Chapter 12: The Second World War and Its Aftermath

Vocabulary flashcards covering the causes, events, key treaties, alliances, and post-war consequences of the Second World War and the origin of the Cold War.

Danzig Corridor

A strip of territory mainly inhabited by Germans that connected Germany to East Prussia; Germany's demand to control it was a major factor leading to the invasion of Poland.

Treaty of Versailles

The post-First World War treaty that forced Germany to surrender colonies, ceded territory to Poland, imposed heavy war indemnities, reduced her military, and sowed feelings of bitterness and revenge.

Non-Aggression Pact (1939)

A treaty signed between Germany and Russia in August 1939, shortly before the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939.

Invasion of Poland

The military offensive launched by German armies on September 1, 1939, which served as the immediate cause and beginning of the Second World War.

Anti-Comintern Pact

An anti-communist pact joined by Mussolini's Italy in 1937, contributing to the alliance network of the Axis Powers prior to the war.

Berlin-Rome-Tokyo Axis

The tripartite alliance established between Germany, Italy, and Japan during the Second World War to fight against the Allied Powers.

Policy of Appeasement

The diplomatic approach pursued by Britain and France that involved conceding to the aggressive demands of fascist dictators to preserve peace and prevent the spread of Russian Bolshevism.

Fascism

The totalitarian, anti-democratic, and intensely nationalistic ideology established in Italy by Benito Mussolini that glorified war as an instrument for national interests and placed state authority above individual freedoms.

Nazism

The totalitarian political ideology established in Germany under Adolf Hitler, characterized by extreme nationalism, one-party dictatorship, the rejection of democracy, re-armament, and territorial expansion.

Attack on Pearl Harbour

The surprise aerial assault launched by Japan under Premier General Tojo against the U.S. naval base in Hawaii on December 7, 1941, bringing the United States into the Second World War.

V-J Day

Victory over Japan Day, marking the surrender of Japan to the Allied Powers following the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

Atom Bomb

A nuclear weapon developed and produced by the United States, used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 to force Japan's unconditional surrender.

Potsdam Declaration

The statement issued on July 26, 1945, in which the Allied Powers called upon Japan to surrender unconditionally, forming the terms on which Japan eventually agreed to end the war.

Federal Republic of Germany (FRG)

West Germany, established with Bonn as its capital, administered by the UK, France, and the USA, and aligned with the capitalist ideology of the Western Bloc.

German Democratic Republic (GDR)

East Germany, established with East Berlin as its capital, administered by the Soviet Union, and integrated into the Communist Eastern Bloc.

Cold War

A prolonged state of extreme political tension, ideological rivalry, and arms race between the USA and the USSR without direct military conflict between them.

Western Bloc

The democratic and capitalist alliance led by the United States during the Cold War that sought to contain the global spread of Communism.

Eastern Bloc

The communist alliance led by the Soviet Union during the Cold War that followed Marxist theory and viewed Western containment policies as an aggressive threat.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)

A military alliance established by the Capitalist Western bloc led by the United States to counter the perceived threat of Communism.

Warsaw Pact

A mutual defense military alliance formed by communist nations under the leadership of the Soviet Union to counter NATO.

Collective Security (NATO Principle)

The mutual defense guarantee stipulating that an armed attack against any single member nation is treated as an attack on all members, obligating everyone to come to the defense of the attacked state.

United Nations Organisation (UN)

An international body established on October 24, 1945, to maintain international peace and prevent future world conflicts following the failure of the League of Nations.

The Big Three

The leaders of the primary Allied powers—President Roosevelt (USA), Prime Minister Churchill (Britain), and Premier Stalin (USSR)—who met at Yalta in February 1945 to plan the post-war order and the UN Charter.

Containment of Communism

The American Cold War foreign policy, represented by the phrase 'For Defence of Free World,' in which the United States assumed responsibility for stopping the spread of Communism.

Uncle Sam

The popular cultural personification of the United States government, commonly used in political cartoons to symbolize American foreign and domestic policies.