WW2

World War II

War involving the world's great national powers in two opposing alliances:the Allies and the Axis Powers (1939-1945)

Treaty of Versailles

Treaty that punished Germany at the end of World War II

Adolf Hitler

Leader of Nazi Germany who provoked World War II in Europe and directed the imprisonment and execution of the Jewish population

Concentration camp

A facility where masses of people are detained in poor conditions, often forced to work or put to death

Holocaust

Systematic killing of millions of Jewish people and others by the German state during World War II

Fascism

A movement or government characterized by absolute control of social and economic systems and populations, extreme nationalism, and brutal suppression of opposition

Dictatorship

A type of government in which one person (a dictator) exercises unrestricted power

Axis Powers

The alliance between Germany, Italy, and Japan in World War II

Blitzkrieg

German word meaning "lightning war," a military strategy that overwhelmed enemy forces with firepower and shocking speed

Battle of Britain

Successful defense of Great Britain against German air raids from July through September 1940

USSR (Soviet Union)

A former country called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics that included Russia and several other present-day countries (1922-1991)

Pearl Harbor

Hawaiian coastal site of a U.S. naval base that was attacked by Japanese air bombers on Sunday, Dec 7, 1941

Allies

The WWII alliance between Great Britain, France, the United States, and eventually the Soviet Union

Battle of Midway

Defeat of Japanese by American forces in June 1942

D-Day

Invasion of northern France by Allied forces on June 6th, 1944

Victory Garden

Gardens planted to increase food production during a war

Internment camp

Military housing used to confine members of national or minority groups for reasons of state security

Atomic bomb

A weapon using nuclear energy to cause widespread damage

Marshall Plan

American Aid plan to help Western Europe rebuild after WWII

United Nations

An international organization formed after WWII to maintain peace and security among nations

GI Bill

Benefits for WWII veterans returning to the United States that increased access to college education and home ownership