APUSH Chapter 27

Washington Disarmament Conference

Washington Disarmament Conference

A conference in 1921-1922 where Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes proposed a halt to the naval arms race and several agreements were signed.

Five Power Treaty

Set limits for battleships and aircraft carriers among nations like US, Britain, Japan, Italy, and France, and halted battleship construction for ten years.

Kellogg-Briand Pact

A 1928 agreement where the US and sixty-one other nations pledged to renounce war as an instrument of national policy.

Dawes Plan

A plan in 1924 where US banks lent money to Germany to pay reparations to Allies, aiding in debt repayments.

Anschluss

Refers to Hitler's annexation of Austria in 1938, claiming abuses of Germans and uniting all German-speaking people.

Munich Conference

A 1938 meeting where Hitler promised Sudetenland would be his last territorial demand, leading to the Munich Pact and claims of "peace in our time."

Anti-Comintern Pact

A 1936 pact between Germany and Japan against communism, setting the stage for the Axis Powers alliance.

Neutrality Acts

Passed in 1935, 1936, 1937, and 1939 to prevent US entanglement in European wars by restricting loans, munitions sales, and ship travel to belligerents.

Export Control Act

Enacted in 1940 to allow FDR to restrict the export of war materials in response to Japan's advances in French Indochina.

Battle of Stalingrad

A significant 1942-1943 battle where Germany's invasion of Russia stalled, leading to a Russian victory and a turning point in WWII.

Two-Term Tradition

Established by George Washington, no president sought a third term until Roosevelt broke the tradition due to approaching war.

Four Freedoms Speech

FDR's 1941 address emphasizing freedom of speech, religion, freedom from want, and fear as universal values.

Atlantic Charter

Agreement between FDR and Churchill outlining principles for the Allies, including self-determination and no territorial expansion.

Lend-Lease Act

Aid granted to countries vital for US defense, moving away from isolationism and stimulating war production.

Sinking of the Robin Moor

German attack leading to freezing Axis assets and US Navy convoying ships.

US Policy with Japan

Efforts to prevent Japan's expansion through economic pressure, leading to freezing Japanese assets.

Pearl Harbor

Japan's attack leading to the end of US isolationism and entry into WWII.

Germany First

US focus on defeating Germany despite Japan's attack, to prevent Germany from overpowering the USSR and Great Britain.

Neutrality Act of 1939

Allowed belligerents to purchase munitions under cash-and-carry conditions, aiding the Allies.

Conscription Act

Instituted the nation's first peacetime military draft in response to Hitler's actions in Europe.

America First Committee

Isolationist group opposing aid to Britain, advocating defense of US shores.

Defense Plant Cooperation

Expansion of RFC to finance war plant construction, aiding the war effort.

War Production Board

Coordinated industrial production during the war, rationed materials, and boosted war material production.

Office of Price Administration

Established to prevent inflation, ration goods, and set maximum prices during WWII.

Victory Gardens

Gardens planted by many women on the home front to allow more food to be sent to the troops.

Women in Industry

Over 6 million women worked outside the home during WWII, facing societal disapproval.

The March on Washington (1941)

A. Philip Randolph led efforts for equal treatment in war industries, prompting FDR's executive order against racial discrimination.

Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)

Interracial organization aiming to improve race relations through direct-action activities.

Double V Campaign

Campaign advocating for victory over discrimination both at home and abroad, influencing the Civil Rights Movement.

Bracero Program

Agreement allowing Mexican laborers to work in the US, lasting from 1942 to 1964.

Zoot Suit Riots

Conflicts in 1943 between servicemen and Mexican-American youths wearing zoot suits, reflecting racial tensions.

Relocation of Japanese-Americans

Executive Order 9066 relocating Japanese-Americans to internment camps during WWII.

Unconditional Surrender

The agreement between FDR and Churchill at the Casablanca Conference that the Axis powers must surrender without conditions.

Second Front

Stalin's demand for the Allies to attack Germany from the west to divert German resources and ease pressure on Russia.

D-Day Invasion

The June 1944 Allied invasion of Normandy, France, led by General Dwight Eisenhower, opening a second front against Germany.

Manhattan Project

The U.S. Army project initiated in 1941 to research and develop an atomic bomb, culminating in the first successful detonation in July 1945.

Hiroshima & Nagasaki

The two Japanese cities where atomic bombs were dropped by the U.S. in August 1945, leading to significant casualties and Japan's surrender.

United Nations

Established in 1945 as a more robust version of the League of Nations, with a General Assembly and a Security Council including five permanent members.

Nuremberg War Trials

Trials held from 1945-1946 where Nazi leaders were charged with waging aggressive war and violating rules regarding prisoners of war and civilians.

German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact (August 1939)

Enacted in 1939, a surprising agreement due to the cooperation between fascism and communism.

Quarantine Speech (1937)

Roosevelt spoke about his concerns for international conflict and asked nations to work together like a community in an epidemic.

Rape of Nanjing (Nanking)

300,000 men killed and 20,000 women raped after falling to the Japanese.

Panay Incident

In December 1937. Japan intentionally attacked a US ship in China but paid reparations to cover the intent. Still, the US pulled out of China due to the isolationist sentiment.

The Nye Committee Report

A report in 1934 that suggested that corporations urged Wilson to join WWI.

U.S. and the Holocaust

The US may have been able to help end the Holocaust, but generals argued that the diversion of military resources and FDR was unsure if the nation could support more immigrants.

Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act (1934)

Allowed the president to decrease tariff rates without senate approval.

Havana Conference

At this conference, the US and Latin America pledged to uphold the Monroe Doctrine.

The Destroyer-Base Deal (September 1940)

FDR bypassed Congress giving Britain battleships in exchange for islands.

USS Greer, Kearny, & Reuben James

Three US ships were sunk leading to navy patrols to accompany trade vessels in 1941.

Conscientious Objectors

People who wanted to help the country but not directly hurt anyone.

Casablanca Conference

At a conference in January 1943, US and UK agreed to invade Sicily and also that they would only accept unconditional surrender.

Tehran Conference

Conference in 1943 that agreed to a second front through France (leading to D-Day).

Bretton Woods Conference

Conference in 1944 that established the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

Yalta Conference

At this conference in February 1945, the Big Three talked about plans for the end of the war, including territory succession and Stalin agreeing to join the fight in the Pacific three months after Germany’s surrender.

Potsdam Conference

At this conference in July 1945, the Allies split Germany and threatened Japan with complete destruction.

The Battle of Midway

Turning point in the Pacific marked by this battle which saw 4 Japanese aircraft-carriers sunk.