World War II and American Mobilization

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

Japanese attack on US naval base in Hawaii, leading to US entry into WWII

Roosevelt

US president during WWII, faced public pressure to aid Allies

Mobilization

The process of preparing and organizing resources for war effort

Racism

Increased discrimination and prejudice, particularly against Japanese Americans

Allies

Countries, including the US, Britain, and Russia, united against Axis powers

Vichy, France

French government collaborating with Nazis after German occupation

Winston Churchill

British prime minister during WWII, strong ally of the USA

German Occupation

Control of a country by Nazi Germany during WWII

Frank Knox

US Secretary of the Navy during WWII

Henry L. Stimson

US Secretary of War during WWII

Axis Powers

Alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan during WWII

Soviet Union

Country that invaded Finland and was part of the Allies during WWII

Great Britain

Country bombed by German air force in preparation for a land invasion

America First Committee

Group advocating for US neutrality and non-intervention in WWII

Tripartite Pact

Formally unifies Germany, Italy, and Japan in the Axis Powers alliance to deter America from joining the war

Selective Training and Service Act of 1940

First peacetime military draft in American history, requiring men 21 to 35 to register with local draft boards

Lend Lease Act of 1941

Policy of 'lending' war supplies to Britain, avoiding direct intervention to preserve democracy

Atlantic Charter

Agreement between Churchill and FDR outlining war aims for collective security, disarmament, self-determination, economic cooperation, and freedom of the seas

Neutrality Acts

American policies that changed from isolationist to aggressive with Germany as more American destroyers were sunk

Embargo on Japan

Roosevelt's action to freeze Japanese assets in the US, preventing trade after their move to French Indochina

Doolittle Raid

US bombers counterattack on Japan, prompting the Japanese attack on Midway Islands

MAGIC

Code-breaking intelligence that helped the US surprise Japan in the Battle of Midway 1942

Stalingrad

USSR's rush through winter cold to attack German forces, turning the tide on Germany

War Production Board

Government agency coordinating resources and production for military needs during WWII

Manhattan Project

US efforts to build an atomic bomb during WWII, spurred by fear of Nazi development

Executive Order No. 8802

FDR's order preventing discrimination in defense industry work and creating the Fair Employment Practices Committee

Braceros

Mexican Americans taking over agricultural work left behind by white farmers during WWII

Rosie the Riveter

Propaganda symbol of women industrial workers during WWII, addressing the labor shortage

National War Labor Board

Created to settle labor disputes during WWII, favoring both open and closed shops

Office of Price Administration (OPA)

Government agency that rationed sugar, coffee, gas, and other goods using a points system during WWII

Office of War Information (OWI)

Propaganda agency aimed at maintaining American commitment to the war effort during WWII

Alien Registration (Smith) Act 1940

Legislation making it illegal to support or join groups advocating the violent overthrow of the US government

Korematsu v. United States

Landmark Supreme Court case upholding the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII

Internment Camps

Bad living spaces where Japanese Americans were forced to live during WWII due to fear of their resistance to America

442nd Regimental Combat Team

A unit of Japanese American soldiers who proved loyalty to the USA, leading to a public apology and $20,000 payment to survivors in 1988

Double V Idea

Movement for African Americans to serve in the war for victory abroad and at home, exposing similarities between Nazis and Jim Crow laws

Selective Service System

System established in 1942 to fairly draft people for military service while offering deferments to those who needed it

War Refugee Board

Established by FDR to save 200,000 Jews, following persuasion by Sec of Treasury Henry Morgenthau Jr., to intervene in the extermination of Jews

Operation Overlord

Planned invasion of France (D-Day) in 1944, initiated to open a new European front to help the USSR, resulting in successful but bloody outcomes

Battle of the Bulge

Final German offensive in Ardennes region of Belgium in 1944-45, named after the bulge shape created as numerous German soldiers crowded in to fight back Allied forces

Yalta Conference

1945 meeting between Britain, USSR, and USA to discuss postwar management, reparations from Germany, and the establishment of the United Nations Organization

Island Hopping

Strategy used by US forces in the Pacific to capture weaker islands and isolate the Japanese on the stronger ones to force surrender

Cold War

Conflict between the USA's capitalistic view and the USSR's communist view, shaping the world after WWII

Great Depression

Severe economic downturn in the 1930s, ended by the economic boom resulting from WWII

Four Policemen

China, Britain, USA, and USSR, who were to manage postwar issues and limit USSR power

Triple Alliance

Alliance between China, Britain, and USA, breaking after the completion of nuclear research and impatience with USSR

Isolationism

A policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries

Sec of Treasury Henry Morgenthau Jr.

Persuaded FDR to establish the War Refugee Board to intervene in the extermination of Jews during WWII

USSR's Sphere of Influence

The area in which the USSR had significant cultural, economic, military, or political influence

Racial Tensions

Tensions arising from racial inequality and discrimination, particularly during the mobilization for the war

Manpower Commission

Established to manage the balance of manpower on the combat front and production front during WWII

Regional Differences

Differences in culture, beliefs, and practices among soldiers from different regions, which were overcome during WWII

Axis Powers' Defeat

Resulted from the resistance met by the US, leading to a less likely shot at victory for the Axis Powers

Nuclear Research

Research leading to the completion of nuclear weapons, reducing the need for USSR's support against Japan

Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program

offered child-care, subsidized housing, and health care for 50 cents off each paycheck

Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC)

was used to enforce Executive Order No. 8802

NWLB (National War Labor Board)

regulates workers and employers during war to make sure economy stays going, become "refs" of labor movement, regulate unions

A Phillip Randolph

He was the black leader of The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. He demanded equal opportunities in war jobs and armed forces during WWII. He helped encourage the end of segregation in the military, although that happened after the war.

pachucos/"zoot suiters"

Mexican Americans in the race riots