Rise of Aggressive Dictators and World War II

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture on World War II, aggressive dictators, and related historical events.

Aggression

Forceful action, often military, used by a country to gain power or territory.

Totalitarianism

A system where the government controls all aspects of citizens’ lives.

Joseph Stalin

Dictator of the Soviet Union who ruled with fear and strict control.

Benito Mussolini

Fascist dictator of Italy who allied with Hitler.

Spanish Civil War

Conflict in Spain where fascists gained power.

Francisco Franco

Leader who won the Spanish Civil War and ruled Spain as a dictator.

Appeasement

Giving in to demands to avoid conflict.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

U.S. president during most of WWII.

Anschluss

Germany’s annexation of Austria in 1938.

Neville Chamberlain

British leader who supported appeasement.

Munich Pact

Agreement allowing Hitler to take part of Czechoslovakia.

Fascism

Political system with strong centralized power and limited freedoms.

Adolf Hitler

Dictator of Germany and leader of the Nazis.

Anti-Semitic

Prejudice or hatred against Jewish people.

Blitzkrieg

'Lightning war,' fast and powerful military attack.

Axis Powers

Germany, Italy, and Japan alliance.

Allies

Countries opposing Axis (U.S., Britain, Soviet Union, etc.).

Winston Churchill

British leader who resisted Nazi Germany.

Neutrality Act of 1939

Law allowing U.S. to sell weapons to warring nations on a cash basis.

Tripartite Pact

Agreement between Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Charles Lindbergh

Famous pilot who supported isolationism.

Lend-Lease Act

Allowed U.S. to lend weapons to Allies.

Atlantic Charter

Plan by U.S. and Britain for postwar peace.

Hideki Tojo

Leader of Japan during WWII.

Pearl Harbor

Japanese attack that brought the U.S. into WWII.

George Marshall

Top U.S. military planner.

Women’s Army Corps (WAC)

Women serving in non-combat military roles.

Douglas MacArthur

Led Allied forces in the Pacific.

Bataan Death March

Forced march of American and Filipino prisoners by Japan.

Battle of Coral Sea

First naval battle fought by aircraft carriers.

Unconditional Surrender

Complete surrender with no terms.

Saturation Bombing

Bombing large areas to destroy everything.

Strategic Bombing

Targeting key enemy industries and infrastructure.

Tuskegee Airmen

First Black military pilots in U.S. Army Air Corps.

Battle of Midway

Turning point in the Pacific War.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Supreme Allied commander in Europe.

George S. Patton Jr.

Aggressive U.S. tank commander.

Chester Nimitz

Led naval forces in the Pacific.

Omar Bradley

Senior U.S. commander in Europe.

Executive Order 8802

Banned racial discrimination in defense jobs.

Bracero Program

Brought Mexican workers to U.S. farms.

Internment

Forced relocation and confinement of Japanese Americans.

442nd Regimental Combat Team

Japanese American military unit that fought bravely in Europe.

Rationing

Limiting use of goods to support the war effort.

Office of War Information

Government agency controlling war news and propaganda.

War Bond

Loan from citizens to help pay for the war.

Demographics

Study of population changes.

A. Philip Randolph

Fought for equal job opportunities for African Americans.

Battle of the Bulge

Last major German offensive in Europe.

Island-Hopping

Strategy of capturing key islands in the Pacific.

Kamikaze

Japanese suicide pilots.

Manhattan Project

Secret project to build the atomic bomb.

Harry S. Truman

President who ordered atomic bomb use.

Albert Einstein

Helped inspire atomic research.

J. Robert Oppenheimer

Led the Manhattan Project.

Holocaust (Final Solution)

Nazi plan to exterminate Jews.

Nazism

Hitler’s political ideology based on racism and dictatorship.

Kristallnacht

Violent attacks on Jews in Germany.

Genocide

Intentional destruction of a group of people.

Concentration Camps

Camps where prisoners were held and forced to work.

Death Camps

Camps designed for mass killing.

War Refugee Board

U.S. agency helping victims escape Nazis.

Yalta Conference

Allied leaders planned postwar Europe.

Superpowers

Nations with great global influence (U.S. & USSR).

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)

Agreement to promote international trade.

United Nations (UN)

Organization to promote peace.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Document outlining basic human rights.

Geneva Conference

Meetings to address international conflicts.

Nuremberg Trials

Trials of Nazi leaders for war crimes.

Zoot Suit Riots

Racial clashes between servicemen and Mexican American youth.