Rise of Totalitarian Leaders and World War II Practice Flashcards

Forty vocabulary flashcards based on the Regents Preparation Packet covering the rise of totalitarianism, the build-up to WWII, major conflict events, and the Holocaust.

Adolf Hitler

Totalitarian leader of Germany who gained power by promising to solve the economic crisis and make changes to help all people.

Benito Mussolini

Totalitarian leader of Italy who promised to solve the economic crisis and make his country strong again.

Tojo Hideki

Leader of Japan who sought more resources and military power after the country's economic struggles.

Joseph Stalin

Totalitarian leader of the Soviet Union during the period following World War I.

Great Depression

A 1929 economic crisis that began in the United States and impacted all countries due to international trade.

Fascism

A popular political movement after World War I triggered by economic problems, unemployment, and the desire for strong government.

Treaty of Versailles

The peace treaty that ended World War I and punished Germany by taking its land, colonies, and military power.

Reparations

Payments for war damages that Germany was forced to pay, which hurt its economy and caused anger.

Alsace and Lorraine

Specific lands that Germany was forced to give up as part of the Treaty of Versailles.

Inflation

An economic condition caused by Germany printing more money to afford reparation payments.

Weimar Republic

The German government that many people doubted and blamed for the outcome of World War I.

Totalitarianism

A system where the government controls all sources of information and lacks civil liberties.

Propaganda

Information controlled by the government, including newspapers, radio, and movies, used to spread Nazi ideas.

Hitler Youth

An organization for children used to teach and instill Nazi ideas.

Gestapo

The Nazi secret police who arrested and executed people without a trial.

Anti-Semitism

Hostility and discrimination toward Jews, leading to the loss of their property, shops, and citizenship.

Star of David

A symbol that Jewish people were forced to wear on their clothing under Nazi rule.

Ghettos

Areas where Jews were forced to live before being moved to concentration camps.

Nuremberg Laws

Laws enacted by the Nazi government that deprived Jews of German citizenship and basic civil rights.

Kristallnacht

The "Night of Broken Glass" when German Nazis destroyed Jewish businesses and synagogues.

Munich Conference

A 1968 meeting where Western democracies agreed Germany could seize the Sudetenland if expansion stopped there.

Sudetenland

A territory in Czechoslovakia that the Munich Conference allowed Germany to seize.

Invasion of Poland

The event that began World War II.

Appeasement

A policy illustrated by the League of Nations failing to stop Italy’s aggression in Ethiopia.

Haile Selassie

The leader of Ethiopia who asked the League of Nations for help against Italian invasion in 1935.

Allied Powers

The side of the war consisting of Great Britain, France, and the United States.

Axis Powers

The side of the war consisting of Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Pearl Harbor

A location in Hawaii bombed by Japan, leading the United States Congress to declare war on December 8, 1941.

Turning Point

The US joining the war, which brought more soldiers and resources to help the Allies defeat the Axis powers.

Scorched earth

A tactic used by Russian troops to draw German troops further into the country during the winter.

D-Day

June 6, 1944, the date Allies landed on the beaches of Normandy to take back France.

Vichy State

The name for France that was taken back by the Allies after they broke German defenses.

Yalta Conference

A 1945 meeting where Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin decided to divide Germany into different zones.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The two Japanese cities where the United States dropped atomic bombs to force a surrender.

Holocaust

The systematic attempt to destroy an entire ethnic or religious group, also known as a genocide.

Genocide

The systematic destruction of a group, such as Hitler's actions against Jews, disabled people, and gay people.

Nuremberg Trials

Proceedings held to hold those who carried out the Holocaust accountable for their actions.

United Nations

An organization whose goal is to promote global peace, security, and economic and social well-being.

Human Rights Violations

An enduring issue theme exemplified by the events of the Holocaust.

Innovation

An enduring issue theme exemplified by the first use of atomic bombs.