WWII

When was the Invasion of Poland?

September 1, 1939; the start of WWII when Germany invaded Poland.

When was Pearl Harbor?

December 7, 1941; led to U.S. entry into WWII.

Neutrality Acts

Laws passed by the U.S. in the 1930s to restrict arms sales and loans to countries at war.

Appeasement

The policy of giving in to an aggressor’s demands to prevent conflict.

Dunkirk

The evacuation of Allied forces from France in May-June 1940.

Lend-Lease Act

U.S. program (1941) providing military aid to Allied nations without immediate payment

Nazi-Soviet Pact

1939 non-aggression treaty between Germany and the Soviet Union.

Anschluss

The 1938 annexation/adding of Austria into Nazi Germany.

Sudetenland

Region of Czechoslovakia given to Germany as part of the Munich Agreement.

Blitzkrieg

Fast and intense military strategy used by Nazi Germany, involving coordinated attacks.

Hiroshima

Japanese city hit by the first atomic bomb.

Nagasaki

Japanese city hit by the second atomic bomb.

Island-Hopping

U.S. military strategy in the Pacific to capture strategic islands while bypassing others. Basically, “Cherry picking” which islands to capture.

Nuremberg Trials

Post-WWII trials of Nazi leaders for war crimes.

Battle of the Bulge

A major German retaliation in December 1944, the last major Nazi attack.

Munich Conference

1938 meeting where Britain and France allowed Hitler to take Sudetenland.

Stalingrad

Brutal 1942-1943 battle marking a turning point in favor of the Allies.

Spanish Civil War

A 1936-1939 conflict where fascists fought against the government.

Axis Power Invasions during the 1930s

Invasions led by Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan.

Erwin Rommel

German general known as the 'Desert Fox' during WWII.

FDR (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

President of the U.S. during the Great Depression and most of WWII.

Mussolini (Benito Mussolini)

Italian dictator and leader of the National Fascist Party.

Hideki Tojo

Prime Minister of Japan during most of WWII.

Hitler (Adolf Hitler)

Leader of Nazi Germany, caused WWII and the Holocaust.

Neville Chamberlain

British Prime Minister known for his policy of appeasement before WWII.

Winston Churchill

British Prime Minister who led Britain through WWII and opposed appeasement.

Stalin (Joseph Stalin)

Leader of the Soviet Union during WWII, on the side of the Allied forces.

What started World War II?

The invasion of Poland by Germany on September 1, 1939.

What was the significance of Pearl Harbor?

It led to the United States' entry into World War II.

What is the Lend-Lease Act?

A U.S. program that provided military aid to Allied nations in WWII.

Who led the Nazi regime during WWII?

Adolf Hitler.

What was the goal of the Munich Conference?

To appease Hitler by allowing the annexation of Sudetenland.