Unit 7 WHAP (World War II & Mass Atrocities) (copy)

Axis Powers

Formed in 1936, a military alliance between Germany, Italy, and Japan during WWII.

Allied Powers

An alliance of countries in World War II, including the United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and France

Winston Churchill

British Prime Minister during World War II, known for his leadership and speeches. He was a key figure in the Allied victory and coined the term "Iron Curtain."

German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact (Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact)

A treaty signed in 1939 between Germany and the Soviet Union, agreeing not to attack each other and to remain neutral if the other became involved in a war.

Blitzkrieg

“fast moving attack” A military tactic emphasizing quick and intense attacks to swiftly overpower the enemy, commonly associated with German forces in WW2.

Lend-Lease Act

A U.S. policy during WWII provided military aid to Britain without immediate payment, enhancing American war efforts and global influence.

Rosie the Riveter

An iconic cultural symbol in the US representing women who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II, encouraging female empowerment and participation in the workforce.

Pearl Harbor

Event on Dec 7, 1941, Japanese surprise attack on US naval base in Hawaii. This led to US entry into WWII. Killed 2,403 Americans, damaged fleet.

Battle of Britain

(Germany vs England) A pivotal air battle fought between the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the German Luftwaffe over Britain in 1940 during World War II.

Battle of Stalingrad

A major World War II battle (1942-1943) where Soviet forces defeated the German army, marking a turning point in the war.

Battle of El Alamein

(Germany & Italy vs Britain) A crucial WWII battle fought in North Africa from Oct 23 to Nov 11, 1942, where British forces led by General Montgomery defeated the Axis forces led by General Rommel.

Battle of Midway

Significant WWII naval battle in June 1942. US defeated Japanese navy, turning point in Pacific War. Japan lost 4 aircraft carriers.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

President during the Great Depression and World War II. Known for the New Deal programs to stimulate the economy and leadership during wartime.

D-Day

The code name for the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, during World War II. It marked the beginning of the end of Nazi Germany's control in Western Europe.

V-E Day

May 8, 1945; Victory in Europe Day marking the end of World War II in Europe following the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany

Albert Einstein

A theoretical physicist known for developing the theory of relativity, E=mc^2, and winning the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921.

Manhattan Project

Top-secret U.S. project during WWII to develop the atomic bomb. Led to bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, ending the war.

Robert Oppenheimer

An American theoretical physicist and the scientific director of the Manhattan Project during WWII, which developed the first nuclear weapons.

Trinity Test

The first detonation of a nuclear weapon on July 16, 1945, as part of the Manhattan Project in New Mexico, marking a significant milestone in the development of atomic bombs.

Hiroshima

City in Japan where the first atomic bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945, during World War II, leading to massive destruction and casualties.

Nagasaki

City in Japan where the second atomic bomb was dropped during World War II, on August 9, 1945.

V-J Day

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

Big Three

allies during WWII; Soviet Union - Stalin, United Kingdom - Churchill, United States - Roosevelt

Tehran Conference

Meeting in 1943 between Allied leaders Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin to discuss WWII strategy, resulting in plans for the D-Day invasion.

Yalta Conference

Meeting in 1945 between Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin to discuss post-WWII Europe's reorganization and plan for peace.

• wanted to plan how Europe would be shaped after WWII

Potsdam Conference

Conference held in July-August 1945 where the Allied leaders planned the postwar peace, while avoiding the mistakes of the Paris Peace Conference of 1919.

• Stalin broke his promise which leads to the “Cold War”

Nuclear Proliferation

Refers to the spread of nuclear weapons to more countries, increasing the risk of nuclear conflict and global instability.

Total War Economy

Refers to a system where a country mobilizes all its resources towards the war effort, involving mass production, rationing, and government control.

Genocide

the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group.

Ethnic Cleansing

The systematic and violent removal of an ethnic group from a specific area by another group, often with the intent to establish dominance.

AntiSemitism

Hostility or prejudice and discrimination against Jewish people, often rooted in stereotypes, hatred, and historical persecution.

Eugenics

The study of or belief in improving the genetic quality of the human population through controlled breeding to increase desirable traits and decrease undesirable ones.

Social Darwinism

Survival of the fittest

Scientific Racism

a pseudoscientific theory that claimed that certain races were genetically superior to others

Holocaust

Mass genocide of six million Jews by the Nazis during World War II, alongside other targeted groups such as Romani people and disabled individuals.

T4 Program

Nazi Germany's involuntary euthanasia program, targeting disabled individuals, from 1939 to 1941. Led to the murder of over 70,000 people.

Euthanasia

the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma.

Einsatzgruppen

German paramilitary death squads

Final Solution

The Nazi plan to exterminate the Jewish population during World War II, resulting in the murder of six million Jews in concentration camps.

Concentration camps

Detention centers where individuals, often minorities or political dissidents, were confined under harsh conditions by the Nazi regime during World War II.

Extermination Camps

Centers established by the Nazis during WWII for mass murder of Jews and others deemed undesirable, using gas chambers and other methods.

Auschwitz

a Nazi concentration camp for Jews in southwestern Poland during World War II

Human Rights

Fundamental rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or religion, encompassing civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights.

Cambodian Genocide

A brutal regime led by Pol Pot in the late 1970s that resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people through execution, forced labor, and starvation.

Pol Pot

A Cambodian dictator who led the Khmer Rouge regime, responsible for the Cambodian genocide in the 1970s, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1.7 million people.

Rwandan Genocide

Tragic event in Rwanda from April to July 1994, where an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by extremist Hutus.

Tutsis/Hutus

The ethnic groups in Rwanda

Holodomor

Man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine during the early 1930s, resulting in millions of deaths due to forced collectivization policies.

Ukraine

Country in Eastern Europe; capital is Kyiv; known for its rich history, diverse culture, and fertile agricultural land; gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Saddam Hussein

President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003, known for his brutal regime and involvement in the Gulf War.

Kurds

Ethnic group primarily inhabiting parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. They have faced historical persecution and have sought autonomy in the region.

Bosnia/Serbia

Refers to the conflict in the 1990s between Bosnian Muslims, Croats, and Serbs, leading to a brutal war marked by ethnic cleansing and genocide.

Darfur

Region in western Sudan where a conflict erupted in 2003, leading to widespread violence, displacement, and humanitarian crisis.

Sudan

Country in North Africa with a capital city of Khartoum. It is the third largest country in Africa by area and is bordered by Egypt, Libya, Chad, South Sudan, Central African Republic, and Eritrea. Arabic is the official language.

Rohingya

Ethnic minority group in Myanmar facing persecution and displacement. They are often stateless and have been subjected to violence and human rights abuses.