote peace and cooperation among nations.

Battle of Salerno (1943)

A crucial Allied invasion of Italy during World War II, marking the first major foothold on the Italian mainland.

Lend-Lease Act (1941)

U.S. policy allowing the supply of arms, food, and equipment to Allied nations before the U.S. officially entered WWII.

Admiral Osami Nagano

Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff who supported the decision to go to war against the United States, Britain, and the Netherlands if diplomatic negotiations failed.

Attack on Pearl Harbor

Planned and executed to solve a problem for Admiral Osami Nagano at the Imperial Conference on September 6, 1941.

Blitzkrieg

Fast-moving, mechanized warfare introduced in World War II.

Nuremberg Trials

Trials that concluded Nazi leaders were guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes against peace.

Operation Overlord

The D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944, which established a crucial Allied foothold in Normandy.

Executive Order 8802

Opened federal jobs to African Americans, preventing discrimination in the defense industry and federal government employment during World War II.

Office of Price Administration (OPA)

Ensured that critical resources and goods were distributed fairly and efficiently to support the war effort.

Korematsu v. United States (1944)

Supreme Court case justifying the internment of Japanese Americans based on wartime necessity and the perceived threat to the West Coast.

Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga

Japanese American who was interned during World War II and played a significant role in documenting and exposing the injustices of the internment experience.

Henry Stimson

Secretary of War who supported the use of the atomic bomb, believing it would force Japan to surrender without a ground invasion.

Leslie Groves

Director of the Manhattan Project, a strong proponent of using the atomic bomb to end the war quickly.

Mary McLeod Bethune

Civil rights leader who helped to draft the United Nations Charter.