WWII

Fascism

Political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual.

Totalitarianism

A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.).

Authoritarianism

A political system in which a small group of individuals exercises power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public.

Dictator

A ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained power by force.

Adolf Hitler

Austrian-born founder of the German Nazi Party and chancellor of the Third Reich (1933-1945). His fascist philosophy, embodied in Mein Kampf (1925-1927), attracted widespread support, and after 1934 he ruled as an absolute dictator.

Benito Mussolini (Il Duce)

An Italian political leader who became the fascist dictator of Italy from 1925 to 1945.

Josef Stalin (USSR)

Dictator of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) from 1929 to 1953, who transformed the Soviet Union into an industrial and military superpower.

Hideki Tojo

Japanese general and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1941 to 1944 during the Second World War.

The Interwar Years, 1919-1939

A period marked by economic instability and the rise of extremist politics.

WWII Causes - European

Factors leading to WWII including the harsh Treaty of Versailles and the rise of fascism.

Allied Powers

Alliance of Great Britain, Soviet Union, United States, and France during World War II.

Axis Powers

Alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II.

Lebensraum (living space)

Nazi political and social belief that Germans needed more space to grow.

Appeasement

Satisfying the demands of dissatisfied powers in an effort to maintain peace and stability.

Rome-Berlin Axis (1936)

Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy allied themselves together under this treaty.

Economic Instability

The result of WW1 loss of life and devastation of cities, leading to weakened economies.

Germany's war debt

Contributed to hyperinflation from 1921 to 1923.

Great Depression (1929)

A period that led to widespread unemployment.

League of Nations

Failed to achieve deterrence and disarmament during the interwar years.

Nazi-Soviet Pact

An agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union prior to WWII.

Invasion of Poland in September 1939

A significant event that marked the beginning of World War II.

Japanese attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbour

An event that led to the United States' entry into World War II.

Anti-Comintern Pact (1936)

In case of an attack by the communist Soviet Union against Germany or Japan, the two countries agreed 'to safeguard their common interests'.

Anschluss (1938)

Anschluss refers to Hitler's forced annexation of Austria in 1938.

Munich Conference 1938

The 1938 conference at which European leaders attempted to appease Hitler by turning over the Sudetenland (an area in northwest Czechoslovakia mainly inhabited by Germans) to him in exchange for a promise that Germany would not expand its territory further.

March 1939 - Czechoslovakia

Germany sent in troops and divided the remainder of the country (he had already taken the Sudetenland). Great Britain and France seek to negotiate with Stalin to halt further German aggression.

August 1939 - Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

An agreement of convenience between two bitter enemies. It permitted them to carve up Poland and spheres of influence in eastern Europe, while pledging not to attack each other for 10 years.

September 1, 1939

Hitler invades Poland. Britain and France declare war on Germany 2 days later.

Japanese path to war

A combination of aggressive expansionism, militarism, and a desire for regional dominance.

Blitzkrieg

Blitzkrieg means 'Lightning War'; the method of offensive warfare responsible for Nazi Germany's early military successes.

Tripartite Pact (1940)

Signed between the Axis powers in 1940 (Italy, Germany, and Japan), pledging mutual military and economic support for one another.

Battle of Britain (July-October 1940)

A series of air strikes on Britain by Germany from August to November of 1940 in an unsuccessful attempt to gain air supremacy.

Operation Barbarossa (June 22, 1941)

Germany's (failed) invasion of the Soviet Union; despite initial German success, the Soviet Union did not crumble as expected.

Attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941)

Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; the bombing killed more than 2,300 Americans.

Battle of Midway (June 1942)

A pivotal naval battle was fought near Midway on June 3-6, 1942; the victory halted Japanese advances in the Pacific.

Battle of Guadalcanal

Lengthy battle in the Pacific (Solomon Islands); it represented the first Allied counter-attack against Japanese forces.

Battle of Stalingrad (July 1942 - Feb 1943)

The unsuccessful German attack on the city of Stalingrad during World War II; it was the furthest extent of the German advance into the Soviet Union.

Operation Fortitude

The D-Day deception plan, codenamed Operation Fortitude, was part of a larger overall deception strategy, Operation Bodyguard.

Operation Overlord - D Day (June 6, 1944)

The largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare; the Allies used over 5,000 ships and landing craft to land more than 150,000 troops on five beaches in Normandy.

Antisemitism

Hatred of Jews

Aryan Race

Hitler's vision for a pure Germanic race, used by the Nazis to suggest a superior non-Jewish German typified by height, blonde hair, blue eyes

The Holocaust

The systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million European Jews by the Nazi German regime and its allies and collaborators, occurring between 1933 and 1945.

1935 Nuremburg Laws

A set of antisemitic and racist laws enacted by Nazi Germany that set the stage for future state sponsored violence against the Jewish people.

Reich Citizenship Law

Stripped German Jews of their citizenship, designating them as 'subjects of the state.'

Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor

Prohibited marriage and extramarital relations between Jews and those of 'German or related blood.'

Definition of a Jew

The laws defined who was considered a Jew based on religious affiliation and ancestry.

Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass)

A series of state sponsored pogroms against the Jewish population in Germany, resulting in the vandalism and destruction of Jewish-owned businesses, synagogues, and homes.

30,000 Jews

Rounded up and sent to concentration camps during Kristallnacht.

Wannsee Conference (1942)

A meeting on January 20, 1942, where 15 high-ranking Nazi officials discussed the implementation of the 'Final Solution of the Jewish Question.'

Hitler's Final Solution

A euphemism for the mass murder of Europe's Jews, replacing earlier policies aimed at encouraging or forcing Jews to leave.

Kamikaze

Japanese suicide pilots who loaded their planes with explosives and crashed them into American ships.

Battle of the Bulge (December 16, 1944)

A massive attack launched by Germans on Allied forces in the Ardennes forest, which was countered successfully by Allied forces.

Battle of Iwo Jima (April 25, 1945)

A battle in February and March 1945 where U.S. forces took Iwo Jima, a strategically important island.

Battle of Berlin (1945)

The final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II, resulting in Hitler's suicide.

Yalta Conference (1945)

A meeting of the Big Three (US, UK, USSR) that resulted in the division of Germany into four occupation zones.

Potsdam Conference (July 26, 1945)

A meeting where Allied leaders informed Japan that refusal to surrender would lead to total destruction.

The Manhattan Project

A top-secret project aimed at developing the first atomic bombs, involving scientists and military personnel.

Enola Gay

The American B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945.

Cold War (1945-1991)

A period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union characterized by an arms race and proxy wars.