8-3 WWII Unit Flashcards

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms related to WWII, their definitions, and significance for exam preparation.

Treaty of Versailles

Punished Germany for WWI with the War Guilt Clause, reparations, cession of land, and demilitarization.

Great Depression in Europe

Economic decline in Germany and Italy with major bank failures, high unemployment, and inflation, leading to the rise of dictators.

Rise of Dictators

The emergence of authoritarian leaders like Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler, and Tojo, who sought to expand their nations' power and suppress opposition.

Aggression

Warlike actions taken by one country against another without just cause, exemplified by Italy's invasion of Ethiopia and Germany's annexations.

Appeasement

The policy of granting concessions to an aggressor nation to maintain peace, notably seen in the Munich Agreement.

Blitzkrieg

A military tactic meaning 'lightning warfare,' characterized by speed and surprise using combined forces of aircraft, tanks, and infantry.

Cash and Carry

US policy allowing the sale of war supplies to England and France if paid for in cash and transported by the purchasing nations.

Lend Lease Act

US program allowing the lending of supplies to England during WWII, to be returned post-war.

D-Day

June 6th, 1944, the Allied invasion of German-occupied France, marking a significant turning point in WWII.

Island Hopping

A military strategy employed by the US in WWII to attack weaker islands to cut off stronger islands from support.

Kamikaze

Japanese suicide bombers used towards the end of WWII due to resource shortages.

The Atomic Bomb

A powerful weapon tested in July 1945 capable of destroying entire cities, used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Japanese Internment Camps

Relocation camps for Japanese Americans during WWII, authorized by Executive Order 9066.

Korematsu vs. the United States

A Supreme Court case that upheld the internment of Japanese Americans as a wartime necessity.

German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

A 1939 agreement between Germany and Russia not to attack each other, later broken by Germany.

Axis Powers

A military alliance during WWII including Germany, Italy, and Japan, formalized through the Tripartite Pact.

Allied Powers

The coalition opposing the Axis powers, primarily consisting of the US, England, and the Soviet Union.

Pearl Harbor

December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise aerial attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor.
Consequences: 19 American ships were damaged, around 200 aircraft were destroyed, and approximately 2,400 lives were lost.
In response, the United States declared war on Japan.
This event marked a major shift in U.S. foreign policy and became a pivotal moment in World War II.

US Homefront

• US experiences an economic boom as a result of WWII

• Unemployment drops → men serve in the military, women work in factories

• Increase in production and jobs as factories produce war supplies

• African Americans also work in factories but face discrimination

Long Term Causes of WWII

• Treaty of Versailles

• Great Depression in Europe

• Rise of Dictators

• Aggression

• Appeasement

Short Term Cause

German Invasion of Poland- September 1st, 1939 - Germany invades Poland