Exam 2 study: Chapter 27

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts from the lecture on World War II, totalitarianism, and related historical events.

Totalitarianism

A form of government characterized by total control of citizens' lives, often involving violence and oppression.

Fascism

A far-right, authoritarian ultranationalism characterized by dictatorial power and forcible suppression of opposition.

Prime Minister Hideki Tojo

Japan’s wartime prime minister who helped lead Japan during WWII and after Pearl Harbor.

Adolf Hitler - THE FÜHRER

Leader of Nazi Germany, known for his role in instigating World War II and implementing fascist policies that resulted in the Holocaust.

Benito Mussolini - Il Duce

The leader of Italy who implemented totalitarian rule and coined the term 'totalitarianism'. He allied with Hitler in WW2.

Munich Pact

An agreement made in 1938 that aimed to appease Hitler by allowing Nazi Germany to annex parts of Czechoslovakia.

Atlantic Charter

A policy statement by the US and UK outlining their goals for the post-war world, emphasizing peace and self-determination.

Blitzkrieg

A military strategy used by Germany in World War II, characterized by rapid and surprise attacks to quickly overwhelm the enemy.

Lend Lease Act

A program allowing the US to supply Allied nations with war material while maintaining a stance of neutrality.

Nazi Party

The National Socialist German Workers' Party, led by Adolf Hitler, responsible for the rise of fascism in Germany.

Appeasement

A diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding war by making concessions to an aggressor, famously used in reference to British relations with Germany.

What is Hideki Tojo known for

His role in the invasion of China and expansionist policies.

Axis Powers

The coalition during World War II led by Germany, Italy, and Japan against the Allies.

Rhineland

A region of Germany where the Versailles Treaty prohibited military forces; violated by Hitler as a step toward war.

Tuskegee Airmen

A group of African American pilots who fought in World War II and played significant roles as soldiers and leaders.

Hitler’s autobiography

Mein Kampf

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain

British leader who tried to avoid WWII by making deals with Hitler. Known for saying “peace in our time”

German-Japanese Anti-Comintern Pact

Germany and Japan agreeing to oppose communism and cooperate politically.

What happened December 7, 1941: “a day that would live in infamy”

The attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan, which led to the United States' entry into World War II.

Who said “a day that will live in infamy”?

FDR was referring to the attack on Pearl Harbor during his speech on December 8, 1941.

What happened in Pearl Harbor?

A surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

General George Marshall

A top U.S. general who helped win WWII and rebuilt Europe with the Marshall Plan.

Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower

A U.S. general during WW2 who led the Allied forces in Europe and was in charge of the D-Day invasion, later becoming the 34th President of the United States.

Rosie the Riveter

A symbol of women who worked in factories and shipyards during WWII, showing that women could do “men’s jobs” while the men were fighting.

What was the Double V campaign?

A movement for African Americans to win two victories: one over enemies abroad (like the Nazis) and one over racism at home in the U.S.

What was the Brocero Program

A work program that allowed Mexican laborers to temporarily work in the United States, especially in agriculture, during World War II due to labor shortages.

Japanese internment program - Executive Order 9066

Japanese were suspected of spying and were forced to go to detention centers. 120,000 Japanese ancestry sent to camps.

Who were the Big Three and what did they believe?

Russia, U.S., Great Britain. They were in agreement to defeat Germany but had different strats. FDR and Churchill agreed, while Stalin did not about post-war visions.

What happened on D-Day?

Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France to start taking back Europe from Nazi Germany. It was the largest invasion force in history and marked the beginning of the end of WWII in Europe.

What was the Holocaust?

The state sponsored genocide of 6 million Jewish citizens. It sent Jewish men, women, and children to concentration camps in Germany and Poland to work, and eventually killed in gas chambers.

What were the Nuremberg laws in Germany 1935

A series of laws passed in Nazi Germany that institutionalized racial discrimination against Jews. It outlawed marriage between Germans and people of Jewish faith, declared only those w/ German blood eligible for citizenship, and subjected them to harassment.

What were concentration camps?

Detention centers established by Nazi Germany where Jews and other targeted groups were forcibly held, often subjected to inhumane conditions, forced labor, and mass extermination during the Holocaust.

What is anti-Semitism?

A prejudice or hostility against Jews, often manifesting in discrimination, violence, and scapegoating throughout history.

Harry S. Truman

Was FDR’s VP and later became president after FDR died. He is known for making the decision to use the atomic bombs on Japan during WW2 and implementing the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe.

What was the Manhattan Project?

America was in a race to make the first atomic bomb before Germany. They made it in secret and led to the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

What was Iwo Jima?

A small Japanese island where a major battle took place in WWII (February–March 1945). The U.S. Marines fought hard to capture it from Japan because it was strategically important for launching attacks on Japan.

kamikaze attacks

Suicide missions by Japanese pilots in WWII, where they crashed their planes into enemy ships to try to cause maximum damage.

Japanese Emperor Hirohito

He was mostly a symbolic leader, but during WWII he approved Japan’s military actions and was the face of the country’s war effort. After Japan lost, he accepted surrender and helped Japan transition to peace.

Enola Gay

A U.S. airplane that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, helping end WWII.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Japanese cities that were hit with atomic bombs by the U.S. in August 1945. The bombings killed tens of thousands and led to Japan surrendering that same day, ending WWII.

Why did Truman want to drop the atomic bomb in Japan?

America already lost too many troops in their successful attempt to capture Iwo Jima, so bombing would cause less feathers for U.S. soldiers.

How many people were killed and affected by the atomic bomb in Japan?

125,000-250,000 people were killed by bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and 60,000 would be dead by the end of the year from the effects of the atomic fallout.

Where did the “Big Three” meet?

They met in Tehran, Iran in 1943 to discuss military strategy and post-war plans, and Yalta to discuss their different outlooks on the war.