World War 2

Global Economic Crisis

A major worldwide economic downturn that occurred in the late 1920s and early 1930s, leading to widespread hardship before World War II.

World War II

The deadliest and most destructive war in history, lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving multiple global powers and resulting in approximately eighty million deaths.

Industrialized Genocide

The systematic extermination of a large group of people, specifically referring to the Holocaust during World War II.

Military Technology

Advanced weaponry and machinery used in warfare, which saw unprecedented developments during World War II.

Superpower

A nation with the ability to project its power and influence globally; the United States emerged as a superpower after World War II.

Isolationist Sentiment

A policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, particularly in political affairs, common in the U.S. before entering WWII.

Pearl Harbor

A U.S. naval base in Hawaii that was attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, prompting the U.S. to enter World War II.

September 18 Incident

A staged explosion on Japanese-controlled railway tracks in Manchuria in 1931, used as a pretext for Japan's invasion of China.

Manchukuo

A puppet state established by Japan in Manchuria in February 1932 after the invasion of China.

League of Nations

An intergovernmental organization founded after World War I, aimed at promoting peace but ultimately ineffective in preventing World War II.

The Rape of Nanjing

A period of mass murder and mass rape committed by Japanese troops against the residents of Nanjing, China, during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.

Scorched-Earth Policy

A military strategy of destroying anything that could be useful to the enemy while retreating; adopted by the Nationalist forces against Japanese forces.

Soong May-ling (Madame Chiang)

Wife of Chiang Kai-shek and an important lobbyist for Chinese Nationalists in the U.S. during World War II.

Blitzkrieg

A military tactic employed by the German army during WWII, characterized by swift and sudden military attacks.

Battle of Britain

A significant air campaign waged by the German Luftwaffe against the United Kingdom, with the goal of establishing air superiority.

Operation Barbarossa

Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, marking a crucial turning point in WWII.

Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

An imperial concept created and promoted by the Japanese government during World War II, aimed at establishing Japanese dominance in Asia.

Unconditional Surrender

A term used during World War II, particularly by the Allies, indicating that an enemy must surrender without any conditions or guarantees.

The Tehran Conference

A meeting in 1943 between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin to discuss the planned invasion of France and postwar reorganization.

D-Day

The Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, marked as one of the largest amphibious assaults in history.

V-E Day

Victory in Europe Day, celebrated on May 8, 1945, marking the formal acceptance of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender.

G.I. Bill

Legislation passed in 1944 that provided various benefits to returning World War II veterans, reshaping American society.

Double V Campaign

A campaign led by the Pittsburgh Courier urging African Americans to fight against fascism abroad and racial discrimination at home.

Bracero Program

A U.S. government program established in 1942 to bring Mexican laborers to work in agriculture during WWII.

Executive Order 9066

A directive issued during WWII that authorized the internment of Japanese Americans in camps across the U.S.

War Production Board

A U.S. government agency that supervised war production during WWII, directing factories and resources.

Atomic Bomb

A weapon of mass destruction developed during WWII that uses nuclear reactions to release enormous energy.

Holocaust

The genocide of approximately six million Jews and millions of others by the Nazi regime during World War II.

Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

A non-aggression treaty signed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939, which included a secret protocol for dividing Eastern Europe.

Sitting War (Sitzkrieg)

The period of minimal military operations between the declaration of war against Germany in September 1939 and the German invasion of France in May 1940.

Luftwaffe

The aerial warfare branch of the German Wehrmacht during World War II.

Japanese Internment

The forced relocation and internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, based on wartime hysteria and prejudice.

Tuskegee Airmen

An all-Black military pilot group that served during World War II, known for their exemplary performance.

Joe Rosenthal

Photographer known for capturing the iconic image of U.S. Marines raising the American flag on Iwo Jima.

Operation Overlord

The code name for the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Western Europe at Normandy in 1944.

Nuremberg Trials

A series of military tribunals held after World War II to prosecute prominent leaders of Nazi Germany.

Dawes Plan

A 1924 plan to resolve World War I reparations that put forth an economic plan to stabilize the German economy.

Wellesley College

An exclusive women's liberal arts college in Massachusetts where Soong May-ling graduated.

The Atlantic Charter

A pivotal policy statement issued in August 1941 that outlined the Allied goals for the postwar world, including self-determination and collective security.

Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC)

An agency established to prevent discrimination in defense industries during WWII.

V-J Day

Victory over Japan Day, celebrated on August 15, 1945, after Japan's surrender, marking the end of World War II.

Freedom from Want

One of Roosevelt's Four Freedoms, emphasizing the right of individuals to have economic security and stability.

Lebensraum

The German term for 'living space,' used by Hitler to justify territorial expansion into Eastern Europe.

A. Philip Randolph

African American labor leader who led the fight for civil rights and fair working conditions during WWII.

Rationing

The controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, or services, implemented in the U.S. during WWII.

Zoot Suit Riots

A series of conflicts in Los Angeles during WWII in which U.S. servicemen attacked young Latino men wearing zoot suits.

Brigadier General Benjamin O. Davis Jr.

The first African American general in the United States Air Force who commanded the Tuskegee Airmen.

Manhattan Project

A secret U.S. government research project during WWII that developed the first nuclear weapons.

Iwo Jima

A small island in the Pacific where a famous and brutal battle occurred; notable for the iconic flag raising photo.

Navy's Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES)

A branch of the U.S. Naval Reserve consisting of women who served during WWII.

Japanese-American Internment Camps

Facilities where Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated during WWII, resulting in significant loss of property and civil rights.

Executive Order 8802

Issued in 1941 by Roosevelt, it prohibited racial discrimination in the national defense industry.

Battle of Midway

A pivotal naval battle in June 1942 that marked a significant turning point in the Pacific Theater of WWII.

Homestead Act

A law enacted in 1862 that encouraged Western migration by providing settlers land.

Scorched Earth Policy

A military strategy of destroying anything that could be useful to the enemy while retreating; adopted in WWII.

Hollywood Canteen

An establishment in WWII where entertainers would serve meals to military personnel.