America’s Road to World War II

These flashcards cover significant terms and concepts related to the events leading up to World War II, focusing on key figures, policies, and incidents.

Isolationism

A national policy of avoiding involvement in foreign conflicts.

Appeasement

The policy of giving in to the demands of an aggressor in hopes of maintaining peace.

Fascism

A political philosophy that exalts nation and stands for centralized autocratic government headed by a dictator.

Manchukuo

A puppet state established by Japan in Northeast China after their invasion of Manchuria.

Rape of Nanking

A mass atrocity during the Second Sino-Japanese War where Japanese troops killed and raped thousands of Chinese civilians.

USS Panay

An American gunboat attacked by Japanese forces on December 12, 1937.

Weltanschaung

A comprehensive worldview or philosophy; in Adolf Hitler's context, it refers to his expansionist ideology outlined in Mein Kampf.

Dolchstoss Legend

The myth that Germany had not lost World War I on the battlefield but was 'stabbed in the back' by civilian politicians.

Adolf Hitler

Leader of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945, responsible for initiating World War II and the Holocaust.

Isoroku Yamamoto

Japanese naval officer who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor; studied in the United States and was aware of American capabilities.