American studies - WW2 test review

treaty of versailles

the treaty imposed on germany which ended wwi

war guilt clause

clause in the treaty of versailles that blamed germany for wwi

hyper inflation

after treaty of versailles, value of german marks plummeted so number of them increased

weimar republic

new and fragile democratic government of Germany

november criminals

disparaging term for signers of versailles

"stabbed in the back"

fake news among german army that they were betrayed by weimar republic

the big lie

germany didn't actually lose the war, the government surrendered

hawley smoot tariff

protective tariff which cut off trade with germany and the US

keynesian economic theory

economic theory that said government should increase spending & lower taxes to pull the global economy out of the depression

master race

nazi ideology that claimed germans were part of aryan race and superior to all others

blood and soil

extreme nationalism that believed all germans to be united in one nation

beer hall putsch

hitler-led failed coup attempt against the weimar republic in november of 1923

mein kampf

my struggle: hitler's autobiography in which he discusses his anti-semitic, extreme nationalistic plans

liberalism

ideology of civil rights, liberty, and representative government

single party dictatorship

controls all aspects of life

cult of personality

charismatic leader viewed as embodiment of power and strength

gestapo

secret police of nazis

doublespeak

language that deliberately distorts reality, often in the form of a euphemism

indoctrination

process of making people believe uncritically

denunciation

informing secret police about suspicious, unpatriotic behavior

gaslighting

insidious psychological manipulation that makes victim question beliefs or reality

scapegoating

person or group to blame for the nation's problems

joseph stalin

communist dictator of soviet union

adolf hitler

nazi dictator of germany

benito mussolini

il duce, fascist reactionary dictator of italy

black shirts

private army of mussolini

hideki tojo

totalitarian general and prime minister of japan

emperor hirohito

emperor of japan who was used as Tojo's puppet

enabling acts

german parliament gave hitler absolute power

night of long knives

murder of hitler's political opponents

lebensraum

hitler's theory based on a drive to acquire "living space" for the german people

guernica

anti-fascist spanish town bombed by hitler

appeasement

chamberlain policy of pacifying hitler by giving in to his demands

munich crisis

hitler demanded sudetenland from czechoslovakia

"we have achieved peace in our time"

chamberlain quote after the munich pact

rape of nanking

mass murder and rape of chinese civilians in nanking

neutrality acts

laws that prohibited the sale of american weapons to warring nations

america first committee

committee of isolationists led by charles lindbergh

molotov-ribbentrop pact

treaty between germany and USSR in which each country pledged not to attack the other

gleiwitz incident

german invasion of poland on september 1, 1939

blitzkrieg

lightning war

maginot line

french series of massive defensive fortresses along german border

miracle of dunkirk

hundreds of civilian and military vessels evacuated entire british army

battle of britain

air war over england

enigma

code breaking machine that warned royal air force of incoming planes

the blitz

period of intense night-time bombing raids by germans on british cities

interventionists

those who wanted america to give material support to britain but not declare war

isolationists

those who wanted america to stay out of the war

operation barbarossa

german invasion of soviet union

lend-lease act

gave US president right to sell, lend, and lease weapons to allies

atlantic charter

agreement between FDR and churchill which led to formation of UN

axis powers

germany, italy, japan

allied powers

britain, france, soviet union, and US

pearl harbor

japanese bombed american military base at pearl harbor in hawaii

yamamoto

japanese admiral

"I fear we have awaken a sleeping giant"

yamamoto said after pearl harbor

"a date which will live in infamy"

december 7, 1941

war production board

government agency charged with converting american industry to war production

air raid warden

local volunteers who enforced blackouts

victory gardens

home gardens that helped save food for soldiers

rationing

a way of limiting the consumption of essential goods and resources needed to fight the war

office of war information

government propaganda agency that sold wwii to public

louis v schmeling

boxing match viewed as a battle between nazi germany's master race ideology and american democracy

double v campaign

civil rights campaign which promoted patriotism of black soldiers/civilians while still under to jim crow laws

bracero program

agreement between US and mexico that allowed mexican laborers to work temporary in US as agricultural workers

zoot suit riots

riots in LA in summer of 1942 sparked by racism toward supposed unpatriotic behavior of mexican american teenagers

rosie the riveter

symbolic label of working women in traditionally male jobs

blue vs silver vs gold star

in service vs wounded vs killed

final solution

"double talk" nazi decision to attempt to exterminate the jewish race from europe

nuremberg laws

nazi jim crow laws against german jews

kristallnacht

persecution of jews by nazis known as the "night of broken glass"

brown shirts

hitler's private army

voyage of the damned

term for the ill-fated SS st. louis jewish refugee ship which was turned away by the US and resulted in deaths of hundreds

ghettos

walled off sections of conquered cities where jews were forced to live in dehumanizing conditions

wannsee conference

nazi meeting in berlin where the "final solution to the jewish question" was decided

einsatzgruppen

killing squads who lured Jews into remote area before executing them in mass grave

babi yar

most notorious mass shooting

selection process

procedure where nazi doctor chose life in concentration camps or immediate death

auschwitz-birkenau

most notorious concentration camp

grand alliance

military alliance of britain, US, and USSR

big three

stalin, FDR, and churchill

battle of stalingrad

five month long battle and turning point of the war

normandy beach

beaches in northern france that were chosen as allied invasion point

operation fortitude

allied deception campaign to make hitler think invasion would be in calais, france when it was in normandy

d-day

june 6, 1944 where allies invaded normandy

atlantic wall

term for elaborate german defense system along normandy coast

battle of the bulge

hitler's last major offense and surprise blitzkrieg in belgium

"nuts"

general mcauliffe quote after german surrender of battle of the bulge

ve day

victory in europe day on may 8, 1945

bataan death march

60 mile week-long forced march by japanese soldiers on american and filipino soldiers

doolittle raid

small bombing raid of tokyo by US bombers launched from USS hornet

battle of midway island

turning point of pacific war where US code breakers broke japanese code and knew of their ambush

fifth column

term for disloyal group who clandestinely aids the enemy by infiltrating a group or nation

executive order 9066

presidential order to forcibly remove & relocate "enemy aliens"

korematsu v US

supreme court case that ruled that the executive order was constitutional

island hopping

technique of US navy to defeat japan by taking one island at a time

battle of iwo jima

US marines invaded iwo jima to be able to bomb japan more closely

gyokusai

meaning "shattering like a jewel" where japanese civilians would not surrender

invasion of okinawa

82 day battle for control of okinawa

kamikaze

japanese suicide pilots