US and World History 3: Unit 2 Study Guide

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering key terms, historical concepts, international organizations, and major leaders from US and World History 3 Unit 2.

Manhattan Project

The top-secret U.S. government research and development project during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons.

Holocaust

The systematic, state-sponsored persecution and mass murder of six million European Jews and millions of other victims by the Nazi regime and its collaborators.

atrocities

Extremely cruel, brutal, or wicked acts, particularly large-scale human rights violations and war crimes committed during wartime.

Yalta Conference

The February 1945 meeting of the Allied Big Three leaders (Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin) to plan the post-World War II reorganization of Europe and the final defeat of Germany.

Potsdam Conference

The July-August 1945 meeting of Allied leaders (Truman, Stalin, and Churchill/Atlee) to negotiate the administration of defeated Germany and settle terms for the end of World War II.

United Nations

An international organization founded in 1945 following World War II with the purpose and goals of maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, and promoting human rights.

General Assembly

The primary policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations in which all member states have equal representation and vote on international issues.

Security Council

The organ of the United Nations charged with the maintenance of international peace and security, featuring permanent members with veto power alongside rotating elected members.

Partition of Germany

The post-World War II division of Germany and the city of Berlin into four separate allied military occupation zones administered by the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union.

buffer states

Neutral or smaller countries situated between two larger, potentially hostile superpowers, intended to diminish the threat of direct military conflict.

Marshall Plan

The United States foreign assistance initiative enacted in 1948 to provide economic aid to rebuild war-torn Western European nations and prevent the spread of communism.

Nuremberg Trials

A series of military tribunals held in Nuremberg, Germany, after World War II to prosecute prominent Nazi political, military, judicial, and economic leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Nuremberg Principles

A set of legal guidelines resulting from the Nuremberg Trials establishing what constitutes a war crime, crime against peace, or crime against humanity, affirming individual accountability under international law.

Tokyo Tribunal

The International Military Tribunal for the Far East convened to try political and military leaders of the Empire of Japan for war crimes committed during World War II.

Bretton Woods Agreement

A 1944 international agreement among 44 allied nations that established a new global monetary system based on fixed exchange rates tied to the U.S. dollar and founded key international economic institutions.

IMF (International Monetary Fund)

An international financial organization created at Bretton Woods to facilitate global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, and assist countries experiencing balance-of-payments difficulties.

World Bank

An international financial institution established alongside the IMF to provide financial loans and grants for capital projects to aid post-war reconstruction and long-term economic development.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

The 32nd President of the United States who led the country through the Great Depression and the majority of World War II, participating in the Yalta Conference prior to his death in April 1945.

Harry Truman

The 33rd President of the United States who assumed office upon Roosevelt's death in 1945, oversaw the conclusion of World War II, authorized the atomic bombings, and represented the U.S. at the Potsdam Conference.

Joseph Stalin

The General Secretary and dictatorial leader of the Soviet Union throughout World War II and the early Cold War, who represented the USSR at both the Yalta and Potsdam conferences.

Winston Churchill

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who led Britain through most of World War II and attended the Yalta Conference and the initial stages of the Potsdam Conference.

Clement Atlee

The British Labour Party leader who replaced Winston Churchill as Prime Minister during the Potsdam Conference in July 1945 following the UK general election.